SKU: HL.359037

ISBN 9781705120804. UPC: 840126944983. 9.0x12.0x0.262 inches.

“Bolcom is a famously eclectic stylist. The poems here are sung in Spanish and the musical accompaniment is recognizably Spanish-tinged in rhythm and color (including castanets and the like). But the composer goes much deeper than that; Canciones is no picture postcard. He delves into the dark, mysterious and surrealistic core of the poetry and returns us its sinews and subtexts in a varietal, mercurial music that touches upon Puccini, Mahler, jazz, Cuban dance, atonal acerbity and tonal bliss. In the process, he doesn't exactly explain the sometimes difficult poetry, but he does bring it to life.” -Timothy Mangan, Orange County Register, Oct. 26, 2013. With text by poet Federico Garcia Lorca, this composition was premiered by Placido Domingo and the Pacific Symphony Orchestra under Carl St. Clarin on September 15, 2006. Recorded on Naxos 8.559788 by the Pacific Symphony, Carl St. Clair, conductor and René Barbera, Tenor.

SKU: FG.55011-526-2

ISBN 9790550115262.

The poetry of Emily Dickinson has been one of the sources of inspiration for Kai Nieminen (1953-). Piano trio Reflecting Landscapes was inspired by Dickinson's poem A bird came down a walk, a same poem that also gave name to a piece for viola and piano by Toru Takemitsu. Takemitsu being one composer that Nieminen helds in high esteem. Especially calm, meditative athmosphere at the beginning of the piano trio has much that reminds listener from Nieminen's Japanese collegue. The tolling chruch bell -like motives reminds the composer from the death of his father, that occurred at the time of the composition of the piece. Later in the piece, bird song -like motives emerge, like birds in the calm summer night somewhere in the north. The piece was commissioned by Trio la Rue and they gave the first performance at Saaksmaki Soi -festival 6th July 2011.
The poetry of Emily Dickinson has been one of the sources of inspiration for Kai Nieminen (1953-). Piano trio Reflecting Landscapes was inspired by Dickinson's poem A bird came down a walk, a same poem that also gave name to a piece for viola and piano by Toru Takemitsu. Takemitsu being one composer that Nieminen helds in high esteem. Especially calm, meditative athmosphere at the beginning of the piano trio has much that reminds listener from Nieminen's Japanese collegue. The tolling chruch bell -like motives reminds the composer from the death of his father, that occurred at the time of the composition of the piece. Later in the piece, bird song -like motives emerge, like birds in the calm summer night somewhere in the north. The piece was commissioned by Trio la Rue and they gave the first performance at Saaksmaki Soi -festival 6th July 2011.

SKU: CF.CM9718

ISBN 9781491160978. UPC: 680160919574. Key: D major. English. Manmohan Ghose.

Manmohan Ghose was a professor, poet, and brilliant scholar from Eastern India in the late 19th century. He was educated in London, and was one of the first poets originally from India to publish poetry in English. A Lament is one of his earliest published poems; it progresses with vivid, scenic language from lullaby to permanent goodbye. Much later in life, Manmohan experienced a series of family tragedies that gave him a unique perspective on grief. After returning to India to mourn his father's death and eventually the passing of his wife, he never again made it back to England as he had wished to before his own death. The text of this piece has been paired with a mixolydian modal structure and a blend of musical elements designed to invoke a nostalgic, dream-like atmosphere. In the words of the composer: I like to think of this piece as a metaphorical hall of mirrors. The original 'image' of the melody becomes the source for multiple echoes and imitations that blossom into layers of polyphonic movement. As a nod to the poet's birth place, notes reminiscent of the kan-swar grace note technique of Hindustani classical music add ornamental interest to the piano and voices. This piece functions as an excellent educational introduction or further study into the concept of modes. When presenting this piece to a choir, directors may find it helpful to identify G as the tonal center and follow up with an explanation that G mixolydian has the same key signature as the key of C, because it naturally has no sharps or flats.
Manmohan Ghose was a professor, poet, and brilliant scholar from Eastern India in the late 19th century. He was educated in London, and was one of the first poets originally from India to publish poetry in English. “A Lament” is one of his earliest published poems; it progresses with vivid, scenic language from lullaby to permanent goodbye. Much later in life, Manmohan experienced a series of family tragedies that gave him a unique perspective on grief. After returning to India to mourn his father’s death and eventually the passing of his wife, he never again made it back to England as he had wished to before his own death. The text of this piece has been paired with a mixolydian modal structure and a blend of musical elements designed to invoke a nostalgic, dream-like atmosphere. In the words of the composer: “I like to think of this piece as a metaphorical hall of mirrors. The original ‘image’ of the melody becomes the source for multiple echoes and imitations that blossom into layers of polyphonic movement.” As a nod to the poet’s birth place, notes reminiscent of the kan-swar grace note technique of Hindustani classical music add ornamental interest to the piano and voices. This piece functions as an excellent educational introduction or further study into the concept of modes. When presenting this piece to a choir, directors may find it helpful to identify G as the tonal center and follow up with an explanation that G mixolydian has the same key signature as the key of C, because it naturally has no sharps or flats.

SKU: BT.MUSM570364978

English.

The title Par-feshani-ye 'Eshq translates, in English, to The Fluttering Wings Of Love and was taken from a text by the 18th century Sufi poet Bidel . Each brief movement takes a couplet from the poem as inspiration, drawing on an extraordinary array of images of clay pots on waterwheels, a nightingale’s fluttering wings, weighty fetters links and the world’s garden roses. The work is dedicated to friends Renée Reznek and Bruce Wannell. Bruce introduced Harrison to the poetry of Bidel and Renée had the privilege of performing the piece on its premiere performance. Australian born freelance composer and performer Sadie Harrison ’s unique fusion of elements from indigenousLithuanian music and poetry with her own modernist, often abrasive, style have led her to be compared with Bartok, but with her own warmth and grandeur. Since 2012 Harrison has been working alongside a long list of well accomplished musicians; Paul Carey, Peter Sheppard Skaerved, Sergej Okrushko, Alex South, Duncan Honeybourne are among many who have had the privilege work with Harrison so far. Performances of Harrison 's works have been given across the world by Lontano, London Chamber Symphony, Music Projects/ London, Ixion, Okeanos, Bournemouth Sinfonietta, Kokoro and the St. Christopherus Chamber Orchestra, and many others.

SKU: DY.DO-1538

ISBN 9782897963187.

When guitarist John Olson and soprano Gioia De Cari commissioned me to write a piece for them, I envi- sioned writing something theatrical that might especially suit Gioia, who is both a singer and an actress. Eventually, I thought of Mark Twain. The great American writer and humorist of substance wrote a short, little-known book called The Diary of Adam and Eve, which is, of course, about the first days of human life on this earth, in Twain’s witty, but touching take on the Bible story. Adam and Eve each write diary entries. I chose several passages from Eve’s diary that convey the sense of constant wonder that she felt because absolutely everything in her world was new.

Setting prose, rather than poetry, is a challenge for a composer because it has neither the innate rhythm nor the lyricism of poetry. On some intuitive level, this challenge led me to a process that allowed the music to evolve mostly from the guitar part. Whereas normally the vocal melody might emerge first, motivated by the text and with the accompaniment then added for support, here the guitar part was the prime mover. An example of this is the last song, which is a passacaglia played by the guitar, providing the ground over which the vocal line can soar. Eve’s Diary was composed in 2015.

Lorsque le guitariste John Olson et la soprano Gioia De Cari m'ont commandé une pièce pour eux, j'ai imaginé écrire quelque chose de théâtral qui pourrait particulièrement convenir à Gioia, qui est à la fois chanteuse et actrice. Finalement, j'ai pensé à Mark Twain. Le grand écrivain et humoriste américain a écrit un petit livre peu connu intitulé Le Journal d'Adam et Ève, qui raconte les premiers jours de la vie humaine sur terre selon l'interprétation spirituelle et espiègle de Twain de l'histoire biblique. Adam et Ève tiennent chacun un journal. J'ai choisi plusieurs passages du journal d'Ève qui expriment ce sentiment d'émerveillement constant qu'elle ressentait, car absolument tout dans son monde était nouveau.

Mettre en musique de la prose, plutôt que de la poésie, est un défi pour un compositeur car elle n'a ni le rythme inné ni le lyrisme de la poésie. Intuitivement, ce défi m'a conduit à un processus qui a permis à la musique d'évoluer principalement à partir de la partie de guitare. Alors que normalement la mélodie vocale pourrait émerger en premier, motivée par le texte et avec l'accompagnement ajouté ensuite pour le soutien, ici la partie de guitare était le moteur principal. Un exemple en est la dernière chanson, qui est une passacaille jouée à la guitare, fournissant le fond sur lequel la ligne vocale peut s'élever. Le Journal d'Ève a été composé en 2015.

SKU: HL.1311615

UPC: 196288177487. 6.75x10.5x0.019 inches.

Written for Berry College Concert Choir, this delightful poetry setting by Stan Pethel expresses why we do what we do as singers and musicians. Stan's setting is accessible, engaging, and meaningful, especially for those in the choral profession. This is a piece that singers and directors will especially appreciate. An exquisite concert selection for mixed voices at all levels. Highly recommended!

SKU: HL.14033692

1. The Native Land of Light (for mixed chorus, SATB) 2. Come lift me up (for mixed chorus, SATB -) -) the second movement may be performed by a children's chorus or by the female voices (SSA) from a mixed chorus Programme Note From my very first aquaintance with these Andersen poems, I was deeply moved by the simple, almost naive, yet evocative imagery, with which Andersen realized his visions, images like: The Melody of the Heart, The Poem of Beauty, A Spiritual Hindustan, Fly, Death, over the Sea of Time, fly to Eternal Summer. Along with this childishness Hans Christian Andersen's poetry encompasses enormous - almost Willim Blake-ish - cosmic visions, in theinterpolations between e.g. reaching the Heaven as opposed to you'll find it in a Rosebud, or the juxtaposition of Everyday Life and Eternal Poetry - which become one. Thus the music came to life in my immediate encounter with these words, which almost sang themselves into my Musical Furnace - if you will. Per Norgard.

SKU: FG.55011-567-5

ISBN 9790550115675.

Alex Freeman's (b. 1972) Cathedral of Spring for chamber choir (2019) to poems of e.e. cummings and Robert Frost was commissioned and premiered by Somnium Ensemble. The composer tells: For the celebration of the 10th anniversary of Somnium Ensemble (Finland), I was commissioned to write a piece with spring as a central theme. While contemplating that and perusing appropriate poetry, I was inspired by memories of the night-time sky in early spring--the warm air, the teeming, buzzing energy of life all around, and an expansive dome of stars overhead. I then imagined that moment in time as a kind of sacred space; this is the point where the cathedral notion came to mind. The frenetic and joyous poetry of e.e. cummings, from his Epithalamion, gives an exclamatory introduction to the set, followed by his vision of spring from the point of view of giddy children in his iconic poem, [in Just-]. We then take a moment to contemplate the ephemerality of all this beauty (spring giveth and spring taketh away, i.e. an offertorium of sorts); Robert Frost's Blue-Butterfly Day places us in a moment where, by chance, we find ourselves enveloped by a delicately fluttering swarm of butterflies. Peaceful and still, yet in constant flux, we spend a some time taking that phenomenon in, while also experiencing a twinge of the realisation that this is truly fleeting. The final movement, returning to a later stanza from Epithalamion, cummings's sparkling paean to May is set as a kind of final anthem..

SKU: HL.319752

UPC: 888680972561. 6.75x10.5x0.029 inches. William Butler Yeats/Nick Strimple.

What would it feel like to be told you will be the mother of God? That is the essence of this Yeats' poem, and his depiction, like most of his work, is complex and earthy. Strimple's music adds to the poetry with dynamic fervor, enhancing the emotions with unapologetic flare. This is the piece to include in the Christmas program that will awaken an audience. For advanced high school and college ensembles.