SKU: PR.110418160

ISBN 9781491114049. UPC: 680160640393. 9 x 12 inches.

Stacy Garrop began hiking in northern Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park in her early 20s. From the start, she was drawn to a jagged stretch of rock formations linking Longs Peak to Pagoda Mountain, at over 13,000 feet. These formations are called the “Keyboard of the Winds,” as their thin, spindly peaks suggest splintered keys of an old, broken piano. Inspired by one particular journey the composer took through the Keyboard of the Winds en route to Pagoda’s summit, this work is a tribute to the Keyboard of the Winds. Its fast, whirling gestures depict swirling clouds above, and the musical high points represent a hiker reaching the peak of Pagoda Mountain. These sections are set in contrast with quiet, introspective material embodying the hiker quietly surveying the grandeur and beauty of the valley below, as well as the soaring pinnacle of Longs Peak overhead.
I began hiking in the Rocky Mountain National Park in northern Colorado when I was in my early twenties. RMNP is home to some of the most gorgeous mountains in North America, encompassing 265,000 acres of wilderness, flora, and fauna. Among the park’s numerous summits is Longs Peak, a mountain that is 14,259 feet high (the highest in the region). From my earliest days of hiking, I was drawn to Longs Peak, as well as to a jagged stretch of rock formations that link Longs Peak to Pagoda Mountain (which stands at 13,497 feet). These formations are called the Keyboard of the Winds, as their thin, spindly peaks loosely suggest the splintered keys of an old, broken piano.One summer, I made the ascent to Pagoda Mountain using a route that took me along the right side of the Keyboard of the Winds. My hiking partner and I started up the trail in the pre-dawn hours, and the weather was stormy. Dawn had broken by the time we reached the base of the Keyboard, but its peaks were still surrounded by clouds. As we climbed higher and higher, the Keyboard’s thin spires became visible, along with the top of Pagoda Mountain. We reached the summit of Pagoda, admired the view (what we could see through the clouds), and made our descent.My piece is a tribute to the Keyboard of the Winds. The fast, whirling gestures depict swirling clouds, and the musical high points represent a hiker reaching the peaks of the Keyboard. I have contrasted these sections with quiet, introspective material; these embody the hiker quietly surveying the grandeur and beauty of the valley below (on a cloudless day), as well as the soaring pinnacles of Longs Peak and Pagoda Mountain overhead.

SKU: FP.FBS03

ISBN 9790570500192.

Sara h Baker is Vocal Composer in Residence at Education Music Services, an ABRSM examiner and a well known composer of songs and musicals for primary schools and massed-choral events.

All this experience has come together in the creation of this album of piano pieces, inspired by growing up in the Chiltern Hills. Suitable for players of around grade 4-5 standard, her evocative sound pieces describe a crash-landing hot air balloon, garden invading cows and a even a snake in a pond!

Air Balloon!: One vivid memory I have as a child is of the day that a hot air balloon passed over our house and made an emergency landing on the road in front! The sound of the gas being blown into the balloon to try to keep it high enough to pass the house sounded so loud and intimidating, and then there was the bustle of the neighbours as we all went out into the street to watch. It was both terrifying and exhilarating to watch the balloon float past and then land so near by.

Buzzards Circling: There is something so calming and restful about watching birds of prey circling in the thermal currents of a summer sky. Growing up in the Chilterns gave me plenty of opportunity to watch buzzards and red kites. This piano solo captures the beauty of their flight as they glide so effortlessly through the air.

There’ s A Cow In The Garden Eating The Flowers: Inspired by the memory of seeing an unexpected cow in the garden! This surreal image is captured in a quirky waltz, as I portray both the absurdity of the moment and the sense of wonder I felt as a child, looking out of the window and seeing the cow walking round and eating the flowers. The final phrase articulates my longing: ‘I wish it would come again’.

Wat ching The World Go By: A short, reflective piece, remembering what it was like to have time to just sit and watch the world go by from my bedroom window.

Autumn Skies: A miniature about the beauty of Autumn skies and the poignant sense of loss for a summer gone. Friends I was fortunate to have several children of my own age living close by. We seemed to be forever making dens, playing out in the street and generally enjoying each other’s company. This piece reflects that sense of well-being.

Snake In The Pond: One hot summer I was astonished and scared to see a grass snake cooling off in our garden pond! I watched, both horrified and fascinated, as it rose up from the depths and then disappeared again. Here I portray the sense of the hazy summer afternoon as I peacefully watched the tiny movements of fish in the pond, contrasted with the fear and excitement of seeing the snake appear.

Morning Commute: I recollect many mornings stuck in traffic as my Dad took me to school on his way to work. There is one main road out of the village where I grew up, and that got more and more congested the closer we got to the town. We may not have chatted a lot, but it was always good to be together with my Dad, lost in our own thoughts.

The Witch’s Cottage: My siblings and I had a fascination with a small cottage nearby. It was set back from the road in a dark part of the woods and we called it 'the witch's cottage’. Every time we passed, I imagined I heard the distant cackle of the witch and wished I could catch a glimpse of her.

These pieces are written to complement my other collection, Night Time Impressions, which also draw on childhood recollections, particularly of the woods behind the house where I grew up. - Sarah Baker 2023.

SKU: FJ.FJH2294

ISBN 9781619282537. UPC: 241444398784. English.

Book 5 contains 15 student and teacher favorites by composers Kevin Costley, Christopher Goldston, Valerie Roth Roubos, Edwin McLean, Mary Leaf, Kevin Olson, Melody Bober and Timothy Brown. These crème de la crème pieces are perfect for recitals, auditions and competitions. Some titles are: Another Homecoming, Ballade for Belfast, En Calle Ocho, Samba cromática, Stardust Prelude, The Big Easy Blues and nine more!

SKU: PR.110418140

ISBN 9781491129432. UPC: 680160640379.

Mathe son’s five-movement work is a setting of stained glass windows created by Marc Chagall and Henri Matisse for a rustic country church adjoining the Rockefeller estate near Sleepy Hollow on the Hudson River. Matheson’s suite draws from four Chagall windows: 1. Jeremiah, 2. Isaiah, 3. Crucifixion, 4. The Good Samaritan, and culminates with Matisse’s 5. The Rose.
In 1954, the Rockefeller family asked Henri Matisse to create a stained glass Rose Window for the Union Church of Pocantico Hills, New York as a memorial to Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, the great art patroness and a founder of the Museum of Modern Art. It was to be the artist’s last work. A few years later, Mrs. Rockefeller’s youngest son, David, acting on behalf of the family, commissioned Marc Chagall to create an entire series of stained glass windows to fill the rest of the small church resulting in the large, majestic “Good Samaritan” window and eight sublime smaller windows, each depicting a biblical figure or scene. In 2015, Premiere Commission commissioned James Matheson to compose WINDOWS to celebrate the centennial of the Union Church of Pocantico Hills and the 100th birthday of David Rockefeller.  This deeply touching, epic cycle distills into music the intimate, often heart-rending, visions of Chagall as well as the powerful simplicity of Matisse’s modern design which utilizes the striking collage forms he employed in his final years. Matheson’s work also reflects the influence of Olivier Messiaen’s own theologically-inspired music. Like the French master, Matheson utilizes large-scale blocks of harmonies with organ-like sonorities to support and shift the music’s kaleidoscopic planes of color and set into relief the work’s piercing motifs and intricate patterns. The universal themes of love and sacrifice (“Jeremiah” and “Isaiah†), loss and altruism (“Crucifixionâ€� � and “The Good Samaritan”) and the jubilant celebration of life and nature (“The Rose”) are memorably portrayed in this poignant tribute to the human spirit.—Bruce Levingston.

SKU: BR.EB-8029

ISBN 9790004174326. 9 x 12 inches.

This series of easy piano music for teaching purposes presents pupils in the lower and lower middle grades with a carefully chosen selection of well-known and lesser-known compositions by important masters. The volumes are deliberately kept small in extent, since it is more stimulating for children to change the teaching material frequently. There are four existing harpsichord books with a total of 226 compositions by Francois Couperin le Grand (1668 -1733). His works are as unknown to pianists as they are famous among harpsichord players. The grace and imaginativeness of his works lend themselves especially well to the sound of the harpsichord, which is why the piano interpretation of works by Couperin, Rameau, Scarlatti and other composers of that time has been categorically rejected. But, after all, the works of Bach and Handel were written for the haipsichord and clavichord, and no one would dare question their intetpretation on the pianoforte. In order to introduce these lmpressionists of the Baroque Era to piano instruction, the editor has added to this series a folio of both Couperin's and Rameau's (EB 8033) music. The selection of the pieces is based on two criteria: 1. relatively modest demands made on technique, 2. various musical forms of expression. The Butterflies and the Windmills are both especially typical of masterful character pieces. The demands made on technique certainly correspond to a level of moderate difficulty. The simplifications made are restricted to the artistically realized twopart accompaniment (eg. p. 4 f. and p. 8 f.) with regard to finger stretch and to the profuse ornamentation of the original. The indications for phrasing and articulation are those of the editor. The first two pieces have been precisely elaborated on in this respect to serve as a model, whereas the remaining pieces contain only suggestions. As in other folios of this series; what is here to be stressed, is the importance of working out independently the phrasing and the dynamics. Directions for this are given by the respective footnotes; these directions, however, are not obligatory. lndications pertaining to dynamics and tempo have been omitted completely; the clearly recognizable character of the individual pieces should be direction enough. The tonal possibilities of the piano should in any case be used subtly. The very precise fingerings have been adapted to the suggested phrasings and to the corresponding realization of trills (according to the table). Heinz Walter, Salzburg, Spring 1980.

Step By Step To The Classics Book 1 is a wonderful selection of easy solo Piano pieces, which serve as an enrichment to the elementary piano player's repertoire, as selected and annotated by Felix Swinstead