SKU: PE.EP72822

ISBN 9790577011769. 232 x 303mm inches. English.

I have only visited Damascus once, twenty years ago, on the way to Palmyra.  I had a purpose (I was writing music for a play about Palmyra’s Queen Zenobia) but essentially I was a tourist.  Like any visitor, I was thrilled to step out of the noisy modern city into the magical ancient world of the walled Old City, its vibrant souk leading to the magnificent mosque, and a labyrinth of winding, narrow streets filled with the smell of unleavened bread.

In Palmyra, I was met with extraordinary kindness everywhere.  On one occasion, a little Bedouin boy noticed that I was risking sunstroke wandering bare-headed among the spectacular ruins: he showed me how to tie a turban, then took me to have tea with his family in their tent.

Since then, I have watched helplessly as these places of wonder have been devastated and their inhabitants scattered and killed.  When the Sacconi Quartet suggested that I might choose a Syrian poet for our collaboration, I welcomed the idea.

I searched for a long time to find a contemporary poet whose work might gain from any music I could imagine.  I felt it was important to find first-hand accounts of the Syrian experience – but, of course, I was always reading them in translation.  In an anthology called Syria Speaks, I was astonished to read something that looked like prose, but was full of poetry.  It was Anne-Marie McManus’s fine translation of Ali Safar’s A Black Cloud in a Leaden White Sky – an eloquent, thoughtful, contained yet vivid account of life in a war-torn country, all the more moving for its restraint.

In setting these words, I have not attempted to imitate Syrian music.  However, there is what might be called a linguistic accommodation in my choice of scale, or mode.  Several movements are in a mode that I first discovered while writing a cantata commemorating the First World War: it has a tuning that I associate with war, its violence and desolation.  This eight-note mode is similar to scales found in Syrian music.  I did not choose it in the abstract: it emerged from the harmonies I was exploring in the earlier work, and emerged again as I was looking for the right musical colours to set Ali Safar’s words.  In this work, its Arabic aspect is more prominent. - Jonathan Dove

SKU: CA.3130800

ISBN 9790007181581.

Johann Sebastian Bach's recorder parts are amongst the most delightful artistic challenges which baroque music has to offer players of this instrument. In the 25 cantatas and oratorios in which Bach uses the recorder, there are parts with moderate technical demands, but also many where the instrument is at the limits of the performing techniques of the time. Taken as a whole, Bach's recorder parts constitute a body of study material which presents plenty of challenges even for advanced players. This edition is intended to be both a resource for practice and for use in performance. It contains all the recorder parts from Bach's vocal works in Urtext editions in a practical layout. The music text is always given in full, and includes indications of movements where the recorder is tacet. Cue-sized notes help orientation within the scoring. Where necessary additional transposed parts for instruments at different pitches are included, or alternative variants are suggested on ossia staves. The music text matches the sources. The text section includes an introduction and commentary on the individual pieces. The introduction covers the different types of recorder in Bach's time, the body of works and the source material, as well as various specific problems. The commentary includes information about each work, the sources and the approach to editing the music in each case, plus comments on variant readings and tips on performance practice and performing technique.

SKU: BR.EB-9399

ISBN 9790004188736. 9 x 12 inches.

One of my favourite pieces of music as a child - and I still love it - was Schubert's Trout Quintet. It was partly the wonderful music, of course, so light-hearted and joyful on the surface, yet with twists and turns and murky depths of feeling too. But I also liked the picture of a trout on the album sleeve - such beautiful creatures! Last year, while resident at the Villa Concordia in Bamberg, as I took daily walks along the Regnitz river, I observed the trout as they calmly hovered and swayed in the shallows... But if they felt my shadow they were gone in a split second! If you ever get a chance to look closely at brown trout you see that they are covered in myriad brown/red spots of varied sizes; camouflage I suppose. Now those patterns seem to be mixing in my mind with the shifting colours of the spectral arpeggios that flow through this little piece. It's a watery piece, with rippling waves, shimmering surfaces and textural veils around the melodies which flow through it. But it also takes inspiration (and it's title) from a Pablo Neruda poem: the third stanza of Every Day You Play includes the line The sky is a net crammed with shadowy fish. There's no singer, but I imagine an invisible or imaginary voice somewhere behind (or beyond) the music, and so the score includes a melodic setting of the text. Even though this is not performed by a voice, the melody is always played by the ensemble - especially high register cello - making the piece something like the inverse of a song without words. (Christian Mason)

World premiere: Aix-en-Provence, October 16, 2020 Commissioned by the Grand Theatre de Provence - Aix-en-Provence.

SKU: CF.FAS109

ISBN 9781491151402. UPC: 680160908905. 9 x 12 inches. Key: G major.

The warmth of a grandfather's embrace as he stares in awe of a cherished baby grandchild is the inspiration for this heartfelt composition. In Grandfather's Arms is a work for developing orchestras that emphasizes expression, phrasing, and dynamics. Lower strings will also have the opportunity to be featured as they carry the key melody making this piece a wonderful teaching tool.
Good music played well inspires the imagination. Whether it is a grandfather, grandmother, mom, dad, aunt or uncle, everyone has had someone they cuddled with before bedtime. The warmth of their body, their arms protectively around you, their soothing voice, and the faint thumping heartbeat rumbling from their chest, all created a trusting and warm place for you to drift off to slumber land. In their arms you were adored, you were special, you were loved, and you always knew that there was a tomorrow.

SKU: AP.46665

UPC: 038081539539. English.

Inspired by Psalm 139, An Everlasting Spirit is a dedication to those who have always been there. Whether supportive parents, loving family, or dedicated friend---we all need each other and need to be there for each other.

SKU: IS.PN7495EM

ISBN 9790365074952.

Louis Anthony deLise is an American composer, pianist, and percussionist. The compositions in A Gift of Moments are typical of deLise’s composing style that often features the juxtaposition of disparate musical elements like serial technique, frequently changing meters, the urgency and drive of rock and roll, and the lush harmonies of 1960’s West Coast Jazz. Dr. deLise was Adjunct Lecturer of Theory and Composition at the Boyer College of Music and Dance (in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). He is the author of The Professional Songwriter, a textbook on songwriting. The title, A Gift of Moments, comes from something a friend wrote about her deceased husband. She described their too-short time together as, a gift of moments. (Time with someone you love is always too short, isn’t it?) Since February 2020, (since I’ve been locked down at home with my patient and loving wife, Theresa), like the rest of us, I’ve been reminded each day of just how delicate life is. My friend’s comment about her lost love has gradually revealed itself as a worthy title for the collection of music I was creating during this time of lockdown. All of the pieces in this collection are in some way about love: of a mate, of family, our way of life, and those beliefs we consider particular to us. The compositions are varied in style as they encompass musical gestures reflective of the many disparate musical traditions alive in my soul. With this unapologetically sensitive, perhaps even nostalgic, music of mine I intend to blur the arbitrary boundaries of genre classification, like classical or pop; ambient or orchestral. Special thanks to Vivian Barton Dozor, a wonderfully talented cellist who provided insight into bowing and phrasing for the cello parts.

SKU: CL.RWS-2029-00

For every Alpha Dog there is a Beta Cat! This follow-up to the popular Alpha Dog for Very Beginning Band portrays a perhaps frustrated yet sneaky cat who attacks when it is least expected! Cymbal scrapes and soft melodies are interrupted when the cat decides to POUNCE! But...this cat always lands on its feet and always has the last hiss.

SKU: GI.G-233563

ISBN 9781574631494. UPC: 888680682835.

What instrument brands provide the best value? Are used instruments a good investment? What mouthpiece should beginners use? Single or double horn? Is there a way to make it easier for beginners to play the tuba? Why are certain valve combinations always out of tune? When is it time to move to an F attachment trombone? What's the difference between compensating and non-compensating - isn't that what the 4th valve does? What's this I hear about trombone lung? These and countless other questions about purchasing, maintaining, troubleshooting, repairing and storing brass instruments are answered in this comprehensive yet concise handbook. Topics include: · Purchasing - brands to consider and prices to expect · Maintenance - lubrication, cleaning and maintaining brass in top condition · Troubleshooting - quick repairs, what to look for and preventive measures · Repair - what can be done with a few tools and what REALLY needs a brass repairman · Storage - how to protect your instrument and your investment · Tuning - tendencies and solutions for ALL valved brass · Mouthpieces - a good place to start and what comes next · Mutes - shapes, types and pitch tendencies · Building a brass tool kit - what to include.

SKU: FJ.B1802S

English.

This highly energetic work uses a simple melody combined with fantastic orchestration for amazing results. A fantastic opportunity to teach 7/8 in a fun, engaging way, the piece is always based on 2+2+3 groupings and has modest technical demands so students can focus on meter. Directors will be excited at how quickly students grasp the concept and are able to dive into the rich musical lines woven throughout. So much fun!

About FJH Young Band

Appropriate for middle school and smaller high school groups. Second clarinets usually stay below the break. Parts are written with more independence, and instrumentation increases slightly. There is still adequate doubling in the lower voices. Grades 2 - 2.5

SKU: HL.14008420

9.0x12.0x0.489 inches.

There are seven songs and an instrumental interlude, making all together an entertainment that provides opportunity for very simple stage action and dancing: nothing at all elaborate is needed in the way of scenery and costumes. The voices are in unison throughout, and their part is always doubled by instruments, which should make it relatively easy for quite young children to learn their way into Davies's delightful tunes. The references to Hoy are incidental, and could possibly be adapted to suit the locality of a particular performance. In any event, most of these tall stories and rhymes will appeal to children everywhere. Set of instrumental parts (8 descant recorder parts, 4 tuned percussion parts and 4 unpitched percussion parts).