SKU: PO.PE010P

Perfect for percussion quartets seeking to add energy and theatricality to their repertoire, Volume Pig (1992) places Farr's sense of humour alongside his formidable sense of rhythm. Dedicated to New Zealand percussion master Murray Hickman and premiered by Hickman's STRIKE Percussion ensemble, Volume Pig shifts unpredictably between overwhelming noise and barely audible whispers, its intricate textures peppered with wild shrieks, grunts and howls.

SKU: HL.14028050

ISBN 9788759858387. UPC: 888680630478. 16.5x11.75 inches. International (more than one language).

Work for Solo Percussion dating from 1983. Ruders writes: The extraordinary title is a typical example of Poul Ruder's (b. 1949) peculiar and bizarre sense of humour - Ruders, together with Hans Abrahamsen and Bo Holten, being one of the most important names within new Danish music after the Nørgård-Holmgreen-Nørholm generation. Although Ruders is influenced by Holmgreen's absurd simplicity, he takes up an original place in new Danish music to which he has conveyed humour and liveliness as well as theatre and virtuosity. Quotations, 'found objects', play an important part in Ruders' music, for instance in his chamber work MEDIEVAL VARIATIONS (1974), but the old material is being varied with adequate audacity and liveliness so as to yield new qualities, not unlike Peter Maxwell Davies' 'music on music'. ALARM is 'a short shocker, a kind of film soundtrack without the pictures', based on the horror in victor Hugo's THE BELL RINGER OF NOTRE DAME. To produce the right atmosphere of uneasiness and nervousness Ruders uses, among other things, the Balinese cymbal-machine 'ching-ching' and the snore of the 'didjeridoo' from Australia.

SKU: HL.14004909

2.75x4.25x0.656 inches.

This humourous musical teaches children about Christmas customs and the moral that being bossy and judging only by appearances is not acceptable. The Bossy Christmas Fairy is coosing only the prettiset decorations for her tree, discarding even the Nativity figures until she learns the imprtant lesson that appearance is not everything. Suitable for mixed age and abilitygroups. Topic work notes on the origin of Christmas trees and decorations are also included. If you need to license a school/youth theatre performance of this product, please use the online application form.

SKU: ST.C463

ISBN 9790570814633.

This volume contains contrasting works by Federico Ruiz spanning quite a large and rich period of his compositional output that goes from his early Micro-Suite (1971), to lilting, sweet and rhythmic Venezuelan waltzes passing by the mysterious, intimate, and intense Nocturno (1994) plus pieces originally composed for film, and theatre. Real eclecticism in styles, moods and atmospheres that show Ruizâ??s talents and scope.

The Nocturno is a deep, intriguing, substantial piece presenting a satisfying length which moves from different paths of the mind and the heart written in an abstract, chromatic idiom, that does not dissociate itself from the Venezuelan waltz and the joropo. One could perhaps say that there is a deconstruction of the latter. For the interpretation, the composer has suggested to me that it is allowed to have some flexibility in the tempo. Ruiz kindly dedicated it to me, and I have had the pleasure of performing it in many concerts.

Although all highly expressive, the Three Venezuelan Waltzes present in this collection as well as the piece titled Aliseo, are works that are close to the colourful Venezuelan folk tradition. Federico Ruiz had given me two of them when we first met: â??Tu Presenciaâ?? (1981) and â??Eloísaâ?? (1989) and then I attended a performance of the play â??Office Number Oneâ?? by Miguel Otero Silva with a fantastic actor, Elba Escobar in the role of Carmen Rosa and, I just fell in love and was very moved by the incidental music that I later discovered, by reading the programme, had been written by Federico Ruiz. Later that evening, I called him and asked to please make a piano score of the composition, so I could have the desired piece in my hands. That is how â??Carmen Rosaâ? waltz (1987) came to exist in a piano version.

â??Eloisaâ?? is another Venezuelan waltz with more jazzy harmonies where precision in the rhythm and elegant playing is also essential, as it is in most of his pieces.

â??Tu Presenciaâ?? was dedicated to his mother, Margarita. It is written with the structure of the Venezuelan waltz, which consists of a nostalgic subject that leads to a faster, happier middle section where the typical graceful rhythm is given by the left-hand accompaniment figure of a dotted crotchet followed by a quaver and a crotchet.

The craft and magic found in the five movements of the Micro-Suite is based on a dodecaphonic row by Ernst Krenek. They remind us of the idiom of the Second Viennese School. These real miniatures seem to tell short stories. The â??Preludioâ?? is full of humour. I imagine dancing figures given by the jumps all over the keyboard and extreme dynamics; the phrases give the impression of a conversation with many questions and answers. The â??Invenciónâ?? is a kaleidoscopic piece where the hands mirror each other. The â??Passacagliaâ?? is the longest movement, at just over a minute where the prime motif is repeated three times on the bass line. For its construction Federico Ruiz uses as well the retrograde and the retrograde inversion of the twelve-tone series. It must be played expressively with dynamic contrasts between pianissimo and louder events. The â??Scherzoâ?? has repetitive motifs of a minor third in both hands and the â??Finalâ?? displays virtuosic passages for the pianist.

Aliseo was originally written for the film â??Aire libreâ? (1995), by Luis Armando Roche. It contains elements of diverse types of Venezuelan joropo. In the film, the character of Aliseo Carvallo is played by the composer himself who performs this piece on a harpsichord to welcome scientists Alexander von Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland one day at the turn of the 1800â??s, as a sample of the new music from the South American land. It presents the refinement of the late European classical era in fusion with Venezuelan folk music.

SKU: MB.30670

ISBN 9781513465296. 8.75 x 11.75 inches.

This unique collection celebrates the contemporary fiddle music of northeast Ireland, much of it for the first time in print. Not surprisingly, given its location and long history of traditional music, the fiddle music of this region shares some characteristics with Scottish music, yet it has its own distinct style. For those who are not familiar with this ruggedly attractive part of Ireland, this book will introduce you to some of its music and musicians. The tunes presented here, collected by County Antrim fiddler, Rowan Leslie, have all been written relatively recently by local musicians. Each tune is offered in two versions?one with the barebones melody and suggested accompaniment chords, and a second with ornamentation, articulation and bowing details. All tune types from northeast Ireland are represented, including jigs and reels, polkas and hornpipes, marches, barn dances and waltzes, plus set dances and slow airs. Moreover, the biographical sketches and backstories provided for each composer and tune demonstrate how the land itself, along with personal experiences and relationships, influence the fiddle music of northeast Ireland.

SKU: HL.49000517

ISBN 9783254002006. 8.75x11.75x0.605 inches. German - English.

To date, only few people have known Paul Hindemith, one of the most important composers of our century, as a creator of humorous and funny, sometimes even angry and sarcastic drawings. On the occasion of his 100th birthday, about 200 out of more than 350 drawings left by the composer are published in this book for the first time. These drawings show the combination of subtle humour and hidden seriousness which characterizes not only the personality of Hindemith but also his existence as an artist reflected in his musical works. Preface * Curriculum Vitae Paul Hindemth * Paul Hindemith-The Line Drawings * The Perpetual Urge To Draw * Cadavres Exquis * Free-Hand Drawings * Inspiration And Fantasy * The Greeting Cards * An Individual Talent * Notes.

SKU: FG.55011-538-5

ISBN 9790550115385.

The air is heavy with flashy comments, when the flute, the bassoon and the piano start their debate in Storm in a Teacup (2014) by Kirmo Lintinen (b. 1967). Only 4'30'' of length, this virtuosic trio finds the piece after the grand rampage. Kirmo Lintinen is a man of many musical talents: composer, pianist and conductor. His catalogue encompasses almost all genres and categories of composition, from solo work to opera, and he operates with ease from one to another without being a crossover artist; in his case, the versatility is both internalised and innate. He often finds inspiration in French music of the 1920s and its intrinsic musicality. Humour and playfulness are characteristic elements of his music, as are a natural, musicianly approach and an enchantingly effervescent, even tongue-in-cheek texture.