Arranged by Mac Huff. SATB Score for SATB chorus. With vocal score, lyrics and spoken text. 55 pages. Published by Hal Leonard.

For voice. Format: vocal songbook (spiral bound). With vocal score and chord names. Gospel and Country. 9x12 inches. Published by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing.
Click here for Listening Cassette

Arranged by Mac Huff. (SATB score). Broadway Choral. Size 9x12 inches. 96 pages. Published by Hal Leonard.

Arranged by Mac Huff. (2-part score). Broadway Choral. Size 9x12 inches. 96 pages. Published by Hal Leonard.

Arranged by Mac Huff. (SAB score). Broadway Choral. Size 9x12 inches. 96 pages. Published by Hal Leonard.

For Trombone. Jazz/RandB. Includes a high-quality printed music score; and two compact discs with complete versions (with soloist) followed by piano accompaniments to each piece, minus the soloist. Published by Music Minus One

Band Concert Band - Grade 2

SKU: CF.YPS200F

Composed by Matthew R. Putnam. Young Band (YPS). Full score. With Standard notation. 16 pages. Carl Fischer Music #YPS200F. Published by Carl Fischer Music (CF.YPS200F).

ISBN 9781491152881. UPC: 680160910380.

Step right up, ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, step right up! See the exotic, the strange, and the magical at the Cirque de L’étrange, or “Circus of the Strange.” This piece evokes a bygone era when circuses and carnivals provided people from all walks of life a chance to see human and animal oddities. Cirque de L'étrange is an original concert march written in standard march form, but its sound is anything but standard. This piece is playable by younger groups and is a great way to expose students to the march form and style without sounding like your typical march.
Step right up ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, step right up! See the exotic, the strange, and the magical at the Cirque de L’étrange. Welcome to the Cirque de L’étrange, known in English as the “Circus of the Strange.” This piece evokes a time of a bygone era, a time when circuses and carnivals provided people from all walks of life a chance to see human and animal oddities that were sources of both delight and horror. While many of these sideshow attractions were deemed fraudulent, it did not deter the crowds from flocking to be shocked and awed. I have always held a special place in my heart for the showmanship of carnivals, because my grandfather dearly loved them. For much of his life, he worked at fairs and carnivals selling cotton candy and candy apples. A large portion of my days when growing up were spent running around fairgrounds and helping my grandfather with his stand. He imparted in me a love for the cunning, magic, and sheer joy that only carnivals and circuses can bring. In Cirque de L’étrange, I sought to capture the the mirthful, yet uncanny mood of the carnivals that I grew up exploring, thus transporting you to a different time.Cirque de L'étrange is an original concert march written in standard march form, but its sound is anything but standard. This piece is playable by younger groups, as it is a great way to expose students to the march form and style while not sounding like your typical march.Opening in D minor, the piece combines the playful feel of a march and a macabre tango. The second time through the First Strain (mm. 5-23), the upper woodwinds and bells add a second counter melody based in D harmonic minor, which heightens the peculiar nature of the piece. The Second Strain (mm. 24-43) by contrast, is a little more upbeat, thus evoking the magical ebullience of a circus, which is further highlighted by the xylophone part. The Second Strain ends in the key of F major and sets up the transition to the Trio in the key of G minor. The Trio (m. 44) begins with the G harmonic minor melody in the clarinets and a counter melody in the bassoon and tenor saxophone. The rest of the woodwinds and bells join in at m. 60 while the percussion adds a Gypsy-like feel with tambourine and triangle. At m. 76 the full band joins in the macabre parade with the trombones and baritones harmonizing the counter melody. The conclusion of the march has the upper woodwinds, adding a second counter melody complete with trills to bring the march to an exciting and dramatic finish.As the World’s Greatest Showman, P.T. Barnum, a man my grandfather greatly admired, once said “The noblest art is that of making others happy.” It is my hope that through this piece you will experience the thrill, delight, and fright that only carnivals can bring as you visit the Circus of the Strange!

By Stan Getz and Beaux Arts String Ensemble. By Eddie Sauter. Edited by Rob Duboff, Jeffrey Sultanof, Alex Chilowicz, and Andrew Homzy. Arranged by Eddie Sauter. For string ensemble (score and parts) (Soloist (parts in concert, B-flat, and E-flat), Violin I (8 parts), Violin II (8 parts), Viola (5 Parts), Cello (5 Parts) , Double Bass (3 Parts), Harp, Piano/Celeste, Percussion (Snare Drum, Marimba, Tambourine)). Advanced. Score and parts. Published by Jazz Lines Publications

Band Concert Band - Grade 2

SKU: CF.YPS200

Composed by Matthew R. Putnam. Young Band (YPS). Set of Score and Parts. With Standard notation. 8+2+4+2+2+5+2+2+4+4+6+3+3 +2+1+3+16+4+4+2+2 pages. Duration 2:15. Carl Fischer Music #YPS200. Published by Carl Fischer Music (CF.YPS200).

ISBN 9781491152201. UPC: 680160909704. Key: D minor.

Step right up, ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, step right up! See the exotic, the strange, and the magical at the Cirque de L’étrange, or “Circus of the Strange.” This piece evokes a bygone era when circuses and carnivals provided people from all walks of life a chance to see human and animal oddities. Cirque de L'étrange is an original concert march written in standard march form, but its sound is anything but standard. This piece is playable by younger groups and is a great way to expose students to the march form and style without sounding like your typical march.
Step right up ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, step right up! See the exotic, the strange, and the magical at the Cirque de L’étrange. Welcome to the Cirque de L’étrange, known in English as the “Circus of the Strange.” This piece evokes a time of a bygone era, a time when circuses and carnivals provided people from all walks of life a chance to see human and animal oddities that were sources of both delight and horror. While many of these sideshow attractions were deemed fraudulent, it did not deter the crowds from flocking to be shocked and awed. I have always held a special place in my heart for the showmanship of carnivals, because my grandfather dearly loved them. For much of his life, he worked at fairs and carnivals selling cotton candy and candy apples. A large portion of my days when growing up were spent running around fairgrounds and helping my grandfather with his stand. He imparted in me a love for the cunning, magic, and sheer joy that only carnivals and circuses can bring. In Cirque de L’étrange, I sought to capture the the mirthful, yet uncanny mood of the carnivals that I grew up exploring, thus transporting you to a different time.Cirque de L'étrange is an original concert march written in standard march form, but its sound is anything but standard. This piece is playable by younger groups, as it is a great way to expose students to the march form and style while not sounding like your typical march.Opening in D minor, the piece combines the playful feel of a march and a macabre tango. The second time through the First Strain (mm. 5-23), the upper woodwinds and bells add a second counter melody based in D harmonic minor, which heightens the peculiar nature of the piece. The Second Strain (mm. 24-43) by contrast, is a little more upbeat, thus evoking the magical ebullience of a circus, which is further highlighted by the xylophone part. The Second Strain ends in the key of F major and sets up the transition to the Trio in the key of G minor. The Trio (m. 44) begins with the G harmonic minor melody in the clarinets and a counter melody in the bassoon and tenor saxophone. The rest of the woodwinds and bells join in at m. 60 while the percussion adds a Gypsy-like feel with tambourine and triangle. At m. 76 the full band joins in the macabre parade with the trombones and baritones harmonizing the counter melody. The conclusion of the march has the upper woodwinds, adding a second counter melody complete with trills to bring the march to an exciting and dramatic finish.As the World’s Greatest Showman, P.T. Barnum, a man my grandfather greatly admired, once said “The noblest art is that of making others happy.” It is my hope that through this piece you will experience the thrill, delight, and fright that only carnivals can bring as you visit the Circus of the Strange!

(or The Lass That Loved a Sailor ) Lyrics by W.S. Gilbert, music by Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900). For mixed voice and piano. Format: piano/vocal score. With vocal score and piano accompaniment. Broadway and vocal standards. 167 pages. 7.5x10.7 inches. Published by G. Schirmer, Inc..

Arranged by Moses Hogan. For SATB choir and piano accompaniment (for rehearsal only) (SATB). Hal Leonard Choral Collection. Choral and Gospel. Songbook. Vocal score notation. 240 pages. Published by Hal Leonard

Orchestra

SKU: BA.BA06861

Sinfonie (1923-1928). Composed by Leos Janacek. Arranged by Leoš Faltus and Miloš Štedron. This edition: complete edition, urtext edition. Linen. Complete Critical Edition of the Works of Leos Janacek H/3. Complete edition, Score, Set of parts. Duration 40 minutes. Baerenreiter Verlag #BA06861_00. Published by Baerenreiter Verlag (BA.BA06861).

ISBN 9790260104211. 34.3 x 27 cm inches.

Leoš Janácek’s symphonic fragment Dunaj (The Danube) dates from the period of the composition of “Katya Kabanova”. The composer was not concerned with a musical-picturesque description of a river landscape, but with the mythical link between women’s destinies and water.

“Pale green waves of the Danube! There are so many of you, and one followed by another. You remain interlocked in a continuous flow. You surprise yourselves where you ended up – on the Czech shores! Look back downstream and you will have an impression of what you have left behind in your haste. It pleases you here. Here I will rest with my symphony.” Thus Leoš Janácek described the idea behind the composition project which occupied him in 1923/24. However, after further work, it remained incomplete in 1926. His “symphony” entitled Dunaj has survived as a continuously-notated, four-movement bundle of sketches in score form. It is one of the works which occupied him until his death. The scholarly reconstruction by the two Brno composers Miloš Štedron and Leoš Faltus closely follows the original manuscript.

A whole conglomeration of motifs stands behind the incomplete work. What at first seems like a counterpart to Smetana’s Vltava, in fact doesn’t turn out to be a musical depiction of the Danube. On the contrary, the fateful link between the destiny of women, water and death permeates the range of motifs found in the work. It seems to be no coincidence that Janácek, whilst working on the opera Katya Kabanova, in which the Volga, as the river bringing death plays an almost mythical role, planned a Danube symphony, and that its content was linked with the destiny of women: in the sketches, two poems were found which may have provided the stimulus for several movements of the symphony. He copied a poem by Pavla Kriciková into the second movement, in which a girl remarks that whilst bathing in a pond, she was observed by a man. Filled with shame, the young naked woman jumps into the water and drowns. The outer movements likewise draw on the poem “Lola” by the Czech writer Sonja Špálová, published under the pseudonym Alexander Insarov. This is about a prostitute who asks for her heart’s desire: she is given a palace, but then goes on a long search for it and is finally no longer wanted by anyone. She suffers, feels cold and just wants a warm fire. Janácek adds his remark “she jumps into the Danube” to the inconclusive ending.

To these tangible literary models is added Adolf Veselý’s verbal account which reports that the composer wanted to portray “in the Danube, the female sex with all its passions and driving forces”. The third movement is said to characterise the city of Vienna in the form of a woman.

It is evident that in his composition, Janácek was not striving for a simple, natural lyricism. The River Danube is masculine in the Slavic language – “ten Dunaj” – and assumes an almost mythical significance in the national character, indeed often also a role bringing death. The four movements are motivically conceived. Elements of sound painting, small wave-like figures in the first movement, motoric, driving movements in the third are obvious evocations of water. And the content and the literary level are easy to discover. The “tremolo of the four timpani”, which was amongst Janácek’s first inspirations, appears in the second movement. It is not difficult to retrace in it the fate of the drowning bather. The oboe enters lamentoso towards the end of the movement over timpani playing tremolo, its descending figure is taken over by the flute, then upper strings and intensified considerably. The motif of drowning – Lola’s despair – returns again in the fourth movement in the clarinet, before the work ends abruptly and dramatically.

One special effect is the use of a soprano voice in the motor-driven third movement. The singer vocalises mainly in parallel with the solo oboe, but also in dialogue with other parts such as the viola d’amore, which Janácek used in several late works as a sort of “voice of love”.

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

Concert Band/Harmonie/Fanfare Band/Brass Band - Grade 3

SKU: BT.DHP-0950643-216

Composed by D. Fekaris, F. Perren. Arranged by Ron Sebregts. De Haske Pop Collection. Pop & Rock. Score Only. Composed 1995. De Haske Publications #DHP 0950643-216. Published by De Haske Publications (BT.DHP-0950643-216).

This classic disco hit was released by Gloria Gaynor in 1978. Following massive airplay it reached number one in pop charts around the world and in 1980 received a Grammy for Best Disco Recording. Since then it has appeared in many films and television programs and has been adopted by many causes such as HIV/AIDS awareness and the campaign for women’s rights. It is also the ‘stadium anthem’ for the Dutch football team Feyenoord. Ensure your audience leaves any concert in an upbeat mood with this disco masterpiece.

I Will Survive was in de jaren zeventig een megahit voor Gloria Gaynor. In discotheken werd het nummer grijsgedraaid. Men begaf zich destijds maar al te graag op de dansvloer om op de energieke klanken van deze song te swingen.In de jaren negentig was I Will Survive opnieuw een enorm succes. Breng tijdens uw concert met deze bewerking van Ron Sebregts leven in de brouwerij!

Das Remake eines der größten Hits von Gloria Gaynor erreichte zur Fußball-WM 1998 in der Version der Hermes House Band Kultstatus. In zwischen gehört der Song zum Standardrepertoire der Fanclubs großer und kleiner Vereine und wird besonders im Jahr der Fußballweltmeisterscha ft in Deutschland wieder in aller Ohren und Munde sein!

Gloria Gaynor (de son vrai nom Gloria Fowles) est considérée comme une des plus grandes divas de l'époque disco. En 1978, elle interprète la chanson I Will Survive qui devient un hymne de l'émancipation féminine. En 1997, reprise par le groupe Hermes House Band, elle devient l'hymne des rugbymen du Stade Français, puis celui de l'Équipe de France de Football lors de la Coupe du Monde 1998.

Arranged by Chuck Israels. For little big band. Swing, Jazz. Difficult. Score and parts. Published by Jazz Lines Publications

Arranged by Mark A. Brymer. (2 Part Score). Discovery Choral. Size 9x12 inches. 88 pages. Published by Hal Leonard.

Arranged by Mac Huff. (2 Part Score). Choral. Size 9x12 inches. 112 pages. Published by Hal Leonard.

Arranged by Mac Huff. (SATB score). Choral. Size 9x12 inches. 116 pages. Published by Hal Leonard.

Arranged by Mark A. Brymer. (2 Part Score). Choral. Size 9x12 inches. 96 pages. Published by Hal Leonard.

Arranged by Mark A. Brymer. (SATB score). Choral. Size 9x12 inches. 96 pages. Published by Hal Leonard.

Arranged by Mark A. Brymer. (SAB score). Choral. Size 9x12 inches. 96 pages. Published by Hal Leonard.

For Clarinet. Standards. Includes a complete, high-quality printed music score with performance suggestions; and a compact disc containing the complete version of each piece with soloist and accompaniment; then a second performance with accompaniments minus you, the soloist. Published by Music Minus One.

(7 Powerful Arrangements for Bold Men of God). Arranged by Russell Mauldin, Cliff Duren, Lari Goss and Marty Hamby. For TTBB choir, piano accompaniment. Collection. Be Alert and on Your Guard; Stand Firm in Your Faith; Act Like Men and Be Courageous; Grow In Strength!. Easy/moderate. Choral score. Published by Word Music

Voice

SKU: HL.14022962

Arranged by Ulla Hjorth Nielsen. Music Sales America. TV-Film-Musical-Show. Book [Softcover]. Composed 2005. 213 pages. Edition Wilhelm Hansen #WH30515. Published by Edition Wilhelm Hansen (HL.14022962).

ISBN 9788759810941.

Tune s from the movie - Musical, melodrama, farce and comedy - well known film genres have through the last 70 years produced film songs, that deserve to be remembered, played and sung. Many of which have become beloved evergreens. Toner fra filmen contains 100 songs that explain why. Tunes from the movie - Toner fra filmen is the first Danish song book, that concentrates on songs written directly to the film medium - from 1932 until 2002. From swing music to a sailor's waltz, from rock'n'roll to rap music, and the publication contains 100 compositions and lyrics and with that the answer to why a specific film song book is relevant. The answer is quality and diversity.Toner fra filmen is a song book that is supposed to strengthen the joy of singing and the memory of everyone interested in songs and films. Predictable catchy tunes by eg. Sven Gyldmark standing side by side with surprises that have almost been forgotten by most but deserve a renaissance. Toner fra filmen is released now as the quality in the national film production makes people walk away from the television and into the darkness of the movie theatre to laugh and cry. Back at the television screen we enjoy the old Danish movies that make us wish to refresh the film songs. Most of us seldomly remember more than the refrain, and then the need to look at the score arises. The songs chosen to Toner fra filmen has of course been an integrated part of the movies' set up, but they can manage on their own. There are a lot of love songs, but there are also songs for every taste and temperament, nice as well as sexy, short, long, poetic etc etc. The book makes you want to sing and play and is at the same time a piece of Danish cultural history.

Concert Band/Harmonie/Fanfare/Bra ss Band - Grade 3

SKU: HL.44002405

Composed by D. Fekaris and F. Perren. Arranged by Ron Sebregts. De Haske Concert Band. Pop & Rock. Score Only. Composed 1995. De Haske Publications #950643. Published by De Haske Publications (HL.44002405).

UPC: 073999024050. 6.75x10.5 inches.

This classic disco hit was released by Gloria Gaynor in 1978. Following massive airplay it reached number one in pop charts around the world and in 1980 received a Grammy for Best Disco Recording. Since then it has appeared in many films and television programs and has been adopted by many causes such as HIV/AIDS awareness and the campaign for women's rights. It is also the 'stadium anthem' for the Dutch football team Feyenoord. Ensure your audience leaves any concert in an upbeat mood with this disco masterpiece.

I Will Survive was in de jaren zeventig een megahit voor Gloria Gaynor. In discotheken werd het nummer grijsgedraaid. Men begaf zich destijds maar al te graag op de dansvloer om op de energieke klanken van deze song te swingen.In de jaren negentig was I Will Survive opnieuw een enorm succes. Breng tijdens uw concert met deze bewerking van Ron Sebregts leven in de brouwerij!

Das Remake eines der grossten Hits von Gloria Gaynor erreichte zur Fussball-WM 1998 in der Version der Hermes House Band Kultstatus. In zwischen gehort der Song zum Standardrepertoire der Fanclubs grosser und kleiner Vereine und wird besonders im Jahr der Fussballweltmeisterschaft in Deutschland wieder in aller Ohren und Munde sein!

Gloria Gaynor (de son vrai nom Gloria Fowles) est consideree comme une des plus grandes divas de l'epoque disco. En 1978, elle interprete la chanson I Will Survive qui devient un hymne de l'emancipation feminine. En 1997, reprise par le groupe Hermes House Band, elle devient l'hymne des rugbymen du Stade Francais, puis celui de l'Equipe de France de Football lors de la Coupe du Monde 1998.

By Gian Carlo Menotti. Vocal (Opera) Score. Masterwork. 192 pages. Published by Alfred Publishing.

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 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.

Strings. Japanese Traditional Songs. Score and part with CD. Yamaha Music Media #GTW01091438. Published by Yamaha Music Media