Trumpet 2 in Bb.
Composed by Various.
Edited by Sir Peter
Maxwell Davies. Sheet
music. Edition Schott.
Classical. Individual
part. 4 pages. Schott
Music #ED 10994-11.
Published by Schott Music
(HL.49029690).
ISBN
9790220107054.
Thes
e 5 short voluntaries are
arrangements of Jeremiah
Clarke, William Croft,
Pierre Attaignant and
Louis Couperin. They make
lively and interesting
pieces suitable for youth
orchestras or school
orchestras of high
standard.
By Edward William Elgar. Study Score. Eulenburg Taschenpartituren (Pocket Scores...(+)
By Edward William Elgar.
Study Score. Eulenburg
Taschenpartituren (Pocket
Scores). Study Score. 144
pages. Hal Leonard
#ETP884. Published by Hal
Leonard
SATB &
Orchestra Full Score.
Composed by Nico Muhly.
Music Sales America.
Classical. Softcover. 76
pages. St. Rose Music
#SRO100152. Published by
St. Rose Music
(HL.277281).
UPC:
840126953329. 12x16.5
inches.
Nico
Muhly's Looking Up
for SATB choir and
orchestra.
Commiss
ioned by the Cathedral
Choral Society. Made
possible by the William
Remsen Strickland
Endowment Fund “to
remember the concerts of
the Cathedral Choral
Society during World War
II”.
The
first performance was
given by the Cathedral
Choral Society, conducted
by Patrick Dupre Quigley,
on 21 May 2017 at
Washington National
Cathedral, Washington,
D.C., USA.
Composed by Jeremiah
Clarke. Arranged by Bob
Phillips. MakeMusic
Cloud; Masterworks;
Performance Music
Ensemble; Single Titles;
String Orchestra. Sound
Innovations for String
Orchestra. Form: March.
Baroque; Masterwork
Arrangement. Score and
Part(s). 80 pages. Alfred
Music #00-38465.
Published by Alfred Music
(AP.38465).
UPC:
038081439686.
English.
Very, very
easy, and the group will
sound great playing this
Baroque piece. Mostly
short eighth note scale
patterns provide perfect
practice in a harmonic
setting. Just the thing
for festival or contest.
This title is available
in MakeMusic Cloud.
Correlates to Sound
Innovations for String
Orchestra, Book 1 Level
5.
Composed by Jeremiah Clarke (1674-1707). Arranged by Bob Phillips. Orchestra. Fu...(+)
Composed by Jeremiah
Clarke (1674-1707).
Arranged by Bob Phillips.
Orchestra. Full
Orchestra; Masterworks;
Score; SmartMusic.
Beginning Full Orchestra.
Form: March. Baroque;
Masterwork Arrangement.
Grade 1.5. 12 pages.
Published by Alfred Music
King William's March Orchestre [Conducteur et Parties séparées] - Débutant Alfred Publishing
By Jeremiah Clarke (1674-1707). Arranged by Bob Phillips. Orchestra. Full Orches...(+)
By Jeremiah Clarke
(1674-1707). Arranged by
Bob Phillips. Orchestra.
Full Orchestra;
Masterworks; Part(s);
Score. Beginning Full
Orchestra. Form: March.
Baroque; Masterwork
Arrangement. Grade 1.5.
120 pages. Published by
Alfred Music Publishing
Composed by Rupert Gregson- Williams. Arranged by Victor Lopez. Full Orchestr...(+)
Composed by Rupert
Gregson-
Williams. Arranged by
Victor
Lopez. Full Orchestra;
Performance Music
Ensemble;
Single Titles. Pop
Concert
Full Orchestra. Form:
Medley. Light Concert;
Movie; Pop. Part(s);
Score.
206 pages. Alfred Music
#00-
46700. Published by
Alfred
Music
Composed by Rupert Gregson- Williams. Arranged by Victor Lopez. Full Orchestr...(+)
Composed by Rupert
Gregson-
Williams. Arranged by
Victor
Lopez. Full Orchestra;
Performance Music
Ensemble;
Single Titles. Pop
Concert
Full Orchestra. Form:
Medley. Light Concert;
Movie; Pop. Score. 24
pages.
Alfred Music #00-46700S.
Published by Alfred Music
By Robert Frost. Edited by Deborah Monday. Orchestra Method/Study. Artistry Stri...(+)
By Robert Frost. Edited
by Deborah Monday.
Orchestra Method/Study.
Artistry String Method.
Level: Book A,1. Music
Book. Published by Neil
A. Kjos Music Company.
Arranged by Sandra
Dackow. Performance Music
Ensemble; Single Titles;
String Orchestra.
Orchestra Expressions.
Christmas; Secular;
Traditional; Winter.
Score. 8 pages. Alfred
Music #00-33658S.
Published by Alfred Music
(AP.33658S).
UPC:
038081394305. English.
Traditional.
A
lovely arrangement of the
familiar Christmas carol
that will delight all.
Play it as close to a
Brandenburg tempo and
style as possible!
Correlated to Orchestra
Expressions, Book 2.
About
Orchestra
Expressions
<
p>Play great songs such
as Over the Rainbow,
Batman, This Land Is Your
Land, and Star Wars (Main
Title). Listen to and
play a variety of styles
of music: popular,
traditional, classical,
folk and patriotic. Read
and write music; compose
and improvise. Perform in
a concert and play for
your family and friends.
Be a conductor of the
orchestra. Learn about
composers, such as
Antonin Dvorak, Johann
Pachelbel, Jacques
Offenbach, Pytor Ilyich
Tchaikovsky, Giuseppe
Verdi, George M. Cohan,
George Frideric Handel,
Ludwig van Beethoven,
Johann Sebastian Bach,
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,
Giacomo Puccini, Georges
Bizet, Neal Hefti, and
John Williams. Discover
how music and art are
related. Learn about a
variety of musical
ensembles including
string orchestra, full
orchestra, mariachi band,
steel drum band,
dixieland jazz band, rock
band, and more. Play
music from around the
world, including North
America, Europe, Latin
America, Asia, and
Africa.
A Holst Christmas Orchestre [Conducteur et Parties séparées] - Intermédiaire Alfred Publishing
(Featuring: In the Bleak Midwinter / Lullay My Liking / excerpts from Christmas...(+)
(Featuring: In the Bleak
Midwinter / Lullay My
Liking / excerpts from
Christmas Day ). By
Gustav Holst (1874-1934).
Arranged by Douglas E.
Wagner. Orchestra. Full
Orchestra; Part(s);
Score. Belwin
Intermediate Full
Orchestra. Form: Medley.
20th Century; Christmas;
Masterwork Arrangement;
Romantic; Winter. Grade
3. 224 pages. Published
by Alfred Music
Publishing
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian by Harry Gregson-Williams. Arranged by ...(+)
The Chronicles of Narnia:
Prince Caspian by Harry
Gregson-Williams.
Arranged by Stephen
Bulla. Score and Parts.
HL Full Orchestra. Grade
3-4. Published by Hal
Leonard
Orchestra SKU: PR.11641867L Composed by William Kraft. Spiral. Large Scor...(+)
Orchestra
SKU:
PR.11641867L
Composed
by William Kraft. Spiral.
Large Score. Duration 16
minutes, 25 seconds.
Theodore Presser Company
#116-41867L. Published by
Theodore Presser Company
(PR.11641867L).
UPC:
680160683215.
Conte
xtures: Riots -Decade '60
was commissioned by Zubin
Mehta and the Southern
California Symphony
Association after the
successful premiere of
the Concerto for Four
Percussion Soloists and
Orchestra. It was written
during the spring and
summer months of 1967.
Riots stemming from
resentment against the
racial situation in the
United States and the war
in Vietnam were occurring
throughout the country
and inevitably invaded
the composer's creative
subconscious.
Contextures, as the title
implies, was intended to
exploit various and
varying textures. As the
work progressed the
correspondence between
the fabric of music and
the fabric of society
became apparent and the
allegory grew in
significance. So I found
myself translating social
aspects into musical
techniques. Social
stratification became a
polymetric situation
where disparate groups
function together. The
conflict between the
forces of expansion and
the forces of containment
is expressed through and
opposition of tonal
fluidity vs. rigidity.
This is epitomized in the
fourth movement, where
the brass is divided into
two groups - a muted
group, encircled by the
unmuted one, which does
its utmost to keep the
first group within a
restricted pitch area.
The playful jazzy bits
(one between the first
and second movements and
one at the end of the
piece) are simply saying
that somehow in this age
of turmoil and anxiety
ways of having fun are
found even though that
fun may seem
inappropriate. The piece
is in five movements,
with an interlude between
the first and second
movements. It is scored
for a large orchestra,
supplemented by six
groups of percussion,
including newly created
roto-toms (small tunable
drums) and some original
devices, such as muted
gongs and muted
vibraphone. There is also
an offstage jazz quartet:
bass, drums, soprano
saxophone and trumpet.
The first movement begins
with a solo by the first
clarinetist which is
interrupted by
intermittent heckling
from his colleagues
leading to a
configuration of large
disparate elements. The
interlude of solo violin
and snare-drum follows
without pause. The second
movement, Prestissimo, is
a display piece of
virtuosity for the entire
orchestra. The third
movement marks a period
of repose and reflection
and calls for some
expressive solos,
particularly by the horn
and alto saxophone. The
fourth movement opens
with a rather lengthy
oboe solo, which is
threatened by large
blocks of sound from the
orchestra, against an
underlying current of
agitated energy in the
piano and percussion.
This leads to a section
in which large orchestral
forces oppose one
another, ultimately
bringing the work to a
climax, if not to a
denouement. Various
thematic elements are
strewn all over the
orchestra, resulting in
the formation of a
general haze of sound. A
transition leads to the
fifth movement without
pause. The musical haze
is pierced gently by the
offstage jazz group as if
they were attempting to
ignore and even dispel
the gloom, but a legato
bell sound enters and
hovers over both the jazz
group and the orchestra,
the latter making
statements of disquieting
finality. Two films were
conceived to accompany
portions of Contextures.
The first done by Herbert
Kosowar, was a
chemography film
(painting directly into
the film using dyes and
various implements) with
fast clips of riot
photographs. The second
was a film collage made
by photographically
abstracting details from
paintings of Reginald
Pollack. The purpose was
to invoke a non-specific
response - as in music -
but at the same time to
define the subject matter
of the piece. The films
were constructed to
correspond with certain
developments in the piece
and in no way affect the
independence and musical
flow of the piece, having
been made after the piece
was completed.
Contextures: Riots -
Decade '60 is dedicated
to Mehta, the Southern
California Symphony
Association and the Los
Angeles Philharmonic
Orchestra. The news of
the assassination of Dr.
Martin Luther King came
the afternoon of the
premiere, April 4, 1968.
That evening's
performances, and also
the succeeding ones, were
dedicated to him and a
special dedication to Dr.
King has been inserted
into he score. All the
music that follows the
jazz group - beginning
with the legato bell
sound playing the first 2
notes to We shall
overcome constitutes a
new ending to commemorate
Dr. King's death.
Orchestra SKU: PR.11641867S Composed by William Kraft. Full score. Durati...(+)
Orchestra
SKU:
PR.11641867S
Composed
by William Kraft. Full
score. Duration 16
minutes, 25 seconds.
Theodore Presser Company
#116-41867S. Published by
Theodore Presser Company
(PR.11641867S).
UPC:
680160683208.
Conte
xtures: Riots -Decade '60
was commissioned by Zubin
Mehta and the Southern
California Symphony
Association after the
successful premiere of
the Concerto for Four
Percussion Soloists and
Orchestra. It was written
during the spring and
summer months of 1967.
Riots stemming from
resentment against the
racial situation in the
United States and the war
in Vietnam were occurring
throughout the country
and inevitably invaded
the composer's creative
subconscious.
Contextures, as the title
implies, was intended to
exploit various and
varying textures. As the
work progressed the
correspondence between
the fabric of music and
the fabric of society
became apparent and the
allegory grew in
significance. So I found
myself translating social
aspects into musical
techniques. Social
stratification became a
polymetric situation
where disparate groups
function together. The
conflict between the
forces of expansion and
the forces of containment
is expressed through and
opposition of tonal
fluidity vs. rigidity.
This is epitomized in the
fourth movement, where
the brass is divided into
two groups - a muted
group, encircled by the
unmuted one, which does
its utmost to keep the
first group within a
restricted pitch area.
The playful jazzy bits
(one between the first
and second movements and
one at the end of the
piece) are simply saying
that somehow in this age
of turmoil and anxiety
ways of having fun are
found even though that
fun may seem
inappropriate. The piece
is in five movements,
with an interlude between
the first and second
movements. It is scored
for a large orchestra,
supplemented by six
groups of percussion,
including newly created
roto-toms (small tunable
drums) and some original
devices, such as muted
gongs and muted
vibraphone. There is also
an offstage jazz quartet:
bass, drums, soprano
saxophone and trumpet.
The first movement begins
with a solo by the first
clarinetist which is
interrupted by
intermittent heckling
from his colleagues
leading to a
configuration of large
disparate elements. The
interlude of solo violin
and snare-drum follows
without pause. The second
movement, Prestissimo, is
a display piece of
virtuosity for the entire
orchestra. The third
movement marks a period
of repose and reflection
and calls for some
expressive solos,
particularly by the horn
and alto saxophone. The
fourth movement opens
with a rather lengthy
oboe solo, which is
threatened by large
blocks of sound from the
orchestra, against an
underlying current of
agitated energy in the
piano and percussion.
This leads to a section
in which large orchestral
forces oppose one
another, ultimately
bringing the work to a
climax, if not to a
denouement. Various
thematic elements are
strewn all over the
orchestra, resulting in
the formation of a
general haze of sound. A
transition leads to the
fifth movement without
pause. The musical haze
is pierced gently by the
offstage jazz group as if
they were attempting to
ignore and even dispel
the gloom, but a legato
bell sound enters and
hovers over both the jazz
group and the orchestra,
the latter making
statements of disquieting
finality. Two films were
conceived to accompany
portions of Contextures.
The first done by Herbert
Kosowar, was a
chemography film
(painting directly into
the film using dyes and
various implements) with
fast clips of riot
photographs. The second
was a film collage made
by photographically
abstracting details from
paintings of Reginald
Pollack. The purpose was
to invoke a non-specific
response - as in music -
but at the same time to
define the subject matter
of the piece. The films
were constructed to
correspond with certain
developments in the piece
and in no way affect the
independence and musical
flow of the piece, having
been made after the piece
was completed.
Contextures: Riots -
Decade '60 is dedicated
to Mehta, the Southern
California Symphony
Association and the Los
Angeles Philharmonic
Orchestra. The news of
the assassination of Dr.
Martin Luther King came
the afternoon of the
premiere, April 4, 1968.
That evening's
performances, and also
the succeeding ones, were
dedicated to him and a
special dedication to Dr.
King has been inserted
into he score. All the
music that follows the
jazz group - beginning
with the legato bell
sound playing the first 2
notes to We shall
overcome constitutes a
new ending to commemorate
Dr. King's death.
Orchestra (Study Score) SKU: HL.49045602 Opera in 3 Acts on the Play b...(+)
Orchestra (Study Score)
SKU: HL.49045602
Opera in 3 Acts on the
Play by William
Shakespeare. Composed
by Ryan Wigglesworth.
This edition:
Paperback/Soft Cover.
Sheet music. Opera.
Softcover. Composed
2015-2016. 350 pages.
Duration 100'. Schott
Music #ED13991. Published
by Schott Music
(HL.49045602).
ISBN
9790220137747. UPC:
841886032798.
8.25x11.75x0.816 inches.
English.
King
Leontes' jealous rage
results in the death of
his loyal wife Hermione
days after she has given
birth. Leontes orders for
the baby to be killed,
but many years later,
truth surfaces as a
crocus at the first sign
of thaw. Ryan
Wigglesworth's first
opera is a luminous,
persuasive retelling of
William Shakespeare's The
Winters Tale. His natural
sense for dramatic
narrative brings clarity
to this
tragedy-turned-romance,
its brooding opening act
unfolding gradually into
a light-hearted scherzo.
Written as the
culmination of
Wigglesworths tenure as
Artist in Residence with
English National Opera,
The Winter's Tale is not
to be missed.
The Fairy Queen Orchestre [Conducteur d'étude / Miniature] Eulenburg
Orchestra (Study Score) SKU: HL.49010354 Two Suites from the Opera...(+)
Orchestra (Study Score)
SKU: HL.49010354
Two Suites from the
Opera. Composed by
Henry Purcell. Edited by
William Leonard Reed.
Arranged by William
Leonard Reed. This
edition: Saddle
stitching. Sheet music.
Edition Schott.
Classical. Study Score.
20 pages. Duration 15'.
Eulenburg Edition
#ETP891. Published by
Eulenburg Edition
(HL.49010354).
ISBN
9790200207613. UPC:
073999921113.
5.25x7.5x0.075
inches.
With more
than 1,200 titles from
the orchestral and choral
repertoire, from chamber
music and musical
theatre, Edition
Eulenburg is the world's
largest series of scores,
covering large part of
music history from the
Baroque to the Classical
era and looking back on a
long tradition.
Orchestra (Study Score) SKU: HL.49010257 Study Score. Composed by ...(+)
Orchestra (Study Score)
SKU: HL.49010257
Study Score.
Composed by Edward
William Elgar. This
edition: Paperback/Soft
Cover. Sheet music.
Edition Schott.
Classical, Contemporary.
Study Score. Op. 63. 192
pages. Eulenburg Edition
#ETP8006. Published by
Eulenburg Edition
(HL.49010257).
ISBN
9783795772079. UPC:
841886015593.
7.5x10.5x0.447
inches.
With more
than 1,200 titles from
the orchestral and choral
repertoire, from chamber
music and musical
theatre, Edition
Eulenburg is the world's
largest series of scores,
covering large part of
music history from the
Baroque to the Classical
era and looking back on a
long tradition.
Orchestra SKU: PR.416415760 For Really Big Orchestra. Composed by ...(+)
Orchestra
SKU:
PR.416415760
For
Really Big Orchestra.
Composed by PDQ Bach.
Edited by Prof. Peter
Schickele. Study Score.
With Standard notation.
Duration 11 minutes.
Theodore Presser Company
#416-41576. Published by
Theodore Presser Company
(PR.416415760).
UPC:
680160636532. 9 x 12
inches.
The 1712
Overture stands out in
P.D.Q. Bach's oeuvre for
two reasons, among
others: it is by far the
most programmatic
instrumental piece among
those by the minimeister
of Wein-am-Rhein so far
unearthed, and 2) its
discovery has led to a
revelation about the
composer's father, Johann
Sebastian Bach, that has
exploded like a bombshell
on the usually serene
musicological landscape.
The overture is based on
an anecdote told to
P.D.Q. Bach by a cousin,
Peter Ulrich. Since P.U.
Bach lived in Dudeldorf,
only a few miles down the
road from Wein-am-Rhein,
he was P.D.Q.'s closest
relative, and he was, in
fact, one of the few
members of the family who
was on speaking terms
with P.D.Q. The story,
related to P.D.Q.
(fortunately for us
posterity types) in a
letter, may be summarized
thus: The town of
Dudeldorf was founded by
two brothers, Rudi and
Dieter Dudel, early in
the 18th century. Rudi
remained mayor of the
newborn burg for the rest
of his long life, but
Dieter had a dream of
starting a musicians'
colony, an entire city
devoted to music, which
dream, he finally
decided, could be
realized only in the New
World. In 1712, he and
several other bagpipers
sailed to Boston, never
to return to Germany.
(Henceforth, Rudi became
known as der deutscher
Dudel and Dieter as the
Yankee Dudel).
Unfortunately, the head
of the Boston Musicians'
Guild had gotten wind of
Dudel's plans, and
Wilhelm Wiesel (pron.
VEE-zle), known none too
affectionately around
town as Wiesel the
Weasel, was not about to
share what few gigs there
were in colonial America
with more foreigners and
outside agitators. He and
his cronies were on hand
to meet Dudel's boat when
it pulled into Boston
Harbor; they intended to
prevent the newcomers'
disembarkation, but Dudel
and his companions
managed to escape to the
other side of the bay in
a dinghy, landing with
just enough time to rent
a carriage and horses
before hearing the sound
of The Weasel and his
men, who had had to come
around the long way. The
Germans headed West, with
the Bostonians in furious
pursuit. soon the city
had been left far behind,
and by midnight so had
the pursuers; Dieter
Dudel decided that it was
safe for him and his men
to stop and sleep until
daybreak. When they
awoke, they found that
they were in a beautiful
landscape of low,
forested mountains and
pleasant fields, warmed
by the brilliant morning
sun and serenaded by an
entrancing variety of
birds. Here, Dudel
thought, her is where I
will build my colony. The
immigrants continued down
the road at a leisurely
pace until they came upon
a little church, all by
itself in the
countryside, from which
there suddenly emanated
the sounds of a pipe
organ. At this point, the
temptation to quote from
P.U. Bach's letter to
P.D.Q. cannot be
resisted: They went
inside and, after
listening to the glorious
music for a while,
introduced themselves to
the organist. And who do
you think it was? Are you
ready for this -- it was
your old man! Hey, no
kidding -- you know, I'm
sure, that your father
was the guy to get when
it came to testing new
organs, and whoever had
that one in Massachusetts
built offered old
Sebastian a tidy sum to
go over there and check
it out. The unexpected
meeting with J.S. Bach
and his sponsors was
interrupted by the sound
of horse hooves, as the
dreaded Wiesel and his
men thundered on to the
scene. They had been
riding all night,
however, and they were no
spring chickens to start
with, and as soon as they
reached the church they
all dropped, exhausted,
to the ground. The elated
Germans rang the church
bells and offered to buy
everyone a beer at the
nearest tavern. There
they were taught, and
joined in singing, what
might be called the
national anthem of the
New World. The melody of
this pre-revolutionary
patriotic song is still
remembered (P.D.Q. Bach
quotes it, in the bass
instruments, near the end
of the overture), but is
words are now all but
forgotten: Freedom, of
thee we sing, Freedom
e'er is our goal; Death
to the English King, Long
live Rock and Ross. The
striking paucity of
biographical references
to Johann Sebastian Bah
during the year 1712 can
now be explained: he was
abroad for a significant
part of that year,
testing organs in the
British Colonies. That
this revelation has not
been accepted as fact by
the musicological
establishment is no
surprise, since it means
that a lot of books would
have to be rewritten. The
members of that
establishment haven't
even accepted the
existence of P.D.Q. Bach,
one of whose major works
the 1712 Overture
certainly is. It is also
a work that shows
Tchaikowsky up as the
shameless plagiarizer
that some of us have
always known he was. The
discovery of this awesome
opus was made possible by
a Boston Pops Centennial
Research Commission; the
first modern performance
took place at the opening
concert of the 100th
anniversary season of
that orchestra, under the
exciting but authentic
direction of John
Williams.
Orchestra - Grade 1 SKU: AP.40407S Composed by Cornish May Dance. Arrange...(+)
Orchestra - Grade 1
SKU: AP.40407S
Composed by Cornish May
Dance. Arranged by Sandra
Dackow. MakeMusic Cloud;
Performance Music
Ensemble; Single Titles;
String Orchestra.
Orchestra Expressions.
Folk. Score. 8 pages.
Alfred Music #00-40407S.
Published by Alfred Music
(AP.40407S).
UPC:
038081453347. English.
Cornish May
Dance.
Enjoy the
legend of King Arthur
with this lively dance
tune from days of yore!
Great parts are featured
for all sections.
This title is
available in MakeMusic
Cloud.
About
Orchestra
Expressions
<
p>Play great songs such
as Over the Rainbow,
Batman, This Land Is Your
Land, and Star Wars (Main
Title). Listen to and
play a variety of styles
of music: popular,
traditional, classical,
folk and patriotic. Read
and write music; compose
and improvise. Perform in
a concert and play for
your family and friends.
Be a conductor of the
orchestra. Learn about
composers, such as
Antonin Dvorak, Johann
Pachelbel, Jacques
Offenbach, Pytor Ilyich
Tchaikovsky, Giuseppe
Verdi, George M. Cohan,
George Frideric Handel,
Ludwig van Beethoven,
Johann Sebastian Bach,
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,
Giacomo Puccini, Georges
Bizet, Neal Hefti, and
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Orchestra SKU: PR.41641576L For Really Big Orchestra. Composed by ...(+)
Orchestra
SKU:
PR.41641576L
For
Really Big Orchestra.
Composed by PDQ Bach.
Edited by Peter
Schickele. Large Score.
With Standard notation.
Duration 11 minutes.
Theodore Presser Company
#416-41576L. Published by
Theodore Presser Company
(PR.41641576L).
UPC:
680160636549. 11 x 17
inches.
The 1712
Overture stands out in
P.D.Q. Bach's oeuvre for
two reasons, among
others: it is by far the
most programmatic
instrumental piece among
those by the minimeister
of Wein-am-Rhein so far
unearthed, and 2) its
discovery has led to a
revelation about the
composer's father, Johann
Sebastian Bach, that has
exploded like a bombshell
on the usually serene
musicological landscape.
The overture is based on
an anecdote told to
P.D.Q. Bach by a cousin,
Peter Ulrich. Since P.U.
Bach lived in Dudeldorf,
only a few miles down the
road from Wein-am-Rhein,
he was P.D.Q.'s closest
relative, and he was, in
fact, one of the few
members of the family who
was on speaking terms
with P.D.Q. The story,
related to P.D.Q.
(fortunately for us
posterity types) in a
letter, may be summarized
thus: The town of
Dudeldorf was founded by
two brothers, Rudi and
Dieter Dudel, early in
the 18th century. Rudi
remained mayor of the
newborn burg for the rest
of his long life, but
Dieter had a dream of
starting a musicians'
colony, an entire city
devoted to music, which
dream, he finally
decided, could be
realized only in the New
World. In 1712, he and
several other bagpipers
sailed to Boston, never
to return to Germany.
(Henceforth, Rudi became
known as der deutscher
Dudel and Dieter as the
Yankee Dudel).
Unfortunately, the head
of the Boston Musicians'
Guild had gotten wind of
Dudel's plans, and
Wilhelm Wiesel (pron.
VEE-zle), known none too
affectionately around
town as Wiesel the
Weasel, was not about to
share what few gigs there
were in colonial America
with more foreigners and
outside agitators. He and
his cronies were on hand
to meet Dudel's boat when
it pulled into Boston
Harbor; they intended to
prevent the newcomers'
disembarkation, but Dudel
and his companions
managed to escape to the
other side of the bay in
a dinghy, landing with
just enough time to rent
a carriage and horses
before hearing the sound
of The Weasel and his
men, who had had to come
around the long way. The
Germans headed West, with
the Bostonians in furious
pursuit. soon the city
had been left far behind,
and by midnight so had
the pursuers; Dieter
Dudel decided that it was
safe for him and his men
to stop and sleep until
daybreak. When they
awoke, they found that
they were in a beautiful
landscape of low,
forested mountains and
pleasant fields, warmed
by the brilliant morning
sun and serenaded by an
entrancing variety of
birds. Here, Dudel
thought, her is where I
will build my colony. The
immigrants continued down
the road at a leisurely
pace until they came upon
a little church, all by
itself in the
countryside, from which
there suddenly emanated
the sounds of a pipe
organ. At this point, the
temptation to quote from
P.U. Bach's letter to
P.D.Q. cannot be
resisted: They went
inside and, after
listening to the glorious
music for a while,
introduced themselves to
the organist. And who do
you think it was? Are you
ready for this -- it was
your old man! Hey, no
kidding -- you know, I'm
sure, that your father
was the guy to get when
it came to testing new
organs, and whoever had
that one in Massachusetts
built offered old
Sebastian a tidy sum to
go over there and check
it out. The unexpected
meeting with J.S. Bach
and his sponsors was
interrupted by the sound
of horse hooves, as the
dreaded Wiesel and his
men thundered on to the
scene. They had been
riding all night,
however, and they were no
spring chickens to start
with, and as soon as they
reached the church they
all dropped, exhausted,
to the ground. The elated
Germans rang the church
bells and offered to buy
everyone a beer at the
nearest tavern. There
they were taught, and
joined in singing, what
might be called the
national anthem of the
New World. The melody of
this pre-revolutionary
patriotic song is still
remembered (P.D.Q. Bach
quotes it, in the bass
instruments, near the end
of the overture), but is
words are now all but
forgotten: Freedom, of
thee we sing, Freedom
e'er is our goal; Death
to the English King, Long
live Rock and Ross. The
striking paucity of
biographical references
to Johann Sebastian Bah
during the year 1712 can
now be explained: he was
abroad for a significant
part of that year,
testing organs in the
British Colonies. That
this revelation has not
been accepted as fact by
the musicological
establishment is no
surprise, since it means
that a lot of books would
have to be rewritten. The
members of that
establishment haven't
even accepted the
existence of P.D.Q. Bach,
one of whose major works
the 1712 Overture
certainly is. It is also
a work that shows
Tchaikowsky up as the
shameless plagiarizer
that some of us have
always known he was. The
discovery of this awesome
opus was made possible by
a Boston Pops Centennial
Research Commission; the
first modern performance
took place at the opening
concert of the 100th
anniversary season of
that orchestra, under the
exciting but authentic
direction of John
Williams.