SKU: HL.277282
UPC: 840126915006. 6.75x10.5 inches.
Program note:Looking Up is a piece for large chorus and orchestra, and is in three sections, played without pause. In the 16th century, a variety of psalters in meter were printed in England, with the idea of making psalm-singing something that could happen easily at home, with the rhyming meter being an aid to memorization. These translations are wonderful exercises in brevity and sometimes clumsy rhymemaking, and were usually prefaced by a lengthy explanation as to their merits; the title of one of the first such volumes in English is: The Psalter of Dauid newely translated into Englysh metre in such sort that it maye the more decently, and wyth more delyte of the mynde, be reade and songe of al men. I thought it would be appropriate to set one of these introductions, and the first section of Looking Up sets the preface to Thomas Ravenscroft's psalter (1621), in which he writes: “The singing of Psalmes (assay the Doctors) comforteth the sorrowfull, pacifieth the angry, strengtheneth the weake, humbleth the proud, gladdeth the humble, stirres up the slow, reconcileth enemies, lifteth up the heart to heavenly things, and uniteth the Creature to his Creator.”It begins meditatively, but eventually grows agitated and fervent, with a vision of the “quire of Angels and Saints” “redoubling anddescanting” - an ecstatic and terrifying vision of the skies opening up. Ravenscroft then encourages the use of instrumental musicfor worship, at which point, a long, acrobatic orchestral interlude with jagged edges antagonizes the choir, who sing a kind of private, anxious meditation on two pitches.One of the most delicious biblical texts is an Apocryphal prayer known as the Benedicite or the Prayer of the Three Children (the same who were rescued by an angel after King Nebuchadnezzar tried to have them burnt in an oven for not bowing to his image). The text is repetitive, obsessive, and a gift to composers - each line is an invocation of an element of the natural world, followed by the phrase, “blesse ye the Lord, praise him & magnify him for ever.” In Looking Up, the setting begins with three solo voices, and then grows to include the whole choir, itemizing the whole of creation. The idea that these boys are spared from the furnace and then five minutes later are saying, “O ye the fire and warming heate, blesse ye the Lord...” has always felt very loaded to me, and the orchestra plays with this conflict between joyful praise and a more terrible (in the 16th-century sense) awefor the divine.The text for the third, and shortest, section is taken from Christopher Smart's (1722-1771) A Song to David, purportedly written during his confinement in a mental asylum. This ode to King David points out how David, as the author of some of the Psalms, observes the whole world from the “clustering spheres” to the “nosegay in the vale.&rdquo.
SKU: MN.56-0108
UPC: 688670221255. English, Latin. Psalms 142; Jeremiah 3:48, 52, 56.
Invictus: A Passion addresses one of the world’s most powerful stories through the lens of the modern world. The texts, written or inspired by women, describe not only human suffering and persecution but also the human capacity for love and humility in the face of tyranny. Composer Howard Goodall is uniquely suited to bring these texts to life with music of emotional clarity and sweeping force. This excerpt is scored for soprano solo, SATB choir and piano. This fourth movement of the larger work is inspired by the extraordinary story of Irena Sendler née Krzyżanowska, a Polish nurse and head of Å»egota, the Polish Council to Aid Jews in the Second World War, whose personal interventions saved the lives of approximately 2,500 Jewish children in the Warsaw Ghetto, smuggling them to safety, acts of humanitarian bravery that eventually caused her arrest and torture by the Gestapo. She is honoured as Righteous Amongst the Nations at Yad Vashem, Jerusalem. The Latin texts of this movement are taken from the Book of Lamentations (“My eye hath run down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people. My enemies have chased me and caught me like a bird, without cause…â€) and from Psalm 142, the Old Testament being the meeting-point of Sendler’s Catholicism and the Jewish tradition of those whose lives she saved. Duration 6:19.
SKU: CL.RWS-2338-01
Once a reliable and trustworthy office machine, Shredder has fallen from grace to seek revenge on its sworn enemies and arch-nemeses… the teachers. After a long relationship of perceived disrespect, this dark lord of xerox, will stop at nothing as it crunches and crinkles its way towards revenge. Ultimately, the gut wrenching tones of the paper jam prevail but not before everyone has a blast bringing the story to life! Hilarious sound files are provided to help the narrative or, alternatively, a guest narrator (perhaps a school administrator) can add a really fun element to any concert!
SKU: HL.48021285
ISBN 9781458471598. UPC: 884088658458. 6.75x10.5 inches.
Text: Eric CrozierPublisher: Boosey & HawkesDifficulty level: 3Saint Nicolas (note the name has no 'H' in it!) was written for the centenary of Lancing College in Sussex, the independent secondary boarding school on the south coast of England which Peter Pears had attended in his teens. It has a vast chapel intended by its founder, Revd Nathaniel Woodard, as the cathedral for all the schools of his extensive foundation known collectively as 'Woodard' schools. St. Nicolas is famous for many legendary miracles and for being the original 'Santa Claus'. Crozier's libretto is designed to tell the story of his life, to recount some of his most celebrated acts and to give the audience/congregation the opportunity of joining in two beautiful hymns at key moments: 'All people that on earth do dwell' and 'God moves in a mysterious way his wonders to perform'. The narration is all done by the choir, though the tenor sings first-person narratives as well in his role as the mature Nicolas. The young Nicolas is sung by a boy in movement II. There is a dramatic moment at the end of this movement when the boy's voice does a tumble and the tenor proclaims in the voice of Nicolas as a young man: 'God be glorified'.The third movement is an accompanied recitative in which the soloist sings of Nicolas devoting himself to God through the agonies and torment of the many distractions and temptations of life. His faith wins through and he sings a final touching phrase: 'and Love was satisfied'. The sea whips up a storm in the next movement: 'He journeys to Palestine'. It threatens to overturn the ship and drown everyone on board. There is wailing from the sopranos and altos of the semi-chorus and agonised calls from the tenors and basses to 'man the pumps'. Finally, Nicolas begs God to let the storm cease and offers thanks for their safe delivery. Britten creates a palpable sense of relief in the final pages.In the fifth movement, 'Nicolas comes to Myra and is chosen Bishop', the choir sings chorale-like phrases welcoming him as their new Bishop. They go through his ceremonial dressing with all the accoutrements of his office, the mitre, crozier (nice pun on the librettist's name), robe and ring. An energetic chorus 'Serve the faith and spurn his enemies' leads to the first great hymn - a wonderfully climactic moment. Britten's arrangement is suitably uplifting.The final movement tells of Nicolas' death and the work ends with the other great hymn: 'God moves in a mysterious way'. This work demonstrates to me Britten's generosity of spirit and his natural feeling for enriching the repertoire at all levels of attainment. What a gift!Duration: 50 minutesPaul Spicer, Lichfield, 2011.
SKU: HL.438844
UPC: 852940000387. 4.5x7.0x2.75 inches.
Multiple effects, True-Bypass Switching and large stages (with long cable runs) are some of your tone's greatest enemies... yes pedal-boards with all their advantages can become tone-thiefs! Long cable runs and multiple pedals using True-Bypass switching, tend to 'muddy' our sound and reduce the higher frequencies that help define our sound. Even wah pedals on their own can also be suspected of stealing certain frequencies from your tone. By plugging your guitar into Buff Deluxe (1) and out to your pedals, then from your pedals back into Buff Deluxe (2) and out to your amp, you can protect your tone. The results are stunning with your guitar coming back to life as if there was nothing between it and the amp. There is also a Mute switch which directs your signal to the Tuner Out....this allows us to remove even the tuner from the signal chain and mute the guitar for silent tuning!
SKU: CL.012-2760-01
An outstanding composition begins as a tone poem depicting the Illinois River and the peaceful Indian tribes that lived in the area. The tempo of the music quickens as the tribe seeks refuge from their enemies and then the piece reaches it’s climax at the peak of the battle. The music subsides as the ill-fated Indians are finally starved into defeat.
About Heritage of the March
Full-sized concert band editions of the greatest marches of all time. Each has been faithfully re-scored to accommodate modern instrumentation and incorporate performance practices of classic march style
SKU: CF.SPS80
ISBN 9781491152577. UPC: 680160910076. Key: Bb major.
With Wind and Water is a musical portrayal of an adventure on the high seas during the sailing age. It was during the 16th to the mid-19th century where large sailing vessels dominated global exploration, international trade, and naval warfare. The piece's compound meter provides the pulse of movement as it pitches and rolls with the rhythm of the waves. The driving main melodies convey the determination and courage of the explorers and their crew. Dissonant harmonies suggest rough seas, turbulent weather, and other constant dangers that sailors must endure. Finally, the ending sweeping melody and climax reflects the joy and triumph at arriving on a new land at the apex of a long and intense voyage.With evidence of watercraft dating back to 8000 BC, travel by water has remained an important aspect of life to many civilizations. From paddling down a river or crossing a large lake, to steaming across an entire ocean, generations of humans have traveled on water to explore foreign lands, to seek food and precious materials, to move and trade cargo, and to attack and fend off enemies.With Wind and Water is a musical portrayal of an adventure on the high seas during the age of sail. It was during the sixteenth to the mid-nineteenth century when large sailing vessels dominated global exploration, international trade, and naval warfare. Our ship sets sail!The compound meter provides the pulse of movement as it pitches and rolls with the rhythm of the waves. The driving main melodies convey the determination and courage of the explorers and their crew. Dissonant harmonies suggest rough seas, turbulent weather and other constant dangers that sailors must endure. The final sweeping melody and climax reflect the joy and triumph at arriving on a new land at the apex of a long and intense voyage. With Wind and Water was commissioned by the Florida Bandmasters Association for the 2016 Nine Star Honor Band.
SKU: CL.012-2760-00
SKU: CF.SPS80F
ISBN 9781491153253. UPC: 680160910755.
SKU: CA.3108119
ISBN 9790007136345. Key: E minor. Language: German/English.
Bach composed the cantata Jesus schlaft, was soll ich hoffen [Jesus sleeps, what hope have I] BWV 81 for the fourth Epiphany Sunday, 1724. The cantata is structured as a little drama: In the beginning, fear prevails. The seas rage and Jesus is asleep. The threateningly foaming waves are vividly depicted in the soughing string accompaniment of the tenor aria. Jesus's words Ihr Kleinglaubigen, warum seid ihr so furchtsam? [You of little faith, why are you so fearful?] are set as a bass arioso at the center of the cantata; they provide the turning point. In the subsequent bass aria, the towering seas are silenced. A recitative - Wohl mir [Well for me] - leads into the closing chorale with its certainty Unter deinen Schirmen bin ich vor den Sturmen aller Feinde frei [Under Your protection I am spared the tempests of my enemies]. Score and parts available separately - see item CA.3108100.
SKU: CA.3108105
ISBN 9790007045432. Key: E minor. Language: German/English.
Bach composed the cantata Jesus schlaft, was soll ich hoffen [Jesus sleeps, what hope have I] BWV 81 for the fourth Epiphany Sunday, 1724. The cantata is structured as a little drama: In the beginning, fear prevails. The seas rage and Jesus is asleep. The threateningly foaming waves are vividly depicted in the soughing string accompaniment of the tenor aria. Jesus's words Ihr Kleinglaubigen, warum seid ihr so furchtsam? [You of little faith, why are you so fearful?] are set as a bass arioso at the center of the cantata; they provide the turning point. In the subsequent bass aria, the towering seas are silenced. A recitative - Wohl mir [Well for me] - leads into the closing chorale with its certainty Unter deinen Schirmen bin ich vor den Sturmen aller Feinde frei [Under Your protection I am spared the tempests of my enemies]. Score available separately - see item CA.3108100.
SKU: GH.GE-10702
ISBN 9790070107020. 185 x 262 mm inches. Text: Biblical.
For blandad kor och orgel.
SKU: HL.14025061
