SKU: PR.41641576L

UPC: 680160636549. 11 x 17 inches.

The 1712 Overture stands out in P.D.Q. Bach's oeuvre for two reasons, among others: it is by far the most programmatic instrumental piece among those by the minimeister of Wein-am-Rhein so far unearthed, and 2) its discovery has led to a revelation about the composer's father, Johann Sebastian Bach, that has exploded like a bombshell on the usually serene musicological landscape. The overture is based on an anecdote told to P.D.Q. Bach by a cousin, Peter Ulrich. Since P.U. Bach lived in Dudeldorf, only a few miles down the road from Wein-am-Rhein, he was P.D.Q.'s closest relative, and he was, in fact, one of the few members of the family who was on speaking terms with P.D.Q. The story, related to P.D.Q. (fortunately for us posterity types) in a letter, may be summarized thus: The town of Dudeldorf was founded by two brothers, Rudi and Dieter Dudel, early in the 18th century. Rudi remained mayor of the newborn burg for the rest of his long life, but Dieter had a dream of starting a musicians' colony, an entire city devoted to music, which dream, he finally decided, could be realized only in the New World. In 1712, he and several other bagpipers sailed to Boston, never to return to Germany. (Henceforth, Rudi became known as der deutscher Dudel and Dieter as the Yankee Dudel). Unfortunately, the head of the Boston Musicians' Guild had gotten wind of Dudel's plans, and Wilhelm Wiesel (pron. VEE-zle), known none too affectionately around town as Wiesel the Weasel, was not about to share what few gigs there were in colonial America with more foreigners and outside agitators. He and his cronies were on hand to meet Dudel's boat when it pulled into Boston Harbor; they intended to prevent the newcomers' disembarkation, but Dudel and his companions managed to escape to the other side of the bay in a dinghy, landing with just enough time to rent a carriage and horses before hearing the sound of The Weasel and his men, who had had to come around the long way. The Germans headed West, with the Bostonians in furious pursuit. soon the city had been left far behind, and by midnight so had the pursuers; Dieter Dudel decided that it was safe for him and his men to stop and sleep until daybreak. When they awoke, they found that they were in a beautiful landscape of low, forested mountains and pleasant fields, warmed by the brilliant morning sun and serenaded by an entrancing variety of birds. Here, Dudel thought, her is where I will build my colony. The immigrants continued down the road at a leisurely pace until they came upon a little church, all by itself in the countryside, from which there suddenly emanated the sounds of a pipe organ. At this point, the temptation to quote from P.U. Bach's letter to P.D.Q. cannot be resisted: They went inside and, after listening to the glorious music for a while, introduced themselves to the organist. And who do you think it was? Are you ready for this -- it was your old man! Hey, no kidding -- you know, I'm sure, that your father was the guy to get when it came to testing new organs, and whoever had that one in Massachusetts built offered old Sebastian a tidy sum to go over there and check it out. The unexpected meeting with J.S. Bach and his sponsors was interrupted by the sound of horse hooves, as the dreaded Wiesel and his men thundered on to the scene. They had been riding all night, however, and they were no spring chickens to start with, and as soon as they reached the church they all dropped, exhausted, to the ground. The elated Germans rang the church bells and offered to buy everyone a beer at the nearest tavern. There they were taught, and joined in singing, what might be called the national anthem of the New World. The melody of this pre-revolutionary patriotic song is still remembered (P.D.Q. Bach quotes it, in the bass instruments, near the end of the overture), but is words are now all but forgotten: Freedom, of thee we sing, Freedom e'er is our goal; Death to the English King, Long live Rock and Ross. The striking paucity of biographical references to Johann Sebastian Bah during the year 1712 can now be explained: he was abroad for a significant part of that year, testing organs in the British Colonies. That this revelation has not been accepted as fact by the musicological establishment is no surprise, since it means that a lot of books would have to be rewritten. The members of that establishment haven't even accepted the existence of P.D.Q. Bach, one of whose major works the 1712 Overture certainly is. It is also a work that shows Tchaikowsky up as the shameless plagiarizer that some of us have always known he was. The discovery of this awesome opus was made possible by a Boston Pops Centennial Research Commission; the first modern performance took place at the opening concert of the 100th anniversary season of that orchestra, under the exciting but authentic direction of John Williams.

SKU: HL.14028038

ISBN 9788759854730. 12.0x16.5x0.3 inches. English.

The word GONG is saturated with associations: the splendour of the Orient, mysticism, drama, loud metallic clangour, violent impact, etc. The present piece draws upon all those connotations, but it is primarily a symphonic drama about the life and behaviour of the sun, our closest star and prime source of life on Earth. Describing the sun in music is not a new idea, of course; during a visit to Greece, Carl Nielsen was inspired by the orbit of the sun and its very un-Danish ferocity and thus wrote the Helios Overture. GONG is a Helios Overture too, of sorts, albeit more abstract. Recent astronomical research shows, that the surface of the sun reverberates like a gong, in four different, simultaneous tempi (not directly depicted in the score, though); the sun looks like a GONG, - the O in the written work looks like the sun; there is even a solar research group called GONG (Global Oscillation Network Group). Formally the composition follows the life and fate of the sun, from the initial explotional birth through the hyper-activity as energy source as we know it today to the final, predicted flaring up and collapse into a so-called white dwarf. But - being a musical composition, not an astrophysical thesis - GONG is brought to its compositional conclusion by a real concert-ending, a chord taken from the middle of the piece and sustained over several bars, from virtual nothingness to full force.

SKU: AP.49118

UPC: 038081563473. English.

This version of Defenders of the Realm by Jeremy Bell is part of our Alfred FLEX offerings and is designed with maximum flexibility for use by any mix of instruments---wind, strings, and percussion, including like- or mixed-ensembles with as few as 4 players. The suggested instrumentation and a customizable Teacher Map will help you plan out how to best assign parts to suit your ensemble's needs. The 4-part instrumentation will support balanced instrumentation of the lower voices. It also comes with supplemental parts for maximum flexibility. With the purchase of this piece, permission is granted to photocopy the parts as needed for your ensemble. A percussion accompaniment track is also available as a free download. String parts have been carefully edited with extra fingerings and appropriate bowings to support students in mixed ensembles playing in less familiar keys.

Inspired by fantasy-themed movies where heroes find the strength to fight and overcome great odds, Defenders of the Realm by Jeremy Bell recreates the big, epic soundtrack of a Hollywood movie for young bands. Ranges and rhythms create an impressive-sounding piece appropriate for developing musicians. (3:10)

Percussion Accompaniment Track Downloads :
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This title is available in MakeMusic Cloud.

SKU: HL.14000916

ISBN 9788759859179. 12.0x16.5x0.538 inches. English.

Stratifications was composed by Hans Abrahamsen in 1973-75 and was premiered in the summer 1977 by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra at the Young Nordic Music Festival in Reykjavik. Programme note: The stratifications referred to in the title unfold two different levels. There is the stratification of the time dimension produced by the opposition of contrasting parts, at the same time the polyphony, the presence of several simultaneously sounding layers, is of great importance to the music. By garish colours and clear-cut outlines a polyrhythmic simultaneousness of simple melodies is produced with more gestic music and other material which give a peculiar set piece-like effect inthe sound picture. The new simplicity details are here woven together in a new kind of complex whole. Stratifications begins with a series of concretistic masklike pictures of the music. It is like seeing lantern slides. But this fictive form crackles and the music gets attentive and real. The music is in a night-mare condition, where it is not getting anywhere in spite of a great dynamic display. But finally is liberating itself and rising in triumph.

SKU: BR.PB-5119-07

World premiere: Donaueschingen (Donaueschinger Musiktage), October 16, 1983

ISBN 9790004208670. 9 x 12 inches.

Jeder Kultur wohnt eine Moral inne, welche die menschlichen Handlungen bewertet und in zwei Kategorien einteilt: gut/schlecht, positiv/negativ usw. Der Titel HARTO - zu deutsch: satt, uberdrussig - bezieht sich auf das Unbehagen, das diese dichotomische Auffassung hervorruft: eine Auffassung, die gleichwohl in uns verwurzelt ist und gerade darum den Prozess Wahrnehmung Ausserung Kenntnis beeinflusst, ihm zugehort. Tatsachlich wird das musikalische Phanomen dualistisch konzipiert: Klang = Ton/Gerausch; Tonhohenanordnung = Konsonanz/Dissonanz, tonal/atonal; Struktur = symmetrischer Bau (Vordersatz/Nachsatz), das scholastische Ideal des Gleichgewichts, das seinerseits eine Symmetrieachse zur Voraussetzung hat. Diese Strukturierung des Materials ergibt sich aus dem fast ausschliesslichen Interesse des Komponisten an den expressiven Moglichkeiten des musikalischen Apparats. Die Motivation des Komponierens aus dem Drang, etwas Inneres ausdrucken zu mussen, erscheint mir jedoch heute der Grundlage zu entbehren und folglich auch unnotig. Die letztliche Daseinsberechtigung dieser Motivation liegt in der dualistischen Vorstellung, die beim Menschen zwischen Leib und Seele unterscheidet. Ein Bluff, Produkt kleinlicher Disputiersucht. Eine Analyse auf der Basis empirischer Logik stellt fest, dass es keine Seele gibt, sondern ein Nervensystem mit bestimmten Fahigkeiten, und dass nichts auszudrucken ist, weil Musik die Empfindungen des Komponisten nicht wiedergeben kann. sondern lediglich unbestimmte Eindrucke im Horer erzeugt. Da aber jede bewusste Wahrnehmung Erkenntnis ist, ware es nun die Aufgabe des Komponisten, Musik mit diesem Ziel, das heisst: Musik als Erkenntnismittel zu schaffen. Dies alles ist der Versuch, die Erkenntnistheorie von David Hume und anderen, spateren Epistemologen auf Musik anzuwenden. Der Beitrag des Empirismus zur Erkenntnistheorie wurde zwar in der wissenschaftlichen Forschung genutzt, fand jedoch in der Kunst kaum, in der Musik keinerlei Beachtung. Warum? Vielleicht, weil in der Musik noch immer der naive, >>expressive<< Komponist vorherrscht, den das elitar-bourgeoise Publikum verlangt und dem es applaudiert. Der Einwand, dass Kunst immer bourgeois war und es weiterhin ist, gibt zwar keine Losung, sollte aber auch nicht unterschatzt werden. Ich habe HARTO in zwei Teilen konzipiert, wobei jeder Teil im Verhaltnis zum anderen sowohl irgendwie das gleiche als auch das Gegenteil darstellt. Der Grund fur diese Zweiteilung des Werkes ist leicht aus dem vorhin Gesagten abzuleiten. Als Vorarbeit zur Komposition habe ich versucht, die historische dichotomische Gestaltung des Materials besonders hervorzuheben, und zwar durch eine Potenzierung jener Aspekte, die diesen -zweigeteilten<< Charakter in sich tragen. Ich habe also den Zeitverlauf lediglich als eine Folge von Spannungs- und Entspannungs-Einheiten betrachtet; ich habe Tonhohen-Anordnungen verwendet, die ausschliesslich auf Symmetrie beruhen; ich habe zweiteilige Strukturen aufgebaut, deren Halften durch eine Pause mit konstantem Wert geteilt sind; ich habe - je nach den Moglichkeiten des Orchesters - den Gerausch- oder Tonanteil des Klanges ubertrieben. Dieser Gedankengang wurde im Hinblick darauf realisiert, neue Anwendungsmoglichkeiten zu finden, die fur das Ziel einer Musik als Erkenntnismittel von Nutzen sein konnen.(Manuel Hidalgo).

SKU: AP.49462

ISBN 9781470650261. UPC: 038081571041. English.

This arrangement of The Prince of Denmark March, or Trumpet Voluntary, provides the perfect setting for advocacy and striving for excellence since it is so recognizable. Three different versions of the final 8 bars, containing incorrect notes, are included. Each version contains an increasing percentage of correct pitches. Each represents a different letter grade. Play all four versions and then explain to parents and administration that the A+, 100% correct version is what we do every day in orchestra. All sections play the melody in this piece, still providing a solid musical setting in a novelty piece. Audience members are sure to recognize it which makes it perfect for finding errors. Along with the real music for the final 8 bars, three other versions are included. The first version has 80% of the correct notes and 20% incorrect. The next has 90% correct notes and 10% incorrect. The next has 95% correct notes and 5% incorrect. The final, real version has 100% correct notes. The 100% version should be played first for the audience explaining this version would get an A+ in an academic setting. Then play the 80% or B- version, then the 90% or A- Version, and then the 95% A version. Then explain to parents and administration that the only version that is acceptable is the 100% version and that is what we do every day in orchestra. This provides a perfect advocacy moment to discuss the benefits of music education with parents and a tangible explanation of striving for excellence to parents and students. Includes an educational packet with each part that features technical exercises, history, theory, composition, and more. Correlated to Sound Innovations, Book 1, Level 5. (2:00).

SKU: AP.41264S

UPC: 038081480787. English.

This trio shines as transcribed for string orchestra and makes possible the inclusion of a viola part, both as an equal player in the primary melodic material and in fulfilling harmonic realizations. All parts are playable in first position with the exception of fourth position required occasionally for cellos. Opportunities abound for students to polish Baroque bowing techniques. (4:30) This title is available in MakeMusic Cloud.

SKU: CA.2300403

ISBN 9790007240790. English/German. Text: Newman, John Henry.

This is the best of me, wrote Edward Elgar after the final measure of his Dream of Gerontius. Premiered in 1900, in Great Britain the work has long been a standard work in the repertoire of large oratorio choirs. Elgar's moving, poetic setting of the eponymous poem by Cardinal John Henry Newman is about a dying man and his journey beyond death to God. Before the eyes of the listeners, a musical image of the soul is created which flies past mocking demons to God with its protecting angel at its side, is allowed to look at God briefly, then faces the purgatory confident and comforted. The work is a real rarity in the history of oratorio, and for large choirs it is a thrilling alternative to the established repertoire of Requiem settings. Its popularity is thanks to the suggestive, often sensuous power of the music, the great choral scenes of the demons and the angels, and the three impressive solo parts.All previous editions were reprints based on the historic first printed materials, which are inconsistent. By contrast, Carus has produced a modern, newly-engraved edition, compatible in all sections, which takes all the sources into consideration and evaluates the autograph manuscript in detail. For this edition the complete orchestral material is available on sale, and the vocal score and full score contain both English and German singing texts. The full score is also available digitally.*,A milestone of late Romantic choral music, and a standard work in Great Britain*,First modern score with a full Critical Report and complete performance material- English and german singing texts