Freedom Finale Orchestre [Conducteur et Parties séparées] - Débutant Alfred Publishing
(Featuring: America the Beautiful / Chester / America (My Country 'Tis of Thee) ...(+)
(Featuring: America the
Beautiful / Chester /
America (My Country 'Tis
of Thee) / Battle Hymn of
the Republic). Arranged
by Michael Story and
Michael Story. Orchestra.
Full Orchestra; Part(s);
Score; SmartMusic.
Beginning Full Orchestra.
Form: Fantasia; Medley.
Patriotic. Grade 1.5. 118
pages. Published by
Alfred Music Publishing
Composed by Bedrich
Smetana. Edited by Hugh
MacDonald. This edition:
urtext edition.
Paperback. Barenreiter
Urtext. From: Má vlast
(My Country). Score.
Baerenreiter Verlag
#BA11534_00. Published by
Baerenreiter Verlag
(BA.BA11534).
ISBN
9790260108660. 31 x 24.3
cm inches. Preface:
Mojzisova, Olga /
Macdonald, Hugh.
In
late September 1874,
shortly after losing his
hearing, Smetana started
work on
“VyÅ¡ehradâ€
, the first symphonic
poem in what would become
a six-part cycle with the
title “Má
vlast†(My
Country). It tells the
eventful history of this
fort in
Prague.
“Vy
¡ehrad†was
published by Urbánek
together with
“Vltava†(The
Moldau), the next part in
the cycle, in a version
for piano duet in
December 1879. The full
score and parts,
proofread by the
composer, followed in
February 1880. Hugh
Macdonald has corrected
many errors in this first
edition. He draws on the
autograph and first print
of the orchestral version
and also refers to the
autograph and printed
piano duet
version.
About
Barenreiter
Urtext
What can I
expect from a Barenreiter
Urtext
edition?<
/p>
MUSICOLOGICA
LLY SOUND - A
reliable musical text
based on all available
sources - A
description of the
sources -
Information on the
genesis and history of
the work - Valuable
notes on performance
practice - Includes
an introduction with
critical commentary
explaining source
discrepancies and
editorial decisions
... AND
PRACTICAL -
Page-turns, fold-out
pages, and cues where you
need them - A
well-presented layout and
a user-friendly
format - Excellent
print quality -
Superior paper and
binding
Composed
by Bedrich Smetana.
Edited by Hugh MacDonald.
This edition: urtext
edition. Paperback.
Barenreiter Urtext. From:
Má vlast / My Country.
Score. Baerenreiter
Verlag #BA11533_00.
Published by Baerenreiter
Verlag (BA.BA11533).
ISBN 9790260108059. 31
x 24.3 cm inches.
Preface: Mojzisova, Olga
/ Macdonald,
Hugh.
The first
four symphonic poems from
Smetanaâ??s six-part
cycle Má vlast (My
Country) were written in
1874â??75 and arranged
for piano duet shortly
after the completion of
the fourth part, From
Bohemiaâ??s Woods and
Fields. All six parts
were issued for the first
time by the publisher
Urbánek, beginning
with the piano duet
arrangements
(1879-80).
The
score of From
Bohemiaâ??s Woods and
Fields was published by
Urbánek in 1881. Owing
to its many misprints,
Hugh Macdonald has based
his new edition on the
autograph score while
consulting the first
edition as well as the
autograph and print of
the composerâ??s own
version for piano
duet.
About
Barenreiter
Urtext
What can I
expect from a Barenreiter
Urtext
edition?<
/p>
MUSICOLOGICA
LLY SOUND - A
reliable musical text
based on all available
sources - A
description of the
sources -
Information on the
genesis and history of
the work - Valuable
notes on performance
practice - Includes
an introduction with
critical commentary
explaining source
discrepancies and
editorial decisions
... AND
PRACTICAL -
Page-turns, fold-out
pages, and cues where you
need them - A
well-presented layout and
a user-friendly
format - Excellent
print quality -
Superior paper and
binding
Composed by Mary McDonald. Choral. Sacred Anthem, General, Patriotic. Orchestr...(+)
Composed by Mary
McDonald. Choral. Sacred
Anthem, General,
Patriotic. Orchestral
score and parts.
SoundForth #30/3464SF.
Published by SoundForth
(S2.30-3464SF).
Country Song Orchestre - Intermédiaire/avancé Highland/Etling
Orchestra - Grade 4 SKU: AP.41265S From Two Songs Without Words, Op...(+)
Orchestra - Grade 4
SKU: AP.41265S
From Two Songs
Without Words, Op. 22,
No. 1. Composed
by Gustav Holst. Arranged
by Robert Sieving.
MakeMusic Cloud;
Masterworks; Performance
Music Ensemble; Single
Titles; String Orchestra.
Highland/Etling String
Orchestra. Form:
Transcription. 20th
Century; Folk; Masterwork
Arrangement; Romantic.
Score. 16 pages.
Highland/Etling
#00-41265S. Published by
Highland/Etling
(AP.41265S).
UPC:
038081480800.
English.
This
beautiful folk melody
will capture the hearts
of students and
audiences. Originally
scored for large
orchestra, this string
arrangement captures the
essential qualities often
heard in the English
style of chamber music
for strings from the late
nineteenth and early
twentieth centuries.
Holst's melody, with its
simple pentatonic
folksong theme, receives
the kind of mystical
transformation we often
associate with British
composers' treatments of
their indigenous
wellspring---the
folksong. All sections
share in the melodic
themes while passages for
a quartet of soloists add
textural interest. This
title is available in
MakeMusic Cloud.
Arranged by Michael Story. Arr. Michael Story. For Full Orchestra. Full Orchestr...(+)
Arranged by Michael
Story. Arr. Michael
Story. For Full
Orchestra. Full
Orchestra. Belwin
Intermediate Full
Orchestra. Patriotic.
Level: 2.5 (grade 2.5).
Conductor Score. 20
pages. Published by
Alfred Publishing.
(Featuring: America the Beautiful / Chester / America (My Country 'Tis of Thee) ...(+)
(Featuring: America the
Beautiful / Chester /
America (My Country 'Tis
of Thee) / Battle Hymn of
the Republic). Arranged
by Michael Story.
Orchestra. Full
Orchestra; Score;
SmartMusic. Beginning
Full Orchestra. Form:
Fantasia; Medley. 4th of
July; Patriotic; Summer.
Grade 1.5. 8 pages.
Published by Alfred Music
By Bedrich Smetana (1824-1884). Edited by Frantisek Bartos. This edition: Urtext...(+)
By Bedrich Smetana
(1824-1884). Edited by
Frantisek Bartos. This
edition: Urtext edition.
Paperback. Study score,
Urtext edition. Language:
Czech/English/German.
Duration 1 hour, 15
minutes. Published by
Baerenreiter Verlag
Boy
Soprano, Soprano, Tenor,
Flugelhorn, Mixed Chorus,
and Chamber Orchestra
Study Score. Composed
by Harald Weiss. This
edition: Paperback/Soft
Cover. Sheet music. Study
Score. Classical.
Softcover. Composed
2008/2009. 188 pages.
Duration 100'. Schott
Music #ED20619. Published
by Schott Music
(HL.49018099).
ISBN
9790001158428. UPC:
884088567347.
8.25x11.75x0.457 inches.
Latin - German.
On
letting go(Concerning the
selection of the texts)
In the selection of the
texts, I have allowed
myself to be motivated
and inspired by the
concept of 'letting go'.
This appears to me to be
one of the essential
aspects of dying, but
also of life itself. We
humans cling far too
strongly to successful
achievements, whether
they have to do with
material or ideal values,
or relationships of all
kinds. We cannot and do
not want to let go,
almost as if our life
depended on it. As we
will have to practise the
art of letting go at the
latest during our hour of
death, perhaps we could
already make a start on
this while we are still
alive. Tagore describes
this farewell with very
simple but strikingly
vivid imagery: 'I will
return the key of my
door'. I have set this
text for tenor solo. Here
I imagine, and have
correspondingly noted in
a certain passage of the
score, that the
protagonist finds himself
as though 'in an ocean'
of voices in which he is
however not drowning, but
immersing himself in
complete relaxation. The
phenomenon of letting go
is described even more
simply and tersely in
Psalm 90, verse 12: 'So
teach us to number our
days, that we may apply
our hearts unto wisdom'.
This cannot be expressed
more plainly.I have begun
the requiem with a solo
boy's voice singing the
beginning of this psalm
on a single note, the
note A. This in effect
says it all. The work
comes full circle at the
culmination with a repeat
of the psalm which
subsequently leads into a
resplendent 'lux
aeterna'. The
intermediate texts of the
Requiem which highlight
the phenomenon of letting
go in the widest spectrum
of colours originate on
the one hand from the
Latin liturgy of the
Messa da Requiem (In
Paradisum, Libera me,
Requiem aeternam, Mors
stupebit) and on the
other hand from poems by
Joseph von Eichendorff,
Hermann Hesse,
Rabindranath Tagore and
Rainer Maria Rilke.All
texts have a distinctive
positive element in
common and view death as
being an organic process
within the great system
of the universe, for
example when Hermann
Hesse writes: 'Entreiss
dich, Seele, nun der
Zeit, entreiss dich
deinen Sorgen und mache
dich zum Flug bereit in
den ersehnten Morgen'
['Tear yourself way , o
soul, from time, tear
yourself away from your
sorrows and prepare
yourself to fly away into
the long-awaited
morning'] and later: 'Und
die Seele unbewacht will
in freien Flugen
schweben, um im
Zauberkreis der Nacht
tief und tausendfach zu
leben' ['And the
unfettered soul strives
to soar in free flight to
live in the magic sphere
of the night, deep and
thousandfold']. Or Joseph
von Eichendorff whose
text evokes a distant
song in his lines: 'Und
meine Seele spannte weit
ihre Flugel aus. Flog
durch die stillen Lande,
als floge sie nach Haus'
['And my soul spread its
wings wide. Flew through
the still country as if
homeward bound.']Here a
strong romantically
tinged occidental
resonance can be detected
which is however also
accompanied by a
universal spirit going
far beyond all cultures
and religions. In the
beginning was the sound
Long before any sort of
word or meaningful phrase
was uttered by vocal
chords, sounds,
vibrations and tones
already existed. This
brings us back to the
music. Both during my
years of study and at
subsequent periods, I had
been an active
participant in the world
of contemporary music,
both as percussionist and
also as conductor and
composer. My early scores
had a somewhat
adventurous appearance,
filled with an abundance
of small black dots: no
rhythm could be too
complicated, no register
too extreme and no
harmony too dissonant. I
devoted myself intensely
to the handling of
different parameters
which in serial music
coexist in total
equality: I also studied
aleatory principles and
so-called minimal music.I
subsequently emigrated
and took up residence in
Spain from where I
embarked on numerous
travels over the years to
India, Africa and South
America. I spent repeated
periods during this time
as a resident in
non-European countries.
This meant that the
currents of contemporary
music swept past me
vaguely and at a great
distance. What I instead
absorbed during this
period were other
completely new cultures
in which I attempted to
immerse myself as
intensively as possible.I
learned foreign languages
and came into contact
with musicians of all
classes and styles who
had a different cultural
heritage than my own: I
was intoxicated with the
diversity of artistic
potential.Nevertheless,
the further I distanced
myself from my own
Western musical heritage,
the more this returned
insistently in my
consciousness.The scene
can be imagined of
sitting somewhere in the
middle of the Brazilian
jungle surrounded by the
wailing of Indians and
out of the blue being
provided with the
opportunity to hear
Beethoven's late string
quartets: this can be a
heart-wrenching
experience, akin to an
identity crisis. This
type of experience can
also be described as
cathartic. Whatever the
circumstances, my
'renewed' occupation with
the 'old' country would
not permit me to return
to the point at which I
as an audacious young
student had maltreated
the musical parameters of
so-called contemporary
music. A completely
different approach would
be necessary: an
extremely careful
approach, inching my way
gradually back into the
Western world: an
approach which would
welcome tradition back
into the fold, attempt to
unfurl the petals and
gently infuse this
tradition with a breath
of contemporary
life.Although I am aware
that I will not unleash a
revolution or scandal
with this approach, I am
nevertheless confident
as, with the musical
vocabulary of this
Requiem, I am travelling
in an orbit in which no
ballast or complex
structures will be
transported or intimated:
on the contrary, I have
attempted to form the
message of the texts in
music with the naivety of
a 'homecomer'. Harald
WeissColonia de San
PedroMarch 2009.
Orchestra (Full Score) SKU: HL.244904 For Orchestra. Composed by B...(+)
Orchestra (Full Score)
SKU: HL.244904
For Orchestra.
Composed by Bryce
Dessner. Music Sales
America. Classical.
Softcover. Composed 2017.
64 pages. Duration 1020
seconds. Chester Music
#CH83985. Published by
Chester Music
(HL.244904).
8.25x12.0x0.508
inches.
Quilting,
co-commissioned by the
BBC Symphony Orchestra
and the Los Angeles
Philharmonic, is my first
stand alone work for
orchestraand is loosely
inspired by the American
tradition of quilt
making. I composed
Quilting while living
most of last year in
Paris.During my time
there, I thought a lot
about what it means to
compose symphonic music
as a young American in
the 21st century, when so
many of the many
masterworks which are
programmed year in and
out by orchestras across
the country are European.
I considered which
artistic traditions
defined the American
19th-century. I began to
think of the American
crafts-tradition of
quilting as a foilto the
high-art tradition of
European orchestral
composition. As the score
for my new work began to
take shape, I started
thinking about the
manuscript itself as an
object, its vertical and
horizontal planes create
a kind of patterned
geometry of their own.
Visually the way a
musical score is woven
together like patchwork
brought to mind quilts
and the great American
tradition of quilting. I
imagined about how
conducting an orchestra
can feellike stitching a
piece together, or sewing
together a large number
of musical ideas and
musicians into a coherent
and transcendent whole.
Quilting was an integral
part of American
vernacular in the 18th
and 19th centuries, the
African-American quilting
tradition is especially
fascinating, and the
quilts tell the stories
of the women and
communities who made
them. The names of the
quilt patterns themselves
can have their own sense
of narrative: 'jacobs
ladder', 'drunkards
path', 'solomon's
puzzle', and (my favorite
for its relevance to this
piece) 'the road to
California. - Bryce
Dessner.
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 - Grade 2.5 SKU: AP.49920S Composed by Luis Federico Vindver, M...(+)
Orchestra - Grade 2.5
SKU: AP.49920S
Composed by Luis Federico
Vindver, Meghan Trainor,
and Sean Douglas.
Arranged by Chris M.
Bernotas. Performance
Music Ensemble; Single
Titles; String Orchestra.
Pop Intermediate String
Orchestra. Country; Pop;
Radio. Score. Duration
2:20. Alfred Music
#00-49920S. Published by
Alfred Music (AP.49920S).
ISBN 9781470662196.
UPC: 038081579399.
English.
Made You
Look is a smash hit
performed by the GRAMMY
Award winning
singer/songwriter Meghan
Trainor. This terrific
song, arranged by Chris
M. Bernotas, is full of
energy and spirit! The
infectious melody will
have your audience
dancing in the aisles.
(2:20).
Orchestra - Grade 2.5 SKU: AP.49920 Composed by Luis Federico Vindver, Me...(+)
Orchestra - Grade 2.5
SKU: AP.49920
Composed by Luis Federico
Vindver, Meghan Trainor,
and Sean Douglas.
Arranged by Chris M.
Bernotas. MakeMusic
Cloud; Performance Music
Ensemble; Single Titles;
String Orchestra. Pop
Intermediate String
Orchestra. Country; Pop;
Radio. Score and Part(s).
Duration 2:20. Alfred
Music #00-49920.
Published by Alfred Music
(AP.49920).
ISBN
9781470662189. UPC:
038081579382.
English.
Made You
Look is a smash hit
performed by the GRAMMY
Award winning
singer/songwriter Meghan
Trainor. This terrific
song, arranged by Chris
M. Bernotas, is full of
energy and spirit! The
infectious melody will
have your audience
dancing in the aisles.
(2:20).
No. 2 from the
Symphonic Poem My
Fatherland. Composed
by Bedrich Smetana.
Edited by Milan Pospisil.
Softbound. Eulenburg
Orchestral Series.
Today, it is hard to
believe that Bedrich
Smetana kept receiving
rejections when he tried
to get his enormously
popular Moldau
printed.
Symphonic
poem; Romantic. Full
score. 84 pages. Duration
13'. Breitkopf and
Haertel #EOS 20472-00.
Published by Breitkopf
and Haertel
(BR.EOS-20472-00).
ISBN 9790004780008. 10
x 12.5
inches.
What is
also amazing is that the
first text-critical
edition prepared by the
Czech Smetana expert
Milan Pospisil in 1999,
which had entailed an
exhaustive evaluation of
the sources and been
given a full
text-critical editorial
treatment as a Eulenburg
study score, had no
resonance of any kind
among performers since no
performance material had
been published. After 15
years, Pospisils edition
is finally being
completed in a manner
suitable for practice:
with a conducting score
and orchestral parts
which will ensure that
all future performances
are based on a musical
text that is as reliable
as can
be.
The
work depicts the course
of the river Vltava,
beginning with its first
two sources, the cold and
warm Vltava, and the
confluence of the two
streams that join to form
a single river; then the
course of the Vltava
through forests and
meadows, and through open
countryside where a
peasant wedding is being
celebrated; water-sprites
dance by the light of the
moon; on the nearby
cliffs castles, mansions
and ruins rise proudly
into the air; the Vltava
eddies in the St John's
Rapids, then flows in a
broad stream as it
continues its course
towards Prague, where the
Vysehrad appears, before
the river finally
disappears into the
distance as it flows
majestically into the
Elbe.
Vltava
(The Moldau),
Smetana's best-known and
most frequently performed
orchestral work, was
written between 19
November and 8 December
1874, at a time when
Smetana was already
completely deaf. The
world premiere took place
in Prague on 4 April
1875, but the score was
not published until
1880.
Orchestra - Grade 2.5 SKU: AP.49446S As Performed by Dan + Shay and Ju...(+)
Orchestra - Grade 2.5
SKU: AP.49446S
As Performed by Dan +
Shay and Justin
Bieber. Composed by
Dan Smyers, Jason Boyd,
Jessie Jo Dillon, Jordan
Reynolds, Justin Bieber,
and Shay Mooney. Arranged
by Victor Lopez.
MakeMusic Cloud;
Performance Music
Ensemble; Single Titles;
String Orchestra. Pop
Intermediate String
Orchestra. Light Concert;
Pop/Rock. Score. Alfred
Music #00-49446S.
Published by Alfred Music
(AP.49446S).
ISBN
9781470650438. UPC:
038081571218.
English.
Looking
for a way to musically
connect with your
students, 10,000 Hours is
a chart that will do the
trick. This Billboard No.
1 HOT 100, country pop
song, performed by Dan +
Shay and Justin Bieber,
continues to be a global
success. Written at the
young band level, this
arrangement by Victor
López will certainly
engage your students.
(3:00) This title is
available in MakeMusic
Cloud.
Orchestra - Grade 2.5 SKU: AP.49446 As Performed by Dan + Shay and Jus...(+)
Orchestra - Grade 2.5
SKU: AP.49446
As Performed by Dan +
Shay and Justin
Bieber. Composed by
Dan Smyers, Jason Boyd,
Jessie Jo Dillon, Jordan
Reynolds, Justin Bieber,
and Shay Mooney. Arranged
by Victor Lopez.
MakeMusic Cloud;
Performance Music
Ensemble; Single Titles;
String Orchestra. Pop
Intermediate String
Orchestra. Light Concert;
Pop/Rock. Score and
Part(s). Belwin Music
#00-49446. Published by
Belwin Music (AP.49446).
ISBN 9781470650421.
UPC: 038081571201.
English.
Looking
for a way to musically
connect with your
students, 10,000 Hours is
a chart that will do the
trick. This Billboard No.
1 HOT 100, country pop
song, performed by Dan +
Shay and Justin Bieber,
continues to be a global
success. Written at the
young band level, this
arrangement by Victor
López will certainly
engage your students.
(3:00) This title is
available in MakeMusic
Cloud.
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 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.