SKU: HL.48021234

ISBN 9781458423542. UPC: 884088642037. 6.75x10.5 inches.

Text: in Latin compiled from the charter of the University, and from older orations in praise of Basle by Bernhard Wyss.

Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes

Difficulty level: 4 (for chorus)

Britten's genius lifts this work above being just a worthy celebration of the 500th anniversary of the foundation of Basle University. It is tongue-in-cheek and mockingly non-academic while referring all the time to academic musical forms and formulae. It is written in two parts (everything is in the statutory Latin including the titles of the parts - Pars I and Pars II). The titles of the movements show Britten's intention to show off a wide variety of techniques. Here are some examples: Chorale/Alla Rovescio (the theme is given and responded to with the same melody upside down)/Recitativo/Tema seriale con fuga/Canone ed ostinato. There is a good deal of humour here.

There are seven movements in Pars I and six in Pars II. The tenor soloist is given three florid recitatives, accompanied only by a piano, which act as bridges between other orchestrally accompanied movements. Of these the most noteworthy are the Arioso con canto popolare for soprano solo with tenors and basses who hum a student song; another terrific Britten scherzo; and a wonderfully raucous final pair of movements (Canon ed ostinato and Corale con canto) where Britten seems to be aping the Vivat Regina! cries in Parry's I was glad or encouraging the kind of noisy 'I'm from the best university' kind of student touchline shout. This has outrageously high notes for the tenors (top B) which further endorse this feeling. There are real echoes of the Spring Symphony (see separate entry) final movement here which are further underlined by the last section of the Cantata which brings in the bells, piano, huge percussion and the inevitable chorale in which the choir sings 'that a free academy may thrive in a free community, for ever the ornament and treasure of illustrious Basle'.

This may not be Britten at his most soul-searching but, as always, there is plenty here to enjoy, especially if the work is not taken too seriously. It is a celebratory, occasional piece and it could be well taken up by other academic establishments celebrating big anniversaries. The chorus parts are not very difficult, though they do present challenges for the choir - not least in having tenors capable of those very high notes at the end. The Tema seriale con fuga is sinewy and needs careful tuning. It also has the subject regularly given upside down after its initial sounding by the basses. All good fun.

Duration: 21 minutes

Paul Spicer, Lichfield, 2011.

SKU: BT.DHP-1175849-401

ISBN 9789043153881. International.

Are you an enthusiastic cinema-goer? Then many of the melodies and themes in this collection will be familiar to you: they are soundtracks to some of the great classics from the world of film. If youâ??ve had just a few years of study on the pianoyouâ??ll be able to enjoy these wonderful pieces.

Ga je graag naar de bioscoop? Dan zullen de melodieën en themaâ??s uit deze selectie je zeker bekend voorkomen: ze zijn afkomstig uit de soundtracks van een aantal van de grootste filmklassiekers aller tijden. Wie slechts een paar jaar pianolessenheeft gevolgd, kan deze prachtige filmmuziek nu zelf spelen. De bewerkingen zijn van een gemiddelde moeilijkheidsgraad en blijven heel dicht bij de originele stukken, zodat je ze meteen herkent!

Sie sind begeisterter Kinogänger? Dann werden Ihnen mit Sicherheit viele der in diesem Band versammelten Melodien und Themen bekannt vorkommen: Sie entstammen den Soundtracks zu einigen der grö�ten Filmklassiker aller Zeiten. Mit ein paar JahrenUnterrichts- bzw. Spielerfahrung auf dem Klavier können Sie diese wunderbaren Filmmusiken nun selbst nachspielen. Die Bearbeitungen sind im mittleren Schwierigkeitsgrad gehalten und orientieren sich klanglich eng an den Originalen, sodass Sie sorecht in Erinnerungen schwelgen können.

Le cinéma vous passionne ? Vous reconnaîtrez alors sans doute la plupart des mélodies et thèmes regroupés dans ce recueil ; ils sont issus des bandes originales de quelques-uns des plus grands classiques du cinéma de tous les temps. Les arrangementsdâ??un niveau de difficulté élémentaire conservent la couleur initiale et ne manqueront pas de vous faire revivre vos souvenirs.