Seek Ye First

SKU: PE.EP73479

ISBN 9790577019888. 297 x 210mm inches. English.

At First Light was commissioned by Eric Bruskin, a resident of Philadelphia, USA, in memory of his mother. Eric had a longstanding enthusiasm for my work, and I was touched to be the person he approached for a task which is both a privilege and a daunting responsibility. In a sense, no music can ever measure up to the weight of love or the hope of consolation vested in it under such circumstances - but in memory I carry the deaths of both my own parents, and I was able to draw upon that. Eric's fondness for my Cello Sonata (itself written in memoriam) led him to ask that I include a solo 'cello part in the new work - but his attachment also to my polyphonic sacred choral writing meant that he wanted a centrepiece which would be both a showcase of that approach and the celebration of a life well lived. Therefore, the seven movements of At First Light arrange themselves as a series of slow meditations surrounding an exuberant 9-minute motet in which the lamenting cello falls temporarily silent.

Eric's Jewish faith meant that approaching an agnostic humanist brought up within the Anglican tradition was hardly free of problems! Gradually, though, I was able to win his approval for a collated mosaic of texts. This embraces some liturgical Latin (necessary for the motet) as the shared preserve of broad western culture in general, but balances it with a secular approach to loss, celebration, remembrance and the many shades of our mourning those whom we see no longer. Eric was adamant that he did not want the title Requiem; but what has emerged is still a form of semi-secular Requiem in all but name, taking its title instead from a phrase in the poem by Thomas Blackburn set as the third movement. This seemed to suggest succinctly how the loss of one very close to us is an awakening into an unfamiliar world where everything is changed. Following the exuberant central movement, the texts by the Lebanese-born Kahlil Gibran and the US, Kentuckian poet Wendell Berry first address the departed loved one directly, then place us within an imaginary funeral cortege, where the perennial and universal in human experience become personal without subscribing explicitly to any particular faith (or lack of it). The final text of all is a translation of a Hebraic prayer, requested and provided by Eric Bruskin, which serves to mirror its Latin counterpart heard at the outset.

Throughout, the lamenting cello represents a commentary on the experience articulated in the text. It evokes and, in a sense, tries to embrace and sanctify the individual existential journeys of the bereft, as they in turn seek to make their own sense of what the short-lived Second World War poet Alun Lewis called 'the unbearable beauty of the dead' (movement 5).

In a modern world hostage to ever greater menace, displacement, bloodshed and anguish, I hope fervently that this music not only brings a measure of solace to the person who commissioned it, but also makes its own small contribution to bailing out the sinking ship of humanity.

SKU: ST.EM17

ISBN 9790220210297.

CONTENTS
A seely Sylvan (SSAT (or A) B)
Alas my Daphne, stay (SSAT (or A) B)
All ye that sleep in pleasure (SSATB)
Arise, sweet heart (SSAT (or A) B)
Ay me, that life should yet remain (SSATB)
Ay me, when to the air (SSAT (or A) B)
Cruel, let my heart be bless'd (SSAT (or A) B)
First with looks he liv'd (SSATB)
I always lov'd to call my lady Rose (SSATB)
If this be love, to scorn (SSAT (or A) B)
Injurious hours (SSAT (or A) B)
My heart oppress'd (SSAT (or A) B)
O come Shepherds all together (SSATB)
O my grief, were it disclosed (SSATB)
Shall I seek to ease my grief? (SSATB)
Shepherd Claius seeing (SSATB)
Sweet Daphne, stay thy flying (SSATB)
Sylvan justly suffered (SSATB)
When first I saw those cruel eyes (SSAT (or A) B)
Whilst that my lovely Daphne (SSATB).

SKU: FJ.FJH2301

ISBN 9781619281929. UPC: 241444379356. English.

The first book in the New Etudes series begins with 20 small works that present a special technical aspect. Students feel a relaxed freedom when they realize the work is focused on exploration rather than performance. The specific goals are listed under each title and include: bouncing both hands with a loose wrist; right hand broken chords; three note slurs; left-hand crossovers and many more. These original etudes range from eight measures to two pages, include imaginative art, and are sure to develop artistic playing.

SKU: SU.12800072

BachScholar Editions Vol. 72: MOZART: 24 Youthful Masterpieces (25 pages) presents 24 short pieces from Mozart’s early years, composed mostly from ages 6-8. This is a clear and easy-to-read performance edition organized in progressive order of difficulty, which includes expression, fingerings, written-out ornaments, and suggested metronome speeds. This book serves as an indispensable resource for the late beginner student through advanced and professional levels, and is especially ideal for teachers who seek first-rate Mozart pieces that are not too long. Piano Published by: BachScholar.

SKU: LP.OR-2257

SKU: AU.978-1-5064-8489-1

ISBN 9781506484891. 7 x 10.25 inches.

Thom Pavlechko groups three of his new hymns into a creative and flexible collection for choir, congregation, keyboard, and instruments. These short hymns can be repeated several times with voices and instruments gradually added with each repetition. Hymns include Calm to the Waves (ELW), In the Peace of God Find Rest (ACS), and Seek First God's Kingdom._x000D_.