A Major Piano. Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770- 1827). Edited by Murray Perahia and Norbert Gertsch. Arranged by Murray Perahia. Sheet music. Henle Music Folios. Classical. Softcover. Op. 2/2. G. Henle #HN772. Published by G. Henle

Chamber Music Clarinet, Piano, Violin

SKU: PR.164002390

Composed by Dan Welcher. Set of Score and Parts. With Standard notation. Composed 1995. 26+14+14 pages. Duration 14 minutes. Theodore Presser Company #164-00239. Published by Theodore Presser Company (PR.164002390).

UPC: 680160038091.

I became interested in the work of Plato through my friend and collaborator, the writer and philosopher Paul Woodruff. Paul's new translation, with Alexander Nehamas, of the Symposium gave me insights into ancient Greek ways of thinking about Love, Beauty, and Wisdom -- and managed to keep the earthy, and often bawdy side of it all in full view. But their new translation of Plato's later dialogue Phaedrus went even further: the beauty of the speeches is breathtaking, and the discourse itself is enough to keep one awake at night. Basically the Great Speech of Socrates in the Phaedrus dialogue has to do with the place of Eros in the world, and with the conflict in the soul between fleshly pleasure and philosophic discovery. I will not attempt to encapsulate this brilliant discourse in a program note: suffice it to say that reading it gave rise to my two-sided work for clarinet, violin, and piano, Phaedrus. The first movement represents the Philosophic life, and is thus subtitled Apollo's Lyre (Invocation and Hymn). It begins with an unaccompanied melody for the clarinet, which (after a pair of harp-like flourishes for the piano, expands into an accompanied canon. The voices in the dialogue (clarinet and violin) follow each other by a prescribed number of beats, but the music is totally devoid of any meter at all. The piano, representing the lyre, accompanies this lyric love-feast with repeated strummed chords. The canon has three large sections, and ends with violin echoing the unaccompanied clarinet invocation as the sound of the lyre fades. The second movement, called Dionysus' Dream-Orgy (Ritual Dance) presents, after a brief introduction, another kind of unmetered music. Rather than long lyric flights of philosophic song, however, this time we hear a unison dance of unbridled energy and sensual transport. The piece soon forms itself into a loose arch form, with contrasting metered dance sections divided by the unison unmetered orgy tune. Midway through the movement, Apollo's melody returns from the first movement, but it is a temporary reminiscence. The orgiastic dance returns, reaches a climax, and ends with a stomping of feet. While Plato asserts that a proper balance between lust and reason is necessary in all men, he (naturally) gives the nod to Philosophy as the better choice in which to live. Not so in my music: the two sides are meant to coexist and to complement each other. No sides are taken. Phaedrus was commissioned of the Verdehr Trio by Michigan State University. It is dedicated to the Vedehr Trio with great affection and admiration.

Chamber Music Cello, Piano, Viola, Violin, Violin 1, Violin 2

SKU: PR.144407570

Composed by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. Set of Score and Parts. 64+12+12+12+12+12+12 pages. Duration 24 minutes. Merion Music #144-40757. Published by Merion Music (PR.144407570).

ISBN 9781491136522. UPC: 680160689330.

Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s Septet is the first major work written for this combination of instruments, and the pioneering process was greatly enjoyed by the composer: “While the instrumentation of the Septet provides an almost orchestral palette, and it was interesting to explore that, I love the idea of seven artist-performers, each of whom can be a stunning virtuoso one moment and a thoughtful partner the next, and I relish the electricity that results from those shifting roles.” Septet was written for the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio and the Miami String Quartet, to whom it is dedicated. String parts available on rental. For advanced ensembles. Duration: 24’.
Writing music is a labor of love for me.  My greatest joy is writing for performers whom I can be sure will not only deliver the notes accurately, but will project the meaning behind the notes.  To have performers in the wings who will bring their own imagination and deep understanding to a performance is an inspiration to me.  So I approached the writing of my Septet for the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio and the Miami String Quartet with great anticipation and pleasure.The fact that there is no model for such a Septet made the pre-composition process a most enjoyable exploration.  I liked the idea of having two strong ensemble personalities in the mix, and I thought that there must be some sort of challenging interchange at the outset.  The first movement, “Introductions,” (note the plural) starts with the piano trio throwing down the gauntlet and the string quartet entering quietly, but gradually (almost one by one) joining with the trio to make a true septet with multi-faceted relations.  The second movement, “Quasi una Passacaglia,” is based on a repeated phrase pattern.  Part of the formal design is a contrast between “Baroque” style performance and modern, more romantic ways of playing.  “Games,” the third movement, involves much playful interplay and the fourth movement, “Au revoir,” offers both reminiscence and farewell – not “good-bye,” but “until we meet again.”Throughout the piece, two of my persistent fascinations are explored: firstly, my interest in designing initial material that can evolve into large-scale form, and secondly, the pleasure I take in chamber music.  While the instrumentation of the Septet provides an almost orchestral palette and it was interesting to explore that, I love the idea of 7 artist-performers, each of whom can be a stunning virtuoso one moment and a thoughtful partner the next, and I relish the electricity that results form those shifting roles.

SKU: HL.48182083

Composed by Pierrick Houdy. Leduc. Classical, Pastoral. 14 pages. Alphonse Leduc #AL22975. Published by Alphonse Leduc (HL.48182083).

UPC: 888680850371. 9.0x12.0x0.058 inches.

“Pastoral and Harlequinade for Woodwind trio of Flute, Oboe and Piano was written by Eugène Goossens. Difficult to play, it is divided into two distinct pieces: the Pastoral (Andante con motto) and the Harlequinade (Allegro). The Piano, which starts the Pastoral on its own during six measures, is joined by the Flute and followed seven measures later by the Oboe. This first is quite slow, with sounds reminiscent of the countryside. To the contrary, the Harlequinade begins with the Flute and Oboe which are then followed by the Piano. More cheerful from the beginning, it features a dialogue between the Flute, the Oboe and the Piano. These very lyrical pieces are a delight to play and to listen to and should definitely be programed for a recital. Eugène Goossens was an English composer renowned by his peers, who also worked for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. He was knighted in 1955.”.

Tuba and wind ensemble

SKU: P2.W0011

Composed by James Grant. Solo music, 20th century. Published by Potenza Music (P2.W0011).

The Concerto for Tuba: Three Furies is a version for wind ensemble of the 1995 Three Furies for Tuba and Orchestra, itself an orchestral incarnation of the 1993 Three Furies for Solo Tuba. That original unaccompanied work was composed at the request of tubist Mark Nelson, and it spawned an ongoing series of commissioned works for low brass composed over the last two decades. All three versions of the Furies (unaccompanied, with wind ensemble or orchestra, and with piano) celebrate the surprising -- indeed, remarkable -- flexibility possessed by the tuba, and offer a music that is immediate, good-natured and fun, requiring of the soloist both keen musicianship and physical stamina.

This version for wind ensemble of the Furies concerto, penned in November and December of 2011, was commissioned by and is gratefully dedicated to tubist James Shearer, conductor Monty Hill, and the musicians of the New Mexico State University Symphonic Winds, all of whom joined forces to premiere the work at the February 2012 Southwest Honor Band clinic in Las Cruces, NM.

Each of the Three Furies is virtuosic in its own right, offering a multiplicity of distinct rhythms, melodic figures and articulations:

Fury I is marked decidedly jocular and is a pleasant ramble through the registers of the tuba, featuring angular arpeggios and tonguing demands that one does not usually associate with the instrument.

Fury II, in form somewhat reminiscent of a minuet with trio, contrasts series of long, arching arpeggiated figures with a congenial central waltz marked gently inebriated.

Fury III is relentless and powerful, exploiting the full dynamic and articulative range of the tuba. Again, the performer is met with virtuoso demands not normally encountered in the tuba literature.

Band concert band - Grade 3

SKU: KJ.WB175

Composed by Mike Hannickel. Standard of Excellence in Concert. Score and set of parts. Neil A. Kjos Music Company #WB175. Published by Neil A. Kjos Music Company (KJ.WB175).

Song of Tosagata is a skillfully crafted arrangement of an authentic ballad from Northern Japan. Filled with multicultural and inter- disciplinary enrichment possibilities, this delicate and mysterious work features timbres And textures reminiscent of the classic Japanese instrumental trio comprised of the Shakuhachi, Samisen, And Koto. Adding to the arrangement's uniqueness and authentic flavor are optional parts for autoharp (also playable on synthesizer) and template bells, playable on a student-made version of the traditional instrument.

About Standard of Excellence in Concert

The Standard of Excellence In Concert series presents exceptional arrangements, transcriptions, and original concert and festival pieces for beginning and intermediate band. Each selection is correlated to a specific page in the Standard of Excellence Band Method, reinforcing and expanding skills and concepts introduced in the method up to that point. Exciting parts with extensive cross-cueing are presented for every player. Accessible ranges, appropriate rhythmic challenges, and creative percussion section writing enhance the pedagogical value of the series.

Sold individually, each In Concert selection includes a full Conductor Score and enough student parts for large symphonic bands. Each student part also includes correlated Warm-Up Studies. The Conductor Score comes complete with rehearsal suggestions, a composer biography, program notes, a rehearsal piano part, several ready-to-duplicate worksheets and a duplicable written quiz.