By Gail Smith. For Keyboard (Piano). Solos. American. Book. 56 pages. Published by Mel Bay Publications, Inc.
Level: Intermediate.

Band

SKU: PR.16500104F

Three Places in the East. Composed by Dan Welcher. Full score. Theodore Presser Company #165-00104F. Published by Theodore Presser Company (PR.16500104F).

ISBN 9781491132159. UPC: 680160681082.

Ever since the success of my series of wind ensemble works Places in the West, I've been wanting to write a companion piece for national parks on the other side of the north American continent. The earlier work, consisting of GLACIER, THE YELLOWSTONE FIRES, ARCHES, and ZION, spanned some twenty years of my composing life, and since the pieces called for differing groups of instruments, and were in slightly different styles from each other, I never considered them to be connected except in their subject matter. In their depiction of both the scenery and the human history within these wondrous places, they had a common goal: awaking the listener to the fragile beauty that is in them; and calling attention to the ever more crucial need for preservation and protection of these wild places, unique in all the world. With this new work, commissioned by a consortium of college and conservatory wind ensembles led by the University of Georgia, I decided to build upon that same model---but to solidify the process. The result, consisting of three movements (each named for a different national park in the eastern US), is a bona-fide symphony. While the three pieces could be performed separately, they share a musical theme---and also a common style and instrumentation. It is a true symphony, in that the first movement is long and expository, the second is a rather tightly structured scherzo-with-trio, and the finale is a true culmination of the whole. The first movement, Everglades, was the original inspiration for the entire symphony. Conceived over the course of two trips to that astonishing place (which the native Americans called River of Grass, the subtitle of this movement), this movement not only conveys a sense of the humid, lush, and even frightening scenery there---but also an overview of the entire settling-of- Florida experience. It contains not one, but two native American chants, and also presents a view of the staggering influence of modern man on this fragile part of the world. Beginning with a slow unfolding marked Heavy, humid, the music soon presents a gentle, lyrical theme in the solo alto saxophone. This theme, which goes through three expansive phrases with breaks in between, will appear in all three movements of the symphony. After the mood has been established, the music opens up to a rich, warm setting of a Cherokee morning song, with the simple happiness that this part of Florida must have had prior to the nineteenth century. This music, enveloping and comforting, gradually gives way to a more frenetic, driven section representative of the intrusion of the white man. Since Florida was populated and developed largely due to the introduction of a train system, there's a suggestion of the mechanized iron horse driving straight into the heartland. At that point, the native Americans become considerably less gentle, and a second chant seems to stand in the way of the intruder; a kind of warning song. The second part of this movement shows us the great swampy center of the peninsula, with its wildlife both in and out of the water. A new theme appears, sad but noble, suggesting that this land is precious and must be protected by all the people who inhabit it. At length, the morning song reappears in all its splendor, until the sunset---with one last iteration of the warning song in the solo piccolo. Functioning as a scherzo, the second movement, Great Smoky Mountains, describes not just that huge park itself, but one brave soul's attempt to climb a mountain there. It begins with three iterations of the UR-theme (which began the first movement as well), but this time as up-tempo brass fanfares in octaves. Each time it begins again, the theme is a little slower and less confident than the previous time---almost as though the hiker were becoming aware of the daunting mountain before him. But then, a steady, quick-pulsed ostinato appears, in a constantly shifting meter system of 2/4- 3/4 in alteration, and the hike has begun. Over this, a slower new melody appears, as the trek up the mountain progresses. It's a big mountain, and the ascent seems to take quite awhile, with little breaks in the hiker's stride, until at length he simply must stop and rest. An oboe solo, over several free cadenza-like measures, allows us (and our friend the hiker) to catch our breath, and also to view in the distance the rocky peak before us. The goal is somehow even more daunting than at first, being closer and thus more frighteningly steep. When we do push off again, it's at a slower pace, and with more careful attention to our footholds as we trek over broken rocks. Tantalizing little views of the valley at every switchback make our determination even stronger. Finally, we burst through a stand of pines and----we're at the summit! The immensity of the view is overwhelming, and ultimately humbling. A brief coda, while we sit dazed on the rocks, ends the movement in a feeling of triumph. The final movement, Acadia, is also about a trip. In the summer of 2014, I took a sailing trip with a dear friend from North Haven, Maine, to the southern coast of Mt. Desert Island in Acadia National Park. The experience left me both exuberant and exhausted, with an appreciation for the ocean that I hadn't had previously. The approach to Acadia National Park by water, too, was thrilling: like the difference between climbing a mountain on foot with riding up on a ski-lift, I felt I'd earned the right to be there. The music for this movement is entirely based on the opening UR-theme. There's a sense of the water and the mysterious, quiet deep from the very beginning, with seagulls and bell buoys setting the scene. As we leave the harbor, the theme (in a canon between solo euphonium and tuba) almost seems as if large subaquatic animals are observing our departure. There are three themes (call them A, B and C) in this seafaring journey---but they are all based on the UR theme, in its original form with octaves displaced, in an upside-down form, and in a backwards version as well. (The ocean, while appearing to be unchanging, is always changing.) We move out into the main channel (A), passing several islands (B), until we reach the long draw that parallels the coastline called Eggemoggin Reach, and a sudden burst of new speed (C). Things suddenly stop, as if the wind had died, and we have a vision: is that really Mt. Desert Island we can see off the port bow, vaguely in the distance? A chorale of saxophones seems to suggest that. We push off anew as the chorale ends, and go through all three themes again---but in different instrumentations, and different keys. At the final tack-turn, there it is, for real: Mt. Desert Island, big as life. We've made it. As we pull into the harbor, where we'll secure the boat for the night, there's a feeling of achievement. Our whale and dolphin friends return, and we end our journey with gratitude and celebration. I am profoundly grateful to Jaclyn Hartenberger, Professor of Conducting at the University of Georgia, for leading the consortium which provided the commissioning of this work.

(Words and Chords to Nearly 1200 Songs Spiral-Bound). Edited by Annie Patterson and Peter Blood. For Vocal. Vocal. Softcover. 304 pages. Published by Hal Leonard

Piano - intermediate to advanced

SKU: HL.49015609

Nocturnes. Composed by Stefan Heucke. This edition: Saddle stitching. Sheet music. Edition Schott. Classical. Composed 1998-2000. Op. 32. 48 pages. Duration 5'. Schott Music #ED 9145. Published by Schott Music (HL.49015609).

ISBN 9790001126533. 9.0x12.0x0.274 inches.

Der Titel des Klavierzyklus' Nacht-Urnen ist ein makabres Wortspiel mit dem franzosischen Begriff Noct-urne. Die Assoziation Urne - Grabgefass ist beabsichtigt, denn die Gattung des romantischen Nachtstucks fur Klavier wird in diesen Stucken - zumindest im ubertragenen Sinne - zu Grabe getragen. Das erste Stuck Nocturne greift auf den dreiteiligen Typ des Chopin'schen Nocturnes zuruck. Einer von zart getropften Tonen umspielten Melodie folgt ein bewegt - aufgewuhlter Mittelteil, dem sich die Reprise des ersten Teils anschliesst, diesmal allerdings wird die Melodie von leise rauschenden Skalen umspielt, ehe eine beinahe nuchterne Coda die musikalische Quintessenz brennglasartig zusammenfasst und bundelt. Dieses Stuck entstand 1998 und war Pflichtstuck beim Internationalen Schubert-Wettbewerb 2000 in Dortmund.Die drei folgenden Stucke bilden gewissermassen eine Einheit. Nummer zwei Ciacona notturna ist ein hochst virtuoses Werk fur die linke Hand allein, in dem sich grosse Klavierkomponisten, die Werke fur die linke Hand allein geschrieben haben - Alkan, Brahms, Godowsky, Ravel, Prokofieff - gleichsam ein nachtliches Stelldichein geben. Das dritte Stuck Unendliche Melodie - Melodie der Unendlichkeit (fur die rechte Hand allein - meines Wissens ausser einer Etude von Alkan das einzige existierende Werk fur die rechte Hand allein) spielt mit der Idee eines Zeitkontinuums, das schon vor Beginn des Stuckes unhorbar im Raum war und sich auch nach dem Ende des Stuckes in alle Ewigkeit weiter fortsetzen konnte. Ein einzelner Ton f in der Mitte der Klaviatur wird 55 Takte lang angeschlagen und uber ihm entfaltet sich eine weit gespannte Melodie, die die rechte Hand alleine ausspinnt. Exakt beim Hohepunkt der Melodie (es ist der Goldene Schnitt), wechselt das f zum e, das weitere 33 Takte lang angeschlagen wird, wahrend die Melodie daruber wieder zuruck zur Mitte findet. Diese 88 Takte symbolisieren die Unendlichkeit: 8 als barockes Zahlensymbol fur die Vollkommenheit der Ewigkeit und die liegende 8 als mathematisches Symbol fur die Unendlichkeit. Schliesslich ist in dem Titel des Stuckes noch eine Anspielung auf Richard Wagners Begriff der Unendlichen Melodie enthalten.Nach einem Stuck fur die linke und einem fur die rechte Hand allein, kann sich als viertes nur ein Unisonostuck anschliessen, in dem beide Hande stets die gleichen Tone, aber in unterschiedlichen Oktavabstanden und verschiedenen rhythmischen Akzenten spielen. La scala dell'inferno (Die Hollenleiter) sturzt von hochster Hohe in rasenden Skalen in die tiefsten Regionen des Klaviers hinab, unterbrochen von zwei kurzen Zitaten des Dies Irae in der Mitte.Der Schlusssatz schliesslich Marche funebre knupft in seiner dusteren Unentrinnbarkeit an die grossen Trauermarschvorbilder Beethovens (op. 26) und Chopins (op.35) an. Die sich in schwerem Funfertakt entlang rollenden dusteren Tonkaskaden werden in der Mitte von einem glasern-durchsichtigen Mittelteil unterbrochen, der in seiner gleissenden, fast schneidenden Helligkeit Assoziationen an Nahtoderlebnisse nahe legen mag. Die Nacht-Urnen op. 32 wurden 2001 im Museum Baden in Solingen von dem Pianisten Rainer Klaas uraufgefuhrt, dem der Zyklus auch gewidmet ist. - Stefan Heucke.

Composed by John Philip Sousa (1854-1932). For piano. Format: piano solo book. With introductory text and illustrations. Americana. 111 pages. 9x12 inches. Published by Dover Publications.

Tuba

SKU: HL.870080

Composed by Various. Essential Elements Band Folios. Pop. Softcover. 16 pages. Published by Hal Leonard (HL.870080).

ISBN 9781705150290. UPC: 196288017035. 9.0x12.0x0.077 inches.

30 popular melodies at an easy level in solo books for all the instruments in the Essential Elements Band Method. Perfect motivational music for students to play and practice featuring songs by Billie Eilish, Queen, Shawn Mendes, Taylor Swift, Star Wars, The Avengers, and more! Titles include: Believer • Blinding Lights • Don't Stop Believin' • Dynamite • Hallelujah • The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme) • Let It Go • Señorita • Seven Nation Army • Sucker • This Is Me • We Are the Champions • Wildest Dreams • You Will Be Found • and more.

Flute

SKU: HL.870066

Composed by Various. Essential Elements Band Folios. Pop. Softcover. 16 pages. Published by Hal Leonard (HL.870066).

ISBN 9781705150047. UPC: 196288016755. 9.0x12.0x0.065 inches.

30 popular melodies at an easy level in solo books for all the instruments in the Essential Elements Band Method. Perfect motivational music for students to play and practice featuring songs by Billie Eilish, Queen, Shawn Mendes, Taylor Swift, Star Wars, The Avengers, and more! Titles include: Believer • Blinding Lights • Don't Stop Believin' • Dynamite • Hallelujah • The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme) • Let It Go • Señorita • Seven Nation Army • Sucker • This Is Me • We Are the Champions • Wildest Dreams • You Will Be Found • and more.

Horn (F Horn)

SKU: HL.870076

Composed by Various. Essential Elements Band Folios. Pop. Softcover. 16 pages. Published by Hal Leonard (HL.870076).

ISBN 9781705150252. UPC: 196288016991. 9.0x12.0x0.072 inches.

30 popular melodies at an easy level in solo books for all the instruments in the Essential Elements Band Method. Perfect motivational music for students to play and practice featuring songs by Billie Eilish, Queen, Shawn Mendes, Taylor Swift, Star Wars, The Avengers, and more! Titles include: Believer • Blinding Lights • Don't Stop Believin' • Dynamite • Hallelujah • The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme) • Let It Go • Señorita • Seven Nation Army • Sucker • This Is Me • We Are the Champions • Wildest Dreams • You Will Be Found • and more.

Baritone T.C. (Baritone Treble Clef)

SKU: HL.870079

Composed by Various. Essential Elements Band Folios. Pop. Softcover. 16 pages. Published by Hal Leonard (HL.870079).

ISBN 9781705150283. UPC: 196288017028. 9.0x12.0x0.077 inches.

30 popular melodies at an easy level in solo books for all the instruments in the Essential Elements Band Method. Perfect motivational music for students to play and practice featuring songs by Billie Eilish, Queen, Shawn Mendes, Taylor Swift, Star Wars, The Avengers, and more! Titles include: Believer • Blinding Lights • Don't Stop Believin' • Dynamite • Hallelujah • The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme) • Let It Go • Señorita • Seven Nation Army • Sucker • This Is Me • We Are the Champions • Wildest Dreams • You Will Be Found • and more.

Trumpet

SKU: HL.870075

Composed by Various. Essential Elements Band Folios. Pop. Softcover. 16 pages. Published by Hal Leonard (HL.870075).

ISBN 9781705150245. UPC: 196288016984. 9.0x12.0x0.064 inches.

30 popular melodies at an easy level in solo books for all the instruments in the Essential Elements Band Method. Perfect motivational music for students to play and practice featuring songs by Billie Eilish, Queen, Shawn Mendes, Taylor Swift, Star Wars, The Avengers, and more! Titles include: Believer • Blinding Lights • Don't Stop Believin' • Dynamite • Hallelujah • The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme) • Let It Go • Señorita • Seven Nation Army • Sucker • This Is Me • We Are the Champions • Wildest Dreams • You Will Be Found • and more.

Baritone Saxophone Baritone Sax

SKU: HL.870074

Composed by Various. Essential Elements Band Folios. Pop. Softcover. 16 pages. Published by Hal Leonard (HL.870074).

ISBN 9781705150238. UPC: 196288016977. 9.0x12.0x0.077 inches.

30 popular melodies at an easy level in solo books for all the instruments in the Essential Elements Band Method. Perfect motivational music for students to play and practice featuring songs by Billie Eilish, Queen, Shawn Mendes, Taylor Swift, Star Wars, The Avengers, and more! Titles include: Believer • Blinding Lights • Don't Stop Believin' • Dynamite • Hallelujah • The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme) • Let It Go • Señorita • Seven Nation Army • Sucker • This Is Me • We Are the Champions • Wildest Dreams • You Will Be Found • and more.