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
SATB Choir and Piano SKU: HL.14043700 Composed by Various. Arranged by Gi...(+)
SATB Choir and Piano
SKU: HL.14043700
Composed by Various.
Arranged by Gitika
Partington. Choral. Pop &
Rock. Softcover Audio
Online. Composed 2015.
Novello & Co Ltd.
#NOV165110. Published by
Novello & Co Ltd.
(HL.14043700).
ISBN
9781783058617. UPC:
888680736491.
9.0x12.0x0.125 inches.
English.
Sing Pop A
Cappella is a collection
of a cappella
arrangements of fantastic
pop songs old and new, by
renowned teacher, singer
and director Gitika
Partington . Her
arrangements are used by
choirs across the UK, and
she emphasises that being
able to read music is not
necessary. Rewarding and
enjoyable, Book Three
continues her project to
bring people together
through the power of
song. What's great about
Gitika Partington 's Sing
Pop A Cappella series is
how she understands that
to make great music or to
sing a great song, it's
not necessary to be able
to sight-read. It may be
useful, but she has
learned that there are
other ways to communicate
music, namely through ear
training,repetition and
gesture. Her
arrangements, five of
which appear in this
book, have enabled youth
and community choirs to
spring up across the
country, making singing
truly and universally
accessible.
Included in this book are
wonderfully rich a
cappella arrangements of
Ain't No Sunshine
by Bill Withers,
Black Is The Colour Of My
True Love's Hair, Rick
Astley's Never Gonna Give
You Up, Adele's Rolling
In The Deep and a
huge favourite, Sway
(Quien Sera) . Vocal
scores for these
innovative and enjoyable
arrangements are included
in standard notation,
although Partington
recommends learning by
ear as something equally
beneficial. To aid with
this, the accompanying
download card includes
five tracks of audio for
each song. One features a
full performance
demonstration while the
other four each focus on
either soprano, alto,
tenor or bass. The easy
download of these tracks
makes learning efficient
and fun, as you are able
to listen wherever you
are. The great thing
about a cappella singing
is that it can be done
anywhere, with limited
resources, with members
who don't necessarily
have any musical
training. Partington
has created a book
that can be used by a
cappella choirs who love
pop music that sounds
great and will thrill
audiences. Sing Pop A
Cappella is not just a
songbook, though, it also
includes an
extensive.
Cassatt. Composed
by Dan Welcher. Premiere:
Cassatt Quartet,
Northeastern Illinois
University, Chicago, IL.
Contemporary. Full score.
With Standard notation.
Composed 2007. WRT11142.
52 pages. Duration 24
minutes. Theodore Presser
Company #164-00272S.
Published by Theodore
Presser Company
(PR.16400272S).
UPC:
680160588442. 8.5 x 11
inches.
My third
quartet is laid out in a
three-movement structure,
with each movement based
on an early, middle, and
late work of the great
American impressionist
painter Mary Cassatt.
Although the movements
are separate, with
full-stop endings, the
music is connected by a
common scale-form,
derived from the name
MARY CASSATT, and by a
recurring theme that
introduces all three
movements. I see this
theme as Mary's Theme, a
personality that stays
intact while undergoing
gradual change. I
The Bacchante (1876)
[Pennsylvania Academy of
Fine Arts, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania] The
painting shows a young
girl of Italian or
Spanish origin, playing a
small pair of cymbals.
Since Cassatt was trying
very hard to fit in at
the French Academy at the
time, she painted a lot
of these subjects, which
were considered typical
and universal. The style
of the painting doesn't
yet show Cassatt's
originality, except
perhaps for certain
details in the face.
Accordingly the music for
this movement is
Spanish/Italian, in a
similar period-style but
using the musical
signature described
above. The music begins
with Mary's Theme,
ruminative and slow, then
abruptly changes to an
alla Spagnola-type fast
3/4 - 6/8 meter. It
evokes the
Spanish-influenced music
of Ravel and Falla.
Midway through,
there's an accompanied
recitative for the viola,
which figures large in
this particular movement,
then back to a truncated
recapitulation of the
fast music. The overall
feeling is of a
well-made, rather
conventional movement in
a contemporary
Spanish/Italian style.
Cassatt's painting, too,
is rather conventional.
II At the Opera
(1880) [Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston,
Massachusetts]
This painting is one of
Cassatt's most well known
works, and it hangs in
the Museum of Fine Arts
in Boston. The painting
shows a woman alone in a
box at the opera house,
completely dressed
(including gloves) and
looking through opera
glasses at someone or
something that is NOT on
the stage. Across the
auditorium from her, but
exactly at eye level, is
a gentleman with opera
glasses intently watching
her - though it is not
him that she's looking
at. It's an intriguing
picture. This
movement is far less
conventional than the
first movement, as the
painting is far less
conventional. The music
begins with a rapid,
Shostakovich-type
mini-overture lasting
less than a minute, based
on Mary's Theme. My
conjecture is that the
woman in the painting has
arrived late to the
opera, busily stumbling
into her box. What
happens next is a kind of
collage, a kind of
surrealistic overlaying
of two different
elements: the foreground
music, at first is a
direct quotation of
Soldier's Chorus from
Gounod's FAUST (an opera
Cassatt would certainly
have heard in the
brand-new Paris Opera
House at that time),
played by Violin II,
Viola, and Cello. This
music is played sul
ponticello in the melody
and col legno in the
marching accompaniment.
On top of this, the first
violin hovers at first on
a high harmonic, then
descends into a slow
melody, completely
separate from the Gounod.
It's as if the woman in
the painting is hearing
the opera onstage but is
not really interested in
it. Then the cello joins
the first violin in a
kind of love-duet (just
the two of them, at
first). This music isn't
at all Gounod-derived;
it's entirely from the
same scale patterns as
the first movement and
derives from Mary's Theme
and its scale. The music
stays in a kind of
dichotomy feeling,
usually
three-against-one, until
the end of the movement,
when another Gounod
melody, Valentin's aria
Avant de quitter ce lieux
reappears in a kind of
coda for all four
players. It ends
atmospherically and
emotionally disconnected,
however. The overall
feeling is a kind of
schizophrenic,
opera-inspired dream.
III Young Woman in
Green, Outdoors in the
Sun (1909) [Worcester Art
Museum, Massachusetts]
The painting, one
of Cassatt's last, is
very simple: just a
figure, looking sideways
out of the picture. The
colors are pastel and yet
bold - and the woman is
likewise very
self-assured and not in
the least demure. It is
eight minutes long, and
is all about melody -
three melodies, to be
exact (Young Woman,
Green, and Sunlight). No
angst, no choppy rhythms,
just ever-unfolding
melody and lush
harmonies. I quote one
other French composer
here, too: Debussy's song
Green, from Ariettes
Oubliees. 1909 would have
been Debussy's heyday in
Paris, and it makes
perfect sense musically
as well as visually to do
this. Mary Cassatt
lived her last several
years in near-total
blindness, and as she
lost visual acuity, her
work became less sharply
defined - something akin
to late water lilies of
Monet, who suffered
similar vision loss. My
idea of making this
movement entirely melodic
was compounded by having
each of the three
melodies appear twice,
once in a pure form, and
the second time in a more
diffuse setting. This
makes an interesting two
ways form:
A-B-C-A1-B1-C1.
String Quartet No.3
(Cassatt) is dedicated,
with great affection and
respect, to the Cassatt
String Quartet, whose
members have dedicated
themselves in large
measure to the furthering
of the contemporary
repertoire for
quartet.
Chamber Music String Quartet SKU: PR.164002720 Cassatt. Composed b...(+)
Chamber Music String
Quartet
SKU:
PR.164002720
Cassatt. Composed
by Dan Welcher. Spiral
and Saddle. Premiere:
Cassatt Quartet,
Northeastern Illinois
University, Chicago, IL.
Contemporary. Set of
Score and Parts. With
Standard notation.
Composed 2007. WRT11142.
52+16+16+16+16 pages.
Duration 24 minutes.
Theodore Presser Company
#164-00272. Published by
Theodore Presser Company
(PR.164002720).
UPC:
680160573042. 8.5 x 11
inches.
My third
quartet is laid out in a
three-movement structure,
with each movement based
on an early, middle, and
late work of the great
American impressionist
painter Mary Cassatt.
Although the movements
are separate, with
full-stop endings, the
music is connected by a
common scale-form,
derived from the name
MARY CASSATT, and by a
recurring theme that
introduces all three
movements. I see this
theme as Mary's Theme, a
personality that stays
intact while undergoing
gradual change. I
The Bacchante (1876)
[Pennsylvania Academy of
Fine Arts, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania] The
painting shows a young
girl of Italian or
Spanish origin, playing a
small pair of cymbals.
Since Cassatt was trying
very hard to fit in at
the French Academy at the
time, she painted a lot
of these subjects, which
were considered typical
and universal. The style
of the painting doesn't
yet show Cassatt's
originality, except
perhaps for certain
details in the face.
Accordingly the music for
this movement is
Spanish/Italian, in a
similar period-style but
using the musical
signature described
above. The music begins
with Mary's Theme,
ruminative and slow, then
abruptly changes to an
alla Spagnola-type fast
3/4 - 6/8 meter. It
evokes the
Spanish-influenced music
of Ravel and Falla.
Midway through,
there's an accompanied
recitative for the viola,
which figures large in
this particular movement,
then back to a truncated
recapitulation of the
fast music. The overall
feeling is of a
well-made, rather
conventional movement in
a contemporary
Spanish/Italian style.
Cassatt's painting, too,
is rather conventional.
II At the Opera
(1880) [Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston,
Massachusetts]
This painting is one of
Cassatt's most well known
works, and it hangs in
the Museum of Fine Arts
in Boston. The painting
shows a woman alone in a
box at the opera house,
completely dressed
(including gloves) and
looking through opera
glasses at someone or
something that is NOT on
the stage. Across the
auditorium from her, but
exactly at eye level, is
a gentleman with opera
glasses intently watching
her - though it is not
him that she's looking
at. It's an intriguing
picture. This
movement is far less
conventional than the
first movement, as the
painting is far less
conventional. The music
begins with a rapid,
Shostakovich-type
mini-overture lasting
less than a minute, based
on Mary's Theme. My
conjecture is that the
woman in the painting has
arrived late to the
opera, busily stumbling
into her box. What
happens next is a kind of
collage, a kind of
surrealistic overlaying
of two different
elements: the foreground
music, at first is a
direct quotation of
Soldier's Chorus from
Gounod's FAUST (an opera
Cassatt would certainly
have heard in the
brand-new Paris Opera
House at that time),
played by Violin II,
Viola, and Cello. This
music is played sul
ponticello in the melody
and col legno in the
marching accompaniment.
On top of this, the first
violin hovers at first on
a high harmonic, then
descends into a slow
melody, completely
separate from the Gounod.
It's as if the woman in
the painting is hearing
the opera onstage but is
not really interested in
it. Then the cello joins
the first violin in a
kind of love-duet (just
the two of them, at
first). This music isn't
at all Gounod-derived;
it's entirely from the
same scale patterns as
the first movement and
derives from Mary's Theme
and its scale. The music
stays in a kind of
dichotomy feeling,
usually
three-against-one, until
the end of the movement,
when another Gounod
melody, Valentin's aria
Avant de quitter ce lieux
reappears in a kind of
coda for all four
players. It ends
atmospherically and
emotionally disconnected,
however. The overall
feeling is a kind of
schizophrenic,
opera-inspired dream.
III Young Woman in
Green, Outdoors in the
Sun (1909) [Worcester Art
Museum, Massachusetts]
The painting, one
of Cassatt's last, is
very simple: just a
figure, looking sideways
out of the picture. The
colors are pastel and yet
bold - and the woman is
likewise very
self-assured and not in
the least demure. It is
eight minutes long, and
is all about melody -
three melodies, to be
exact (Young Woman,
Green, and Sunlight). No
angst, no choppy rhythms,
just ever-unfolding
melody and lush
harmonies. I quote one
other French composer
here, too: Debussy's song
Green, from Ariettes
Oubliees. 1909 would have
been Debussy's heyday in
Paris, and it makes
perfect sense musically
as well as visually to do
this. Mary Cassatt
lived her last several
years in near-total
blindness, and as she
lost visual acuity, her
work became less sharply
defined - something akin
to late water lilies of
Monet, who suffered
similar vision loss. My
idea of making this
movement entirely melodic
was compounded by having
each of the three
melodies appear twice,
once in a pure form, and
the second time in a more
diffuse setting. This
makes an interesting two
ways form:
A-B-C-A1-B1-C1.
String Quartet No.3
(Cassatt) is dedicated,
with great affection and
respect, to the Cassatt
String Quartet, whose
members have dedicated
themselves in large
measure to the furthering
of the contemporary
repertoire for
quartet.
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.
Ligne De Mélodie, Paroles et Accords [Fake Book] - Intermédiaire Hal Leonard
For voice and C instrument. Format: fakebook. With vocal melody, lyrics, chord n...(+)
For voice and C
instrument. Format:
fakebook. With vocal
melody, lyrics, chord
names and guitar chord
chart. Gospel and
worship. Series: Hal
Leonard Fake Books. 295
pages. 9x12 inches.
Published by Hal Leonard.
Take Him, Earth Chorale SATB SATB, Piano Theodore Presser Co.
Choral SATB choir, piano SKU: PR.342402020 In Memoriam John F. Kennedy...(+)
Choral SATB choir, piano
SKU: PR.342402020
In Memoriam John F.
Kennedy, 1917-1963.
Composed by Steven
Stucky. Sws. Premiered by
ACDA National Conference,
Craig Jessop, cond.;
Meyerson Symphony Center,
Dallas, TX. Secular
choral. Performance
Score. With Standard
notation. Composed
November 3 2012. 24
pages. Duration 13
minutes. Theodore Presser
Company #342-40202.
Published by Theodore
Presser Company
(PR.342402020).
ISBN
9781598064995. UPC:
680160616084. 8.5 x 11
inches. English. Text:
William Shakespeare;
Aurelius Prudentius
Clemens; Aeschylus.
Aurelius Clemens, William
Shakespeare, Aeschylus.
Texts from Aurelius
Prudentius Clemens,
Aeschylus, and William
Shakespeare.
When
Tim Sharp, Executive
Director of the ACDA,
offered Stucky the Brock
Memorial Commission, it
was decided that the text
would commemorate the
50th anniversary of the
assassination of John F.
Kennedy, since the annual
convention would take
place in Dallas of that
year. To that end, Stucky
chose four different but
pertinent texts to honor
the occasion, although
never referencing JFK by
name. Take Him, Earth was
premiered at the ACDA
convention in March,
2013. Originally scored
for chorus and chamber
ensemble of nine
instruments (available on
a rental basis), Take
Him, Earth is presented
here in piano reduction.
For advanced choirs.
Duration: 13'. When
Tim Sharp, Executive
Director of the American
Choral Directors
Association, very
kindlyoffered me the
Raymond W. Brock Memorial
Commission for 2013, he
suggested that because
thepremiere would take
place at the national
conference in Dallas in
the 50th year since the
assassinationof John F.
Kennedy in that city, the
text might refer in some
way to that grim
anniversary. Hesuggested,
too, that I consider
using a chamber ensemble
or chamber orchestra to
accompany thechorus.I
took these suggestions to
heart, but at the same
time I wanted to write
something universal
enoughto be appropriate
on other occasions, in
other settings. Thus the
score is dedicated to
PresidentKennedy’s
memory, but otherwise he
is never referred to by
name. Instead, I
assembled a group oftexts
that are associated with
him in some way, but that
also stand alone as a
more general eulogy.As a
refrain, there are a few
lines from the early
Christian burial hymn
that begins “Take
him,Earth, for
cherishingâ€
— lines that were
earlier set to music by
Herbert Howells in his
classic motetcommissioned
for Kennedy’s
memorial service in 1963.
The lines of Aeschylus
“Drop, drop
— inour sleep,
upon the heart sorrow
falls†from
Agamemnon were quoted by
Robert F. Kennedy uponthe
death of Martin Luther
King in April 1968. The
celebrated “When he
shall die, cut him out
inlittle starsâ€
from Act III of
Shakespeare’s
Romeo and Juliet was
cited by RFK a few months
after hisbrother’s
murder.
Wolcum Yole Chorale SATB SATB, Harpe Boosey and Hawkes
SATB and Harp (Piano). By Benjamin Britten. Arranged by Julius Harrison. (SATB)...(+)
SATB and Harp (Piano). By
Benjamin Britten.
Arranged by Julius
Harrison. (SATB). Boosey
and Hawkes Sacred Choral.
Size 6.8x10.5 inches. 8
pages. Published by
Boosey and Hawkes.
((from A Ceremony of Carols) SATB and Harp or Piano, New Edition). Composed by B...(+)
((from A Ceremony of
Carols) SATB and Harp or
Piano, New Edition).
Composed by Benjamin
Britten (1913-1976). For
Choral (SATB). Boosey and
Hawkes Sacred Choral. 12
pages. Boosey and Hawkes
#M051481613. Published by
Boosey and Hawkes
From A Consort of Choral Christmas Carols. By PDQ Bach. Arranged by Peter Schick...(+)
From A Consort of Choral
Christmas Carols. By PDQ
Bach. Arranged by Peter
Schickele. Text by Peter
Schickele. For SATB. S.
359. Duration 2:30.
Published by Theodore
Presser Company.
Chamber Music String Quartet SKU: PR.114405050 Composed by John Downey. S...(+)
Chamber Music String
Quartet
SKU:
PR.114405050
Composed
by John Downey. Set of
Score and Parts. With
Standard notation. 53
pages. Duration 25
minutes. Theodore Presser
Company #114-40505.
Published by Theodore
Presser Company
(PR.114405050).
UPC:
680160008377. 11 x 14
inches.
Although
structurally it
subdivides into five
movements, the entire
quartet emerges as one
vast continuum. There are
no formal breaks between
movements. However,
certain musical signposts
can be discerned,
associated with each of
the movements'
terminations and new
beginnings. The opening
movement, The Nostalgia
of Clanging Bell
Sonorities, begins
floating on recurrent Bbs
whose soft rhythmic flow
slowly puts into motion
strong undercurrents
suggestive of the latent
power of water... After
several suggestions of
tolling bells, the
movement gradually fades
into hushed tones of
veiled and very distant
sonorities. It uses a
unique efffect, for the
first time in a musical
context, conveyed through
the use of extra heavy
practice mutes. The
second movement, The
Spill of Water ,
disengages itself from
the first through its
distinct contrast in
tempo. Water moves fast,
and when it splashes, it
tends to run wildly. In
this case, it happens to
be bubbly water that
gushes forth bodly...
smashing across rocky
shorlines. So, too, the
music attempts to conjure
such moods. At the end of
this movement, a cello
cadenza emerges,
introducing an
introspective type of
melodicism. The third
movement, The Poignancy
of Memory, contains many
silences as it tries to
convey memory through
fragmented remembrances
much like often occur in
our dream state.
Progressing through
several slowly building
images, it gradually
works itself into
juxtaposition of musical
images. Towards the
movement's end, high
harmonics are sounding in
all four instruments
while left hand pizzicato
notes in the cello pluch
the last remembrances of
this central core. Almost
imperceptibly, the viola
assumes leadership as it
dissolves into: The
fourth movement, The
Fluidity of Motion, which
has mostly the viola, but
also the cello,
articulating lyrical
statements against the
sheets of sound conjured
up by the two violins
playing a flood of
swirling figures, evokes
a kind of static motion
in spae. Here, the
virtually imperceptible
manner in which this
hushed whisper continues
incessantly, can suggest
the potential fluidity
with which movement may
inch forward... Later
into the fourth movement
, two fairly extended
solos by the second and
then the first violins,
lead to a kind of
spontaneous dialogue
among the four
instrumentalists.
Eventually, this musical
conversation gets caught
up in: The fifth
movement's The Rush of
Time, which opens with a
hushed flurry of speed,
precipitates the Finale.
It generates, at first
slowly, but then very
swiftly, whole shifts of
rhythmic fields that
initially seem to
conflict with one
another. Ultimately, this
use of 'psycho-rhythmics
contributes to an on-rush
of motion and time.
Rhythmic changes are, at
times, abruptly
precipitated with but
little or no preparation
creating a kind of
inevitability in forward
thrust, while the
movement rushes forward
with a feeling of gradual
and continuous
acceleration. It gathers
density as more and more
notes are piled
progressively upon
successive beats. The
attempt is to spark
tension and ignite
excitement by means of
frenetic confrontations
of dissimilitudes.
Ultimately - with the
help of time - these
polarities centrifically
spin out their own
destinies with their
accompanying fall-out and
own inevitable
resolutions.