Mvt. 2 from Symphony
No. 6 (Three Places in
the East). Composed
by Dan Welcher. Full
score. 52 pages. Theodore
Presser Company
#165-00102F. Published by
Theodore Presser Company
(PR.16500102F).
ISBN
9781491131749. UPC:
680160680276.
Ever
since the success of my
series of wind ensemble
works Places in the West,
I've been wanting to
write a companion piece
for national parks on the
other side of the north
American continent. The
earlier work, consisting
of GLACIER, THE
YELLOWSTONE FIRES,
ARCHES, and ZION, spanned
some twenty years of my
composing life, and since
the pieces called for
differing groups of
instruments, and were in
slightly different styles
from each other, I never
considered them to be
connected except in their
subject matter. In their
depiction of both the
scenery and the human
history within these
wondrous places, they had
a common goal: awaking
the listener to the
fragile beauty that is in
them; and calling
attention to the ever
more crucial need for
preservation and
protection of these wild
places, unique in all the
world. With this new
work, commissioned by a
consortium of college and
conservatory wind
ensembles led by the
University of Georgia, I
decided to build upon
that same model---but to
solidify the process. The
result, consisting of
three movements (each
named for a different
national park in the
eastern US), is a
bona-fide symphony. While
the three pieces could be
performed separately,
they share a musical
theme---and also a common
style and
instrumentation. It is a
true symphony, in that
the first movement is
long and expository, the
second is a rather
tightly structured
scherzo-with-trio, and
the finale is a true
culmination of the whole.
The first movement,
Everglades, was the
original inspiration for
the entire symphony.
Conceived over the course
of two trips to that
astonishing place (which
the native Americans
called River of Grass,
the subtitle of this
movement), this movement
not only conveys a sense
of the humid, lush, and
even frightening scenery
there---but also an
overview of the entire
settling-of- Florida
experience. It contains
not one, but two native
American chants, and also
presents a view of the
staggering influence of
modern man on this
fragile part of the
world. Beginning with a
slow unfolding marked
Heavy, humid, the music
soon presents a gentle,
lyrical theme in the solo
alto saxophone. This
theme, which goes through
three expansive phrases
with breaks in between,
will appear in all three
movements of the
symphony. After the mood
has been established, the
music opens up to a rich,
warm setting of a
Cherokee morning song,
with the simple happiness
that this part of Florida
must have had prior to
the nineteenth century.
This music, enveloping
and comforting, gradually
gives way to a more
frenetic, driven section
representative of the
intrusion of the white
man. Since Florida was
populated and developed
largely due to the
introduction of a train
system, there's a
suggestion of the
mechanized iron horse
driving straight into the
heartland. At that point,
the native Americans
become considerably less
gentle, and a second
chant seems to stand in
the way of the intruder;
a kind of warning song.
The second part of this
movement shows us the
great swampy center of
the peninsula, with its
wildlife both in and out
of the water. A new theme
appears, sad but noble,
suggesting that this land
is precious and must be
protected by all the
people who inhabit it. At
length, the morning song
reappears in all its
splendor, until the
sunset---with one last
iteration of the warning
song in the solo piccolo.
Functioning as a scherzo,
the second movement,
Great Smoky Mountains,
describes not just that
huge park itself, but one
brave soul's attempt to
climb a mountain there.
It begins with three
iterations of the
UR-theme (which began the
first movement as well),
but this time as up-tempo
brass fanfares in
octaves. Each time it
begins again, the theme
is a little slower and
less confident than the
previous time---almost as
though the hiker were
becoming aware of the
daunting mountain before
him. But then, a steady,
quick-pulsed ostinato
appears, in a constantly
shifting meter system of
2/4- 3/4 in alteration,
and the hike has begun.
Over this, a slower new
melody appears, as the
trek up the mountain
progresses. It's a big
mountain, and the ascent
seems to take quite
awhile, with little
breaks in the hiker's
stride, until at length
he simply must stop and
rest. An oboe solo, over
several free cadenza-like
measures, allows us (and
our friend the hiker) to
catch our breath, and
also to view in the
distance the rocky peak
before us. The goal is
somehow even more
daunting than at first,
being closer and thus
more frighteningly steep.
When we do push off
again, it's at a slower
pace, and with more
careful attention to our
footholds as we trek over
broken rocks. Tantalizing
little views of the
valley at every
switchback make our
determination even
stronger. Finally, we
burst through a stand of
pines and----we're at the
summit! The immensity of
the view is overwhelming,
and ultimately humbling.
A brief coda, while we
sit dazed on the rocks,
ends the movement in a
feeling of triumph. The
final movement, Acadia,
is also about a trip. In
the summer of 2014, I
took a sailing trip with
a dear friend from North
Haven, Maine, to the
southern coast of Mt.
Desert Island in Acadia
National Park. The
experience left me both
exuberant and exhausted,
with an appreciation for
the ocean that I hadn't
had previously. The
approach to Acadia
National Park by water,
too, was thrilling: like
the difference between
climbing a mountain on
foot with riding up on a
ski-lift, I felt I'd
earned the right to be
there. The music for this
movement is entirely
based on the opening
UR-theme. There's a sense
of the water and the
mysterious, quiet deep
from the very beginning,
with seagulls and bell
buoys setting the scene.
As we leave the harbor,
the theme (in a canon
between solo euphonium
and tuba) almost seems as
if large subaquatic
animals are observing our
departure. There are
three themes (call them
A, B and C) in this
seafaring journey---but
they are all based on the
UR theme, in its original
form with octaves
displaced, in an
upside-down form, and in
a backwards version as
well. (The ocean, while
appearing to be
unchanging, is always
changing.) We move out
into the main channel
(A), passing several
islands (B), until we
reach the long draw that
parallels the coastline
called Eggemoggin Reach,
and a sudden burst of new
speed (C). Things
suddenly stop, as if the
wind had died, and we
have a vision: is that
really Mt. Desert Island
we can see off the port
bow, vaguely in the
distance? A chorale of
saxophones seems to
suggest that. We push off
anew as the chorale ends,
and go through all three
themes again---but in
different
instrumentations, and
different keys. At the
final tack-turn, there it
is, for real: Mt. Desert
Island, big as life.
We've made it. As we pull
into the harbor, where
we'll secure the boat for
the night, there's a
feeling of achievement.
Our whale and dolphin
friends return, and we
end our journey with
gratitude and
celebration. I am
profoundly grateful to
Jaclyn Hartenberger,
Professor of Conducting
at the University of
Georgia, for leading the
consortium which provided
the commissioning of this
work.
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). Piano (Solo). Hard Cover Premiu...(+)
Composed by Johann
Sebastian
Bach (1685-1750). Piano
(Solo). Hard Cover
Premium
Edition. 184 pages.
Edition
Peters #EP11500.
Published
by Edition Peters
Composed by Christian Mason. World premiere: Paris, Cite de la musique, Januar...(+)
Composed by Christian
Mason.
World premiere: Paris,
Cite
de la musique, January
14,
2020. Breitkopf and
Haertel
#EB 9377. Published by
Breitkopf and Haertel
Chamber Music Flute(s) SKU: PR.494032560 Composed by Various. Collection ...(+)
Chamber Music Flute(s)
SKU: PR.494032560
Composed by Various.
Collection - Score.
Theodore Presser Company
#494-03256. Published by
Theodore Presser Company
(PR.494032560).
UPC:
680160690428.
Lyric
al Flute Miniatures is a
captivating collection of
40 short pieces for
beginner and early
intermediate flute
players of all ages,
exclusively commissioned
from some of today's most
exciting composers.These
musical gems offer a
diverse array of musical
styles, ensuring a rich
and engaging journey into
the world of flute music.
From lyrical melodies to
lively dances, each piece
has been crafted to
nurture both technique
and expressive playing,
exploring the beauty and
versatility of the
flute.There are
biographies of all the
composers at the end of
the flute part, as well
as notes and helpful
performance suggestions
for each work.Free Flute
and Piano recordings, and
Piano backing tracks for
every piece can be found
on YouTube at
“theyoungfluteplayer”
(no spaces) channel, see
the playlist for Lyrical
Flute Miniatures. You can
also find the link and
further information at
www.allegromusicpublishin
g.com/flutemusicLyrical
Flute Miniatures will
delight students, flute
teachers, and audiences
alike, a valuable
addition to your Flute
repertoire!
Alegre Orchestre d'harmonie - Intermédiaire American Composers Forum
BandQuest Series Grade 3. By Tania Leon. (Score and Parts). Score and full set ...(+)
BandQuest Series Grade 3.
By Tania Leon. (Score
and Parts). Score and
full set of parts.
American Composers Forum
Concert Band. Published
by American Composers
Forum.
Piano - Grade 7-8 SKU: ST.C463 Composed by Federico Ruiz. Edited by Clara...(+)
Piano - Grade 7-8
SKU:
ST.C463
Composed by
Federico Ruiz. Edited by
Clara Rodriguez. Piano
and keyboard music.
Collection. Clifton
Edition #C463. Published
by Clifton Edition
(ST.C463).
ISBN
9790570814633.
This
volume contains
contrasting works by
Federico Ruiz spanning
quite a large and rich
period of his
compositional output that
goes from his early
Micro-Suite (1971), to
lilting, sweet and
rhythmic Venezuelan
waltzes passing by the
mysterious, intimate, and
intense Nocturno (1994)
plus pieces originally
composed for film, and
theatre. Real eclecticism
in styles, moods and
atmospheres that show
Ruizâ??s talents and
scope.
The
Nocturno is a deep,
intriguing, substantial
piece presenting a
satisfying length which
moves from different
paths of the mind and the
heart written in an
abstract, chromatic
idiom, that does not
dissociate itself from
the Venezuelan waltz and
the joropo. One could
perhaps say that there is
a deconstruction of the
latter. For the
interpretation, the
composer has suggested to
me that it is allowed to
have some flexibility in
the tempo. Ruiz kindly
dedicated it to me, and I
have had the pleasure of
performing it in many
concerts.
Although
all highly expressive,
the Three Venezuelan
Waltzes present in this
collection as well as the
piece titled Aliseo, are
works that are close to
the colourful Venezuelan
folk tradition. Federico
Ruiz had given me two of
them when we first met:
â??Tu Presenciaâ??
(1981) and
â??EloÃsaâ?? (1989)
and then I attended a
performance of the play
â??Office Number Oneâ??
by Miguel Otero Silva
with a fantastic actor,
Elba Escobar in the role
of Carmen Rosa and, I
just fell in love and was
very moved by the
incidental music that I
later discovered, by
reading the programme,
had been written by
Federico Ruiz. Later that
evening, I called him and
asked to please make a
piano score of the
composition, so I could
have the desired piece in
my hands. That is how
â??Carmen Rosaâ?
waltz (1987) came to
exist in a piano
version.
â??Elois
aâ?? is another
Venezuelan waltz with
more jazzy harmonies
where precision in the
rhythm and elegant
playing is also
essential, as it is in
most of his
pieces.
â??Tu
Presenciaâ?? was
dedicated to his mother,
Margarita. It is written
with the structure of the
Venezuelan waltz, which
consists of a nostalgic
subject that leads to a
faster, happier middle
section where the typical
graceful rhythm is given
by the left-hand
accompaniment figure of a
dotted crotchet followed
by a quaver and a
crotchet.
The
craft and magic found in
the five movements of the
Micro-Suite is based on a
dodecaphonic row by Ernst
Krenek. They remind us of
the idiom of the Second
Viennese School. These
real miniatures seem to
tell short stories. The
â??Preludioâ?? is full
of humour. I imagine
dancing figures given by
the jumps all over the
keyboard and extreme
dynamics; the phrases
give the impression of a
conversation with many
questions and answers.
The â??Invenciónâ??
is a kaleidoscopic piece
where the hands mirror
each other. The
â??Passacagliaâ?? is
the longest movement, at
just over a minute where
the prime motif is
repeated three times on
the bass line. For its
construction Federico
Ruiz uses as well the
retrograde and the
retrograde inversion of
the twelve-tone series.
It must be played
expressively with dynamic
contrasts between
pianissimo and louder
events. The
â??Scherzoâ?? has
repetitive motifs of a
minor third in both hands
and the â??Finalâ??
displays virtuosic
passages for the
pianist.
A Creative and Interactive Piano Course for Children. Composed by Hans-Guent...(+)
A Creative and
Interactive
Piano Course for
Children.
Composed by Hans-Guenter
Heumann. This edition:
Saddle
stitching. Sheet music.
Piano. Classical.
Softcover
with CD. 48 pages. Schott
Music #ED13814. Published
by
Schott Music
A Creative and Interactive Piano Course for Children. Composed by Hans-Guenter...(+)
A Creative and
Interactive
Piano Course for
Children.
Composed by Hans-Guenter
Heumann. This edition:
Saddle
stitching. Sheet music.
Piano. Method. Softcover
Audio Online. 48 pages.
Schott Music #ED13813.
Published by Schott Music
New Wade 'n Water Orchestre d'harmonie [Conducteur et Parties séparées] - Intermédiaire American Composers Forum
BandQuest Series Grade 3. By Adolphus Hailstork. For Concert Band. Score and ful...(+)
BandQuest Series Grade 3.
By Adolphus Hailstork.
For Concert Band. Score
and full set of parts.
American Composers Forum
Concert Band. Set of
parts. Size 9x12 inches.
Published by American
Composers Forum.
Composed by Colin Brumby. Text: Mark 11:12-14. A tuneful melody for this Scriptu...(+)
Composed by Colin Brumby.
Text: Mark 11:12-14. A
tuneful melody for this
Scripture passage.
General. Octavo.
Published by CanticaNOVA
Publications (C5.5244).
A Clare Benediction Composed by John Rutter A Prayer Of St Richard Of Chicheste...(+)
A Clare Benediction
Composed by John Rutter
A Prayer Of St Richard Of
Chichester Composed by L.
J. White
Alleluia Composed by
William Boyce
Author Of Life Divine
Composed by Cecilia
Mcdowall
Be Still For The Presence
Of The Lord Composed by
David Evans; Arranged by
Richard Shephard
Bread Of The World
Composed by Scottish
Traditional; Arranged by
Alan Bullard
Brightest And Best
Composed by Malcolm
Archer
Christ Is The World's
True Light Composed by W.
K. Stanton
Christ The Lord Is Risen
Again Composed by Richard
Shephard
Christians Shout For Joy
And Gladness Composed by
Johann Sebastian Bach
Come Down, O Love Divine
Composed by Hilary
Tadman-robins
Plainsong: Creator Of The
Stars Arranged by John
Scott
Drop, Drop Slow Tears
Composed by Kerry Andrew
Evening Service In C
Composed by Frank Henry
Shera
Fairest Lord Jesus
Composed by Martin How
Gabriel To Mary Came
Composed by 14th Century
Irish; Arranged by Alan
Bullard
Give Thanks To God
Composed by Botswanan
Traditional; Arranged by
Alan Bullard
God Be In My Head
Composed by Armstrong
Gibbs
God In Mine Eternity
Composed by Alan Bullard
God So Loved The World
Composed by Alan Bullard
God That Madest Earth And
Heaven Composed by Welsh
Traditional; Arranged by
David Thorne
Hail, Virgin Mary (Ave
Maria) Composed by Franz
Liszt
Hark, The Glad Sound
Composed by David Thorne
Harvest Carol Composed by
Ian Ray
He Is Risen Composed by
Cecil Cope
Hide Not Thy Face
Composed by Richard
Farrant
see all...
Holy, Holy, Holy, Holy Is
The Lord Composed by
Franz Schubert; Arranged
by Alan Bullard
Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord
God Almighty Composed by
Alan Smith
Hosanna To The Son Of
David Composed by Georg
Philipp Telemann
Irish Blessing Composed
by Bob Chilcott
Jesu, Lamb Of God,
Redeemer (Ave Verum
Corpus) Composed by
Edward Elgar
Jesus Christ The Apple
Tree Composed by English
Traditional; Arranged by
Alan Bullard
Jubilate (Let Us Praise
You) Composed by Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart
Lamb Of God (Agnus Dei)
Composed by Samuel Webbe
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep
Silence Composed by
Stephen Cleobury
Like The Murmur Of The
Dove's Song Composed by
Alan Smith
Lord, In Thy Mercy
Composed by Felix
Bartholdy Mendelssohn
Magnificat And Nunc
Dimittis In C Composed by
F. H. Shera
Never Weather-beaten Sail
Composed by Thomas
Campion; Arranged by Alan
Bullard
Now The Green Blade
Riseth Composed by French
Traditional; Arranged by
Alan Bullard
O Breath Of Life Composed
by English Traditional;
Arranged by Alan Bullard
O For A Closer Walk With
God Composed by Charles
Villiers Stanford
O God Of Mercy Composed
by Simon Lole
O God, Your Goodness
Composed by Ludwig Van
Beethoven
O Praise God In His
Holiness Composed by John
Weldon
Panis Angelicus Composed
by Cesar Auguste Franck
Peace Between Nations
Composed by Christopher
Wiggins
Pie Jesu Composed by
Gabriel Faure
Praise To The Trinity
Composed by Hildegard Of
Bingen
Psalm 150 Composed by Bob
Chilcott
Rejoice In The Lord
Always Composed by
Christopher Wiggins
Shout For Joy Composed by
African Traditional;
Arranged by Alan Bullard
Star Of Wonder Composed
by Alan Bullard
The Eternal Gifts Of
Christ The King Composed
by Guidetti/henry G. Ley
The Heavens Sing Praises
To God Composed by Ludwig
Van Beethoven
The Lord Ascendeth
Composed by Michael
Praetorius
The Lord Bless You And
Keep You Composed by John
Rutter
The Lord's My Shepherd
Composed by Bob Chilcott
The Peace Of God Composed
by Alan Bullard
The True And Living Bread
Composed by David
Blackwell
There Is No Rose Composed
by Andrew Smith
Thou Visitest The Earth
Composed by Maurice
Greene
To Be A Pilgrim Composed
by Nick Burt
Were You There? Composed
by American Spiritual;
Arranged by Peter Hunt
Where All Charity And
Love Are (Ubi Caritas)
Arranged by Alan Bullard
Wondrous Cross Composed
by Philip Wilby
The Oxford Book of
Flexible Anthems by Alan
Bullard (1947-). For
flexible instrumentation.
Mixed Voices. Sacred.
Paperback. 296 pages.
Published by Oxford
University Press
Piano and orchestra - difficult SKU: HL.49046544 For piano and orchest...(+)
Piano and orchestra -
difficult
SKU:
HL.49046544
For
piano and orchestra.
Composed by Gyorgy
Ligeti. This edition:
Saddle stitching. Sheet
music. Edition Schott.
Softcover. Composed
1985-1988. Duration 24'.
Schott Music #ED23178.
Published by Schott Music
(HL.49046544).
ISBN
9781705122655. UPC:
842819108726.
9.0x12.0x0.224
inches.
I composed
the Piano Concerto in two
stages: the first three
movements during the
years 1985-86, the next
two in 1987, the final
autograph of the last
movement was ready by
January, 1988. The
concerto is dedicated to
the American conductor
Mario di Bonaventura. The
markings of the movements
are the following: 1.
Vivace molto ritmico e
preciso 2. Lento e
deserto 3. Vivace
cantabile 4. Allegro
risoluto 5. Presto
luminoso.The first
performance of the
three-movement Concerto
was on October 23rd, 1986
in Graz. Mario di
Bonaventura conducted
while his brother,
Anthony di Bonaventura,
was the soloist. Two days
later the performance was
repeated in the Vienna
Konzerthaus. After
hearing the work twice, I
came to the conclusion
that the third movement
is not an adequate
finale; my feeling of
form demanded
continuation, a
supplement. That led to
the composing of the next
two movements. The
premiere of the whole
cycle took place on
February 29th, 1988, in
the Vienna Konzerthaus
with the same conductor
and the same pianist. The
orchestra consisted of
the following: flute,
oboe, clarinet, bassoon,
horn, trumpet, tenor
trombone, percussion and
strings. The flautist
also plays the piccoIo,
the clarinetist, the alto
ocarina. The percussion
is made up of diverse
instruments, which one
musician-virtuoso can
play. It is more
practical, however, if
two or three musicians
share the instruments.
Besides traditional
instruments the
percussion part calls
also for two simple wind
instruments: the swanee
whistle and the
harmonica. The string
instrument parts (two
violins, viola, cello and
doubles bass) can be
performed soloistic since
they do not contain
divisi. For balance,
however, the ensemble
playing is recommended,
for example 6-8 first
violins, 6-8 second, 4-6
violas, 4-6 cellos, 3-4
double basses. In the
Piano Concerto I realized
new concepts of harmony
and rhythm. The first
movement is entirely
written in bimetry:
simultaneously 12/8 and
4/4 (8/8). This relates
to the known triplet on a
doule relation and in
itself is nothing new.
Because, however, I
articulate 12 triola and
8 duola pulses, an
entangled, up till now
unheard kind of polymetry
is created. The rhythm is
additionally complicated
because of asymmetric
groupings inside two
speed layers, which means
accents are
asymmetrically
distributed. These
groups, as in the talea
technique, have a fixed,
continuously repeating
rhythmic structures of
varying lengths in speed
layers of 12/8 and 4/4.
This means that the
repeating pattern in the
12/8 level and the
pattern in the 4/4 level
do not coincide and
continuously give a
kaleidoscope of renewing
combinations. In our
perception we quickly
resign from following
particular rhythmical
successions and that what
is going on in time
appears for us as
something static,
resting. This music, if
it is played properly, in
the right tempo and with
the right accents inside
particular layers, after
a certain time 'rises, as
it were, as a plane after
taking off: the rhythmic
action, too complex to be
able to follow in detail,
begins flying. This
diffusion of individual
structures into a
different global
structure is one of my
basic compositional
concepts: from the end of
the fifties, from the
orchestral works
Apparitions and
Atmospheres I
continuously have been
looking for new ways of
resolving this basic
question. The harmony of
the first movement is
based on mixtures, hence
on the parallel leading
of voices. This technique
is used here in a rather
simple form; later in the
fourth movement it will
be considerably
developed. The second
movement (the only slow
one amongst five
movements) also has a
talea type of structure,
it is however much
simpler rhythmically,
because it contains only
one speed layer. The
melody is consisted in
the development of a
rigorous interval mode in
which two minor seconds
and one major second
alternate therefore nine
notes inside an octave.
This mode is transposed
into different degrees
and it also determines
the harmony of the
movement; however, in
closing episode in the
piano part there is a
combination of diatonics
(white keys) and
pentatonics (black keys)
led in brilliant,
sparkling quasimixtures,
while the orchestra
continues to play in the
nine tone mode. In this
movement I used isolated
sounds and extreme
registers (piccolo in a
very low register,
bassoon in a very high
register, canons played
by the swanee whistle,
the alto ocarina and
brass with a harmon-mute'
damper, cutting sound
combinations of the
piccolo, clarinet and
oboe in an extremely high
register, also
alternating of a
whistle-siren and
xylophone). The third
movement also has one
speed layer and because
of this it appears as
simpler than the first,
but actually the rhythm
is very complicated in a
different way here. Above
the uninterrupted, fast
and regular basic pulse,
thanks to the asymmetric
distribution of accents,
different types of
hemiolas and inherent
melodical patterns appear
(the term was coined by
Gerhard Kubik in relation
to central African
music). If this movement
is played with the
adequate speed and with
very clear accentuation,
illusory
rhythmic-melodical
figures appear. These
figures are not played
directly; they do not
appear in the score, but
exist only in our
perception as a result of
co-operation of different
voices. Already earlier I
had experimented with
illusory rhythmics,
namely in Poeme
symphonique for 100
metronomes (1962), in
Continuum for harpsichord
(1968), in Monument for
two pianos (1976), and
especially in the first
and sixth piano etude
Desordre and Automne a
Varsovie (1985). The
third movement of the
Piano Concerto is up to
now the clearest example
of illusory rhythmics and
illusory melody. In
intervallic and chordal
structure this movement
is based on alternation,
and also inter-relation
of various modal and
quasi-equidistant harmony
spaces. The tempered
twelve-part division of
the octave allows for
diatonical and other
modal interval
successions, which are
not equidistant, but are
based on the alternation
of major and minor
seconds in different
groups. The tempered
system also allows for
the use of the
anhemitonic pentatonic
scale (the black keys of
the piano). From
equidistant scales,
therefore interval
formations which are
based on the division of
an octave in equal
distances, the
twelve-tone tempered
system allows only
chromatics (only minor
seconds) and the six-tone
scale (the whole-tone:
only major seconds).
Moreover, the division of
the octave into four
parts only minor thirds)
and three parts (three
major thirds) is
possible. In several
music cultures different
equidistant divisions of
an octave are accepted,
for example, in the
Javanese slendro into
five parts, in Melanesia
into seven parts, popular
also in southeastern
Asia, and apart from
this, in southern Africa.
This does not mean an
exact equidistance: there
is a certain tolerance
for the inaccurateness of
the interval tuning.
These exotic for us,
Europeans, harmony and
melody have attracted me
for several years.
However I did not want to
re-tune the piano
(microtone deviations
appear in the concerto
only in a few places in
the horn and trombone
parts led in natural
tones). After the period
of experimenting, I got
to pseudo- or
quasiequidistant
intervals, which is
neither whole-tone nor
chromatic: in the
twelve-tone system, two
whole-tone scales are
possible, shifted a minor
second apart from each
other. Therefore, I
connect these two scales
(or sound resources), and
for example, places occur
where the melodies and
figurations in the piano
part are created from
both whole tone scales;
in one band one six-tone
sound resource is
utilized, and in the
other hand, the
complementary. In this
way whole-tonality and
chromaticism mutually
reduce themselves: a type
of deformed
equidistancism is formed,
strangely brilliant and
at the same time
slanting; illusory
harmony, indeed being
created inside the
tempered twelve-tone
system, but in sound
quality not belonging to
it anymore. The
appearance of such
slantedequidistant
harmony fields
alternating with modal
fields and based on
chords built on fifths
(mainly in the piano
part), complemented with
mixtures built on fifths
in the orchestra, gives
this movement an
individual, soft-metallic
colour (a metallic sound
resulting from
harmonics). The fourth
movement was meant to be
the central movement of
the Concerto. Its
melodc-rhythmic elements
(embryos or fragments of
motives) in themselves
are simple. The movement
also begins simply, with
a succession of
overlapping of these
elements in the mixture
type structures. Also
here a kaleidoscope is
created, due to a limited
number of these elements
- of these pebbles in the
kaleidoscope - which
continuously return in
augmentations and
diminutions. Step by
step, however, so that in
the beginning we cannot
hear it, a compiled
rhythmic organization of
the talea type gradually
comes into daylight,
based on the simultaneity
of two mutually shifted
to each other speed
layers (also triplet and
duoles, however, with
different asymmetric
structures than in the
first movement). While
longer rests are
gradually filled in with
motive fragments, we
slowly come to the
conclusion that we have
found ourselves inside a
rhythmic-melodical whirl:
without change in tempo,
only through increasing
the density of the
musical events, a
rotation is created in
the stream of successive
and compiled, augmented
and diminished motive
fragments, and increasing
the density suggests
acceleration. Thanks to
the periodical structure
of the composition,
always new but however of
the same (all the motivic
cells are similar to
earlier ones but none of
them are exactly
repeated; the general
structure is therefore
self-similar), an
impression is created of
a gigantic, indissoluble
network. Also, rhythmic
structures at first
hidden gradually begin to
emerge, two independent
speed layers with their
various internal
accentuations. This
great, self-similar whirl
in a very indirect way
relates to musical
associations, which came
to my mind while watching
the graphic projection of
the mathematical sets of
Julia and of Mandelbrot
made with the help of a
computer. I saw these
wonderful pictures of
fractal creations, made
by scientists from Brema,
Peitgen and Richter, for
the first time in 1984.
From that time they have
played a great role in my
musical concepts. This
does not mean, however,
that composing the fourth
movement I used
mathematical methods or
iterative calculus;
indeed, I did use
constructions which,
however, are not based on
mathematical thinking,
but are rather craftman's
constructions (in this
respect, my attitude
towards mathematics is
similar to that of the
graphic artist Maurits
Escher). I am concerned
rather with intuitional,
poetic, synesthetic
correspondence, not on
the scientific, but on
the poetic level of
thinking. The fifth, very
short Presto movement is
harmonically very simple,
but all the more
complicated in its
rhythmic structure: it is
based on the further
development of ''inherent
patterns of the third
movement. The
quasi-equidistance system
dominates harmonically
and melodically in this
movement, as in the
third, alternating with
harmonic fields, which
are based on the division
of the chromatic whole
into diatonics and
anhemitonic pentatonics.
Polyrhythms and harmonic
mixtures reach their
greatest density, and at
the same time this
movement is strikingly
light, enlightened with
very bright colours: at
first it seems chaotic,
but after listening to it
for a few times it is
easy to grasp its
content: many autonomous
but self-similar figures
which crossing
themselves. I present my
artistic credo in the
Piano Concerto: I
demonstrate my
independence from
criteria of the
traditional avantgarde,
as well as the
fashionable
postmodernism. Musical
illusions which I
consider to be also so
important are not a goal
in itself for me, but a
foundation for my
aesthetical attitude. I
prefer musical forms
which have a more
object-like than
processual character.
Music as frozen time, as
an object in imaginary
space evoked by music in
our imagination, as a
creation which really
develops in time, but in
imagination it exists
simultaneously in all its
moments. The spell of
time, the enduring its
passing by, closing it in
a moment of the present
is my main intention as a
composer. (Gyorgy
Ligeti).
And Still, the Spirit Orchestre d'harmonie [Conducteur et Parties séparées] - Intermédiaire De Haske Publications
(Easier Version of Spirit of the Sequoia). Composed by Philip Sparke (195...(+)
(Easier Version of
Spirit of the
Sequoia). Composed by
Philip Sparke (1951-). De
Haske Concert Band.
Festival. Softcover.
Published by De Haske
Publications
(HL.44012829).