I Give You The End Of A Golden String was commissioned in 2013 by the Royal Philharmonic Society/Britten-Pears Foundation to celebrate the centenary of the birth of Benjamin Brittenand the bicentenary of thefoundation of the Royal Philharmonic Society.The piece was first performed on 8th June 2013 by the Britten Sinfonia conducted by Ryan Wigglesworth.'My aim when I began this piece was to create a long length ofstring music out of a single strand of melody.While experimenting at the beginning shaping and extending a melody in many possible directions I cameacross William Blake???s lines???I give you the end of a goldenstring;Only wind it into a ball It will lead you in at Heaven???s gate Built in Jerusalem???s wall???and this became my working method winding a single tune around itself so that it gradually formed itselfinto amuch richer more complex texture. The process happens three times producing the equivalent of acontinuous three-movement concerto.The ???first movement??? is engendered by two solo violas (the melody at the beginning alreadyentwined witha slightly alternative version of itself). The ???slow movement??? (a more extended more decorated developmentof the opening tune) is introduced by a solo cello (soon winding itself into a quartet of celli). The fast???finale??? led by two solo violins focuses on decorations within the melody rolling out ribbons of (Britten-like') thirds.' - Judith WeirSuggested minimum strings: 8.6.4.4.2 players

from Moana-The powerful ballad from Disney's Moana  sung by Auli'i Cravalho and in the pop version by Alessia Cara. This breathtaking song and its title offer a superb message of confidence for young student players.

Few know that this mega-hit from Whitney Houston was written by another entertainment giant Dolly Parton. This new arrangement for strings is beautifully and effectively scored for student players. Dur: 3:00

The composer writes:Pilgrim was inspired it will be no surprise to learn by reading Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress - Vaughan Williams's great opera on the subject had fascinated me from its first performance yet it was a long time before I caught up with this essential item in any well-stocked library of English classics. It made a great impression not least because of its theme of a journey of self-discovery and a rediscovery or renewal of faith. These are ideas which have a strong interest for me not in religious terms but in their application to every aspect of human life (including great journeys) and this piece reflects my response in musical terms to this concern. The tempo of the whole piece which lasts about 18 minutes is basically slow. There are two quick episodes but these act somewhat like the trio sections of a classical scherzo save that the tempo relationships are inverted (the classical trios would have been slower not quicker) and the canvas is much larger being that of a single substantial slow movement. The form of the whole is perhaps fantasia-like rather than having any relationship to classical forms such as sonata or rondo - some motifs and themes are varied as the work develops and the opening chords are of primary importance throughout the work. There has been no attempt to convey any pictorial elements deriving from Bunyan's great book. There is however one feature which upon completion of the score struck me with some force which is that almost all the thematic material is essentially striving upwards - there is a constant upward movement (sometimes over a lengthy period) throughout the work. Pilgrim was commissioned by the Luton Music Club for the Raphael Ensemble with funds provided by the Eastern Arts Board and Bedfordshire County Council and is dedicated to the Luton Music Club. The first performance was given in Luton on February 10th 1997 and followed as part of a joint scheme by performances in the same week at the Music Clubs of Bedford and Leighton Buzzard.

Par PEPIN CAMILLE. Ce nonette s'inspire de la série Énergie blanche de Fabienne Verdier. Sur le fond lisse et bleu nuit des toiles viennent contraster des traits de peinture blanche, comme une force opposée. Au fil des tableaux, cette énergie évolue en ondulations nocturnes fluides ou rugueuses, en scintillements légers, en nuages vaporeux ou encore en crépitements. Les toiles semblent emplies de matière en apesanteur et c'est pourquoi j'ai imaginé une musique planante, cherchant un équilibre entre mouvement et immobilité. Pour moi, il se dégage de cette série bicolore l'idée d'une vitalité, d'une force, d'une lumière qui habite le vide infini et lointain du ciel. J'ai recréé cette énergie blanche en aspérités (grains de matière ou frêles touches de lumière) venant perturber ces nappes de bleu vibrant et mystérieux aux valeurs longues et étirées. Mon travail a été d'imaginer des variations de ces deux matière-couleurs grâce à la palette de textures extraordinaire qu'offrent les instruments à cordes. La pièce est ainsi conçue comme un voyage coloré et hypnotique en sept tableaux correspondant chacun à une toile de la série de Verdier. Hors champ est un épisode froid et nocturne au sein duquel de faibles lueurs de lumière tentent à peine de percer l'obscurité de la nuit. Des glissandi inquiétants naissent aux altos et violoncelles en stéréo et présentent le motif qui irriguera toute l'œuvre. La contrebasse émet une pulsation irrégulière et mystérieuse, au loin. Une ondulation douce puis majestueuse s'élève dans Ascendance. Avec l'arrivée des violons, elle traverse la matière sombre en répandant ses faisceaux brillants et lumineux. Turbulence est le lieu des perturbations. L'énergie blanche constituée ici de particules vives et chaotiques se dérègle sans cesse et envahit l'espace. Dans Synchronie I, les violoncelles se partagent le motif fondateur de l'ouvrage en un seul et même souffle, pur et suspendu. Puis, ils s'unissent pour ne former qu'une seule voix et un chant de violon les rejoint. Ce dernier se fait l'annonciateur de lumière durant cette brève accalmie. Mémoires du vent rappelle le début de l'œuvre avec cette palpitation irrégulière de la contrebasse et les glissandi inquiétants des cordes graves. Mais ces mémoires sont aussi l'écho des Turbulences qui se transforment ici en Vortex, dans lequel l'énergie blanche et chaotique devient un véritable tourbillon de lumière liquide. Pour clore la pièce, Synchronie II reprend Synchronie I avec la couleur plus froide et mystérieuse des altos, toujours en stéréo. Les touches de lumière des cordes aiguës s'affaiblissent avant de s'éteindre complètement, au loin. Cette pièce appartient au même cycle que mon quatuor à cordes Feuilles d'eau de Silvacane inspiré par la série du même nom de Fabienne Verdier. Camille Pépin / Date parution : 2022-06-08/ Répertoire / Orchestre à Cordes

The world continues to pay tribute to Michael Jackson's legacy and his impact on music dance and entertainment. Here's your chance to perform some of his most memorable songs in a superb showcase for string orchestra. Includes:Thriller Rock with You Off the Wall Man in the Mirror and I'll Be There.

Full Score-Vivace (2010) for string orchestra began its musical life as the third movement of my Sonata for Guitar (2009) recorded by Isaac Bustos on MSR Classics [MS 1581]. While writing the sonata I began to realize what a symphonic instrument the guitar really is and how well idiomatic guitar figurations might translate to the orchestra. As the title suggests Vivace is a short lively piece tinged with spiritual uplift. Supported by a steady rhythmic ostinato in stretto the broad melody (in slow harmonic rhythm) is presented first in the highest voice and then answered in a lower one. The dovetailing of gestures and its consequent antiphonal character permeate the movement.Often the melody is presented in harmony at the interval of the 7th or 9th. As with many of my recent compositions variation color and drama are enhanced by the juxtaposition of pandiatonic passages with those that are chromatic and dissonant. --Peter Lieuwen Vivace has been recorded by the Slovak National Symphony Orchestra on MSR Classics [MS 1582].

With the release of the recent film the music of this renowned stage production has found yet another new audience. Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's timeless melodies will most certainly appeal to your students with this superb medleyfor younger string groups. Includes: Phantom of the Opera (Theme) All I Ask of You and Music of the Night. (Grade 2)

With its infectious dance beat and melodic hooks Whitney Houstons #1 super hit from the 80s is a terrific up-tempo pop number for string orchestra. Careful use of syncopation and skilled scoring will give your student playersconfidence to performat their very best.

Via Della Fortuna by Sadie Harrison. Written in 2013 especially for the St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra and Donatus Katkus.6; for String OrchestraWorld premiere: 25th April 2013 St. Katharine'sChurch Vilnius St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra conducted by Donatus Katkus.UK premiere: 10th May 2013 Cardiff Millennium Centre Vale of Glamorgan Festival.I - Casa di Caccia Antica (The House of the AncientHunt)II - Casa degli Amorini Dorati (The House of the Golden Cupids)III - Casa del poeta tragico (The House of the tragic poet)IV - Return to the Casa di Caccia Antica and northwards to Lithuania and the Amber Road(Gintaro Kelias)The piece is in four short movements each taking its title from one of the houses that line the main streets in Pompeii. Borrowing Mussorgsky's 'Promenade' from Pictures at an Exhibition the piece has twowalkers (violas) who take the listener with them onto the Via Della Fortuna then lead them from house to house. Several amber objects were found within the houses linking Pompeii with Lithuania. The lastmovement returns to the House of the Ancient Hunt then heads northwards along the Gintaro Kelias. The jubilant closing music refers to an earlier work (Geda's Weavings) based on Lithuanian folksongs.

Here's a new string version of the evergreen Beatles toe-tapper that is certain to bring a smile to all. Simple swing/shuffle rhythms that will easily fall into place with your young performers.

The magnificent interweaving of harmonies and dialogue-like Voices in Handel’s For Unto Us A Child Is Born make it a perfect addition to the festive choral repertoire. German-born British Baroque composer George Frideric Handel originally composed this piece in 1741 for the English-language oratorio Messiah which eventually became one of the best-known and most frequently performed choral works in Western music. As the last song of Scene 3 of Part I of the oratorio which addresses Isaiah's specific prophecy about the virgin birth of a Messiah For Unto Us A Child Is Born tells the news of Christmas thebirth of a son in Isaiah’s words as found in the Scripture (Isaiah 9:6). The delicate familiar theme is introduced by the Sopranos and taken up by their counter-voices the Tenors later the same dialog is given over to the Altos and Basses. The tutti culminates in 'Wonderful' 'Counselor' 'The Mighty God' 'The Everlasting Father' and 'The Prince of Peace'.

Featuring 3 key songs from Michael Jackson's diverse musical career this concise and easy to learn medley features Thriller I'll Be There and Man in the Mirror.

Composed in the summer of 1984 Yorkshire Ballad was premiered at the Kansas Bandmasters Association Convention by Claude T. Smith and the Kansan Intercollegiate Band. Since its publication it has become one of the composer'smost popular works and has been arranged for a variety of ensembles. The composer writes “I composed this little piece so that younger players would have the opportunity to play a piece that is more or less in the style of(Grainger's) Irish Tune from County Derry.”