SKU: PR.110418370

ISBN 9781491135075. UPC: 680160686247.

Composed as an organ solo by the 17-year-old Ives for his own performance purposes, the beloved Variations on America is a treat for any occasion, whether a holiday concert, a serious recital, or other special event. Danny Holt’s transcription for Piano, Four Hands adds a dazzling new option to play at home or on stage, taking best advantage of Ives’ tremendous contrasts in color, dynamics, and texture.
Composed when Charles Ives was a teenager, Variations on “America” is both a convenient introduction to Ives’ body of work, and an early example of his iconoclastic musical voice and creative genius. Just a few years after composing this piece, Ives would leave home to study music at Yale. But until then he had been taught by his father, George (who had been a bandmaster in the Civil War). George subjected the young Ives to experiments such as singing a song in one key while being accompanied in another, or arranging for two marching bands to converge on a town center, with the resulting cacophony that ensued.The Variations exemplifies an early period of experimentation in Ives’ work, spurred on by the unusual pedagogy of his father. The piece is particularly notable for its use of bitonality in the two interludes, subtly foreshadowing more well-known examples by Stravinsky, Bartók, and others by approximately two decades.The bitonal interludes were so ahead of their time, in fact, they were omitted from the first copy that was submitted to a publisher in 1892. (Alas, the piece was rejected even despite these “shocking” elements having been left out, and it wasn’t published until more than five decades later.) There is some ambiguity about when exactly Ives added the interludes into his manuscript copy, though ample evidence suggests he had performed the piece with the interludes around the time he notated the piece in 1891-92. In any case, in light of this piece and his other polytonal explorations from the last decade of the 19th century, it seems fair to give Ives credit for being a pioneer in this area!This arrangement for Piano, Four Hands, closely follows Ives’ original version for organ, setting aside William Schuman’s popular adaptation for symphony orchestra and William Rhoads’ band transcription of the Schuman orchestration. Pianists will find that the piece translates well to the instrument. Ideally, the choreography and logistics of elbow-to-elbow four-hands playing approximates the wild joy one gets from watching an organist play the piece (e.g., the elaborate pedal part in the final variation).In preparing this publication, attention was paid to details in the dual Critical Editions (Presser 443-41003) of both Ives’ manuscript edition and the 1949 publication edited by organist E. Power Biggs (who is credited with discovering what had been a long-lost, forgotten work.) But as with much of Ives’ output, attempting to create a true ‘urtext’ score is a futile endeavor, and especially with a piece such as this one – in which Ives incorporated improvisation in live performance – seems unnecessary anyhow. True die-hards are of course encouraged to consult the critical editions and even find inspiration in the orchestrated version. Generally, performers are advised to be wild, have fun, and not to be too rigid in their interpretive choices.Dynamics in this arrangement mostly follow the organ score closely. Pianists will use good judgment about pedaling throughout, which should be straightforward and intuitive. Courtesy accidentals have been provided frequently – without parentheses – balancing the need for extra clarity in the context of Ives’ murky musical language, and a desire to avoid unnecessary clutter.A few notes that might inform interpretive decisions:mm. 15-16: There are inconsistencies here between Ives’ original manuscript and the 1949 Biggs edition, regarding the top voice in m. 15, beat 3 (C# vs. Cn) and m. 16 (D Major vs. D Minor).mm. 76-84 & 143-146: In both Interludes, Ives emphatically notates extreme dynamic contrast, in order to highlight the bitonality. Although it may seem counterintuitive (or even a misprint, as has apparently been misconstrued by some), performers are urged to follow the composer’s marking!m. 109: Two-note slurs have been added here for clarity and consistency with other similar passages, though they do not appear in either the original manuscript or Biggs.m. 112: The last two eighth notes of Primo appear as 16ths in the original manuscript.mm. 183-186: The original manuscript has a slightly different bass line.mm. 184 & 186: Primo gestures have been re-written to be slightly more idiomatic for Piano, Four Hands.m. 186: The breath mark at the end of this bar does not appear in either the manuscript or Biggs, but is an editorial suggestion – aside from being appropriately dramatic, it will indeed be necessary in a reverberant hall!I would like to thank Steven Vanhauwaert, the other half of my piano duo, 4handsLA, for his input on early drafts of this arrangement.— Danny Holt, April 2022.

SKU: HL.48184009

UPC: 888680852771. 9.0x12.0x0.027 inches.

“Brocéliande is a piece for Harp by Annie Challan. Lasting 2?30 minutes, this piece was written for elementary level (upper beginner / intermediate level). It can be played on lever or pedal Harps as there are only a few accidentals. This tribute to the magical forest is the perfect piece to be played in recitals. Annie Challan (born in 1940) is a French Harpist who was the youngest player at the Paris Operas when she started working there. She composed numerous pieces for the Harp.”.

SKU: CF.YAS242

ISBN 9781491164945. UPC: 680160923854. Key: D minor.

This piece, written in 3/4 time throughout, evokes visions of dancing figures, their faces unrecognizable in the shadows created from the play of light at dusk. Moving from D minor to E minor, the eerie keys and accidentals provide intriguing effects. Teachable moments abound for low first finger on A and E and some high third finger in the upper strings, augmented intervals and extended patterns in all instruments, as well as slurs and hooked bowings. This piece can be performed any time of the year, or as an autumn or Halloween feature.

About Carl Fischer Young String Orchestra Series

This series of Grade 2/Grade 2.5 pieces is designed for second and third year ensembles. The pieces in this series are characterized by:
--Occasionally extending to third position
--Keys carefully considered for appropriate difficulty
--Addition of separate 2nd violin and viola parts
--Viola T.C. part included
--Increase in independence of parts over beginning levels

SKU: ET.PNO47

ISBN 9790207024060.

Sami's Piece was written for a jazz musician, and should be played with a jazz feel (and a nod to polyrhythmic Balkan folk music). It's an exuberant work, relatively short, but dizzying, full of surprises, musical humor, and changes of atmosphere.

It was premiered in 2003 at the Hirzenberg Festival in Zofingen, Switzerland, by the Swiss pianist Samuel Wettstein, to whom the work is dedicated.


Performing notes
- Attentive use of the pedals to control resonance and legato will prevent blurriness.
- When played on an upright piano that is slightly out of tune, the work gains an unexpected charm.
- As is customary, accidentals remain valid until the end of the measure in which they appear.

SKU: FJ.W9451

UPC: 241444384060. English.

This charming elementary piece deals with the rite of passage of loosing a tooth. A piece in Almost Middle C position (R.H. on D, L.H. on C) with no accidentals. Clever lyrics that tell a story and an optional teacher duet adds to the charm.

SKU: FJ.B1234S

English.

You'll be surprised to know that this great sounding work uses only six notes in all instruments, with the exception of the clarinets, which also use a low written B to involve the right hand. The piece has a Renaissance quality to it and includes a middle processional theme (at the same tempo) to work on legato playing. Optional parts are included for clarinet 2 and trumpet 2. There is something for everyone in this dynamic addition to the repertoire!

About FJH Beginning Band

Appropriate within the first year of instruction and beginning of the second year. Clarinets do not go above the break, and there is limited use of accidentals. Plenty of doublings in the lower voices. Grade 1.