SKU: AP.31577

UPC: 038081345550. English.

A warm and easy holiday arrangement of Still, Still, Still and The First Noel that will grace your holiday concert stage as well as broaden your students' listening and technical abilities. Both tunes are presented on their own and then combined to conclude this lyrical arrangement. Rhythmically it is quite easy, which will enable your young players to focus on achieving a good balance between melody and harmony. Correlates with Strictly Strings Book 1, Page 32.

SKU: BT.YKM570369270

A Hymn to the Thames was commissioned by James Turnbull and the Music Director of the St Paul’s Sinfonia, Andrew Morley. It was begun in 2019 and completed early in 2020. There are four movements played without a break, which follow the Thames from its Cotswold source to the North Sea. As the first performance took place in St ALfege’s Church, Greenwich, this seemed appropriate. The solo oboe represents both a wanderer along the river path and the spirit of the river. The pitch centres of the movements spell out the musical letters of the river (tHAmES—B natural, A, E and E flat) so that the river’s name is projected across the whole work. In addition, the musical letters found in James Turnbull, Andrew Morley and my wife, Teresa Cahill ( who was born in Maidenhead and brought up by the river in Rotherhithe) are entwined in various guises. The first movement grows from the depths, the soloist entering with fanfare-like gestures, followed by lyrical music and breaks into a dance as the river gathers momentum. The third movement is slow and sustained and geographically the Thames flows through Oxford. The music is based on the well-known In Nomine ‘head motif’ from the Gloria tibi Trinitas Mass by the early Tudor composer, John Taverner, who was the first Director of Music at Christ Church, Oxford. The orchestra provides a screen or veil above which the solo oboe dreams and ruminates. This leads directly into the fourth and final movement which begins in the depths once more, interrupting the oboe’s held note from the end of the third movement. The waters’ increasing intensity and power are represented throughout by a moto perpetuo of quick, steady semiquavers. Near the close, the woodwind play O Nata Lux by Thomas Tallis, the great Tudor composer who, with his wife Joan, is buried in St Alfege’s. Beneath this, the lower strings continue the fast semiquaver movement of the river and, above, the violins are heard as a halo of harmonics. At the close, the oboe rises, opening out to the future, and celebrating its voyage, while the orchestra fades as the river meets the sea. A Hymn to the Thames lasts approximately 17 minutes.

SKU: AP.44781S

UPC: 038081516936. English. Traditional German Carols.

A terrific multicultural addition to any beginning holiday concert, this arrangement by Sandra Dackow is a spirited rendition of three traditional German carols. These contrasting carols---Lasst uns froh und munter sein, O Come Little Children, and an unnamed traditional tune---are a fun way to introduce cut time and reinforce bow lifts to young string players. (1:45).

About Orchestra Expressions

Play great songs such as Over the Rainbow, Batman, This Land Is Your Land, and Star Wars (Main Title). Listen to and play a variety of styles of music: popular, traditional, classical, folk and patriotic. Read and write music; compose and improvise. Perform in a concert and play for your family and friends. Be a conductor of the orchestra. Learn about composers, such as Antonin Dvorak, Johann Pachelbel, Jacques Offenbach, Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Giuseppe Verdi, George M. Cohan, George Frideric Handel, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Giacomo Puccini, Georges Bizet, Neal Hefti, and John Williams. Discover how music and art are related. Learn about a variety of musical ensembles including string orchestra, full orchestra, mariachi band, steel drum band, dixieland jazz band, rock band, and more. Play music from around the world, including North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa.

SKU: CF.C1232

ISBN 9781491160923. UPC: 680160919529. Transcribed by John Stafford Smith.

The celebratory and dramatic rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner by Sean O'Loughlin, first arranged for brass and percussion, is now beautifully scored for full orchestra. O'Loughlin's popular arrangement has become a favorite of both the Oregon Symphony and Baltimore Symphony brass players, being played at sporting events including Portland Trailblazers NBA basketball games, Baltimore Orioles baseball games, and Baltimore Ravens football games.With fanfare flourishes and colorful touches, this grand arrangement gives each section an opportunity to play the melody, making for a truly dynamic experience.