SKU: PR.111402890
ISBN 9781491134672. UPC: 680160685264.
Whatâ??s in a name? While the title is French for â??Eight Flower Songs,â? the texts are all in English. The poemsâ?? flowers metaphorically evoke fragrance, love and loss, life and death, rebirth and regrowth. Perhaps the texture and beauty of Gordonâ??s music are themselves French. The 20-minute song cycle draws on poems from Wordsworth to Dorothy Parker, as well as from contemporary poets including the composer himself.When So-Chung Shinn came to me with the idea of commissioning a song cycle with her spectacular husband Tony Lee, she had in mind something having to do with flowers. Tony had asked her what she wanted for her birthday, and she said she wanted to be behind the creating of a new work. Lucky me, I was the recipient of the commission. So-Chung sent me a little description of all the flowers she loves, but I had to take the idea and create a narrative in my head.It is always a matter of pleasing the commissioner, yet coming up with something you can get behind and hear music for as well. I already knew I wanted to use my â??Tulipsâ? poem which is really about the arc of a relationship as represented through the life span of the Tulips, and, in many ways, disappointment; and Dorothy Parkerâ??s â??One Perfect Rose,â? which is wry, bitter, cynical, and funny, in a way only Dorothy Parker can so pithily express.I thought of Jane Kenyonâ??s exquisite â??Peonies at Dusk,â? because knowing she died so young (46) of leukemia, the poem has such a particular resonance, almost humanizing the Peonies, casting the moon as a sentient being, illustrating so beautifully how connected everything is, alive here, and revolving around these exquisite blossoms. Then, I remembered her husband Donald Hallâ??s poem â??Her Garden,â? which he wrote after Jane died, his grief intermingled with his inability to care for what she had created, to keep alive what so represented her aliveness, broken as he was, and I felt I already had a story.I found the Wordsworth, because it felt like pure joy to me, but also, if each of the songs has a color in my head, â??The Daffodilsâ? is pure yellow and a good place to start. My partner Kevin and I live on a lake, and every year, the first Daffodils, the shock of yellows, the oranges, the blinding whites, after the long snowy winters, sing of the newness that is about to enfold us in its green miraculousness.At first, the cycle ended with the Langston Hughes poem â??Cycle,â? or â??New Flowers,â? because it was lovely, and about rebirth, which is obviously optimistic, and apt, but then, my friend Telmo Dos Santos, a wonderful Canadian poet whom I met at Banff, sent me his poem â??Afterlife With Lilacs,â? having no idea what I was working on. I felt I had to add it because it is so dazzling, and it immediately felt like the missing link. Finally, there were unfortunately rights issues, namely, we could not, no how, get in touch with the Langston Hughes Estate, after so many happy collaborations.After almost a yearâ??s frustration, I wrote my own text, â??Play, Orpheus,â? which ended up being fortuitous, because the first time I met So-Chung, she entered the room and the most exquisite scent of Lillies of the Valley, Muguet de Bois, filled the room. I went right over to her and rudely put my nose to her neck, for the intoxication of the scent. So â??Play, Orpheusâ? is for So-Chung, to remind us of the precious treasures of this world flowers remind us of. Everything and everyone lives and dies, lives and dies. Death and resurrection.And of course, this is music, this is song, so the inclusion of the God of music, Orpheus, seems apt. Huit Chansons de Fleurs is really about what flowers represent, their radiance, their flickering impermanence, the way they are used to celebrate, as well as to mourn...... and of course, their fragrance. Their fragrance.Ricky Ian GordonJuly 28, 2021.
SKU: CF.CM9795
ISBN 9781491164662. UPC: 680160923571. Key: A major. English. Coty Raven Morris. Original.
The text for When I Grow Up first came to me while I was teaching in Houston, Texas. I noticed that my students were becoming more and more concerned about what steps they had to take as students to secure a future for themselves decades ahead. Young people are finding themselves having to make lifelong decisions at a time where they are still in a season of exploration and wonderment. I then asked myself, What happened to discovery through play and imagination?With the help of one of my former and forever choir students, Monica Juarez, we took my original text and created illustrations of a young Coty in New Orleans, Louisiana imagining, in real time, all of the things that she could be! It was important to me that the images were of real things that I had seen growing up every day.That we are limitless and that it's only in the pressures of growing up that we can lose our creativity, I hope this text allows both singers and conductor to let their imagination take the lead and shape the journey ahead!Sing with JOY!—Coty Occasionally, when I get to visit with young people, I’ll ask, Has anyone ever asked you want to be when you grow up? All the hands go up. Children say yes, and then proceed to tell me what they want to be when they grow up. So, then I ask a follow-up question, Why on earth do you have to wait until you’re a grown-up to be somebody?!When I first read through Coty’s text, I was so moved by how clear and beautiful that message of empowerment shines through:I want to live, and that begins now. I want to be happy. And I refuse to wait until I grow up.I also was struck by her imaginative use of the four classical elements—air, water, fire, and earth—to bring us on a journey of discovery and wonder.I’ve tried my best to, not so much set Coty’s words to a tune, as to go along with her on the journey and see what music would emerge. And I’m so happy you’ve joined us on the journey, too.Welcome!—Mark.
SKU: CF.CM9794
ISBN 9781491164655. UPC: 680160923564. Key: A major. English. Coty Raven Morris. Original.
The text for When I Grow Up first came to me while I was teaching in Houston, Texas. I noticed that my students were becoming more and more concerned about what steps they had to take as students to secure a future for themselves decades ahead. Young people are finding themselves having to make lifelong decisions at a time where they are still in a season of exploration and wonderment. I then asked myself, What happened to discovery through play and imagination?With the help of one of my former and forever choir students, Monica Juarez, we took my original text and created illustrations of a young Coty in New Orleans, Louisiana imagining, in real time, all of the things that she could be! It was important to me that the images were of real things that I had seen growing up every day.That we are limitless and that it's only in the pressures of growing up that we can lose our creativity, I hope this text allows both singers and conductor to let their imagination take the lead and shape the journey ahead!Sing with JOY!—CotyOccasionally, when I get to visit with young people, I’ll ask, Has anyone ever asked you want to be when you grow up? All the hands go up. Children say yes, and then proceed to tell me what they want to be when they grow up. So, then I ask a follow-up question, Why on earth do you have to wait until you’re a grown-up to be somebody?!When I first read through Coty’s text, I was so moved by how clear and beautiful that message of empowerment shines through:I want to live, and that begins now. I want to be happy. And I refuse to wait until I grow up. I also was struck by her imaginative use of the four classical elements—air, water, fire, and earth—to bring us on a journey of discovery and wonder.I’ve tried my best to, not so much set Coty’s words to a tune, as to go along with her on the journey and see what music would emerge. And I’m so happy you’ve joined us on the journey, too.Welcome!—Mark.
SKU: BT.MUSAM1008040
ISBN 9781783058228. English.
The Complete Guitar Player Rock Songbook features a massive collection of 50 hard-rocking hits from the best of classic and contemporary rock music for Guitar. Each song includes full lyrics and Guitar chords as well as strumming and picking patterns, making this songbook great for the aspiring rock rhythm or lead Guitarist. Each and every tune included in this Guitar songbook is a true rock classic, perfect for cranking the amp up to 10, or should that be 11?. Old favourites like All Day And All Of The Night by The Kinks and Hey Joe by Jimi Hendrix are matched by modern classics such as Radiohead's Creep and Use Somebody by Kings Of Leon. The rock songbook presents the best in music to plug in and rock out to. It's designed to be accessible and enjoyable, showcasing the best songs by the best rock bands and songwriters like The Clash, AC/DC, Eric Clapton and David Bowie. Past and present tunes are included, ensuring there's something for everyone in this complete rock songbook. Each song has been carefully arranged for Guitar and Voice, including the melody in standard notation,lyrics and Guitar chord shapes. Not only this, but there are also suggested strumming and picking patterns to help you dial up the volume and nail the exact sound of the song straight away. This rock Guitar songbook is ideal for beginners and intermediate Guitarists looking to expand their repertoire with powerful songs new and old, whereas absolute beginners new to the Guitar will find that the four books of the famous Complete Guitar Player series by Russ Shipton will help them out with the basics. With these 50 rock Guitar songs, you'll be singing, strumming your power chords, and soloing your way through the best rock songs of the past half-century in no time at all. The Complete Guitar Player Rock Songbook would make a sterling addition to any guitarist's bookshelf, and each of these superb songs is guaranteed to make everyone stop and listen.