Chamber Music Piano SKU: CF.PL1056 Composed by Clara Wieck-Schumann, Fran...(+)
Chamber Music Piano
SKU: CF.PL1056
Composed by Clara
Wieck-Schumann, Franz
Schubert, and Robert
Schumann. Edited by
Nicholas Hopkins.
Collection. With Standard
notation. 128 pages. Carl
Fischer Music #PL1056.
Published by Carl Fischer
Music (CF.PL1056).
ISBN 9781491153390.
UPC: 680160910892.
Transcribed by Franz
Liszt.
Introduction
It is true that Schubert
himself is somewhat to
blame for the very
unsatisfactory manner in
which his admirable piano
pieces are treated. He
was too immoderately
productive, wrote
incessantly, mixing
insignificant with
important things, grand
things with mediocre
work, paid no heed to
criticism, and always
soared on his wings. Like
a bird in the air, he
lived in music and sang
in angelic fashion.
--Franz Liszt, letter to
Dr. S. Lebert (1868) Of
those compositions that
greatly interest me,
there are only Chopin's
and yours. --Franz Liszt,
letter to Robert Schumann
(1838) She [Clara
Schumann] was astounded
at hearing me. Her
compositions are really
very remarkable,
especially for a woman.
There is a hundred times
more creativity and real
feeling in them than in
all the past and present
fantasias by Thalberg.
--Franz Liszt, letter to
Marie d'Agoult (1838)
Chretien Urhan
(1790-1845) was a
Belgian-born violinist,
organist and composer who
flourished in the musical
life of Paris in the
early nineteenth century.
According to various
accounts, he was deeply
religious, harshly
ascetic and wildly
eccentric, though revered
by many important and
influential members of
the Parisian musical
community. Regrettably,
history has forgotten
Urhan's many musical
achievements, the most
important of which was
arguably his pioneering
work in promoting the
music of Franz Schubert.
He devoted much of his
energies to championing
Schubert's music, which
at the time was unknown
outside of Vienna.
Undoubtedly, Urhan was
responsible for
stimulating this
enthusiasm in Franz
Liszt; Liszt regularly
heard Urhan's organ
playing in the
St.-Vincent-de-Paul
church in Paris, and the
two became personal
acquaintances. At
eighteen years of age,
Liszt was on the verge of
establishing himself as
the foremost pianist in
Europe, and this
awakening to Schubert's
music would prove to be a
profound experience.
Liszt's first travels
outside of his native
provincial Hungary were
to Vienna in 1821-1823,
where his father enrolled
him in studies with Carl
Czerny (piano) and
Antonio Salieri (music
theory). Both men had
important involvements
with Schubert; Czerny
(like Urhan) as performer
and advocate of
Schubert's music and
Salieri as his theory and
composition teacher from
1813-1817. Curiously,
Liszt and Schubert never
met personally, despite
their geographical
proximity in Vienna
during these years.
Inevitably, legends later
arose that the two had
been personal
acquaintances, although
Liszt would dismiss these
as fallacious: I never
knew Schubert personally,
he was once quoted as
saying. Liszt's initial
exposure to Schubert's
music was the Lieder,
what Urhan prized most of
all. He accompanied the
tenor Benedict
Randhartinger in numerous
performances of
Schubert's Lieder and
then, perhaps realizing
that he could benefit the
composer more on his own
terms, transcribed a
number of the Lieder for
piano solo. Many of these
transcriptions he would
perform himself on
concert tour during the
so-called Glanzzeit, or
time of splendor from
1839-1847. This publicity
did much to promote
reception of Schubert's
music throughout Europe.
Once Liszt retired from
the concert stage and
settled in Weimar as a
conductor in the 1840s,
he continued to perform
Schubert's orchestral
music, his Symphony No. 9
being a particular
favorite, and is credited
with giving the world
premiere performance of
Schubert's opera Alfonso
und Estrella in 1854. At
this time, he
contemplated writing a
biography of the
composer, which
regrettably remained
uncompleted. Liszt's
devotion to Schubert
would never waver.
Liszt's relationship with
Robert and Clara Schumann
was far different and far
more complicated; by
contrast, they were all
personal acquaintances.
What began as a
relationship of mutual
respect and admiration
soon deteriorated into
one of jealousy and
hostility, particularly
on the Schumann's part.
Liszt's initial contact
with Robert's music
happened long before they
had met personally, when
Liszt published an
analysis of Schumann's
piano music for the
Gazette musicale in 1837,
a gesture that earned
Robert's deep
appreciation. In the
following year Clara met
Liszt during a concert
tour in Vienna and
presented him with more
of Schumann's piano
music. Clara and her
father Friedrich Wieck,
who accompanied Clara on
her concert tours, were
quite taken by Liszt: We
have heard Liszt. He can
be compared to no other
player...he arouses
fright and astonishment.
His appearance at the
piano is indescribable.
He is an original...he is
absorbed by the piano.
Liszt, too, was impressed
with Clara--at first the
energy, intelligence and
accuracy of her piano
playing and later her
compositions--to the
extent that he dedicated
to her the 1838 version
of his Etudes d'execution
transcendante d'apres
Paganini. Liszt had a
closer personal
relationship with Clara
than with Robert until
the two men finally met
in 1840. Schumann was
astounded by Liszt's
piano playing. He wrote
to Clara that Liszt had
played like a god and had
inspired indescribable
furor of applause. His
review of Liszt even
included a heroic
personification with
Napoleon. In Leipzig,
Schumann was deeply
impressed with Liszt's
interpretations of his
Noveletten, Op. 21 and
Fantasy in C Major, Op.
17 (dedicated to Liszt),
enthusiastically
observing that, I feel as
if I had known you twenty
years. Yet a variety of
events followed that
diminished Liszt's glory
in the eyes of the
Schumanns. They became
critical of the cult-like
atmosphere that arose
around his recitals, or
Lisztomania as it came to
be called; conceivably,
this could be attributed
to professional jealousy.
Clara, in particular,
came to loathe Liszt,
noting in a letter to
Joseph Joachim, I despise
Liszt from the depths of
my soul. She recorded a
stunning diary entry a
day after Liszt's death,
in which she noted, He
was an eminent keyboard
virtuoso, but a dangerous
example for the
young...As a composer he
was terrible. By
contrast, Liszt did not
share in these negative
sentiments; no evidence
suggests that he had any
ill-regard for the
Schumanns. In Weimar, he
did much to promote
Schumann's music,
conducting performances
of his Scenes from Faust
and Manfred, during a
time in which few
orchestras expressed
interest, and premiered
his opera Genoveva. He
later arranged a benefit
concert for Clara
following Robert's death,
featuring Clara as
soloist in Robert's Piano
Concerto, an event that
must have been
exhilarating to witness.
Regardless, her opinion
of him would never
change, despite his
repeated gestures of
courtesy and respect.
Liszt's relationship with
Schubert was a spiritual
one, with music being the
one and only link between
the two men. That with
the Schumanns was
personal, with music
influenced by a hero
worship that would
aggravate the
relationship over time.
Nonetheless, Liszt would
remain devoted to and
enthusiastic for the
music and achievements of
these composers. He would
be a vital force in
disseminating their music
to a wider audience, as
he would be with many
other composers
throughout his career.
His primary means for
accomplishing this was
the piano transcription.
Liszt and the
Transcription
Transcription versus
Paraphrase Transcription
and paraphrase were
popular terms in
nineteenth-century music,
although certainly not
unique to this period.
Musicians understood that
there were clear
distinctions between
these two terms, but as
is often the case these
distinctions could be
blurred. Transcription,
literally writing over,
entails reworking or
adapting a piece of music
for a performance medium
different from that of
its original; arrangement
is a possible synonym.
Adapting is a key part of
this process, for the
success of a
transcription relies on
the transcriber's ability
to adapt the piece to the
different medium. As a
result, the pre-existing
material is generally
kept intact, recognizable
and intelligible; it is
strict, literal,
objective. Contextual
meaning is maintained in
the process, as are
elements of style and
form. Paraphrase, by
contrast, implies
restating something in a
different manner, as in a
rewording of a document
for reasons of clarity.
In nineteenth-century
music, paraphrasing
indicated elaborating a
piece for purposes of
expressive virtuosity,
often as a vehicle for
showmanship. Variation is
an important element, for
the source material may
be varied as much as the
paraphraser's imagination
will allow; its purpose
is metamorphosis.
Transcription is adapting
and arranging;
paraphrasing is
transforming and
reworking. Transcription
preserves the style of
the original; paraphrase
absorbs the original into
a different style.
Transcription highlights
the original composer;
paraphrase highlights the
paraphraser.
Approximately half of
Liszt's compositional
output falls under the
category of transcription
and paraphrase; it is
noteworthy that he never
used the term
arrangement. Much of his
early compositional
activities were
transcriptions and
paraphrases of works of
other composers, such as
the symphonies of
Beethoven and Berlioz,
vocal music by Schubert,
and operas by Donizetti
and Bellini. It is
conceivable that he
focused so intently on
work of this nature early
in his career as a means
to perfect his
compositional technique,
although transcription
and paraphrase continued
well after the technique
had been mastered; this
might explain why he
drastically revised and
rewrote many of his
original compositions
from the 1830s (such as
the Transcendental Etudes
and Paganini Etudes) in
the 1850s. Charles Rosen,
a sympathetic interpreter
of Liszt's piano works,
observes, The new
revisions of the
Transcendental Etudes are
not revisions but concert
paraphrases of the old,
and their art lies in the
technique of
transformation. The
Paganini etudes are piano
transcriptions of violin
etudes, and the
Transcendental Etudes are
piano transcriptions of
piano etudes. The
principles are the same.
He concludes by noting,
Paraphrase has shaded off
into
composition...Composition
and paraphrase were not
identical for him, but
they were so closely
interwoven that
separation is impossible.
The significance of
transcription and
paraphrase for Liszt the
composer cannot be
overstated, and the
mutual influence of each
needs to be better
understood. Undoubtedly,
Liszt the composer as we
know him today would be
far different had he not
devoted so much of his
career to transcribing
and paraphrasing the
music of others. He was
perhaps one of the first
composers to contend that
transcription and
paraphrase could be
genuine art forms on
equal par with original
pieces; he even claimed
to be the first to use
these two terms to
describe these classes of
arrangements. Despite the
success that Liszt
achieved with this type
of work, others viewed it
with circumspection and
criticism. Robert
Schumann, although deeply
impressed with Liszt's
keyboard virtuosity, was
harsh in his criticisms
of the transcriptions.
Schumann interpreted them
as indicators that
Liszt's virtuosity had
hindered his
compositional development
and suggested that Liszt
transcribed the music of
others to compensate for
his own compositional
deficiencies.
Nonetheless, Liszt's
piano transcriptions,
what he sometimes called
partitions de piano (or
piano scores), were
instrumental in promoting
composers whose music was
unknown at the time or
inaccessible in areas
outside of major European
capitals, areas that
Liszt willingly toured
during his Glanzzeit. To
this end, the
transcriptions had to be
literal arrangements for
the piano; a Beethoven
symphony could not be
introduced to an
unknowing audience if its
music had been subjected
to imaginative
elaborations and
variations. The same
would be true of the 1833
transcription of
Berlioz's Symphonie
fantastique (composed
only three years
earlier), the
astonishingly novel
content of which would
necessitate a literal and
intelligible rendering.
Opera, usually more
popular and accessible
for the general public,
was a different matter,
and in this realm Liszt
could paraphrase the
original and manipulate
it as his imagination
would allow without
jeopardizing its
reception; hence, the
paraphrases on the operas
of Bellini, Donizetti,
Mozart, Meyerbeer and
Verdi. Reminiscence was
another term coined by
Liszt for the opera
paraphrases, as if the
composer were reminiscing
at the keyboard following
a memorable evening at
the opera. Illustration
(reserved on two
occasions for Meyerbeer)
and fantasy were
additional terms. The
operas of Wagner were
exceptions. His music was
less suited to paraphrase
due to its general lack
of familiarity at the
time. Transcription of
Wagner's music was thus
obligatory, as it was of
Beethoven's and Berlioz's
music; perhaps the
composer himself insisted
on this approach. Liszt's
Lieder Transcriptions
Liszt's initial
encounters with
Schubert's music, as
mentioned previously,
were with the Lieder. His
first transcription of a
Schubert Lied was Die
Rose in 1833, followed by
Lob der Tranen in 1837.
Thirty-nine additional
transcriptions appeared
at a rapid pace over the
following three years,
and in 1846, the Schubert
Lieder transcriptions
would conclude, by which
point he had completed
fifty-eight, the most of
any composer. Critical
response to these
transcriptions was highly
favorable--aside from the
view held by
Schumann--particularly
when Liszt himself played
these pieces in concert.
Some were published
immediately by Anton
Diabelli, famous for the
theme that inspired
Beethoven's variations.
Others were published by
the Viennese publisher
Tobias Haslinger (one of
Beethoven's and
Schubert's publishers in
the 1820s), who sold his
reserves so quickly that
he would repeatedly plead
for more. However,
Liszt's enthusiasm for
work of this nature soon
became exhausted, as he
noted in a letter of 1839
to the publisher
Breitkopf und Hartel:
That good Haslinger
overwhelms me with
Schubert. I have just
sent him twenty-four new
songs (Schwanengesang and
Winterreise), and for the
moment I am rather tired
of this work. Haslinger
was justified in his
demands, for the Schubert
transcriptions were
received with great
enthusiasm. One Gottfried
Wilhelm Fink, then editor
of the Allgemeine
musikalische Zeitung,
observed of these
transcriptions: Nothing
in recent memory has
caused such sensation and
enjoyment in both
pianists and audiences as
these arrangements...The
demand for them has in no
way been satisfied; and
it will not be until
these arrangements are
seen on pianos
everywhere. They have
indeed made quite a
splash. Eduard Hanslick,
never a sympathetic
critic of Liszt's music,
acknowledged thirty years
after the fact that,
Liszt's transcriptions of
Schubert Lieder were
epoch-making. There was
hardly a concert in which
Liszt did not have to
play one or two of
them--even when they were
not listed on the
program. These
transcriptions quickly
became some of his most
sough-after pieces,
despite their extreme
technical demands.
Leading pianists of the
day, such as Clara Wieck
and Sigismond Thalberg,
incorporated them into
their concert programs
immediately upon
publication. Moreover,
the transcriptions would
serve as inspirations for
other composers, such as
Stephen Heller, Cesar
Franck and later Leopold
Godowsky, all of whom
produced their own
transcriptions of
Schubert's Lieder. Liszt
would transcribe the
Lieder of other composers
as well, including those
by Mendelssohn, Chopin,
Anton Rubinstein and even
himself. Robert Schumann,
of course, would not be
ignored. The first
transcription of a
Schumann Lied was the
celebrated Widmung from
Myrten in 1848, the only
Schumann transcription
that Liszt completed
during the composer's
lifetime. (Regrettably,
there is no evidence of
Schumann's regard of this
transcription, or even if
he was aware of it.) From
the years 1848-1881,
Liszt transcribed twelve
of Robert Schumann's
Lieder (including one
orchestral Lied) and
three of Clara (one from
each of her three
published Lieder cycles);
he would transcribe no
other works of these two
composers. The Schumann
Lieder transcriptions,
contrary to those of
Schubert, are literal
arrangements, posing, in
general, far fewer
demands on the pianist's
technique. They are
comparatively less
imaginative in their
treatment of the original
material. Additionally,
they seem to have been
less valued in their day
than the Schubert
transcriptions, and it is
noteworthy that none of
the Schumann
transcriptions bear
dedications, as most of
the Schubert
transcriptions do. The
greatest challenge posed
by Lieder transcriptions,
regardless of the
composer or the nature of
the transcription, was to
combine the vocal and
piano parts of the
original such that the
character of each would
be preserved, a challenge
unique to this form of
transcription. Each part
had to be intact and
aurally recognizable, the
vocal line in particular.
Complications could be
manifold in a Lied that
featured dissimilar
parts, such as Schubert's
Auf dem Wasser zu singen,
whose piano accompaniment
depicts the rocking of
the boat on the
shimmering waves while
the vocal line reflects
on the passing of time.
Similar complications
would be encountered in
Gretchen am Spinnrade, in
which the ubiquitous
sixteenth-note pattern in
the piano's right hand
epitomizes the
ever-turning spinning
wheel over which the
soprano voice expresses
feelings of longing and
heartache. The resulting
transcriptions for solo
piano would place
exceptional demands on
the pianist. The
complications would be
far less imposing in
instances in which voice
and piano were less
differentiated, as in
many of Schumann's Lieder
that Liszt transcribed.
The piano parts in these
Lieder are true
accompaniments for the
voice, providing harmonic
foundation and rhythmic
support by doubling the
vocal line throughout.
The transcriptions, thus,
are strict and literal,
with far fewer demands on
both pianist and
transcriber. In all of
Liszt's Lieder
transcriptions,
regardless of the way in
which the two parts are
combined, the melody
(i.e. the vocal line) is
invariably the focal
point; the melody should
sing on the piano, as if
it were the voice. The
piano part, although
integral to contributing
to the character of the
music, is designed to
function as
accompaniment. A singing
melody was a crucial
objective in
nineteenth-century piano
performance, which in
part might explain the
zeal in transcribing and
paraphrasing vocal music
for the piano. Friedrich
Wieck, father and teacher
of Clara Schumann,
stressed this point
repeatedly in his 1853
treatise Clavier und
Gesang (Piano and Song):
When I speak in general
of singing, I refer to
that species of singing
which is a form of
beauty, and which is a
foundation for the most
refined and most perfect
interpretation of music;
and, above all things, I
consider the culture of
beautiful tones the basis
for the finest possible
touch on the piano. In
many respects, the piano
and singing should
explain and supplement
each other. They should
mutually assist in
expressing the sublime
and the noble, in forms
of unclouded beauty. Much
of Liszt's piano music
should be interpreted
with this concept in
mind, the Lieder
transcriptions and opera
paraphrases, in
particular. To this end,
Liszt provided numerous
written instructions to
the performer to
emphasize the vocal line
in performance, with
Italian directives such
as un poco marcato il
canto, accentuato assai
il canto and ben
pronunziato il canto.
Repeated indications of
cantando,singend and
espressivo il canto
stress the significance
of the singing tone. As
an additional means of
achieving this and
providing the performer
with access to the
poetry, Liszt insisted,
at what must have been a
publishing novelty at the
time, on printing the
words of the Lied in the
music itself. Haslinger,
seemingly oblivious to
Liszt's intent, initially
printed the poems of the
early Schubert
transcriptions separately
inside the front covers.
Liszt argued that the
transcriptions must be
reprinted with the words
underlying the notes,
exactly as Schubert had
done, a request that was
honored by printing the
words above the
right-hand staff. Liszt
also incorporated a
visual scheme for
distinguishing voice and
accompaniment, influenced
perhaps by Chopin, by
notating the
accompaniment in cue
size. His transcription
of Robert Schumann's
Fruhlings Ankunft
features the vocal line
in normal size, the piano
accompaniment in reduced
size, an unmistakable
guide in a busy texture
as to which part should
be emphasized: Example 1.
Schumann-Liszt Fruhlings
Ankunft, mm. 1-2. The
same practice may be
found in the
transcription of
Schumann's An die Turen
will ich schleichen. In
this piece, the performer
must read three staves,
in which the baritone
line in the central staff
is to be shared between
the two hands based on
the stem direction of the
notes: Example 2.
Schumann-Liszt An die
Turen will ich
schleichen, mm. 1-5. This
notational practice is
extremely beneficial in
this instance, given the
challenge of reading
three staves and the
manner in which the vocal
line is performed by the
two hands. Curiously,
Liszt did not use this
practice in other
transcriptions.
Approaches in Lieder
Transcription Liszt
adopted a variety of
approaches in his Lieder
transcriptions, based on
the nature of the source
material, the ways in
which the vocal and piano
parts could be combined
and the ways in which the
vocal part could sing.
One approach, common with
strophic Lieder, in which
the vocal line would be
identical in each verse,
was to vary the register
of the vocal part. The
transcription of Lob der
Tranen, for example,
incorporates three of the
four verses of the
original Lied, with the
register of the vocal
line ascending one octave
with each verse (from low
to high), as if three
different voices were
participating. By the
conclusion, the music
encompasses the entire
range of Liszt's keyboard
to produce a stunning
climactic effect, and the
variety of register of
the vocal line provides a
welcome textural variety
in the absence of the
words. The three verses
of the transcription of
Auf dem Wasser zu singen
follow the same approach,
in which the vocal line
ascends from the tenor,
to the alto and to the
soprano registers with
each verse.
Fruhlingsglaube adopts
the opposite approach, in
which the vocal line
descends from soprano in
verse 1 to tenor in verse
2, with the second part
of verse 2 again resuming
the soprano register;
this is also the case in
Das Wandern from
Mullerlieder. Gretchen am
Spinnrade posed a unique
problem. Since the poem's
narrator is female, and
the poem represents an
expression of her longing
for her lover Faust,
variation of the vocal
line's register, strictly
speaking, would have been
impractical. For this
reason, the vocal line
remains in its original
register throughout,
relentlessly colliding
with the sixteenth-note
pattern of the
accompaniment. One
exception may be found in
the fifth and final verse
in mm. 93-112, at which
point the vocal line is
notated in a higher
register and doubled in
octaves. This sudden
textural change, one that
is readily audible, was a
strategic means to
underscore Gretchen's
mounting anxiety (My
bosom urges itself toward
him. Ah, might I grasp
and hold him! And kiss
him as I would wish, at
his kisses I should
die!). The transcription,
thus, becomes a vehicle
for maximizing the
emotional content of the
poem, an exceptional
undertaking with the
general intent of a
transcription. Registral
variation of the vocal
part also plays a crucial
role in the transcription
of Erlkonig. Goethe's
poem depicts the death of
a child who is
apprehended by a
supernatural Erlking, and
Schubert, recognizing the
dramatic nature of the
poem, carefully depicted
the characters (father,
son and Erlking) through
unique vocal writing and
accompaniment patterns:
the Lied is a dramatic
entity. Liszt, in turn,
followed Schubert's
characterization in this
literal transcription,
yet took it an additional
step by placing the
register of the father's
vocal line in the
baritone range, that of
the son in the soprano
range and that of the
Erlking in the highest
register, options that
would not have been
available in the version
for voice and piano.
Additionally, Liszt
labeled each appearance
of each character in the
score, a means for
guiding the performer in
interpreting the dramatic
qualities of the Lied. As
a result, the drama and
energy of the poem are
enhanced in this
transcription; as with
Gretchen am Spinnrade,
the transcriber has
maximized the content of
the original. Elaboration
may be found in certain
Lieder transcriptions
that expand the
performance to a level of
virtuosity not found in
the original; in such
cases, the transcription
approximates the
paraphrase. Schubert's Du
bist die Ruh, a paradigm
of musical simplicity,
features an uncomplicated
piano accompaniment that
is virtually identical in
each verse. In Liszt's
transcription, the
material is subjected to
a highly virtuosic
treatment that far
exceeds the original,
including a demanding
passage for the left hand
alone in the opening
measures and unique
textural writing in each
verse. The piece is a
transcription in
virtuosity; its art, as
Rosen noted, lies in the
technique of
transformation.
Elaboration may entail an
expansion of the musical
form, as in the extensive
introduction to Die
Forelle and a virtuosic
middle section (mm.
63-85), both of which are
not in the original. Also
unique to this
transcription are two
cadenzas that Liszt
composed in response to
the poetic content. The
first, in m. 93 on the
words und eh ich es
gedacht (and before I
could guess it), features
a twisted chromatic
passage that prolongs and
thereby heightens the
listener's suspense as to
the fate of the trout
(which is ultimately
caught). The second, in
m. 108 on the words
Betrogne an (and my blood
boiled as I saw the
betrayed one), features a
rush of
diminished-seventh
arpeggios in both hands,
epitomizing the poet's
rage at the fisherman for
catching the trout. Less
frequent are instances in
which the length of the
original Lied was
shortened in the
transcription, a tendency
that may be found with
certain strophic Lieder
(e.g., Der Leiermann,
Wasserflut and Das
Wandern). Another
transcription that
demonstrates Liszt's
readiness to modify the
original in the interests
of the poetic content is
Standchen, the seventh
transcription from
Schubert's
Schwanengesang. Adapted
from Act II of
Shakespeare's Cymbeline,
the poem represents the
repeated beckoning of a
man to his lover. Liszt
transformed the Lied into
a miniature drama by
transcribing the vocal
line of the first verse
in the soprano register,
that of the second verse
in the baritone register,
in effect, creating a
dialogue between the two
lovers. In mm. 71-102,
the dialogue becomes a
canon, with one voice
trailing the other like
an echo (as labeled in
the score) at the
distance of a beat. As in
other instances, the
transcription resembles
the paraphrase, and it is
perhaps for this reason
that Liszt provided an
ossia version that is
more in the nature of a
literal transcription.
The ossia version, six
measures shorter than
Schubert's original, is
less demanding
technically than the
original transcription,
thus representing an
ossia of transcription
and an ossia of piano
technique. The Schumann
Lieder transcriptions, in
general, display a less
imaginative treatment of
the source material.
Elaborations are less
frequently encountered,
and virtuosity is more
restricted, as if the
passage of time had
somewhat tamed the
composer's approach to
transcriptions;
alternatively, Liszt was
eager to distance himself
from the fierce
virtuosity of his early
years. In most instances,
these transcriptions are
literal arrangements of
the source material, with
the vocal line in its
original form combined
with the accompaniment,
which often doubles the
vocal line in the
original Lied. Widmung,
the first of the Schumann
transcriptions, is one
exception in the way it
recalls the virtuosity of
the Schubert
transcriptions of the
1830s. Particularly
striking is the closing
section (mm. 58-73), in
which material of the
opening verse (right
hand) is combined with
the triplet quarter notes
(left hand) from the
second section of the
Lied (mm. 32-43), as if
the transcriber were
attempting to reconcile
the different material of
these two sections.
Fruhlingsnacht resembles
a paraphrase by
presenting each of the
two verses in differing
registers (alto for verse
1, mm. 3-19, and soprano
for verse 2, mm. 20-31)
and by concluding with a
virtuosic section that
considerably extends the
length of the original
Lied. The original
tonalities of the Lieder
were generally retained
in the transcriptions,
showing that the tonality
was an important part of
the transcription
process. The infrequent
instances of
transposition were done
for specific reasons. In
1861, Liszt transcribed
two of Schumann's Lieder,
one from Op. 36 (An den
Sonnenschein), another
from Op. 27 (Dem roten
Roslein), and merged
these two pieces in the
collection 2 Lieder; they
share only the common
tonality of A major. His
choice for combining
these two Lieder remains
unknown, but he clearly
recognized that some
tonal variety would be
needed, for which reason
Dem roten Roslein was
transposed to C>= major.
The collection features
An den Sonnenschein in A
major (with a transition
to the new tonality),
followed by Dem roten
Roslein in C>= major
(without a change of key
signature), and
concluding with a reprise
of An den Sonnenschein in
A major. A three-part
form was thus established
with tonal variety
provided by keys in third
relations (A-C>=-A); in
effect, two of Schumann's
Lieder were transcribed
into an archetypal song
without words. In other
instances, Liszt treated
tonality and tonal
organization as important
structural ingredients,
particularly in the
transcriptions of
Schubert's Lieder cycles,
i.e. Schwanengesang,
Winterreise a...
Composed by Harl
Mcdonald. This edition:
Study Score.
Contemporary. Full score.
With Standard notation.
84 pages. Duration 15
minutes. Theodore Presser
Company #466-41177.
Published by Theodore
Presser Company
(PR.466411770).
UPC:
680160640850. 9 x 12
inches.
Mississippi
I. Father of Waters: born
of the Highlands and the
Lakes; the Glaciers, the
Mountains, and the
Prairies. The picture of
your birth is clounded in
the ice and mists of
ancient ages but your
spirit remains our life
stream. II. The Red Man
knew your bountiful gifts
and gave thanks to the
Great Spirit on your
banks. -- The Spanish and
French Fathers brought
the glory of Christianity
to America on
Mississippi. But all men,
white and dark; --
Indian, Spaniard, and
Negro; Bourbon and
Yankee, combined to make
Mississippi the heart of
America. Saga of the
Mississippi Harl McDonald
Born near Boulder,
Colorado, July 27, 1899
Now living in
Philadelphia The original
suggestion for a
symphonic work on the
subject of the
Mississippi came
indirectly from the late
Booth Tarkington who saw
in it color and movement
and atmosphere
translatable into the
terms of music. In the
course of time, by the
mysterious processes of
composers' chemistry, it
took shape as a tone-poem
of two sections, one
representing the rise of
the great stream from its
primeval geologic
sources, the other the
human history of the
river. Mr. McDonald
devised the following
verbal outline of the
general scheme of his
diptych: I. Father of
Waters: born of the
Highlands and the Lakes;
the Glaciers, the
Mountains, and the
Prairies. The picture of
your birth is clounded in
the ice and mists of
ancient ages but your
spirit remains our life
stream. II. The Red Man
knew your bountiful gifts
and gave thanks to the
Great Spirit on your
banks. -- The Spanish and
French Fathers brought
the glory of Christianity
to America on
Mississippi. But all men,
white and dark; --
Indian, Spaniard, and
Negro; Bourbon and
Yankee, combined to make
Mississippi the heart of
America. The first of the
two movements, beginning
molto andante, is vaguel
modal to hint at
antiquity. It is built
upon the conventional two
themes, with an episode,
poco piu mosso,
misterioso, for
prehistoric murk and
muck. There are various
changes of pace and mood.
The second, Allegro ma
vigorosamente, prefigures
an Indian ceremony. A
theme presented by flute,
clarinet and bassoon is a
Canadian Indian fishing
call collected by the
late J.B. Beck. A later
passage of
quasi-Gregorian chant
identifies the French and
Spanish priests who made
the great river their
highway. The fishing-call
is altered in rhythm and
harmony to represent
Negro field hands and
roustabous. A turbulent
close brings all these
elemts together in the
muddy swirling currents
of the Mississippi. The
work was begun in the
summer of 1945, and was
revised and completed in
the summer of 1947. Harl
McDonald, who is the
manager of The
Philadelphia Orchestra,
has concerned himself
with music as an art, as
a science and as a
business in course of his
career. He was born on a
cattle ranch in the
Rockies, but since his
was a musical family, his
up-bringing combined
piano lessons with ranch
life. Years of study and
professional experience
followed in Los Angeles
and in Germany. In 1927
he was appointed lecuter
in composition at the
University of
Pennsylvania and he has
since then made is home
in Philadelphia. In 1933
under a grant of the
Rockefeller FOundation he
collaborated with
physicists in research
dealing with the
measurement of
instrumental and vocal
tone, new scale divisions
and the resultant
harmonies. In that same
year he was named head of
the University's music
faculty and conductor of
its choral organizations.
In 1939, having been a
member of the Board of
Directors for five years,
he was appointed manager
of The Philadelphia
Orchestra. He continus to
write, but otherwise his
entire attention is now
devoted to managerial
duties. Chief items in
the catalogue of his
compositions are four
symphonies, three
orchestra suites, a
half-dozen tone-poems,
three concertos and
considerable quantity of
choral music.
Composed by Muzio
Clementi. Arranged by
Douglas Townsend. Carl
Fischer Young String
Orchestra Series.
Classical. Full score.
With Standard notation.
12 pages. Carl Fischer
Music #YAS13F. Published
by Carl Fischer Music
(CF.YAS13F).
ISBN
9780825848339. UPC:
798408048334. 8.5 X 11
inches. Key: G
major.
IApart from
some of his Sonatinas,
Opus 36, Clementi's life
and music are hardly
known to the piano
teachers and students of
today. For example, in
addition to the above
mentioned Sonatinas,
Clementi wrote sixty
sonatas for the piano,
many of them unjustly
neglected, although his
friend Beethoven regarded
some of them very highly.
Clementi also wrote
symphonies (some of which
he arranged as piano
sonatas), a substantial
number of waltzes and
other dances for the
piano as well as sonatas
and sonatinas for piano
four-hands.In addition to
composing, Clementi was a
much sought after piano
teacher, and included
among his students John
Field (Father of the
'Nocturne'), and
Meyerbeer.In his later
years, Clementi became a
very successful music
publisher, publishing
among other works the
first English edition of
Beethoven's Violin
Concerto, in the great
composer's own
arrangement for the
piano, as well as some of
his string quartets.
Clementi was also one of
the first English piano
manufacturers to make
pianos with a metal frame
and string them with
wire.The Sonatina in C,
Opus 36, No. 1 was one of
six such works Clementi
wrote in 1797. He must
have been partial to
these little pieces (for
which he also provided
the fingerings), since
they were reissued
(without the fingering)
by the composer shortly
after 1801. About 1820,
he issued ''the sixth
edition, with
considerable improvements
by the author;· with
fingerings added and
several minor changes,
among which were that
many of them were written
an octave higher.IIIt has
often been said,
generally by those
unhampered by the facts,
that composers of the
past (and, dare we add,
the present?), usually
handled their financial
affairs with their public
and publishers with a
poor sense of business
acumen or common sense.
As a result they
frequently found
themselves in financial
straits.Contrary to
popular opinion, this was
the exception rather than
the rule. With the
exception of Mozart and
perhaps a few other
composers, the majority
of composers then, as
now, were quite
successful in their
dealings with the public
and their publishers, as
the following examples
will show.It was not
unusual for 18th- and
19th-century composers to
arrange some of their
more popular compositions
for different
combinations of
instruments in order to
increase their
availability to a larger
music-playing public.
Telemann, in the
introduction to his
seventy-two cantatas for
solo voice and one melody
instrument (flute, oboe
or violin, with the usual
continua) Der Harmonische
Gottesdienst, tor
example, suggests that if
a singer is not available
to perform a cantata the
voice part could be
played by another
instrument. And in the
introduction to his Six
Concertos and Six Suites
for flute, violin and
continua, he named four
different instrumental
combinations that could
perform these pieces, and
actually wrote out the
notes for the different
possibilities. Bach
arranged his violin
concertos for keyboard,
and Beethoven not only
arranged his Piano Sonata
in E Major, Opus 14, No.
1 for string quartet, he
also transposed it to the
key of F. Brahm's
well-known Quintet in F
Minor for piano and
strings was his own
arrangement of his
earlier sonata for two
pianos, also in F
Minor.IIIWe come now to
Clementi. It is well
known that some of his
sixty piano sonatas were
his own arrangements of
some of his lost
symphonies, and that some
of his rondos for piano
four-hands were
originally the last
movements of his solo
sonatas or piano trios.In
order to make the first
movement of his
delightful Sonatina in C,
Opus 36, No. 1 accessible
to young string players,
I have followed the
example established by
the composer himself by
arranging and transposing
one of his piano
compositions from one
medium (the piano) to
another. (string
instruments). In order to
simplify the work for
young string players, in
the process of adapting
it to the new medium it
was necessary to
transpose it from the
original key of C to G,
thereby doing away with
some of the difficulties
they would have
encountered in the
original key. The first
violin and cello parts
are similar to the right-
and left-hand parts of
the original piano
version. The few changes
I have made in these
parts have been for the
convenience of the string
players, but in no way do
they change the nature of
the music.Since the
original implied a
harmonic framework in
many places, I have added
a second violin and viola
part in such a way that
they not only have
interesting music to
play, but also fill in
some of the implied
harmony without in any
way detracting from the
composition's musical
value. Occasionally, it
has been necessary to
raise or lower a few
passages an octave or to
modify others slightly to
make them more accessible
for young players.It is
hoped that the musical
value of the composition
has not been too
compromised, and that
students and teachers
will come to enjoy this
little piece in its new
setting as much as
pianists have in the
original one. This
arrangement may also be
performed by a solo
string quartet. When
performed by a string
orchestra, the double
bass part may be
omitted.- Douglas
TownsendString editing by
Amy Rosen.
About Carl
Fischer Young String
Orchestra
Series
Thi
s series of Grade 2/Grade
2.5 pieces is designed
for second and third year
ensembles. The pieces in
this series are
characterized
by: --Occasionally
extending to third
position --Keys
carefully considered for
appropriate
difficulty --Addition
of separate 2nd violin
and viola
parts --Viola T.C.
part
included --Increase
in independence of parts
over beginning levels
The Lonesome Knight Ensemble de cuivres [Conducteur] - Facile Gobelin Music Publications
Brass Band - Grade 3 SKU: BT.GOB-000401-130 Composed by Saskia Apon. Scor...(+)
Brass Band - Grade 3
SKU:
BT.GOB-000401-130
Composed by Saskia Apon.
Score Only. 30 pages.
Gobelin Music
Publications #GOB
000401-130. Published by
Gobelin Music
Publications
(BT.GOB-000401-130).
The composition
the Lonesome Knight was
based on a fairytale. The
piece was written by
Saskia Apon for the
National Brass Band
Championships
2001.
Once upon a
time there was a knight
who went to fight and
defeat the dragon that
had beenkilling the
people of his town.
There is a short but
intense battle between
the two and the knight is
triumphant. However
whilst persuing the
dragon the knight has
travelled far away from
his home and now is lost.
He roames around trying
to findhis way home, but
exhausted and weary he
falls to the ground. He
awakens startled by a
Giant and a group of
Goblins who are
celebrating the death of
the dragon. The
knight joins in the
festivities but after a
long evening is once more
leftalone. The sun
rises the following
morning and he sees a
castle on the horizon. He
enthousiastcally ventures
towards the castle in the
hope of meeting other
people. However he
becomes greatly
disillusioned when there
is none to be found.
Inhis desperation the
knight climbs the tower
ready to jump off.
Suddenly he hears a
heavenly voice. Right
before him is the most
beautiful princess he has
ever seen. She graciously
thanks him for killing
the dragon, a spark
ingnites between themand
they build a life
together and.... live
happily ever
after!
Saskia
Apon studied harp at
Rotterdam School of
music. With this
instrument she rounded of
her studies by passing
with credit, however it
was her love of
composition thatremained
her focus.
Self-taught, she began
composing at the age of
nine. Since then she has
written pieces for The
Dutch Brass Quintet, The
Dutch Brass Ensemble, The
Rotterdam Trombone
Quartet and the brass
band quintet Brass
Ability. Atpresent
she is the in-house
arranger for The
Rotterdam Philarmonic
Brass Ensemble.
Besides the customary
attention for the real
splashworks she
endeavours to add value
to the melodic function
of the brass wind
instruments in her music.
Hercompositions and
arrangements can be found
on many diverse Cds.The
composition the Lonesome
Knight was based on a
fairytale. The piece was
written by Saskia Apon
for the National Brass
Band Championships
2001.
Once upon a
time there was aknight
who went to fight and
defeat the dragon that
had been killing the
people of his town.
There is a short but
intense battle between
the two and the knight is
triumphant. However
whilst persuing the
dragon the knight has
travelled far awayfrom
his home and now is lost.
He roames around trying
to find his way home, but
exhausted and weary he
falls to the ground. He
awakens startled by a
Giant and a group of
Goblins who are
celebrating the death of
the dragon. The
knight joins inthe
festivities but after a
long evening is once more
left alone. The sun
rises the following
morning and he sees a
castle on the horizon. He
enthousiastcally ventures
towards the castle in the
hope of meeting other
people. However he
becomesgreatly
disillusioned when there
is none to be found. In
his desperation the
knight climbs the tower
ready to jump off.
Suddenly he hears a
heavenly voice. Right
before him is the most
beautiful princess he has
ever seen. She graciously
thankshim for killing the
dragon, a spark ingnites
between them and they
build a life together
and.... live happily ever
after!
Saskia
Apon studied harp at
Rotterdam School of
music. With this
instrument she rounded of
her studies by passing
withcredit, however it
was her love of
composition that remained
her focus.
Self-taught, she began
composing at the age of
nine. Since then she has
written pieces for The
Dutch Brass Quintet, The
Dutch Brass Ensemble, The
Rotterdam Trombone
Quartetand the brass band
quintet Brass
Ability. At present
she is the in-house
arranger for The
Rotterdam Philarmonic
Brass Ensemble.
Besides the customary
attention for the real
splashworks she
endeavours to add value
to the melodic functionof
the brass wind
instruments in her music.
Her compositions and
arrangements can be found
on many diverse
Cds.
The Lonesome Knight Ensemble de cuivres [Conducteur et Parties séparées] - Facile Gobelin Music Publications
Brass Band - Grade 3 SKU: BT.GOB-000401-030 Composed by Saskia Apon. Set ...(+)
Brass Band - Grade 3
SKU:
BT.GOB-000401-030
Composed by Saskia Apon.
Set (Score & Parts). 56
pages. Gobelin Music
Publications #GOB
000401-030. Published by
Gobelin Music
Publications
(BT.GOB-000401-030).
The composition
the Lonesome Knight was
based on a fairytale. The
piece was written by
Saskia Apon for the
National Brass Band
Championships
2001.
Once upon a
time there was a knight
who went to fight and
defeat the dragon that
had beenkilling the
people of his town.
There is a short but
intense battle between
the two and the knight is
triumphant. However
whilst persuing the
dragon the knight has
travelled far away from
his home and now is lost.
He roames around trying
to findhis way home, but
exhausted and weary he
falls to the ground. He
awakens startled by a
Giant and a group of
Goblins who are
celebrating the death of
the dragon. The
knight joins in the
festivities but after a
long evening is once more
leftalone. The sun
rises the following
morning and he sees a
castle on the horizon. He
enthousiastcally ventures
towards the castle in the
hope of meeting other
people. However he
becomes greatly
disillusioned when there
is none to be found.
Inhis desperation the
knight climbs the tower
ready to jump off.
Suddenly he hears a
heavenly voice. Right
before him is the most
beautiful princess he has
ever seen. She graciously
thanks him for killing
the dragon, a spark
ingnites between themand
they build a life
together and.... live
happily ever
after!
Saskia
Apon studied harp at
Rotterdam School of
music. With this
instrument she rounded of
her studies by passing
with credit, however it
was her love of
composition thatremained
her focus.
Self-taught, she began
composing at the age of
nine. Since then she has
written pieces for The
Dutch Brass Quintet, The
Dutch Brass Ensemble, The
Rotterdam Trombone
Quartet and the brass
band quintet Brass
Ability. Atpresent
she is the in-house
arranger for The
Rotterdam Philarmonic
Brass Ensemble.
Besides the customary
attention for the real
splashworks she
endeavours to add value
to the melodic function
of the brass wind
instruments in her music.
Hercompositions and
arrangements can be found
on many diverse Cds.The
composition the Lonesome
Knight was based on a
fairytale. The piece was
written by Saskia Apon
for the National Brass
Band Championships
2001.
Once upon a
time there was aknight
who went to fight and
defeat the dragon that
had been killing the
people of his town.
There is a short but
intense battle between
the two and the knight is
triumphant. However
whilst persuing the
dragon the knight has
travelled far awayfrom
his home and now is lost.
He roames around trying
to find his way home, but
exhausted and weary he
falls to the ground. He
awakens startled by a
Giant and a group of
Goblins who are
celebrating the death of
the dragon. The
knight joins inthe
festivities but after a
long evening is once more
left alone. The sun
rises the following
morning and he sees a
castle on the horizon. He
enthousiastcally ventures
towards the castle in the
hope of meeting other
people. However he
becomesgreatly
disillusioned when there
is none to be found. In
his desperation the
knight climbs the tower
ready to jump off.
Suddenly he hears a
heavenly voice. Right
before him is the most
beautiful princess he has
ever seen. She graciously
thankshim for killing the
dragon, a spark ingnites
between them and they
build a life together
and.... live happily ever
after!
Saskia
Apon studied harp at
Rotterdam School of
music. With this
instrument she rounded of
her studies by passing
withcredit, however it
was her love of
composition that remained
her focus.
Self-taught, she began
composing at the age of
nine. Since then she has
written pieces for The
Dutch Brass Quintet, The
Dutch Brass Ensemble, The
Rotterdam Trombone
Quartetand the brass band
quintet Brass
Ability. At present
she is the in-house
arranger for The
Rotterdam Philarmonic
Brass Ensemble.
Besides the customary
attention for the real
splashworks she
endeavours to add value
to the melodic functionof
the brass wind
instruments in her music.
Her compositions and
arrangements can be found
on many diverse
Cds.
SKU: BR.EB-9387 Composed by Christian Mason. Edition Breitkopf. New music...(+)
SKU: BR.EB-9387
Composed by Christian
Mason. Edition Breitkopf.
New music (post-2000);
Music post-1945. Set of
parts. Composed 2019.
Duration 20'. Breitkopf
and Haertel #EB 9387.
Published by Breitkopf
and Haertel (BR.EB-9387).
ISBN 9790004188576. 0
x 0
inches.
Commissione
d by the Kolner
Philharmonie (KolnMusik)
for the non bthvn projekt
2020 and the Cite de la
musique / Philharmonie de
Paris Dedicated to
Arditti Quartet Each
movement of this quartet
explores a single state,
its lights and its
shadows. Each movement,
you could say, is a
moment . And these
moments could last for
more or less time without
compromising their
essential nature. The
processes could be
extended or compressed,
repeated or reversed, but
the core ideas - if they
are ideas, but maybe they
are simply experiences? -
are what they are.
Despite this, the precise
sequence of movements
matters a great deal.
Heard together they do
articulate some kind of
linear narrative, maybe
even a metaphorical
journey (albeit a
circular one where the
arrival might, who knows,
prove to be a new
departure). One situation
gives way to another and
instrumental
relationships within the
quartet vary, but
ultimately the
imaginative impulse
behind the piece
preferences states of
unity. Whether or not
this unity is expressed
texturally - sometimes
literal unisons pervade,
but not always - there is
generally a sense that
even seemingly diverse
aspects relate to a
fundamental condition of
concord: a conscious
limitation in the pitch
structure to spectral
emanations of the root
notes E-flat and C. At
the opening this is
unambiguously audible in
the perpetual alternation
of these two notes in the
low cello register. Later
the two spectra are woven
into a micro-tonal
'double-spectral-mode'
(derived from the first
24 partials of the C and
E-flat fundamentals),
which defines the subtle
melodic inflection of the
second movement, and the
never-quite-chromatic
ascending scales of the
third. For now this feels
like a rich source of
melodic possibility, so
far only just glimpsed...
And why the insistence on
E-flat? Probably by way
of historical anecdote.
Apparently Karl Holz (a
member of the
Schuppanzigh Quartet)
said to Beethoven: We
performed your Quartet in
E-flat Op. 127 in his
[Weber's] honour; he
found the Adagio too
long; but I told him:
Beethoven also has a
longer feeling and a
longer imagination than
anyone standing or not
standing today. - Since
then, even Linke (another
member of the quartet)
can no longer stand him:
we cannot forgive him for
this. Listening again to
Op. 127, in light of
these comments, I was
struck by the opening
moment: the unfolding of
an E-flat 7th chord over
the course of a few bars.
Every time I hear it I
find myself wishing that
Beethoven would have
lingered longer there,
without resolution or
progression, just
enjoying that sonority.
And maybe - why not? -
tune the 7th naturally.
And what would it be to
stretch that moment into
an entire piece? What
would Weber think of
that?! In the end I was
not so extreme in my
self-limitation, and
other concerns took over,
but it was from these
thoughts that the
composition process
began... Lastly, about
the title: it comes from
a book called 'The Clock
of the Long Now' by
Stewart Brand, published
at the turn of the
millennium. It's about
the creation of a
thousand-year clock to
embody the aspiration to
thinking in terms of
longer time-spans than
are presently habitual.
If the music of Beethoven
embodied a 'longer'
feeling and imagination
than some of his
contemporaries were able
to appreciate, what is
our relation to time now?
Longer or shorter? Maybe
it depends who you ask...
It's probably more
extreme in both
directions: attention
spans might be
diminishing in the
digital world, but
conversely there is an
awareness of distant
pasts and potential
futures which would have
been inconceivable at the
time of Beethoven. In any
case, the interesting
thing is to ponder how
societal conditions,
assumptions and
expectations might -
whether consciously or
unconsciously - influence
the time of art, for
listeners and creators
alike. And what if time
is running out?
(Christian
Mason)
World
premiere: Paris, Cite de
la musique, January 14,
2020.
Composed by Christian Mason. World premiere: Paris, Cite de la musique, Januar...(+)
Composed by Christian
Mason.
World premiere: Paris,
Cite
de la musique, January
14,
2020. Breitkopf and
Haertel
#EB 9377. Published by
Breitkopf and Haertel
Piano and orchestra - difficult SKU: HL.49046544 For piano and orchest...(+)
Piano and orchestra -
difficult
SKU:
HL.49046544
For
piano and orchestra.
Composed by Gyorgy
Ligeti. This edition:
Saddle stitching. Sheet
music. Edition Schott.
Softcover. Composed
1985-1988. Duration 24'.
Schott Music #ED23178.
Published by Schott Music
(HL.49046544).
ISBN
9781705122655. UPC:
842819108726.
9.0x12.0x0.224
inches.
I composed
the Piano Concerto in two
stages: the first three
movements during the
years 1985-86, the next
two in 1987, the final
autograph of the last
movement was ready by
January, 1988. The
concerto is dedicated to
the American conductor
Mario di Bonaventura. The
markings of the movements
are the following: 1.
Vivace molto ritmico e
preciso 2. Lento e
deserto 3. Vivace
cantabile 4. Allegro
risoluto 5. Presto
luminoso.The first
performance of the
three-movement Concerto
was on October 23rd, 1986
in Graz. Mario di
Bonaventura conducted
while his brother,
Anthony di Bonaventura,
was the soloist. Two days
later the performance was
repeated in the Vienna
Konzerthaus. After
hearing the work twice, I
came to the conclusion
that the third movement
is not an adequate
finale; my feeling of
form demanded
continuation, a
supplement. That led to
the composing of the next
two movements. The
premiere of the whole
cycle took place on
February 29th, 1988, in
the Vienna Konzerthaus
with the same conductor
and the same pianist. The
orchestra consisted of
the following: flute,
oboe, clarinet, bassoon,
horn, trumpet, tenor
trombone, percussion and
strings. The flautist
also plays the piccoIo,
the clarinetist, the alto
ocarina. The percussion
is made up of diverse
instruments, which one
musician-virtuoso can
play. It is more
practical, however, if
two or three musicians
share the instruments.
Besides traditional
instruments the
percussion part calls
also for two simple wind
instruments: the swanee
whistle and the
harmonica. The string
instrument parts (two
violins, viola, cello and
doubles bass) can be
performed soloistic since
they do not contain
divisi. For balance,
however, the ensemble
playing is recommended,
for example 6-8 first
violins, 6-8 second, 4-6
violas, 4-6 cellos, 3-4
double basses. In the
Piano Concerto I realized
new concepts of harmony
and rhythm. The first
movement is entirely
written in bimetry:
simultaneously 12/8 and
4/4 (8/8). This relates
to the known triplet on a
doule relation and in
itself is nothing new.
Because, however, I
articulate 12 triola and
8 duola pulses, an
entangled, up till now
unheard kind of polymetry
is created. The rhythm is
additionally complicated
because of asymmetric
groupings inside two
speed layers, which means
accents are
asymmetrically
distributed. These
groups, as in the talea
technique, have a fixed,
continuously repeating
rhythmic structures of
varying lengths in speed
layers of 12/8 and 4/4.
This means that the
repeating pattern in the
12/8 level and the
pattern in the 4/4 level
do not coincide and
continuously give a
kaleidoscope of renewing
combinations. In our
perception we quickly
resign from following
particular rhythmical
successions and that what
is going on in time
appears for us as
something static,
resting. This music, if
it is played properly, in
the right tempo and with
the right accents inside
particular layers, after
a certain time 'rises, as
it were, as a plane after
taking off: the rhythmic
action, too complex to be
able to follow in detail,
begins flying. This
diffusion of individual
structures into a
different global
structure is one of my
basic compositional
concepts: from the end of
the fifties, from the
orchestral works
Apparitions and
Atmospheres I
continuously have been
looking for new ways of
resolving this basic
question. The harmony of
the first movement is
based on mixtures, hence
on the parallel leading
of voices. This technique
is used here in a rather
simple form; later in the
fourth movement it will
be considerably
developed. The second
movement (the only slow
one amongst five
movements) also has a
talea type of structure,
it is however much
simpler rhythmically,
because it contains only
one speed layer. The
melody is consisted in
the development of a
rigorous interval mode in
which two minor seconds
and one major second
alternate therefore nine
notes inside an octave.
This mode is transposed
into different degrees
and it also determines
the harmony of the
movement; however, in
closing episode in the
piano part there is a
combination of diatonics
(white keys) and
pentatonics (black keys)
led in brilliant,
sparkling quasimixtures,
while the orchestra
continues to play in the
nine tone mode. In this
movement I used isolated
sounds and extreme
registers (piccolo in a
very low register,
bassoon in a very high
register, canons played
by the swanee whistle,
the alto ocarina and
brass with a harmon-mute'
damper, cutting sound
combinations of the
piccolo, clarinet and
oboe in an extremely high
register, also
alternating of a
whistle-siren and
xylophone). The third
movement also has one
speed layer and because
of this it appears as
simpler than the first,
but actually the rhythm
is very complicated in a
different way here. Above
the uninterrupted, fast
and regular basic pulse,
thanks to the asymmetric
distribution of accents,
different types of
hemiolas and inherent
melodical patterns appear
(the term was coined by
Gerhard Kubik in relation
to central African
music). If this movement
is played with the
adequate speed and with
very clear accentuation,
illusory
rhythmic-melodical
figures appear. These
figures are not played
directly; they do not
appear in the score, but
exist only in our
perception as a result of
co-operation of different
voices. Already earlier I
had experimented with
illusory rhythmics,
namely in Poeme
symphonique for 100
metronomes (1962), in
Continuum for harpsichord
(1968), in Monument for
two pianos (1976), and
especially in the first
and sixth piano etude
Desordre and Automne a
Varsovie (1985). The
third movement of the
Piano Concerto is up to
now the clearest example
of illusory rhythmics and
illusory melody. In
intervallic and chordal
structure this movement
is based on alternation,
and also inter-relation
of various modal and
quasi-equidistant harmony
spaces. The tempered
twelve-part division of
the octave allows for
diatonical and other
modal interval
successions, which are
not equidistant, but are
based on the alternation
of major and minor
seconds in different
groups. The tempered
system also allows for
the use of the
anhemitonic pentatonic
scale (the black keys of
the piano). From
equidistant scales,
therefore interval
formations which are
based on the division of
an octave in equal
distances, the
twelve-tone tempered
system allows only
chromatics (only minor
seconds) and the six-tone
scale (the whole-tone:
only major seconds).
Moreover, the division of
the octave into four
parts only minor thirds)
and three parts (three
major thirds) is
possible. In several
music cultures different
equidistant divisions of
an octave are accepted,
for example, in the
Javanese slendro into
five parts, in Melanesia
into seven parts, popular
also in southeastern
Asia, and apart from
this, in southern Africa.
This does not mean an
exact equidistance: there
is a certain tolerance
for the inaccurateness of
the interval tuning.
These exotic for us,
Europeans, harmony and
melody have attracted me
for several years.
However I did not want to
re-tune the piano
(microtone deviations
appear in the concerto
only in a few places in
the horn and trombone
parts led in natural
tones). After the period
of experimenting, I got
to pseudo- or
quasiequidistant
intervals, which is
neither whole-tone nor
chromatic: in the
twelve-tone system, two
whole-tone scales are
possible, shifted a minor
second apart from each
other. Therefore, I
connect these two scales
(or sound resources), and
for example, places occur
where the melodies and
figurations in the piano
part are created from
both whole tone scales;
in one band one six-tone
sound resource is
utilized, and in the
other hand, the
complementary. In this
way whole-tonality and
chromaticism mutually
reduce themselves: a type
of deformed
equidistancism is formed,
strangely brilliant and
at the same time
slanting; illusory
harmony, indeed being
created inside the
tempered twelve-tone
system, but in sound
quality not belonging to
it anymore. The
appearance of such
slantedequidistant
harmony fields
alternating with modal
fields and based on
chords built on fifths
(mainly in the piano
part), complemented with
mixtures built on fifths
in the orchestra, gives
this movement an
individual, soft-metallic
colour (a metallic sound
resulting from
harmonics). The fourth
movement was meant to be
the central movement of
the Concerto. Its
melodc-rhythmic elements
(embryos or fragments of
motives) in themselves
are simple. The movement
also begins simply, with
a succession of
overlapping of these
elements in the mixture
type structures. Also
here a kaleidoscope is
created, due to a limited
number of these elements
- of these pebbles in the
kaleidoscope - which
continuously return in
augmentations and
diminutions. Step by
step, however, so that in
the beginning we cannot
hear it, a compiled
rhythmic organization of
the talea type gradually
comes into daylight,
based on the simultaneity
of two mutually shifted
to each other speed
layers (also triplet and
duoles, however, with
different asymmetric
structures than in the
first movement). While
longer rests are
gradually filled in with
motive fragments, we
slowly come to the
conclusion that we have
found ourselves inside a
rhythmic-melodical whirl:
without change in tempo,
only through increasing
the density of the
musical events, a
rotation is created in
the stream of successive
and compiled, augmented
and diminished motive
fragments, and increasing
the density suggests
acceleration. Thanks to
the periodical structure
of the composition,
always new but however of
the same (all the motivic
cells are similar to
earlier ones but none of
them are exactly
repeated; the general
structure is therefore
self-similar), an
impression is created of
a gigantic, indissoluble
network. Also, rhythmic
structures at first
hidden gradually begin to
emerge, two independent
speed layers with their
various internal
accentuations. This
great, self-similar whirl
in a very indirect way
relates to musical
associations, which came
to my mind while watching
the graphic projection of
the mathematical sets of
Julia and of Mandelbrot
made with the help of a
computer. I saw these
wonderful pictures of
fractal creations, made
by scientists from Brema,
Peitgen and Richter, for
the first time in 1984.
From that time they have
played a great role in my
musical concepts. This
does not mean, however,
that composing the fourth
movement I used
mathematical methods or
iterative calculus;
indeed, I did use
constructions which,
however, are not based on
mathematical thinking,
but are rather craftman's
constructions (in this
respect, my attitude
towards mathematics is
similar to that of the
graphic artist Maurits
Escher). I am concerned
rather with intuitional,
poetic, synesthetic
correspondence, not on
the scientific, but on
the poetic level of
thinking. The fifth, very
short Presto movement is
harmonically very simple,
but all the more
complicated in its
rhythmic structure: it is
based on the further
development of ''inherent
patterns of the third
movement. The
quasi-equidistance system
dominates harmonically
and melodically in this
movement, as in the
third, alternating with
harmonic fields, which
are based on the division
of the chromatic whole
into diatonics and
anhemitonic pentatonics.
Polyrhythms and harmonic
mixtures reach their
greatest density, and at
the same time this
movement is strikingly
light, enlightened with
very bright colours: at
first it seems chaotic,
but after listening to it
for a few times it is
easy to grasp its
content: many autonomous
but self-similar figures
which crossing
themselves. I present my
artistic credo in the
Piano Concerto: I
demonstrate my
independence from
criteria of the
traditional avantgarde,
as well as the
fashionable
postmodernism. Musical
illusions which I
consider to be also so
important are not a goal
in itself for me, but a
foundation for my
aesthetical attitude. I
prefer musical forms
which have a more
object-like than
processual character.
Music as frozen time, as
an object in imaginary
space evoked by music in
our imagination, as a
creation which really
develops in time, but in
imagination it exists
simultaneously in all its
moments. The spell of
time, the enduring its
passing by, closing it in
a moment of the present
is my main intention as a
composer. (Gyorgy
Ligeti).
Piano - Grade 7-8 SKU: ST.C463 Composed by Federico Ruiz. Edited by Clara...(+)
Piano - Grade 7-8
SKU:
ST.C463
Composed by
Federico Ruiz. Edited by
Clara Rodriguez. Piano
and keyboard music.
Collection. Clifton
Edition #C463. Published
by Clifton Edition
(ST.C463).
ISBN
9790570814633.
This
volume contains
contrasting works by
Federico Ruiz spanning
quite a large and rich
period of his
compositional output that
goes from his early
Micro-Suite (1971), to
lilting, sweet and
rhythmic Venezuelan
waltzes passing by the
mysterious, intimate, and
intense Nocturno (1994)
plus pieces originally
composed for film, and
theatre. Real eclecticism
in styles, moods and
atmospheres that show
Ruizâ??s talents and
scope.
The
Nocturno is a deep,
intriguing, substantial
piece presenting a
satisfying length which
moves from different
paths of the mind and the
heart written in an
abstract, chromatic
idiom, that does not
dissociate itself from
the Venezuelan waltz and
the joropo. One could
perhaps say that there is
a deconstruction of the
latter. For the
interpretation, the
composer has suggested to
me that it is allowed to
have some flexibility in
the tempo. Ruiz kindly
dedicated it to me, and I
have had the pleasure of
performing it in many
concerts.
Although
all highly expressive,
the Three Venezuelan
Waltzes present in this
collection as well as the
piece titled Aliseo, are
works that are close to
the colourful Venezuelan
folk tradition. Federico
Ruiz had given me two of
them when we first met:
â??Tu Presenciaâ??
(1981) and
â??EloÃsaâ?? (1989)
and then I attended a
performance of the play
â??Office Number Oneâ??
by Miguel Otero Silva
with a fantastic actor,
Elba Escobar in the role
of Carmen Rosa and, I
just fell in love and was
very moved by the
incidental music that I
later discovered, by
reading the programme,
had been written by
Federico Ruiz. Later that
evening, I called him and
asked to please make a
piano score of the
composition, so I could
have the desired piece in
my hands. That is how
â??Carmen Rosaâ?
waltz (1987) came to
exist in a piano
version.
â??Elois
aâ?? is another
Venezuelan waltz with
more jazzy harmonies
where precision in the
rhythm and elegant
playing is also
essential, as it is in
most of his
pieces.
â??Tu
Presenciaâ?? was
dedicated to his mother,
Margarita. It is written
with the structure of the
Venezuelan waltz, which
consists of a nostalgic
subject that leads to a
faster, happier middle
section where the typical
graceful rhythm is given
by the left-hand
accompaniment figure of a
dotted crotchet followed
by a quaver and a
crotchet.
The
craft and magic found in
the five movements of the
Micro-Suite is based on a
dodecaphonic row by Ernst
Krenek. They remind us of
the idiom of the Second
Viennese School. These
real miniatures seem to
tell short stories. The
â??Preludioâ?? is full
of humour. I imagine
dancing figures given by
the jumps all over the
keyboard and extreme
dynamics; the phrases
give the impression of a
conversation with many
questions and answers.
The â??Invenciónâ??
is a kaleidoscopic piece
where the hands mirror
each other. The
â??Passacagliaâ?? is
the longest movement, at
just over a minute where
the prime motif is
repeated three times on
the bass line. For its
construction Federico
Ruiz uses as well the
retrograde and the
retrograde inversion of
the twelve-tone series.
It must be played
expressively with dynamic
contrasts between
pianissimo and louder
events. The
â??Scherzoâ?? has
repetitive motifs of a
minor third in both hands
and the â??Finalâ??
displays virtuosic
passages for the
pianist.
Chamber Music Piano SKU: PR.140401340 Sketches for Piano. Composed...(+)
Chamber Music Piano
SKU: PR.140401340
Sketches for
Piano. Composed by
Harry T. Burleigh. Edited
by Lara Downes. 16 pages.
Duration 18 minutes.
Theodore Presser Company
#140-40134. Published by
Theodore Presser Company
(PR.140401340).
ISBN
9781491134450. UPC:
680160684953.
Best
known for his settings of
spirituals and influence
on Dvorák, Henry T.
Burleigh was a celebrated
baritone, and a prolific
composer of original
works. FROM THE SOUTHLAND
is a suite of six
atmospheric scenes of the
American south, inspired
by Black musical and
cultural traditions. FROM
THE SOUTHLAND is within
reach of intermediate
pianists and artistically
suited for professional
recitals. In 1835,
Henry T.
Burleigh’s
maternal grandfather
purchased his own release
from slavery for the sum
of $50, and traveled
north out of Maryland to
begin a new life as a
free man. He established
his family in Ithaca, NY,
and then moved to the
bustling lakefront city
of Erie, PA, where three
decades later his
grandson Henry would be
born and raised.For
Burleigh, the
“Southlandâ€
that inspired this
collection of piano
sketches was a distant
place that could not have
been more different from
the physical world he
knew, up there in the
northern snowbelt. And
yet these southern
landscapes and vignettes
must have been intensely
present in his
consciousness, absorbed
through the stories and
songs he first learned at
his grandfather’s
knee.The music of the
South – the
spirituals and work songs
he heard as a child
–would travel with
Burleigh throughout his
long and illustrious
musical life. Even as he
progressed through his
early classical training,
his career as a baritone
soloist in Erie’s
churches and synagogue,
his move to New York to
study at the National
Conservatory of Music,
and his rise to national
prominence as a concert
soloist, these ancestral
melodies stayed firmly
centered in his musical
identity.When he wrote
From the Southland, his
only composition for solo
piano, Burleigh was just
beginning his career as a
composer. The art songs
that would establish him
as one of
America’s best
known composers in the
genre were still to come.
And so were his iconic
arrangements of
spirituals that would
bring the songs of
slavery onto concert
stages around the world,
transformed into timeless
and uniquely American
music.These little piano
sketches bring together
all the things that made
Burleigh the musician he
was – the lush,
late-romantic style of
his time; a broad vision
for American music; and a
profound respect for his
heritage, a memory of the
world his grandfather
left behind, and a love
of the music he brought
with him.
Orchestra String Sextet, Piano - Grade 3 SKU: CF.CAS106 Composed by Grego...(+)
Orchestra String Sextet,
Piano - Grade 3
SKU:
CF.CAS106
Composed by
Gregory Singer. SWS FS.
Carl Fischer Concert
String Orchestra Series.
Set of Score and Parts.
With Standard notation.
16+16+5+2+5+5+3+12 pages.
Duration 3 minutes, 18
seconds. Carl Fischer
Music #CAS106. Published
by Carl Fischer Music
(CF.CAS106).
ISBN
9781491146668. UPC:
680160904167. 9 x 12
inches. Key: D
major.
Gregory
Singer brings us a
descriptive work inspired
by the story of a father
and son who fought on
different sides in the
America Civil War. The
composition begins with a
tender melancholic ballad
that leads to a cheerful
fiddle tune. The piece is
brought to a dynamic
conclusion when the
themes are stated in
counterpoint. This
composition was inspired
by a story of a father
and son that fought in
the American Civil War .
My original version for
full symphony orchestra
had lyrics that tells the
story of a father
fighting for the North
and his son fighting for
the South . In the story,
the father and son both
die in the same battle
fighting for the opposite
sides . The mother and
daughter are waiting for
their return and have
prepared food for them .
Alas, they will never
return .It is a
melancholy, sentimental
melody with a cheerful
up-tempo section
representing the mother's
and daughter’s
memories of the happy
times together .
About Carl
Fischer Concert String
Orchestra
Series
Thi
s series of pieces (Grade
3 and higher) is designed
for advancing ensembles.
The pieces in this series
are characterized
by:
Expanded use
of rhythms, ranges and
keys but technical
demands are still
carefully
considered
More
comprehensive bowing
techniques
Viola
T.C.
included
Careful
selection of keys and
degree of difficulty for
advancing
musicians
The Book of Urizen is Jacob de Haan his first Symphony for concert band, ...(+)
The Book of Urizen
is Jacob de Haan his
first Symphony for
concert band, solo
soprano, and a male
narrator in which sound
collages of expressions
are used. The piece is
inspired by the
compelling visionary poem
of the samename (which
the poet illustrated
himself) by the
Englishman William Blake
(1757-1827). The
Vision, first
movement and The
Creation, second
movement of The Book
of Urizen are
available by following
editionnumber: DHP
1043551. The Web,
the third movement of
The Book of Urizen
is available by the
following edition number:
DHP 1125252. Download the
audio samples here: track
1, track 2, track
3
In The Book
of Urizen - Jacob de
Haan zijn eerste symfonie
voor harmonieorkest,
zangstem (sopraan) en een
mannelijke spreekstem -
wordt gebruik gemaakt van
geluidscollages. De
compositie is ge
nspireerd op het
gelijknamigegedicht van
William Blake
(1757-1827). The
Vision, het eerste
deel en The
Creation, het tweede
deel van The Book of
Urizen zijn
beschikbaar via volgend
editienummer: DHP
1043551. The Web,
het derdedeel van The
Book of Urizen is
verkrijgbaar via
editienummer: DHP
1125252. Download
audiofragmenten hier:
track 1, track 2, track
3
The Book of
Urizen ist Jacob de
Haan seine erste
Symphonie für
Blasorchester, Gesang
(Sopran) und
(männliche)
Sprechstimme, in welcher
Botschaften durch
Geräuschcollagen
wiedergegeben werden. Als
Inspirationsquelle
dienteder gleichnamige
Gedichtzyklus des
großen englischen
Dichters und Malers
William Blake
(1757-1827). The
Vision, erster Satz
und The Creation,
zweiter Satz von The
Book of Urizen sind
unter der
folgendenEditionsnummer
erhältlich: DHP
1043551. The Web,
der dritte Satz von
The Book of Urizen , ist
unter der folgenden
Editionsnummer
erhältlich: DHP
1125252. Laden Sie hier
die Audiosamples
herunter: track 1, track
2,track 3
The Book of
Urizen is a work for
concert band, solo
soprano, and a male
narrator in which sound
collages of religious
expressions are used. The
piece is inspired by the
compelling visionary poem
of the same name (which
the poet
illustratedhimself) by
the Englishman William
Blake (1757-1827), who
occupies a unique
position in western
literature and the visual
arts. He was not just a
poet and a writer, but he
was also a graphic
artist, a painter, an
illustrator, a
spiritualist, areligious
visionary, and a mystic
philosopher. For the
performance of this work,
a professional sound
system, including two
microphones and a CD
player, is needed. The
three sound collages are
three separate tracks on
the enclosed CD and can
beplayed easily at the
right moment. The Book
of Urizen bears
resemblance to Genesis
and Exodus, of which the
contents form the basis
of the Christian, Jewish,
and Islamic faith. Blake
adhered to the principle
that all religions are in
fact one,and that deities
reside in human beings.
In The Book of
Urizen this is
represented in “The
Net of Religion,â€
which is spanned over the
earth by Urizen. The
sound collages, compiled
by Jacob de Haan in the
studio, find their origin
inJerusalem, the Holy
City, where the
afore-mentioned faiths
“come
together.†In the
first movement of
this composition, The
Vision, Urizen
prepares his vision of
the world, and he
presents this to the
“Eternals.â€
His vision is
rejected,and Urizen locks
himself up in his own
abstract world. When he
does emerge again, he is
confronted with rage by
the gathered Eternals.
Urizen flees the wrath of
the Eternals, “the
flames of eternal
fury,†and enwombs
himself in his own world.
Whenthe Eternals see
Urizen in his
“stony
sleep,†they wonder
if this is death. The
blacksmith Los is torn by
grief because of the
isolation of Urizen. It
brings him to rouse his
fires, prepare his forge,
and to give
Urizen’s world
concrete form. In
thesecond
movement, The
Creation,
Urizen’s world,
but also man, woman, and
child are created. Los is
horrified with the
appearance of
Urizen’s body. He
mourns and pities Urizen,
and from his blood a
female form comes into
being, with thename
Enitharmon. The Eternals,
fearful of the female
form, decide to erect a
tent to obstruct their
view to eternity.
Enitharmon and Los beget
a son, called Orc. Los
baptizes him as a child
of the “fallen
world.†Orc is fed
at Enitharmon’s
breast,which makes a
girdle of jealousy
restrict Los’
chest. He takes the child
to the top of the
mountain and chains him
down. The cries of Orc
awaken Urizen, who
explores his world
creating instruments of
scientific measurement to
do so. Los encircles
theface of Enitharmon
from the sight of Urizen
and Orc. She then
populates the earth by
giving birth to an
enormous race.The
Web, third movement
of The Book of
Urizen is now
available: DHP 1125252
Partita No. 2 Piccolo [Conducteur] Theodore Presser Co.
Chamber Music Piccolo SKU: PR.114422450 Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach...(+)
Chamber Music Piccolo
SKU: PR.114422450
Composed by Johann
Sebastian Bach. Arranged
by Nicola Mazzanti. Sws.
Full score. 20 pages.
Duration 17 minutes.
Theodore Presser Company
#114-42245. Published by
Theodore Presser Company
(PR.114422450).
ISBN
9781491134986. UPC:
680160685974. 9 x 12
inches.
Bachâs
colossal Partita No. 2
for Solo Violin has been
crowned by many masters
as one of musicâs
greatest achievements,
and even its famous
Chaconne movement alone
is a mountain many
performers dare not
scale. While the
literature of several
other instruments has
been enriched by
transcriptions of the
Chaconne, Mazzantiâs
heroic adaptation of the
complete Partita is the
culmination of many
yearsâ work, and the
only transcription
specifically for the
piccoloâs unique
range. THE
INSPIRATIONEver since my
childhood, Johann
Sebastian Bachâs
solo violin music (like
his works for solo cello)
has always held a charm
and mystery for me.
Thereâs something
about this repertoire
that sparks an
inextinguishable
questioning in my musical
and human soul.It is
music without spatial
limits or temporal cages,
a music as essential as
it is masterfully
complex, in which the
solitary voice of man
meets the
all-encompassing voice of
God. It is a music whose
vertical and horizontal
dimensions, already
admirably fused, are
faceted into new and
mysterious realities. For
every violinist, the
study of these
compositions is at the
apex of tenacious
technical study and
interpretative
effort.Violinist Joshua
Bell has said the
Ciaccona (Bach did write
the Partitaâs
movement titles in
Italian) is ânot
just one of the greatest
pieces of music ever
written, but one of the
greatest achievements of
any man in history.
Itâs a spiritually
powerful piece,
emotionally powerful,
structurally
perfect.âTranscribin
g and performing
Bachâs PARTITA NO.
2, BWV 1004 on piccolo
was a feat that took
years of work. The famous
Ciaccona movement is, of
course, the piece that
alone occupied most of
this time. How does one
honor and elevate such
high music with such a
âsmallâ
instrument, devoid of the
enormous expressive
potential of the violin,
devoid of its chords and
its polyphony? How might
I transform the piccolo
into an instrument with,
like the violin,
full-bodied low notes and
subtle high notes? Above
all, why undertake such a
demanding and
extraordinary journey?The
first reason is obvious:
by transcribing,
studying, and performing
such an admirable piece,
we assimilate it, it
becomes part of us, it
enormously enriches our
musical interior.In
addition, it forces us
technically to expand the
colors, agility, and
flexibility of the
instrument; it makes us
think in a polyphonic
way.Finally, the daily
study, especially of the
Ciaccona, is an
extraordinary gymnasium
in which to consolidate
and strengthen our
general technique.THE
TRANSCRIPTIONThe whole
Partita was transcribed
in the key of A minor, a
fifth above the original
in D minor. This was
necessary for the lowest
note of the violin (G) to
correspond to the lowest
note of the piccolo (D).
This version exploits the
full range of the
piccolo, from the D of
the first octave to the B
of the third octave.
However some octave
adjustments were
needed.The chords,
particularly in the
Sarabanda and the
Ciaccona, have been left
with the same notational
system used by Bach in
his version for violin. I
chose to respect
Bachâs presentation
and did not transcribe
these into grace notes
breaking the chords. I
advocate that we must at
least try to think of
this music in its
vertical dimension,
trying to make the notes
resonate as if they were
being played together,
deciding the speed of the
arpeggio based on musical
needs.While some woodwind
editions of Bachâs
string solos do indicate
broken chords as grace
notes, this implies that
the most important note
is necessarily the
highest one, while
sometimes it is precisely
in the lower pitches that
the theme is voiced.In
this piccolo adaptation,
many of Bachâs
original articulations
have been respected. Some
have been changed, when
needing to adapt them to
the specific needs of
flute playing.The two
passages in the Ciaccona
where Bach indicates
âarpeggioâ were
rendered trying to
respect the most
consolidated and virtuous
violin traditions, and at
the same time the
possibilities that the
piccolo offers us. For
this purpose, in some
cases, different
revoicings of the chords
have been used.I thank
all those who patiently
listened to me and were
close to me during this
period, for their
observations and advice.
In particular, I thank my
daughter Sara for her
assistance and skill in
entering this edition
into music writing
software.
Piano SKU: HL.50600925 For Piano. Composed by Bright Sheng. Piano....(+)
Piano
SKU:
HL.50600925
For
Piano. Composed by
Bright Sheng. Piano.
Classical. Softcover. 32
pages. G. Schirmer
#ED4625. Published by G.
Schirmer (HL.50600925).
ISBN 9781495095320.
UPC: 888680688592. 9x12
inches.
Composer
Note: In 1990, after
eight years in the United
States, I wrote my first
work for solo piano,
titled My Song,
commissioned for Peter
Serkin. At the time, my
primary compositional
concentration was to
develop a melodic and
harmonic style within the
boundaries of Chinese
folk music, which are
mostly in pentatonic
modes, and contemporary
Western Classical music.
As a result, all the four
movements in My
Song were either
based on existing Chinese
folk tunes or written in
their style. I was asked
recently by another
virtuoso pianist friend,
Yefim Bronfman, to write
a work for solo piano.
After the passing of 17
years, I wonder if there
is any change in my
writing. I therefore
titled the new suite
My Other
Song.
There
are four movements in the
composition, the first
three of which are brief
and provide contrast in
character. The theme of
the last movement, the
longest, is based on a
Buddhist chant heard at
the wake for my mother in
February
2005.–Bright
Sheng.
By Helen Marlais and Peggy O'Dell. Instructional Method, Theory. Elementary-late...(+)
By Helen Marlais and
Peggy O'Dell.
Instructional Method,
Theory. Elementary-late
elementary. Instructional
book. 72 pages. Published
by The FJH Music Company
Inc
By Eric Taylor. ABRSM Music Theory in Practice Answers is a brand new resource t...(+)
By Eric Taylor. ABRSM
Music Theory in Practice
Answers is a brand new
resource to accompany the
fully- revised Grades 1
to 5 of the Music Theory
in Practice series. Each
volume provides model
answers for every
exercise covered in the
corresponding Music
Theory in Practic.
Education. Grade 4
By Eric Taylor. ABRSM Music Theory in Practice Answers is a brand new resource t...(+)
By Eric Taylor. ABRSM
Music Theory in Practice
Answers is a brand new
resource to accompany the
fully- revised Grades 1
to 5 of the Music Theory
in Practice series. Each
volume provides model
answers for every
exercise covered in the
corresponding Music
Theory in Practic.
Education. Grade 3
By Eric Taylor. ABRSM Music Theory in Practice Answers is a brand new resource t...(+)
By Eric Taylor. ABRSM
Music Theory in Practice
Answers is a brand new
resource to accompany the
fully- revised Grades 1
to 5 of the Music Theory
in Practice series. Each
volume provides model
answers for every
exercise covered in the
corresponding Music
Theory in Practic.
Education. Grade 5
(For the Later Beginner). By Valerie Cisler and Deanna Walker-Tipps. For Piano. ...(+)
(For the Later Beginner).
By Valerie Cisler and
Deanna Walker-Tipps. For
Piano.
Method/Instruction; Piano
- Alfred's Basic Piano
Course. Alfred's Basic
Piano Library. Children.
Book. 56 pages. Published
by Alfred Music
Publishing
For the Later Beginner. By Valerie Cisler and Deanna Walker-Tipps. For Piano. Pi...(+)
For the Later Beginner.
By Valerie Cisler and
Deanna Walker-Tipps. For
Piano. Piano Method.
Alfred's Basic Piano
Library. Book. 40 pages.
Published by Alfred
Publishing.
There Shall a Star CD Chorale [Conducteur et Parties séparées] Hal Leonard
Choral (ChoirTrax CD) SKU: HL.274444 From Christus. Composed by Fe...(+)
Choral (ChoirTrax CD)
SKU: HL.274444
From Christus.
Composed by Felix
Bartholdy Mendelssohn.
Arranged by John Leavitt.
Sacred Choral. Advent,
Christmas,
Christmas/Advent Sacred,
Concert, Epiphany,
General Worship. CD.
Duration 240 seconds.
Published by Hal Leonard
(HL.274444).
UPC:
888680739973.
5.0x5.0x0.15 inches.
Matthew 2:2, Numbers
24:17, Psalm
72:8.
From Felix
Mendelssohn's oratorio,
Christus, this masterwork
adaptation tastefully
presents a classical work
for church and academic
choirs. This chorus is
from one of Mendelssohn's
final works which was
never completed. The
rolling triplet
accompaniment pushes the
composition forward with
wave-like arches,
supporting the choir in
all of its sonorous
glory. A smooth
contrapuntal style
contrasts with dramatic
accents and powerful
crescendos, displaying
the confident
scripture-based text with
appropriate excitement!
John Leavitt has provided
a new piano accompaniment
as well as a new
sparkling orchestration
that supports the work
while staying faithful to
the Mendelssohn original.
Score and Parts (fl 1-2,
ob, cl 1-2, bn, perc,
timp, hp, vn 1-2, va, vc,
db) available as a
digital download.
A Study Guide with Amy Porter. Composed by Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1...(+)
A Study Guide with Amy
Porter. Composed by
Georg Philipp Telemann
(1681-1767). DVD.
Theodore Presser Company
#PO-DVD2. Published by
Theodore Presser Company
(PR.PODVD20).
2016 edition. Composed by The Royal Conservatory Music Development Progra...(+)
2016 edition.
Composed by The Royal
Conservatory Music
Development Program. This
edition: 2016 edition.
Theory. Celebrate Theory.
Book. 96 pages. Published
by The Frederick Harris
Music Company (FH.TCT06).