The Martyr

SKU: HL.267549

8.25x11.75x0.065 inches.

This work is based on the biblical story of the martyrdom of Saint Stephen, traditionally regarded as the first Christian martyr, asrecounted in the Acts of the Apostles. Stephen was a member of the early Church in Jerusalem. He was an inspired and charismatic preacher, but he aroused great hostility among the members of the various synagogues by his teachings, and he was accused of blasphemy. At his trial he looked up to heaven and declared that he saw God in his Glory, with Jesus standing at his right hand. This so enraged the authorities that he was flung from the city and stoned to death. As he died, he prayed that the Lord Jesus would receive his spirit, and that his killers would beforgiven. In this setting the choir recounts the story in Latin, whilst the solo horn music depicts the violence of the stoning. The work endswith a quotation from Chopin's Ballade No. 2 in F, Op. 38. Commissioned by the Metropolitan and Cathedral Chapter of St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna. First performed on 16th March 2015 at St Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna, by the Cathedral Choir conducted by Markus Landerer.

SKU: FA.MFCD0013PN

8.27 x 11.69 inches.

This piece is an unused movement, probably a first draft of La Passion, the third of the 'Fragments symphoniques' in Le Martyre de Saint Sebastien (1911). Nicolas Horvath's 2020 Grand Piano recorindg of this anguished but beautiful piece, and knowing how pushed for time Debussy was when he composed Le Martyre it is surprising that he progressed so far with a piece that he subsequently replaced.

SKU: CA.5031419

ISBN 9790007138295. Key: C major. Language: Latin.

Haydn's Missa Sancti Joannis Nepomuceni, dated 21 May 1772, is dedicated to the Bohemian martyr and patron Saint of bridges, Johannes Nepomuk (ca. 1340-1393, canonized in 1729). Despite the addition of woodwinds and brass to the three-part string section, the Mass is in a comparatively simple, compact form as was expressly required by Count Hieronymus Colloredo, Haydn's second employer in Salzburg. Even in the final sections of the Gloria and Credo Haydn forgoes not only vocal virtuosity, but also the polyphonic artifices which traditionally characterize these passages in the Mass. Like the Missa Sancti Amandi (1776), the Nepomuk Mass does not employ vocal soloists. Score and parts available separately - see item CA.5031400.

SKU: BT.MUSM570363599

English.

For Violin, Cello and Piano. Commissioned by the Bloomsbury Trio and first performed by them in the Church of St Magnus the Martyr, London, on 22nd November 2005.

SKU: OU.9780193355583

ISBN 9780193355583. 10 x 7 inches.

For SATB (with divisions) unaccompanied. Set to the text of a 12th-century Sequence in honour of the martyr St Olav and characterized by a mellifluous plainchant-style melody, this glorious motet pulses with understated intensity. The opening drones, performed in free time and re-stated throughout, establish a quiet energy which rises until the luminescent final section, in which the heavens are called to rejoice. The original Sequence provides a stately coda. This is splendid and original music, suitable for both concert and liturgical use.

About Oxford New Horizons

New Horizons showcases the wealth of exciting, innovative, and occasionally challenging choral music being written today. It encompasses the whole gamut of small-scale choral genres, both secular and sacred, and includes pieces for upper-voice and mixed choirs. With titles by some of the most accomplished choral composers active in Great Britain and abroad, the series introduces new repertoire and fresh talent to a broad spectrum of choirs. New Horizons features composers with growing reputations for quality composition reflecting a strong individual voice. The series is continually expanding and should be the first place to look for attractive and performable contemporary choral music.

SKU: HL.227748

UPC: 680160422968. 7.0x10.5x0.02 inches.

SKU: CA.3105709

ISBN 9790007206550. Language: German/English. Text: Lehms, Georg Christian. Text: Georg Christian Lehms.

The first performance of this cantata, which belongs to Bach's third annual cycle of cantatas, took place on the 2nd day of Christmas in 1725. With the exception of the closing chorale, with a text from 1711 by Georg Christian Lehms, the text of the cantata refers to St. Stephan, the first martyr of the New Testament and patron saint whose name day occurs on 26 December. In a dialog between the Soul (Soprano) and Jesus (bass) the struggle with sin is recounted respectively in two expressive arias arias. The entire orchestra is involved in the first movement as well as in in the closing chorale together with the choir. Score and parts available separately - see item CA.3105700.

SKU: HL.49044786

ISBN 9783795701826. 5.75x8.75x1.098 inches. German. Author: Barbara Distler-Harth.

Hugo Distler was one of the most important German composers of sacred and secular choral music in the first half of the 20th century. Born in 1908 and raised as an orphan, he created a vast oeuvre of choral and instrumental music within a few years. His 'Morike-Chorliederbuch' forms part of the standard repertoire of major choirs throughout the world. The meteoric rise of Hugo Distler came to an end in 1942 when the 34-year-old committed suicide. Soon after, legends grew up around him: Some stylized him as a martyr to Nazi tyranny, others alleged that he had been involved in the Nazi movement as an accomplice. But what had actually happened then? Hugo Distler's daughter Barbara has portrayed the story of his life in an authentic, yet very captivating way.With an introduction by Karl Corino.

SKU: CA.5031405

ISBN 9790007107253. Key: C major. Language: Latin.

Haydn's Missa Sancti Joannis Nepomuceni, dated 21 May 1772, is dedicated to the Bohemian martyr and patron Saint of bridges, Johannes Nepomuk (ca. 1340-1393, canonized in 1729). Despite the addition of woodwinds and brass to the three-part string section, the Mass is in a comparatively simple, compact form as was expressly required by Count Hieronymus Colloredo, Haydn's second employer in Salzburg. Even in the final sections of the Gloria and Credo Haydn forgoes not only vocal virtuosity, but also the polyphonic artifices which traditionally characterize these passages in the Mass. Like the Missa Sancti Amandi (1776), the Nepomuk Mass does not employ vocal soloists. Score available separately - see item CA.5031400.