Brahms had already announced his ?retirement' from composition when in the spring of 1894 he played chamber music with the cellist Robert Hausmann and the clarinettist Richard Mühlfeld. This encounter apparently renewed his enthusiasm for Mühlfeld's much admired playing and inspired him to write two clarinet sonatas in the summer of the same year. Brahms conceived an alternate version of the works for viola from the beginning and already before the publication of these two versions he intended to do another one for violin, a version which was to require changes and was to result in an independent edition. While the clarinet and viola versions have developed a rich performance tradition, the violin version is almost unknown. Yet for the violin version the composer revised the original clarinet part much more extensively than he did for the viola version and also rewrote the piano part to achieve a thoroughly convincing violin and piano idiom. This Bärenreiter edition aims to bring the neglected violin sonatas op. 120 back into players' hands.An important part of this edition is the extensive preface. Firstly it informs about the sonatas' origins, their compositional process, pre-publication performances, their publication history as well as early reception. Truly remarkable is the unique Performance Practice Commentary. Here the editors start from the premise that already a few decades after Brahms' death, a widening gulf developed between the composer's expectations and the performance practices of the early 20th century. On the basis of manifold sources which include memoirs by pupils and chamber music partners, treatises and essays, early instructive editions and historical recordings, the editors deal with key issues in understanding Brahms' notation. By a section-by-section analysis of rhythm and timing, dynamics and accentuation, dots and strokes, slurring and non legato, piano pedalling and overholding, piano arpeggiation and dislocation, string instrument fingering, string instrument harmonics and vibrato, the editors provide an indispensable assistance for a historically informed interpretation of the works.At the same time, the edition offers an exciting and often surprising insight into musical interpretation of the German Romantic Era in general.- A pioneering Urtext edition- With an unmarked Urtext part- With a second part including fingering and bowing based on the practices of contemporaries of Brahms- With an extensive Performance Practice Commentary- For further information on Romantic performance practice we recommend the text booklet: 'Performance Practices in Johannes Brahms' Chamber Music?, BA 9600 / Violon Et Piano

César Franck's Sonata for Piano and Violin is one of the most treasured works in the violin repertoire, a masterpiece of cyclic form with a gracefulness and expressive force almost paradigmatic for the age of musical Romanticism. This work was composed in 1886 and was dedicated to the Belgian violinist and composer Eugene Ysaye.After Franck's death in 1890 the original publisher of the Sonata, the Parisian house Julien Hamelle, announced an arrangement of the work for viola, but it has not been possible to locate any copy of this publication. The present arrangement for viola is largely based on Jules Delsart's arrangement for piano and cello, the only version of the Sonata which the composer authorized. However, the viola part here also adopts extensive passages in their original register or remains in the middle octave, especially in those passages where the cello lies two octaves beneath the violin. Being set in the alto register, the part thus lies between the other two string versions, lending the Sonata a delightful hybrid hue beyond the brilliance of the violin and the sonorousness of the cello. The piano part has been left intact and is thus identical to that of the original version. / Alto Et Piano

A well presented set of short pieces from the 'Romantic Era', all strictly in 1st position. Score with parts for vln 1, 2, vla (with vln 3 option), Vc. / Quatuor A Cordes

From Bruno Mars to Skyfall, Keyboard Gefällt Mir! follows on from book one of the ultimate songbook for Keyboard, featuring 50 popular pieces arranged by Hans-Günter Heumann. The second volume of this Keyboard series follows the bestselling success of the first book, with more simple and straightforward arrangements of hits from the charts and movies, ensuring there is something for everyone.Included in the book are some of the biggest hits of today, such as Skyfall by Adele, Lana Del Rey's Summertime Sadness, Carly Rae Jepsen's Call Me Maybe and Lady GaGa's Poker Face. Not only are there a number of contemporary hits included, you will also be able to learn to play many timeless classics, including songs by The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Guns N' Roses and Madonna. Songs from popular films include the Mission Impossible Theme, Pirates of the Caribbean and Ludovico Einaudi's excellent Fly from Intouchables.All songs feature tempo markings, chord symbols and full lyrics, in Heumann's excellent arrangements. / Clavier

Any violinist who hears the name Sitt nowadays will probably just think of the author of studies and exercises that have long been a familiar feature in instrumental lessons. Of course the Prague violinist, music teacher and composer Hans Sitt (1850-1922) made a significant impact on methods of violin teaching, but he also wrote a whole series of other works worth listening to: concertos for violin, viola and cello and chamber music for various combinations of instruments. Sitt studied the violin in Prague and was then appointed first as leader of the orchestra and then as musical director in Breslau (now called Wroc?aw).After posts as director of music in Prague, Chemnitz - where he championed the work of Smetana - and Nice, he was eventually appointed professor of violin, orchestral playing and score reading at the Leipzig Conservatoire from 1884-1921. Besides this he also played viola in the Brodsky Quartet, organised concerts and was conductor of the Bach Society. The composers Franco Alfano - who completed Puccini's unfinished opera Turandot- and Frederick Delius studied with Sitt, as did the conductor Václav Talich. Three Album Leaves op. 13 were also composed during his time in Leipzig, published by Bosworth and Co in 1894. Romanesca, #1 in that collection, is a pretty, slightly melancholy piece of music with romantic appeal that draws out lyrical and expressive playing and is thus eminently suitable for tuition purposes and concert performances. / Violon Et Piano

8 Twentieth-Century Pieces. Having touched on the romantic era in 'To a Wild Rose' and the classical era in 'An die Musik', Kember moves forward to the twentieth-century with this thoughtfully chosen collection for string quartet. The Schott String Quartet Series With the first books in the series focusing on baroque, classical and romantic styles, The Schott String Quartet Series has expanded to cover music ranging from traditional pieces through to Eastern-influenced works. Aside from 'Indian Summer', which features original compositions, each book contains original arrangements of well known themes, which have often never been arranged for string quartet before. An important characteristic of these arrangements is that they allow all four instruments to demand the attention throughout the music. The pieces are suitable for amateur musicians or school students and are ideal for public performance./ Recueil / Quatuor à Cordes