PARTITIONS GRATUITES :
- Approximately Four Improvisations

Piano

SKU: SU.12800086

For Piano. Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. Keyboard, Piano/Harpsichord. Music Theory. Score. Subito Music Corporation #12800086. Published by Subito Music Corporation (SU.12800086).

BachScholar Editions Vol. 86: BACH MEETS RAGTIME: 10 Four-Part Chorales Arranged (Volume 2) (41 pages) was born out of classic ragtime and related style improvisations on selected four-part chorales by J.S. Bach. These arrangements transform Bach’s short chorales into exciting and idiomatic concert pieces for piano while fully retaining the chorales’ original melodies and harmonies. Styles encountered in this collection include two-step rags, cake walk, waltz, etude, cool swing, march macabre, and hoedown. The ten pieces have been assembled in a strategic order so that they may be played in succession as an effective concert cycle. In addition, they may be played singly or in pairs and groups as the performer sees fit. A complete performance lasts approximately 36 minutes. This collection is ideal for piano students, teachers, and concert artists who seek fresh, new, and creative material for study and performance. Keyboard/Theory Published by: BachScholar.

SKU: SU.12800016

Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. Keyboard, Piano/Harpsichord. Music Theory. Score. Subito Music Corporation #12800016. Published by Subito Music Corporation (SU.12800016).

BachScholar Editions Vol. 16 – BACH GOES ROMANTIC:10 Four-Part Chorales Arranged (Volume 1) (36 pages) was born out of 19th century romantic-style improvisations on selected four-part chorales by J.S. Bach. These arrangements transform Bach’s short chorales into beautiful and idiomatic concert pieces for piano while fully retaining the chorales’ original melodies and harmonies. The ten pieces have been assembled in a strategic order so that they may be played in succession as an effective concert cycle. In addition, they may be played singly or in pairs and groups as the performer sees fit. A complete performance lasts approximately 38 minutes. This collection is ideal for piano students, teachers, and concert artists who seek fresh, new, and creative material for study and performance. Published by: BachScholar Publishing, LLC.

Recorded by the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. Arranged by Wynton Marsalis. Jazz, Swing. Score and parts. Published by Jazz Lines Publications (JL.JLP-7420).

Chamber Music Piano

SKU: PR.110418370

Composed by Charles Ives. Arranged by Danny Holt. Performance Score. 20 pages. Duration 8 minutes. Theodore Presser Company #110-41837. Published by Theodore Presser Company (PR.110418370).

ISBN 9781491135075. UPC: 680160686247.

Compo sed as an organ solo by the 17-year-old Ives for his own performance purposes, the beloved Variations on America is a treat for any occasion, whether a holiday concert, a serious recital, or other special event. Danny Holt’s transcription for Piano, Four Hands adds a dazzling new option to play at home or on stage, taking best advantage of Ives’ tremendous contrasts in color, dynamics, and texture.
Composed when Charles Ives was a teenager, Variations on “America” is both a convenient introduction to Ives’ body of work, and an early example of his iconoclastic musical voice and creative genius. Just a few years after composing this piece, Ives would leave home to study music at Yale. But until then he had been taught by his father, George (who had been a bandmaster in the Civil War). George subjected the young Ives to experiments such as singing a song in one key while being accompanied in another, or arranging for two marching bands to converge on a town center, with the resulting cacophony that ensued.The Variations exemplifies an early period of experimentation in Ives’ work, spurred on by the unusual pedagogy of his father. The piece is particularly notable for its use of bitonality in the two interludes, subtly foreshadowing more well-known examples by Stravinsky, Bartók, and others by approximately two decades.The bitonal interludes were so ahead of their time, in fact, they were omitted from the first copy that was submitted to a publisher in 1892. (Alas, the piece was rejected even despite these “shocking” elements having been left out, and it wasn’t published until more than five decades later.) There is some ambiguity about when exactly Ives added the interludes into his manuscript copy, though ample evidence suggests he had performed the piece with the interludes around the time he notated the piece in 1891-92. In any case, in light of this piece and his other polytonal explorations from the last decade of the 19th century, it seems fair to give Ives credit for being a pioneer in this area!This arrangement for Piano, Four Hands, closely follows Ives’ original version for organ, setting aside William Schuman’s popular adaptation for symphony orchestra and William Rhoads’ band transcription of the Schuman orchestration. Pianists will find that the piece translates well to the instrument. Ideally, the choreography and logistics of elbow-to-elbow four-hands playing approximates the wild joy one gets from watching an organist play the piece (e.g., the elaborate pedal part in the final variation).In preparing this publication, attention was paid to details in the dual Critical Editions (Presser 443-41003) of both Ives’ manuscript edition and the 1949 publication edited by organist E. Power Biggs (who is credited with discovering what had been a long-lost, forgotten work.) But as with much of Ives’ output, attempting to create a true ‘urtext’ score is a futile endeavor, and especially with a piece such as this one – in which Ives incorporated improvisation in live performance – seems unnecessary anyhow. True die-hards are of course encouraged to consult the critical editions and even find inspiration in the orchestrated version. Generally, performers are advised to be wild, have fun, and not to be too rigid in their interpretive choices.Dynamics in this arrangement mostly follow the organ score closely. Pianists will use good judgment about pedaling throughout, which should be straightforward and intuitive. Courtesy accidentals have been provided frequently – without parentheses – balancing the need for extra clarity in the context of Ives’ murky musical language, and a desire to avoid unnecessary clutter.A few notes that might inform interpretive decisions:mm. 15-16: There are inconsistencies here between Ives’ original manuscript and the 1949 Biggs edition, regarding the top voice in m. 15, beat 3 (C# vs. Cn) and m. 16 (D Major vs. D Minor).mm. 76-84 & 143-146: In both Interludes, Ives emphatically notates extreme dynamic contrast, in order to highlight the bitonality. Although it may seem counterintuitive (or even a misprint, as has apparently been misconstrued by some), performers are urged to follow the composer’s marking!m. 109: Two-note slurs have been added here for clarity and consistency with other similar passages, though they do not appear in either the original manuscript or Biggs.m. 112: The last two eighth notes of Primo appear as 16ths in the original manuscript.mm. 183-186: The original manuscript has a slightly different bass line.mm. 184 & 186: Primo gestures have been re-written to be slightly more idiomatic for Piano, Four Hands.m. 186: The breath mark at the end of this bar does not appear in either the manuscript or Biggs, but is an editorial suggestion – aside from being appropriately dramatic, it will indeed be necessary in a reverberant hall!I would like to thank Steven Vanhauwaert, the other half of my piano duo, 4handsLA, for his input on early drafts of this arrangement.— Danny Holt, April 2022.

Opera Piano, solo Voices

SKU: PR.441410300

Composed by Lauren Bernofsky. Score. With Standard notation. 56 pages. Duration 30 minutes. Theodore Presser Company #441-41030. Published by Theodore Presser Company (PR.441410300).

ISBN 9781491111512. UPC: 680160667543. 9 x 12 inches. Lauren Bernofsky.

RUFUS AND RITA is an adorable, light-hearted opera about a girl and her zany dog, commissionedby Reimagining Opera for Kids for in-school performances. The libretto features several forks in theroad where the audience votes on what should happen next. The opera is scored for four singersof any voice range, plus piano; there is also an expanded version for chamber ensemble.
RUFUS AND RITA is a light-hearted opera for young audiences, scored for fouradult singers of any voice type. Singers may adjust octaves as necessary, soany part may be sung by a male or female voice.A chamber version of the accompaniment is also available from TheodorePresser Company (441-41031), scored for a flexible-instrumentation ensembleof piano with any two treble instruments and one bass instrument.* * *RUFUS AND RITA contains many improvised elements, from spoken dialogueto improvised vocal parts. Instructions are given throughout the score. Theduration is approximately 30 minutes, depending on the length of theimprovised sections.The libretto is flexible – at several points in the show, the audience votes onwhat happens next, from choices given by a narrator. Some musical numbers,as well as props and set accessories, are determined by the choice. Forinstance, if the audience votes for Rufus to have found a dog biscuit, then 2a.The Dog Treat is performed (and 2b. Fido's Lament is omitted.) The pianistmay serve as the narrator, who announces what is being voted on and talliesthe vote by observing a show of hands.* * *Thanks to Mary Alice Cox, D.V.M., for her expertise regarding the medical careof Rufus in “The Cure” and to Susan Archibald for her editorial comments.Thanks, also, to Felissa Elfenbein for permission to use her zucchini dog treatrecipe.My everlasting thanks to my editor, Daniel Dorff, for his faith in my music.Finally, my deepest gratitude to Kim Carballo and the cast of ReimaginingOpera for Kids, who helped me develop the opera into its final version.