For voice and guitar. Format: fakebook. With vocal melody, lyrics and chord name...(+)
For voice and guitar.
Format: fakebook. With
vocal melody, lyrics and
chord names. Gospel.
Series: Hal Leonard
Paperback Songs. 256
pages. 4.2x6.7 inches.
Published by Hal Leonard.
Edited by Amy Appleby. Collection and examples CD for easy solo piano. Over 200 ...(+)
Edited by Amy Appleby.
Collection and examples
CD for easy solo piano.
Over 200 best-loved
Christian hymns that have
inspired praise and
worship for over four
centuries. Series: Piano
Treasury Series. 392
pages. Published by Music
Sales.
by William Bay and Mike Christiansen. For all guitars. Mastering Guitar. All sty...(+)
by William Bay and Mike
Christiansen. For all
guitars. Mastering
Guitar. All styles,
assorted music styles.
Level:
Beginning-Intermediate.
Book/CD Set. Method. Size
8.75x11.75. 184 pages.
Published by Mel Bay
Pub., Inc.
Composed by
Traditional Christmas
Spiritual. Arranged by
Ken Berg. Sws.
Performance Score. 16
pages. Duration 3
minutes, 40 seconds. Carl
Fischer Music #CM9634.
Published by Carl Fischer
Music (CF.CM9634).
ISBN 9781491157060.
UPC: 680160915620. 6.875
x 10.5 inches. Key: G
major. English, English.
Traditional Christmas
Spiritual.
Berg's
fantastic setting of this
beloved American
Christmas spiritual for
advanced tenor-bass
choirs tells a story of
hope and meaning. The
various textures
throughout the a cappella
arrangement with solos
add much variety and
musical interest. A
holiday programming
must!. This beloved
American Christmas
Spiritual, like all
spirituals and/or folk
songs, tells a story.
This is a story of hope
and meaning. The
introductory solo call
and response (mm. 1-7) is
hymnic in nature, just to
get us started. (Think of
it as an effective head
fake!) The entrance at m.
8 from the upper three
voices (we'll call them
the trio part henceforth)
is pivotal. They set the
stage for the
conversation between the
singers and the soloist
for the rest of the song.
From this point, the song
is basically a Jazz Trio
in vocal form. The bass
singers take on the role
of the cool dude in the
back wearing dark glasses
and a beret playing the
string bass. They provide
the driving force for the
forward movement of the
entire song. The trio
part, basically tenors 1
& 2 and baritones,
take on the role of the
keyboard providing
chordal structure and
syncopation. Their job is
to fill the listener's
ear with sound and
rhythm. The soloist tells
the story using the known
melody and text with
appropriate improv
opportunities to keep the
listeners focused on the
message of the song.
There is enough
repetition to make for
easy learning, but this
also means that the
chords need to snap into
position cleanly every
time. The Verses are
easily identified (there
are three) and presented
with some small
variations in Verse 3
(see mm. 56-58...this
only happens once). The
Refrain (mm. 30-37) is
the part of the song
where the singers switch
from the Jazz Trio role
and actually become a
Men's Choral Ensemble.
This Refrain is repeated
after Verse 3 at mm.
66-71. Between verses 2
& 3, there is not a
refrain. Instead, there
is a bridge repeated from
the introductory
material, but used this
time to move us into a
new key signature. This
can be a very exciting
moment for the singers as
well as the listeners!
Measures 72-75 is known
in the business as a
vamp. It can be repeated
once and then move on, OR
it can be repeated
multiple times, depending
on the comfort level of
the soloist and the
response of the audience.
It is important that
there be a clear signal
from the conductor as to
how to end the vamp and
move effectively to the
actual coda of the song.
The ending should be sung
with tight control that
only looks like reckless
abandon! Faces bright;
words clean; melody
clear; rhythms precise!
Enjoy. This beloved
American Christmas
Spiritual, like all
spirituals and/or folk
songs, tells a story.
This is a story of hope
and meaning. The
introductory solo call
and response (mm. 1-7) is
hymnic in nature, just to
get us started. (Think of
it as an effective head
fake!)The entrance at m.
8 from the upper three
voices (we’ll call
them the “trio
part†henceforth)
is pivotal. They set the
stage for the
conversation between the
singers and the soloist
for the rest of the song.
From this point, the song
is basically a Jazz Trio
in vocal form. The bass
singers take on the role
of the cool dude in the
back wearing dark glasses
and a beret playing the
string bass. They provide
the driving force for the
forward movement of the
entire song.The
“trio partâ€,
basically tenors 1 & 2
and baritones, take on
the role of the keyboard
providing chordal
structure and
syncopation. Their job is
to fill the
listener’s ear
with sound and rhythm.The
soloist tells the story
using the known melody
and text with appropriate
improv opportunities to
keep the listeners
focused on the message of
the song.There is enough
repetition to make for
easy learning, but this
also means that the
chords need to
“snap into
position†cleanly
every time. The Verses
are easily identified
(there are three) and
presented with some small
variations in Verse 3
(see mm. 56-58…this
only happens once).The
Refrain (mm. 30-37) is
the part of the song
where the singers switch
from the “Jazz
Trio†role and
actually become a
“Men’s
Choral Ensembleâ€.
This Refrain is repeated
after Verse 3 at mm.
66-71. Between verses 2 &
3, there is not a
refrain. Instead, there
is a bridge repeated from
the introductory
material, but used this
time to move us into a
new key signature. This
can be a very exciting
moment for the singers as
well as the
listeners!Measures 72-75
is known in the business
as a “vampâ€.
It can be repeated once
and then move on, OR it
can be repeated multiple
times, depending on the
comfort level of the
soloist and the response
of the audience.It is
important that there be a
clear signal from the
conductor as to how to
end the
“vamp†and
move effectively to the
actual coda of the song.
The ending should be sung
with tight control that
only looks like reckless
abandon!Faces bright;
words clean; melody
clear; rhythms precise!
Enjoy.
Choral SSA Choir, piano, flute SKU: CF.CM9583 Composed by Christopher Gab...(+)
Choral SSA Choir, piano,
flute
SKU:
CF.CM9583
Composed by
Christopher Gabel. Sws.
Performance Score. 20
pages. Duration 4
minutes, 9 seconds. Carl
Fischer Music #CM9583.
Published by Carl Fischer
Music (CF.CM9583).
ISBN 9781491154052.
UPC: 680160912551. 6.875
x 10.5 inches. Key: Eb
major. English. Thomas
Moore
(1779-1852).
Thomas
Moore (17791852) was an
Irish poet, singer,
songwriter and
entertainer. In his poem,
On Music, Moore
emphasizes the power that
music has in our lives
and the ability it has to
evoke memories and
feelings from the past.
Music transcends that
which can be spoken or
felt. The beauty of
making music together is
to establish meaningful
connections with others
and to share a common
language through song. We
are reminded, however,
that relationships with
each other can be fluid
or unstable, but as the
words of the poem remind
us, music will not
betray. No matter the
experiences that we face,
the relationships that we
foster, or the memories
that we create, music
will always be there for
us in times of need and
in times of celebration.
What does music mean to
you? How does it enrich
your life? On Music
Thomas Moore When through
life unblest we rove,
Losing all that made life
dear, Should some notes
we used to love, In days
of boyhood, meet our ear,
Oh! how welcome breathes
the strain! Wakening
thoughts that long have
slept, Kindling former
smiles again In faded
eyes that long have wept.
Like the gale, that sighs
along Beds of oriental
flowers, Is the grateful
breath of song, That once
was heard in happier
hours. Filld with balm
the gale sighs on, Though
the flowers have sunk in
death; So, when pleasures
dream is gone, Its memory
lives in Musics breath.
Music, oh, how faint, how
weak, Language fades
before thy spell! Why
should Feeling ever
speak, When thou canst
breathe her soul so well?
Friendships balmy words
may feign, Loves are even
more false than they; Oh!
tis only musics strain
Can sweetly soothe, and
not betray. Note to the
performer: Liberty can be
taken with the tempo
markings and rubato
should be used throughout
in order to further
stress the beauty and
significance of the text.
With its vocal-like
descant, the flute should
be treated as an
additional voice rather
than mere accompaniment
to enhance the texture of
the piece. Thomas
Moore (1779a1852) was an
Irish poet, singer,
songwriter and
entertainer. In his poem,
On Music, Moore
emphasizes the power that
music has in our lives
and the ability it has to
evoke memories and
feelings from the past.
Music transcends that
which can be spoken or
felt. The beauty of
making music together is
to establish meaningful
connections with others
and to share a common
language through song. We
are reminded, however,
that relationships with
each other can be fluid
or unstable, but as the
words of the poem remind
us, music will not
betray. No matter the
experiences that we face,
the relationships that we
foster, or the memories
that we create, music
will always be there for
us in times of need and
in times of celebration.
What does music mean to
you? How does it enrich
your life? On Music a
Thomas Moore When through
life unblest we rove,
Losing all that made life
dear, Should some notes
we used to love, In days
of boyhood, meet our ear,
Oh! how welcome breathes
the strain! Wakening
thoughts that long have
slept, Kindling former
smiles again In faded
eyes that long have wept.
Like the gale, that sighs
along Beds of oriental
flowers, Is the grateful
breath of song, That once
was heard in happier
hours. Fillad with balm
the gale sighs on, Though
the flowers have sunk in
death; So, when
pleasureas dream is gone,
Its memory lives in
Musicas breath. Music,
oh, how faint, how weak,
Language fades before thy
spell! Why should Feeling
ever speak, When thou
canst breathe her soul so
well? Friendshipas balmy
words may feign, Loveas
are even more false than
they; Oh! atis only
musicas strain Can
sweetly soothe, and not
betray. Note to the
performer: Liberty can be
taken with the tempo
markings and rubato
should be used throughout
in order to further
stress the beauty and
significance of the text.
With its vocal-like
descant, the flute should
be treated as an
additional voice rather
than mere accompaniment
to enhance the texture of
the piece. Thomas
Moore (1779-1852) was an
Irish poet, singer,
songwriter and
entertainer. In his poem,
On Music, Moore
emphasizes the power that
music has in our lives
and the ability it has to
evoke memories and
feelings from the past.
Music transcends that
which can be spoken or
felt. The beauty of
making music together is
to establish meaningful
connections with others
and to share a common
language through song. We
are reminded, however,
that relationships with
each other can be fluid
or unstable, but as the
words of the poem remind
us, music will not
betray. No matter the
experiences that we face,
the relationships that we
foster, or the memories
that we create, music
will always be there for
us in times of need and
in times of celebration.
What does music mean to
you? How does it enrich
your life? On Music -
Thomas Moore When through
life unblest we rove,
Losing all that made life
dear, Should some notes
we used to love, In days
of boyhood, meet our ear,
Oh! how welcome breathes
the strain! Wakening
thoughts that long have
slept, Kindling former
smiles again In faded
eyes that long have wept.
Like the gale, that sighs
along Beds of oriental
flowers, Is the grateful
breath of song, That once
was heard in happier
hours. Fill'd with balm
the gale sighs on, Though
the flowers have sunk in
death; So, when
pleasure's dream is gone,
Its memory lives in
Music's breath. Music,
oh, how faint, how weak,
Language fades before thy
spell! Why should Feeling
ever speak, When thou
canst breathe her soul so
well? Friendship's balmy
words may feign, Love's
are even more false than
they; Oh! 'tis only
music's strain Can
sweetly soothe, and not
betray. Note to the
performer: Liberty can be
taken with the tempo
markings and rubato
should be used throughout
in order to further
stress the beauty and
significance of the text.
With its vocal-like
descant, the flute should
be treated as an
additional voice rather
than mere accompaniment
to enhance the texture of
the piece. Thomas
Moore (1779-1852) was an
Irish poet, singer,
songwriter and
entertainer. In his poem,
On Music, Moore
emphasizes the power that
music has in our lives
and the ability it has to
evoke memories and
feelings from the past.
Music transcends that
which can be spoken or
felt. The beauty of
making music together is
to establish meaningful
connections with others
and to share a common
language through song. We
are reminded, however,
that relationships with
each other can be fluid
or unstable, but as the
words of the poem remind
us, music will not
betray. No matter the
experiences that we face,
the relationships that we
foster, or the memories
that we create, music
will always be there for
us in times of need and
in times of celebration.
What does music mean to
you? How does it enrich
your life? On Music -
Thomas Moore When through
life unblest we rove,
Losing all that made life
dear, Should some notes
we used to love, In days
of boyhood, meet our ear,
Oh! how welcome breathes
the strain! Wakening
thoughts that long have
slept, Kindling former
smiles again In faded
eyes that long have wept.
Like the gale, that sighs
along Beds of oriental
flowers, Is the grateful
breath of song, That once
was heard in happier
hours. Fill'd with balm
the gale sighs on, Though
the flowers have sunk in
death; So, when
pleasure's dream is gone,
Its memory lives in
Music's breath. Music,
oh, how faint, how weak,
Language fades before thy
spell! Why should Feeling
ever speak, When thou
canst breathe her soul so
well? Friendship's balmy
words may feign, Love's
are even more false than
they; Oh! 'tis only
music's strain Can
sweetly soothe, and not
betray. Note to the
performer: Liberty can be
taken with the tempo
markings and rubato
should be used throughout
in order to further
stress the beauty and
significance of the text.
With its vocal-like
descant, the flute should
be treated as an
additional voice rather
than mere accompaniment
to enhance the texture of
the piece. Thomas
Moore (1779–1852)
was an Irish poet,
singer, songwriter and
entertainer. In his poem,
On Music, Moore
emphasizes the power that
music has in our lives
and the ability it has to
evoke memories and
feelings from the past.
Music transcends that
which can be spoken or
felt. The beauty of
making music together is
to establish meaningful
connections with others
and to share a common
language through song.We
are reminded, however,
that relationships with
each other can be fluid
or unstable, but as the
words of the poem remind
us, music will not
betray. No matter the
experiences that we face,
the relationships that we
foster, or the memories
that we create, music
will always be there for
us in times of need and
in times of celebration.
What does music mean to
you? How does it enrich
your life?On Music
– Thomas MooreWhen
through life unblest we
rove,Losing all that made
life dear,Should some
notes we used to love,In
days of boyhood, meet our
ear,Oh! how welcome
breathes the
strain!Wakening thoughts
that long have
slept,Kindling former
smiles againIn faded eyes
that long have wept.Like
the gale, that sighs
alongBeds of oriental
flowers,Is the grateful
breath of song,That once
was heard in happier
hours.Fill’d with
balm the gale sighs
on,Though the flowers
have sunk in death;So,
when pleasure’s
dream is gone,Its memory
lives in Music’s
breath.Music, oh, how
faint, how weak,Language
fades before thy
spell!Why should Feeling
ever speak,When thou
canst breathe her soul so
well?Friendship’s
balmy words may
feign,Love’s are
even more false than
they;Oh! ’tis only
music’s strainCan
sweetly soothe, and not
betray.Note to the
performer: Liberty can be
taken with the tempo
markings and rubato
should be used throughout
in order to further
stress the beauty and
significance of the text.
With its vocal-like
descant, the flute should
be treated as an
additional voice rather
than mere accompaniment
to enhance the texture of
the piece.
Composed by John Trotter. Featured Products, Wire bound. Method. Book/CD set...(+)
Composed by John Trotter.
Featured Products, Wire
bound. Method. Book/CD
set.
282 pages. Mel Bay
Publications, Inc
#610506E.
Published by Mel Bay
Publications, Inc
(An Inspiring Method to Playing the Drums, Guided by the Legends). By Rich Lacko...(+)
(An Inspiring Method to
Playing the Drums, Guided
by the Legends). By Rich
Lackowski. For Drumset.
Artist/Personality; Book;
DVD; Method/Instruction;
Percussion - Drum Set
Method or Collection. On
the Beaten Path.
Beginner. 136 pages.
Published by Alfred Music
Publishing
Piano, Voix et Guitare [Partition] - Intermédiaire Hal Leonard
For voice, piano and guitar chords. Format: piano/vocal/chords songbook. With vo...(+)
For voice, piano and
guitar chords. Format:
piano/vocal/chords
songbook. With vocal
melody, piano
accompaniment, lyrics,
chord names and guitar
chord diagrams. Gospel.
216 pages. 9x12 inches.
Published by Hal Leonard.
Piano, Voix et Guitare [Partition] - Intermédiaire Hal Leonard
For voice, piano and guitar chords. Format: piano/vocal/chords songbook. With vo...(+)
For voice, piano and
guitar chords. Format:
piano/vocal/chords
songbook. With vocal
melody, piano
accompaniment, lyrics,
chord names and guitar
chord diagrams. Gospel.
288 pages. 9x12 inches.
Published by Hal Leonard.
Drum set - Advanced SKU: MB.22157 Instrumentals, Beats and Fills for B...(+)
Drum set - Advanced
SKU: MB.22157
Instrumentals, Beats
and Fills for Blues/Rock
Drumming. Composed by
James E. Ryan. Style,
Percussion: Drum Set,
Contemporary, Pop,
Perfect binding, Blues,
Method. Bill's Music
Shelf. Rock. Book and
online audio. 56 pages.
Mel Bay Publications, Inc
#22157. Published by Mel
Bay Publications, Inc
(MB.22157).
ISBN
9780786683123. UPC:
796279112130. 8.5 X 11
inches.
The
Complete Blues/Rock
Drummer is an advanced
instruction book
specializing in blues and
blues/rock beats. This
book includes fills and
instrumentals, both with
and without drums for
play-along. About half of
the book features
advanced beats with fills
and the other half
consists of
instrumentals. Drummers
interested in studying
blues will learn much
from this book.There is
challenging material for
you to practice. The
Complete Blues/Rock
Drummer is a unique
source for those
interested in this genre.
Like most musical styles,
the breadth of blues
music is vast, taking on
many forms throughout
different parts of the
United States. Our aim is
to focus on a few styles
and demonstrate the
drumming that is
associated with each
style. After that, its
your turn to play-along
and come up with your own
parts or play the
transcription of each
song. Remember there isnt
a single all-inclusive
book that will cover
everything there is to
know about blues or any
style for that matter.
This book provides
practical ideas for blues
and blues/rock.
Chamber Music Violin SKU: PR.144407530 Composed by Lauren Bernofsky. 12 p...(+)
Chamber Music Violin
SKU: PR.144407530
Composed by Lauren
Bernofsky. 12 pages.
Duration 10 minutes, 30
seconds. Merion Music
#144-40753. Published by
Merion Music
(PR.144407530).
ISBN
9781491136614. UPC:
680160687992.
A
violinist herself, Lauren
Bernofsky has described
SONATA FOR SOLO VIOLIN as
drawn from
autobiographical
inspiration, including
gestures from Bachâ??s
beloved Partita in E
Major. Bernofsky opens
with a Preludio movement
whose references to Bach
may be disguised, but
they are surely lurking.
The second movement is
lusciously contrapuntal
with the idiomatic
finesse of a violinist
composing for her own
instrument, while
musically journaling the
emotional pain of living
through 2020. The third
and final movement is
aptly marked
â??white-hot,â? and
the music certainly
is. My SONATA FOR SOLO
VIOLIN was commissioned
by violinist Megan Healy
as part of The Maud
Powell Project, which
celebrated the 100th
anniversary of the
ratification of the 19th
Amendment. The project
included the creation of
five new works for solo
violin inspired by and
dedicated to the memory
of pioneering American
violinist Maud Powell
(1867-1920). Healy
premiered the sonata on
May 8, 2021 at PianoForte
Studios in Chicago.Among
the works Powell most
frequently performed in
her recitals was the
â??Preludioâ?
movement from Bachâ??s E
major Partita, and I
decided to refer to that
music in my own first
movement, also titled
â??Preludio.â? The
beginning subtly reflects
Bachâ??s opening
three-note motive,
wherein the music dips
down a semitone and then
comes back up. This
melodic material returns
throughout the movement
in various forms. I also
refer to Bachâ??s
sixteenth-note dominated
texture, and the gesture
in the third measure,
which outlines a perfect
fifth and then fills it
in with notes that
alternate between a scale
and a pedal tone. The
corresponding passage in
my piece occurs in the
same place, measure 3.
Apart from these
references to Bach, my
sonata is much more
modern sounding,
especially in its
chromatic character.I was
still thinking of
Bachâ??s solo violin
writing while composing
the second movement,
particularly the
polyphonic nature of the
slow movements, where the
melodic interest moves
around between the
voices. Emotionally, I
wanted my movement to
reflect the acute sadness
I had been experiencing
over the political and
social situation in the
United States as I wrote
the piece. I realized
that this is a
historically noteworthy
time in U.S. history,
marked not only by
political unrest, but
also by a challenge to
the very values that I
consider essential to
what makes a person
fundamentally human. I
wanted to create a record
of that pain in my
music.The final movement
is marked
â??White-hot.â? It is
imbued with a relentless,
passionate intensity.
Wanting again to reflect
aspects of our own time,
I included glissandi that
refer to rock music,
specifically the
â??fall-offsâ? I
frequently hear played by
electric guitarists. I
borrowed from another
(completely different)
musical tradition as
well, one that is
near-and-dear to my
heart: Klezmer. Klezmer
(Eastern European Jewish
folk music) is
characterized in part by
scales colored by
augmented seconds, and is
often performed by solo
instrumentalists who
improvise embellishments
like quick grace notes.
The second, more lyrical
theme in this movement is
my nod to Klezmer
style.While this piece is
an homage to Maud Powell,
I also think of it as my
own musical
autobiography, as it
combines some of my
favorite aspects of
music, and is played on
my own instrument.
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), edited by Riemenschneider. For pi...(+)
Composed by Johann
Sebastian Bach
(1685-1750), edited by
Riemenschneider. For
piano. Format: piano solo
book. With piano
reduction, introductory
text, instructional text,
lyrics and performance
notes. Baroque. 184
pages. 9x12 inches.
Published by Schirmer
Classroom SKU: BT.9780713663440 Gospel & Spiritual. Book with CD. 96 page...(+)
Classroom
SKU:
BT.9780713663440
Gospel & Spiritual. Book
with CD. 96 pages.
Collins Music Publishing
#9780713663440. Published
by Collins Music
Publishing
(BT.9780713663440).
ISBN 9780713663440.
English.
This
book contains 59 tried
and tested songs about
topics including the
world, the seasons, being
a friend and caring for
animals. There are
tuneful hymns and
thought-provoking
subjects, just what's
needed to fill the
musicslot in assembly or
at Sunday school.
Includes CD of backing
tracks.
Band Concert Band SKU: PR.465000130 For Large Wind Ensemble. Compo...(+)
Band Concert Band
SKU:
PR.465000130
For
Large Wind Ensemble.
Composed by Dan Welcher.
Sws. Contemporary. Full
score. With Standard
notation. Composed 2010.
Duration 14 minutes.
Theodore Presser Company
#465-00013. Published by
Theodore Presser Company
(PR.465000130).
ISBN
9781598064070. UPC:
680160600144. 9x12
inches.
Following a
celebrated series of wind
ensemble tone poems about
national parks in the
American West, Dan
Welcher’s Upriver
celebrates the Lewis &
Clark Expedition from the
Missouri River to
Oregon’s Columbia
Gorge, following the
Louisiana Purchase of
1803. Welcher’s
imaginative textures and
inventiveness are freshly
modern, evoking our
American heritage,
including references to
Shenandoah and other folk
songs known to have been
sung on the expedition.
For advanced players.
Duration:
14’. In 1803,
President Thomas
Jefferson sent Meriwether
Lewis and William
Clark’s Corps of
Discovery to find a water
route to the Pacific and
explore the uncharted
West. He believed woolly
mammoths, erupting
volcanoes, and mountains
of pure salt awaited
them. What they found was
no less mind-boggling:
some 300 species unknown
to science, nearly 50
Indian tribes, and the
Rockies.Ihave been a
student of the Lewis and
Clark expedition, which
Thomas Jefferson called
the “Voyage of
Discovery,†for as
long as I can remember.
This astonishing journey,
lasting more than
two-and-a-half years,
began and ended in St.
Louis, Missouri —
and took the travelers up
more than a few rivers in
their quest to find the
Northwest Passage to the
Pacific Ocean. In an age
without speedy
communication, this was
akin to space travel out
of radio range in our own
time: no one knew if,
indeed, the party had
even survived the voyage
for more than a year.
Most of them were
soldiers. A few were
French-Canadian voyageurs
— hired trappers
and explorers, who were
fluent in French (spoken
extensively in the
region, due to earlier
explorers from France)
and in some of the Indian
languages they might
encounter. One of the
voyageurs, a man named
Pierre Cruzatte, also
happened to be a
better-than-average
fiddle player. In many
respects, the travelers
were completely on their
own for supplies and
survival, yet,
incredibly, only one of
them died during the
voyage. Jefferson had
outfitted them with food,
weapons, medicine, and
clothing — and
along with other
trinkets, a box of 200
jaw harps to be used in
trading with the Indians.
Their trip was long,
perilous to the point of
near catastrophe, and
arduous. The dream of a
Northwest Passage proved
ephemeral, but the
northwestern quarter of
the continent had finally
been explored, mapped,
and described to an
anxious world. When the
party returned to St.
Louis in 1806, and with
the Louisiana Purchase
now part of the United
States, they were greeted
as national heroes.Ihave
written a sizeable number
of works for wind
ensemble that draw their
inspiration from the
monumental spaces found
in the American West.
Four of them (Arches, The
Yellowstone Fires,
Glacier, and Zion) take
their names, and in large
part their being, from
actual national parks in
Utah, Wyoming, and
Montana. But Upriver,
although it found its
voice (and its finale) in
the magnificent Columbia
Gorge in Oregon, is about
a much larger region.
This piece, like its
brother works about the
national parks,
doesn’t try to
tell a story. Instead, it
captures the flavor of a
certain time, and of a
grand adventure. Cast in
one continuous movement
and lasting close to
fourteen minutes, the
piece falls into several
subsections, each with
its own heading: The
Dream (in which
Jefferson’s vision
of a vast expanse of
western land is opened);
The Promise, a chorale
that re-appears several
times in the course of
the piece and represents
the seriousness of the
presidential mission; The
River; The Voyageurs; The
River II ; Death and
Disappointment; Return to
the Voyage; and The River
III .The music includes
several quoted melodies,
one of which is familiar
to everyone as the
ultimate “river
song,†and which
becomes the
through-stream of the
work. All of the quoted
tunes were either sung by
the men on the voyage, or
played by
Cruzatte’s fiddle.
From various journals and
diaries, we know the men
found enjoyment and
solace in music, and
almost every night
encampment had at least a
bit of music in it. In
addition to Cruzatte,
there were two other
members of the party who
played the fiddle, and
others made do with
singing, or playing upon
sticks, bones, the
ever-present jaw harps,
and boat horns. From
Lewis’ journals, I
found all the tunes used
in Upriver: Shenandoah
(still popular after more
than 200 years),
V’la bon vent,
Soldier’s Joy,
Johnny Has Gone for a
Soldier, Come Ye Sinners
Poor and Needy (a hymn
sung to the tune
“Beech
Springâ€) and
Fisher’s Hornpipe.
The work follows an
emotional journey: not
necessarily step-by-step
with the Voyage of
Discovery heroes, but a
kind of grand arch.
Beginning in the mists of
history and myth,
traversing peaks and
valleys both real and
emotional (and a solemn
funeral scene), finding
help from native people,
and recalling their zeal
upon finding the one
great river that will, in
fact, take them to the
Pacific. When the men
finally roar through the
Columbia Gorge in their
boats (a feat that even
the Indians had not
attempted), the
magnificent river
combines its theme with
the chorale of
Jefferson’s
Promise. The Dream is
fulfilled: not quite the
one Jefferson had
imagined (there is no
navigable water passage
from the Missouri to the
Pacific), but the dream
of a continental
destiny.