SKU: HL.14029181

ISBN 9788774551843. 8.75x11.75x0.75 inches. German.

From Bach, Beethoven and Clementi, to Handel, Mozart, Schubert and Tchaikovsky. This is a wonderful collection of 45 Sonatinas for piano solo which has been edited by Ludvig Schytte.

SKU: 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

Very little is known about the two sonatas which appear here in their original keys. They were placed in the library of the Music School in Oxford at the end of the seventeenth century in a form convenient for playing (i.e.unbound). The library was catalogued by Hake between 1850 and 1855 and the sonatas were eventually bound in 1855 with other instrumental and vocal manuscripts of the same period, some of which are dated 1698.

Thesonatas are both inscribed on the title page Sonata à Violone Solo. Col Basso per l'Organo, o Cembalo. A third sonata bears the words Sonata à Violino e Violoncino … di Giovannino del Violone.Giovannino(=Littl e, or Young John) must have been a performer, and although the third sonata has been copied by a different hand, it is conceivable that Giovannino is a connecting link between the three. He cannot, however, beassumed to be their author.

The Violone was a six-stringed instrument with frets, and there is evidence to suggest that the Contrabasso of the same period was similar but probably a little larger; the Violoncino(=Little Violone, or Violoncello) must have been smaller. The word 'Violone' was also used as a collective term embracing all members of the Viol family, which means that the sonatas might well have been written for a tenor or abass Viol, and not necessarily a Violone as such. Indeed, when they are played on a Violone, or Double Bass the continuo bass line must be played at a lower pitch than the solo instrument, to prevent inversion of the intendedharmony. (The use of a Violone/Double Bass continuo or 16' organ tone would overcome this problem.)

The editor has added no ornaments or embellishments to the solo part as it appears in the original manuscript. It isopen to debate whether a Violone player, owing to the very nature of his instrument, would have used any but the simplest melodic decorations. Nevertheless, the performer should acquaint himself thoroughly with those seventeenthcentury traditions that

SKU: HL.48182907

UPC: 888680904944. 9.0x12.0x0.144 inches.

“Sona ta for Alto Saxophone and Piano by Edison Demisov was composed in1970 and covers three movements. The first part, Allegro, shows serialism; the second, Lento, focuses on new techniques; with the last one, Allegro Moderato, reminiscent of Jazz music. This strong>Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano, dedicated to the French Saxophonist Jean-Marie Londeix, was strongly influenced by Western European music and requires a certain level of ability (intermediate to advanced players), especially for the second movement. Edison Demisov (1929-1996) was a Russian, Siberian-born, composer specialising in alternative / non-conformist Soviet music. Strongly influenced by the West, he was often criticised by his peers. He gained international recognition for the composition 'Le soleil des Incas' (1964) and wrote numerous concerti, sonatas and other pieces.”.

SKU: HL.49032755

ISBN 9783795787295. 5.75x8.25x0.384 inches. German.

'How can I play cleaner - even cleaner?' This question bothers every critical string instrument player during his/her daily practice. According to a survey, more than 70 per cent of the actual practising time and attention of a string instrument player is spent on intonation.In this book, Gerhard Mantel provides basic information on the phenomenon of intonation, presenting practical methods which go far beyond a simple, spontaneous determination of 'too high - too low'. His approaches to a solution, some of them quite unconventional, enable every sting instrument player to find his/her individual way to the best possible intonation and eliminate seemingly insoluble problems in the ensemble playing with other string instrument, wind instrument or piano players. The author attaches particular importance to dealing with intonation playfully and use it specifically for the artistic expression.

SKU: CF.BF126

ISBN 9781491150009. UPC: 680160907502. 9x12 inches.

Written by world renown pedagogue, Roland Vamos, this collection of double-stop exercises fill a void in the literature of technical exercises for cellists. These etudes feature a systematic series of fixed double-stops that enables the player to practice and master every possible combination of finger patterns across two strings without shifting. Mr. Vamos says of the book, The most important accomplishment is the development of a strong left handà These exercises, when practiced slowly and carefully, will help to develop a keen sense of pitch and intonation. Adapted for cello by Horacio Contreras, teacher, chamber musician, and recitalist.
When I first became familiar with Roland Vamos’ Exercises, I was impressed with itsclarity and effectiveness. The book focuses on a few important fundamentals of string playing,and it is accessible to students of every age. Moreover, its tonal organization in C major makesit simple and easy to understand. I recognized the potential this book could have for cellists,and after spending several months working on an adaptation, I witnessed its results in buildingand maintaining important fundamentals of technique.Mr. Vamos’ Exercises is comprised of simple patterns of double-stops in sevenpositions. There are two basic groups of variations: seven double-stop variations in differentcombined rhythms that develop finger coordination and independence of the left hand, andnine bowing variations that use détaché at the frog, middle and tip of the bow to work onstring crossings, coordination, and balance of the bow. The whole work provides training thatimproves intonation, sound, and ease of playing in all positions and all parts of the bow.In order to adapt Mr. Vamos’ book for cello, I needed to make some modifications tothe original. To address the different needs of the neck and the thumb positions, I chose to writetwo separate books. I kept the original ascending stepwise motion for subsequent variationsin Book I by following a diatonic scale on the top line of the patterns. However, I modifiedthe tonal framework to adjust to the more limited range of the cello. Therefore, unlike in Mr.Vamos’ book, variations in Book I do not ascend through the positions in a uniform pattern.I also switched the order of patterns to create a gradual increase in difficulty. In Book II, Iadded options that work on the fourth finger and an extended left hand frame, and at the end, Iincluded five sets of variations with different bowing alternatives.Mr. Vamos provides a number of specific instructions regarding left hand techniquein his exercises. For his original version, two fingers must remain down for almost the entireset of variations, providing a solid reference for the frame of the hand. In variations H and I,he instructs students to lift these fingers when they are not being used. In the case of thumbposition on cello, lifting the thumb could make the hand unstable; therefore, I suggested thatthe thumb remains down while the other fingers are lifted alternately in H and I. I have foundthis exercise quite useful to work on thumb independence and relaxing the thumb while usingother fingers.Mr. Vamos gives precise instructions for the bowing exercises as well. Following hisdirections, the exercises should be performed with a relaxed hand and flexible fingers. Thenotes should be consistently connected even when crossing strings. The bowing patterns shouldbe performed at the frog, the middle and the tip of the bow in every position.