SKU: PR.113400470

ISBN 9781491136416. UPC: 680160689095. Key: Eb major.

A CHRISTMAS VIGIL is the second of two Hailstork organ works composed as variations on the British hymn tune Dundee. The present work begins with a carillon-like ostinato on the hymn’s opening phrase, which returns joyously toward the end of the composition. While the hymn itself is not specific to Nativity, the composer gave this work a Christmas title due to its bell-like cheer.
A CHRISTMAS VIGIL is based on a larger single-movement piece written for the First Presbyterian Church of Virginia Beach, Virginia. That earlier work, A Dundee Fantasy, was commissioned to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the church. That major concert piece, based on the hymn tune Dundee, was premiered by Alan Morrison.Several small units left over from drafts of A Dundee Fantasee suggested Christmas to me because of the carillon-style ostinato at the beginning that returns grandly at the end. The joyous momentum throughout the whole composition makes this vigil suitable for a Christmas Season concert.

SKU: PL.9913

Dedicated to American organist George Markey, this tightly structured fugue is characterized by a strongly chromatic theme. The theme is developed through subtle variations is rhythm and harmony. The fugue is beautifully written for the hands and feet, assuring a smooth technique. Classical Fugue is an excellent addition to concert repertory and will also be useful as a teaching piece.

SKU: CA.2030211

ISBN 9790007034276. Key: F major. Language: German/English.

Score available separately - see item CA.2030200.

SKU: CA.4068949

ISBN 9790007097295. Key: D major. Language: Latin.

Beethoven described his Missa solemnis as his greatest work several times, a work which, coming from the heart, was to touch and move audiences. The surviving sources enable us to recognize how intensively and how long he worked on the composition in order to give what he felt was adequate expression to the text. In its length and musical demands, the Missa solemnis goes far beyond typical liturgical settings, and the premiere took place, for good reason, in a concert hall. The chorus plays a key structural role in the work, and in the process has to master some extremely demanding sections. The leading Beethoven expert Ernst Herttrich has produced an Urtext edition based on the available sources, and reflecting the latest state of scholarship. Score and part available separately - see item CA.4068900.

SKU: CA.4068919

ISBN 9790007133481. Key: D major. Language: Latin.

Beethoven described his Missa solemnis as his greatest work several times, a work which, coming from the heart, was to touch and move audiences. The surviving sources enable us to recognize how intensively and how long he worked on the composition in order to give what he felt was adequate expression to the text. In its length and musical demands, the Missa solemnis goes far beyond typical liturgical settings, and the premiere took place, for good reason, in a concert hall. The chorus plays a key structural role in the work, and in the process has to master some extremely demanding sections. The leading Beethoven expert Ernst Herttrich has produced an Urtext edition based on the available sources, and reflecting the latest state of scholarship. Score and parts available separately - see item CA.4068900.

SKU: HL.49045437

ISBN 9790001162715. UPC: 841886029088. 9.0x12.0x0.168 inches.

On the occasion of the quincentenary of Reformation Day in 2017, the composer Enjott Schneider thoroughly studied Martin Luther the individual and all his contradictions. The result is a brilliant, demanding organ symphony which is perfect for concerts on the subject of Reformation and Martin Luther.The composer describes the five movements of the symphony as follows:'1st movement:Wir glauben all an einen Gott with its quintuplet-like beginning is very Gregorian in style, outlining the range of Lutheran emotionalism between the Middle Ages and the modern era. The irrationality of faith ultimately has priority over any thought and evidence. At the beginning of the movement, sounds of knocking on wood remind of the nailing of the Ninety-Five Theses to the doors of churches in Wittenberg. The chorale melody sometimes hides with an almost rough medieval saltarello, referring to Luther's robustness and vitality with which he knew to carry away even common people.2nd movement:In 1530, the electoral prince of Saxony presented to Luther at Coburg Castle the golden signet ring with the Luther rose which became the symbol of his theology of grace. A white heart with black cross is fixed on a five-petalled rose. To him, white is the colour of angels and ghosts, black stands for the pain of crucification: The just shall live by faith, but by faith in the Crucified. But the fact that the rose and the heart are the dominating symbols shows how Catholic Marian piety remained an ingredient of Luther's spirituality throughout his life. In line with the dominant five-petal structure of the rose, this movement was composed, to a large extent, in accordance with the floating, lyrical rhythm in 5/8 time.3rd movement:The omnipresence of death and dying - from the plague and war to the never-ending dangers of daily life - was an essential part of the world view of that time. Fears ensued that might heighten into the grotesque, e.g. in the pictures of Hieronymus Bosch. The Danse macabre was a popular motif in those years. Luther's chorale Mitten wir im Leben sind / mit dem Tod umfangen from 1524 (Enchiridion from Erfurt) is based on the Gregorian chant Media vita in morte sumus created in France around 750 and, with its idea of transience, inspired a simplistic air.4th movement:The famous confession delivered at the Diet of Worms in 1521, I stand here and can say no more. God help me. Amen, are not Luther's words but the version later used as text for a pamphlet. However, it represents quite plainly the straightforwardness and inevitability of his mission. Musically, it was made into a perpetuum mobile, i.e. a dogged, ostinato and never-ending musical air.5th movement:The Mighty Fortress, on the other hand, is one of the great symbols of Martin Luther which, with its shining C major key, embodies the Protestant ideology and willful nature of the Reformation unlike any other song. Heinrich Heine called it the Marseille anthem of the Reformation, Friedrich Engels the Marseillaise of the Peasants' Wars. This disputability is not thought through to the end but rather interrupted: With a jubilant birdcall version of the melody, the finale shows a rather chamber-music-like side of the ideals of freedom of Christians.'.

SKU: CA.9101505

ISBN 9790007113865. Key: C major. Language: Latin.

Among the 56 masses by Eberlin known at present this Missa in C is the shortest. Marked by its skilful construction and its ease in performance, this work can very well prove a valuable rediscovery for use at church services. Its many alternative details of scoring also make it suitable for concert performances. Score available separately - see item CA.9101500.