SKU: PR.144407380

ISBN 9781491133903. UPC: 680160683475. 9 x 12 inches.

In her powerful Foreword to the music, violinist Kelly Hall-Tompkins has written: “There are great works which give voice to important moments for generations, and this is one of them.” The tragedy of Elijah McClain’s murder has moved us all, and for many musicians the image of this gentle young man playing his violin for kittens at an animal shelter has added a poignant extra layer. Zwilich was a professional violinist before turning exclusively to composing, and A LITTLE VIOLIN MUSIC is a memorial from the heart of one violinist to another.
[THESE NOTES MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED OUTSIDE OF THE PUBLICATION; OK TO QUOTE A BIT AND GIVE AUTHOR CREDIT]We often research important pieces of music to gain some glimpse into the mind of the composer by understanding the times in which a piece was written. The times that brought this piece into being, 2020, has been a year like no other in our lifetimes.With the suffering of a once in a century pandemic raging in ever higher waves, and millions of people around the world confined to their homes with a shared attention span for the first time in generations, we watched in horror the 8 minute 46 second killing of George Floyd, a man previously unknown to us, but now unwillingly joining a long list of names of unarmed African Americans killed by police. The anguished backlash of citizens around the world, from Japan to New Zealand to Germany to the United States, of every age, color, and creed, has rallied for weeks and months on end to demand enough and that “Black Lives Matter.”And yet, in the midst of it all is an America starkly divided against itself with some defiantly pushing back, emboldened by authoritarian-style government actions against its own citizens occurring all over the country. It is against this backdrop that we ever had a chance to know of Elijah McClain. Here in quarantine I sometimes practice my scales in front of the news. And one day the mirror image looking back at me from the screen was a slight young man, warm, affable brown eyes, and also a violin under his chin. The newsreel-style camera pan so familiar now, I knew the only reason we were gazing upon his unfamous face was that he too had been killed by police nearly a year before. But the revelation of it in the broadcast hit me particularly hard.Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, who is not only one of the great composers of our time, is also a dear friend, and called me the next day, also deeply saddened by the news. It was from Ellen that I learned that Elijah used to play for the kittens at the local animal shelter so they wouldn’t be lonely. This kind, gentle soul was aggressively taken into police custody while saying, “I am an introvert. Please respect the boundaries that I am speaking... I’m going home.” He was never seen alive again.Ellen and I spoke of the sadness and the injustice of this several times. She felt a powerful calling to contribute something in a statement and the result is the piece you now hold in your hands. I am deeply honored to be the dedicatee of the piece, to have worked together with Ellen on some of the final details, and to pen this score note. As an invited alumna of the Eastman School of Music, I premiered the work for their virtual event on Diversity and Inclusion. Each time I play it, there is a persistent lump in my throat because Ellen has captured something poignant and powerful here.There are great works which give voice to important moments for generations, and this is one of them. We humbly offer this piece in memory of Elijah McClain.Foreword © 2021 by Kelly Hall-Tompkins. Used by permission.

SKU: CF.BF115

ISBN 9781491150993. UPC: 680160908493. 9x12 inches.

Johann Sebastian Bach’s (1685—1750) SixSonatas and Partitas have captivated violinistsfor centuries. Rachel Barton Pine—havingspent decades studying the music of Bach,his contemporaries, and his predecessors—now offers this unparalleled edition completewith detailed historical notes, performancesuggestions, and downloadable study materialsincluding a new Urtext edition and a speciallyprepared manuscript. Pine’s interpretationis informed by thorough historical study, which has been polished byyears of performance insight, but also encourages those studying Bach’srepertoire to craft their own unique interpretation of these timelessmasterpieces. This edition closely follows Pine’s critically acclaimed 2016recording “Testament: Complete Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin byJ.S. Bach” (Avie 2360) making it an invaluable resource for any student,teacher, or performer enthralled with J.S. Bach’s long standing legacy.Ms. Pine holds the distinction of being the only American and youngestperson to win the gold medal at the J.S. Bach International ViolinCompetition in Leipzig, Germany, 1992.
here is no one right way to play Bach. More thanalmost any repertoire, each individual’s interpretation isas unique as their personality. Though I have spent decadesstudying Bach’s music as well as that of his contemporariesand predecessors, my final rationale for artisticdecisions is often taste and instinct. Every violinist whoundertakes a lifetime’s journey with this incredible repertoireis continually discovering new ideas. Thus, theopinions on the following pages may evolve over time.However, everything in the sheet music closely follows my2016 recording “Testament: Complete Sonatas and Partitasfor Solo Violin by J.S. Bach” (Avie 2360), which I trulyfeel represents the culmination of my exploration intothese extraordinary works.In choosing to present this edition, my hope is thatyou will find useful solutions to challenges of fingering,bowing, and polyphony, and helpful information aboutphrasing. I have also included additional dynamic suggestionswith the hope that trying these ideas will help inspireyou to discover your own. All of these markings aredesigned to work with a baroque violin and baroque bow,a modern violin and baroque bow, or a modern violinand modern bow. While the information in this editionis unusually dense, there is much that I did not include,such as lifts, breaths, articulations, whether to play on oroff the string, metronome markings, details of timing,and emphases other than hemiolas.I offer this book to you in the spirit of Bach: “SoliDeo Gloria.”.