Harmonische Fantasie über ein Thema von Tallis. Par KNOX GARTH. Thomas Tallis (1505–1585) was one of the great figures of English Renaissance music and the Third mode melody is probably his best known work, largely thanks to Vaughan Williams’s Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis. In the manner of an illuminated manuscript, I wanted to illuminate this fascinating theme in three ways: from behind with medieval techniques like the ‘hoquetus’ passage of the opening or the dance at letter B, from in front with more contemporary sounds (letter A and similar), and from above with the extensive use of high harmonics. Almost all the notes of the theme fall very neatly on the ‘natural’ harmonics of the viola strings, and my ambition was to combine the ‘normal’ notes of the viola with its soaring harmonics, creating a rich luminous soundscape which reflects the spirituality of the theme. Tallis’s melody returns repeatedly to the note B, and I interpreted this as a gentle invitation to simply be, in the sense of quiet moments of mediation. I decided to include a series of still points in the piece: the first one is in silence, the second reveals a note (B) that oscillates in a harmonic heartbeat, the third is a vibrating chord of B with harmonics, and on the last one the second viola tunes down the C string to B, then explores all the natural harmonics of this new world. The term still point is of course a reference to the words of T.S. Eliot in his Four Quartets: 'At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless; Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is.' (Garth Knox) / Date parution : 2024-01-06/ Répertoire / 2 Altos

30 petites pièces mélodiques et rythmiques pour alto/ 30 Short Melodic and Rhythmic Pieces For Viola-Written for 2nd and 3rd year instrumental students My First Studies To Play Together for Viola presents itself as the little brother of the collection for Violin available under reference number AL30683. Valerie Bime-Apparailly once again deploys her usual teaching talent by transforming this genre often seen as boring and austere into a progressive introduction to the mysteries of technique captivating students with its clear clean design and focus on fun. In My First Studies To Play Together for Viola each unit begins with the melody that the young musician is to learn. The technical challenge to master is indicatedin boxed text. Explanations may follow (on the notation of Da Capo for example) after which comes the complete score and the accompaniment to be played by the teacher. Mozart Spohr and Beethoven but also great teachers like Charles de B?riot Jean-Delphin Alard and Maurice Hauchard help students absorb fundamental musical concepts like slurs syncopation appogiatura and bow indications without losing sight of the most important part: the pleasure of playing music.