PARTITIONS GRATUITES : SOLI, CHœUR ET ORCHESTRE
- Rondo No 1

SKU: BT.MUSAM1005543

ISBN 9781780387338.

F rom John Dowland's Galliard dedicated to the Virgin Queen through Handel’s Water Music for George I to Elgar's Imperial March marking Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, classical musichasbestowed upon Britain an unmatched musical legacy celebrating both king and country.

As well as the triumphal music for state occasions this collection also features some of the quintessential music fromBritain’slong history, from the Elizabethan folk tune Greensleeves to Holst’s 1920s setting of Spring-Rice’s patriotic poem I Vow To Thee My Country.

Fo r every age new music iscomposed to match theoccasion, each adding to Britain’s uniquely impressive musical heritage. This is a collection of the very best.

SKU: PR.312418770

ISBN 9781491138120. UPC: 680160640195. Second April, by Edna St. Vincent Millay.

Second April for S.A.T.B. Chorus and Piano is a four-movement set, based on the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay. Ewazen has long been enamored with her poetry's wonderfully vivid and descriptive imagery of nature and emotions, and its powerful and profound meaning. The first movement, SONG OF A SECOND APRIL is dramatic, detailing a time of personal strife and tragedy, perhaps the end of a relationship or even the end of a life. The music is intense, fast, in a minor key, creating a feeling of powerful, relentless emotions. Little by little, the music almost dies away, getting quieter and quieter, creating a feeling of resignation, but with a surprise Picardy Third in the final chord – suggesting a bit of hope!.
SECOND APRIL for S.A.T.B. Chorus and Piano is a four-movement set, based on the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay. I have long been enamored with the poetry of Millay for its wonderfully vivid and descriptive imagery, and its often powerful and profound meaning. Millay’s descriptions of nature, and of feelings and emotions, have always spoken to me. SECOND APRIL consists of four of her poems, each with a distinctive mood, message, and emotional feel. They are vivid, powerful, and beautiful, inspiring me to capture these descriptions of the various scenes she portrays.  Song of a Second April uses music to underlie strong feelings, passions, and the tragedies of life. The poem itself is dramatic, detailing a time of personal strife and tragedy, perhaps the end of a relationship or even the end of a life. The music is intense, fast, in a minor key, and with rapid, spinning notes creating a feeling of powerful, relentless emotions. Melodies, motives, and gestures are tossed between the voices, increasing the feelings of intensity and even desperation. Little by little, the music almost dies away, getting quieter and quieter, creating a feeling of resignation, but with a Picardy Third in the final chord – maybe a bit of hope!  Mariposa is a celebration of nature, wandering through a field with white and blue butterflies appearing almost wondrously. But there’s also a profound feeling of poignancy, noting that as one relishes such a beautiful, magical sight, they should embrace the experience – the fleeting, transient nature of such a perfect vision and of life itself. The music portrays the flying of the butterflies: gentle, beautiful, with rich chords and arpeggios, but stepping back, as the fleeting nature of life is the reality, with gentle, but sombre chords interspersed with the magical flight of the Mariposa.Alms is a fast rondo, intense, bold, and always dance-like. It is about both tragedy and resilience. This music is also in minor, yet with moments of playfulness, as a recollection of happy times or moments takes over. This seesaw between emotions is heard throughout the movement, as the music continues to “dance.”  And with Millay’s summing up of “reality being what it is,” the piece ends with strength, boldness, and finality. Into the Golden Vessel of Great Song is an appassionato call to overcome! The poem exhorts us to “sing out” with hope, determination, and strength. The music is full of bright and lilting energy; but as the turmoil and times of strife people can sometimes feel or experience, the music becomes intense, dramatic, in a minor key, and with changing rhythms. BUT, there is a return to championing the idea of simply overcoming, going forward with hope and determination, and the music is in major, resonant and strong.  .