SKU: PR.11641867S

UPC: 680160683208.

Contextures: Riots -Decade '60 was commissioned by Zubin Mehta and the Southern California Symphony Association after the successful premiere of the Concerto for Four Percussion Soloists and Orchestra. It was written during the spring and summer months of 1967. Riots stemming from resentment against the racial situation in the United States and the war in Vietnam were occurring throughout the country and inevitably invaded the composer's creative subconscious. Contextures, as the title implies, was intended to exploit various and varying textures. As the work progressed the correspondence between the fabric of music and the fabric of society became apparent and the allegory grew in significance. So I found myself translating social aspects into musical techniques. Social stratification became a polymetric situation where disparate groups function together. The conflict between the forces of expansion and the forces of containment is expressed through and opposition of tonal fluidity vs. rigidity. This is epitomized in the fourth movement, where the brass is divided into two groups - a muted group, encircled by the unmuted one, which does its utmost to keep the first group within a restricted pitch area. The playful jazzy bits (one between the first and second movements and one at the end of the piece) are simply saying that somehow in this age of turmoil and anxiety ways of having fun are found even though that fun may seem inappropriate. The piece is in five movements, with an interlude between the first and second movements. It is scored for a large orchestra, supplemented by six groups of percussion, including newly created roto-toms (small tunable drums) and some original devices, such as muted gongs and muted vibraphone. There is also an offstage jazz quartet: bass, drums, soprano saxophone and trumpet. The first movement begins with a solo by the first clarinetist which is interrupted by intermittent heckling from his colleagues leading to a configuration of large disparate elements. The interlude of solo violin and snare-drum follows without pause. The second movement, Prestissimo, is a display piece of virtuosity for the entire orchestra. The third movement marks a period of repose and reflection and calls for some expressive solos, particularly by the horn and alto saxophone. The fourth movement opens with a rather lengthy oboe solo, which is threatened by large blocks of sound from the orchestra, against an underlying current of agitated energy in the piano and percussion. This leads to a section in which large orchestral forces oppose one another, ultimately bringing the work to a climax, if not to a denouement. Various thematic elements are strewn all over the orchestra, resulting in the formation of a general haze of sound. A transition leads to the fifth movement without pause. The musical haze is pierced gently by the offstage jazz group as if they were attempting to ignore and even dispel the gloom, but a legato bell sound enters and hovers over both the jazz group and the orchestra, the latter making statements of disquieting finality. Two films were conceived to accompany portions of Contextures. The first done by Herbert Kosowar, was a chemography film (painting directly into the film using dyes and various implements) with fast clips of riot photographs. The second was a film collage made by photographically abstracting details from paintings of Reginald Pollack. The purpose was to invoke a non-specific response - as in music - but at the same time to define the subject matter of the piece. The films were constructed to correspond with certain developments in the piece and in no way affect the independence and musical flow of the piece, having been made after the piece was completed. Contextures: Riots - Decade '60 is dedicated to Mehta, the Southern California Symphony Association and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. The news of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King came the afternoon of the premiere, April 4, 1968. That evening's performances, and also the succeeding ones, were dedicated to him and a special dedication to Dr. King has been inserted into he score. All the music that follows the jazz group - beginning with the legato bell sound playing the first 2 notes to We shall overcome constitutes a new ending to commemorate Dr. King's death.

SKU: AP.49068S

ISBN 9781470647834. UPC: 038081567051. English.

This multi-level piece includes a full set of parts for grade 2 as well as a full set for grade 3 ensembles. Mix and match the parts as you need---perfect for mixed-ability ensembles!

String Thang by Mark Wood is based on the twelve-bar blues. The blues has deep roots in American history, developed out of the work songs and chants of African-American slaves. The Great Migration of the first half of the 20th century saw freed slaves and their descendants move to northern and eastern parts of the U.S., taking their music with them. The blues took on different forms; in turn it helped to create rock, jazz, hip-hop, and other popular genres. A twelve-bar blues uses a repeating chord progression which allows musicians to express themselves creatively with each recurrence. If anything defines the blues, it is the use of blue notes---pitches that don't usually belong in a given key---and elements of improvisation. String Thang uses both blue notes in the main tune and the solo violin's part, as well as improvisational principles in the solo. For string orchestra with optional rock rhythm section parts. (2:45)

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SKU: AP.48036

UPC: 038081557021. English.

Perfect for beginner and early intermediate orchestras, Temple Raider by Mark Hillegass, Jr. features driving, heart-pounding, mystical, and adventure-like melodies. This piece is great for introducing syncopation, articulations, dynamic contrast, and tempo changes and has students working on all four strings in 1st position. Temple Raider also features the use optional percussion that can be played by one performer. (3:10).

SKU: HL.48182754

UPC: 888680948856. 12.5x16.5 inches.

“Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) is known for his unique composition style. Incorporating complex rhythms, harmony, melodies and his passion for ornithology, his The Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ for Choir, Seven solo instruments and Orchestra is no exception to the composer's popular, distinctive style. Composed between 1965-1969, The Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ is based on the account of Jesus' Transfiguration, found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. The work requires a huge 200 performers and with 14 movements, a typical performance lasts about an hour and a half. The Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ incorporates Messiaen's popular compositional techniques, such as his modes of limited transposition, and the use of birdsong. Texts are largely based on the Bible. The Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ is essential to all advanced musicians seeking to expand and vary their ensemble repertoire on a large-scale.&rdquo.

SKU: HL.132289

ISBN 9788392036524. UPC: 884088971236. 9.25x12.0x0.277 inches.

The historical version of the score is what Chopin agreed to have published, for various reasons, but it is contaminated by involvement of foreign editorial input. The performance full score 00132241 or its 2 piano reduction 00132132242 are practical editions that are considered more authoritative for performance. The National Edition of the Works of Fryderyk Chopin Published by PWM Exclusively Distributed by Hal Leonard Corporation Co-Editors Jan Ekier and Pawel Kaminski The objective of the National Edition is to present Chopin's complete output in its authentic form, based on the entire body of available sources. Sources were analyzed with up-to-date scientific and musicological methodology. The National Edition was based on sources originated from the composer, mainly autographs, copies of autographs and first editions with the composer's corrections, and pupils' copies with Chopin's annotations. In cases when original sources were lacking, the closest possible materials were used. Collecting the source materials was a laborious task which took years of effort. The characteristics of sources, the links and discrepancies between them as well as the reasons for particular editorial decisions are discussed in the Source Commentary in each volume. The Performance Commentary appended to each volume includes: the realization of ornaments, comments on pedal markings (the original markings sometimes are inadequate, due to the difference in sound between pianos used in Chopin`s times and modern pianos), suggestions as to the harmonic legato (a performance technique often used by Chopin and now forgotten). About the National Edition Full Introduction to the Polish National Edition of the Works of Fryderyk Chopin.

SKU: BR.PB-5581

ISBN 9790004213919. 10 x 12.5 inches.

A Programmatic Declaration of BeliefFelix Mendelssohn Bartholdy composed his Reformation Symphony for the celebrations marking the 300th anniversary of the Confessio Augustana, the Protestant declaration of faith. Owing to various and only partially explained reasons, there was no performance in 1830, the year in question; it was only two years later that the composer conducted the premiere of his work, now heavily revised, in Berlin. There was only one more performance in Mendelssohn's lifetime, this one conducted by Julius Rietz in Dusseldorf; the composer had since distanced himself from his opus.Conceived for the concert hall, the symphony formulates its theological references through the integration of various motives. This occurs in the finale, for example, in which Mendelssohn quotes the Luther chorale Ein feste Burg in the flute, from where it builds up to a triumphant principal theme. The strong extra-musical aspect must have been one of the reasons for the composer's later avoidance of this score, especially since Mendelssohn was becoming increasingly skeptical about explicitly programmatic music in the instrumental domain. Next to the Dusseldorf performance material of 1837, two scribal copies have been examined for the first time; they transmit the main stages of the version of 1830.