SKU: AP.36-52703617
UPC: 735816385521. English.
This humorous little vignette for string quartet was composed in 1979 and was originally intended to be published by Piedmont Music, the ASCAP division of EB Marks Classical. For reasons unknown, however, it remained in manuscript form until 2021, when a copy of the composer's autograph parts was discovered in the archives of a completely different Alan Shulman piece. This newly engraved Latham Music edition therefore represents the first publication of Shulman's delightful work, as well as the first full score. As the title suggests, this is a medium-slow rag, or cakewalk in a loose AABA form. The bluesy and graceful main melody is introduced by the first violin in a call and response exchange with the rest of the ensemble. The restatement of the primary theme is led by the second violin, with the entire ensemble playing pizzicato, having the effect of playful mockery. In the B section, the first violin earnestly reasserts the stately grace from the opening however, the cello is clearly becoming restless and decides to take over the lead just before the final reprise. The lighthearted ending again has the first violin doing its best to bring the tune to a refined conclusion, but the rest of the group still has mischief in mind. After a couple moments of seeming confusion, the ensemble regroups at last and plays the final riff with resolute emphasis. If you're looking to add a light moment to a recital program, or looking for a short, medium level contest piece that players and audiences alike will enjoy, this little miniature is an ideal choice!
These products are currently being prepared by a new publisher. While many items are ready and will ship on time, some others may see delays of several months.
SKU: PR.114414250
UPC: 680160607846.
Lowell Liebermann's 4th String Quartet was commissioned by the Canandaigua Lake Chamber Music Festival and the Wood Library, Canandaigua, NY, for the Orion Quartet in celebration of their 20th Anniversary. The quartet was premiered by the Orions at the Canandaigua Lake Chamber Music Festival in Rochester, NY on February 9th, 2008. To quote the writer Mark Greenberg: It's a remarkable piece. The mood is elegiacal and meditative, the melodic lines sinuous and searching, the harmonies rich and astonishingly beautiful. Liebermann works within the traditions of Western tonality, but that is a mansion with many rooms. Liebermann inhabits all of them as his expressive purposes require, and he doesn't mind knocking down a wall to create new harmonic spaces. The Fourth Quartet doesn't exactly fit the neoromantic niche into which Liebermann is sometimes placed. Much of the music, especially near the beginning, is a highly advanced and fluid chromatic expressionism with modernist tendencies. Sometimes this roiling cloudscape breaks open to allow a patch of near-classical harmony and almost-resolution. Near the midpoint the clouds lift in leaping modulations. Several chordal passages recall Russian Orthodox chant. Suddenly, when you've begun to think the somber, deliberate pace has gone on a bit too long, Liebermann introduces a kind of hobbled, stilted jazz idiom. The piece dies in pensive quiet.
SKU: FG.042-09103-6
ISBN 979-0-042-09103-6.
Eero Sipila was an organist by training. His liking for Gregorian chant left its mark on his compositions in the form of stylistic borrowings or at least reflections. In one of his letters Sipila mentioned as his main work the quartet that was to be the last thing he wrote. The name Lux aeterna is a reference to the section in the Gregorian mass, melodic motifs from which dominate the entire quartet. There is no trace of the modernistic tendencies of the works composed in the 1960s, but the pungent seconds harmonies characteristic of Sipila are all there.
SKU: ST.Y349
ISBN 9790220225499.
This four-movement suite was first published in 1918 by Joseph Williams (now part of Stainer & Bell) as In Pixieland for Solo Violin or Flute and Piano. In 1921 string parts were added and then in 1930 optional parts for flute, oboe, clarinet in A or B flat and bassoon became available, making the work ideally suited for school or amateur orchestra. In 1999 the Sir George Dyson Trust decided that the original title was slightly out of tune with the times and it was changed to Woodland Suite.
SKU: HL.14036341
ISBN 9780711955080.
Commissioned by the BBC and premiered by the Chilingirian String Quartet. Quoting Wood: In my Second and Third Quartets I attempted sectional, agglutinative forms: in my Fourth I return to the conventional four movement form of my First Quartet of 1962. Both works build up (as in the 19th century symphony) to the Finale, thus making it the most substantial movement, which provides a climax to the work. The First Movement has, in both works, only the status of an Introduction. But there the consciously willed resemblances end. This Introduction follows the Second Quartet to a certain extent, in that it provides a sort of 'cauldron', from which elements to be used later can all be plucked. Its opening will reappear at various points throughout the work, most completely at a climatic point of the Finale (bar 110). Subsequent material will be more fully worked out in the second movement, a large Scherzo. The Introduction concludes with an unusually placed violin cadenza (itself a rare feature in a string quartet, the idea lifted from Elliott Carter's First Quartet) of which the opening is to reappear halfway through the Finale. The Scherzo (which follows attacca) does not have at its centre a discretely characterized Trio: a figure in double-stops like a distant fanfare supplies the necessary contrast of a second idea. The Slow Movement has a secondary idea first heard on the cello and marked appassionato: an agitato middle section recalls the opening of the work, but in a formulation which will be found closely to anticipate its reappearance in the Finale. The Finale is planned on a broad scale. Only after a fully worked exposition of both primary and secondary material does the opening of the whole work return, now in a greatly extended form. Then, at bar 140, the tune of the violin cadenza is first harmonized in fanfare style on the upper instruments, then presented as a chorale on the lower ones, with a rushing semiquaver accompaniment above. This climatic activity mounts to the very end. The work is dedicated to the Chilingirian Quartet, old friends over many years. Score available separately: SOS04044.
SKU: HL.49018488
ISBN 9790001151511. UPC: 884088668044. 9.25x12.0x0.333 inches.
The title of Thomas Larcher's third string quartet, Madhares, refers to the name of a deserted place on the island of Crete which inspired him to compose this work. Larcher developed the piece from repetitions of sounds generated by plucking the strings with a coin. The C major in the second movement Honey from Anopolis evokes the picture of an idealistic time long gone. The idyll is broken by rapid rhythmic movements marked 'sleepless'.
SKU: CF.BF131
ISBN 9781491153765. UPC: 680160911264. 9 x 12 inches.
Inspired by Clarence Cameron White’s book The Violinist’s Daily Dozen, The Violinist’s Daily Sixteen is a collection of daily exercises compiled by Roland Vamos. Intended for student and professional violinists, the collection provides the performer with a variety of exercises for daily warm-ups. Mr. Vamos also focuses on developing dexterity and flexibility in the fingers and joints, the first and fourth fingers in particular. Each of the sixteen exercises is notated for each of the four strings, and Vamos recommends that the exercises be practiced as warm-ups, choosing a different string for each day of practice.Also included with the Daily Sixteen is a comprehensive set of studies for developing fluency with scales and arpeggios. Mr. Vamos’ unique methodology is to begin with major scales and arpeggios, followed by minor scales and arpeggios, all of which are notated in two, three and four octaves. Alternate fingers are provided, as well as a variety of slurred and mixed bowings using the three parts of the bow whenever feasible. It is a remarkably systematic approach to performing scales and arpeggios on the violin and will surely benefit students and professionals alike.ForewordThis short hand-setting set of exercises was inspired by a book entitled The Violinist’s Daily Dozen, conceived by Clarence Cameron White, a prominent African-American violinist, composer and arranger who enjoyed the bulk of his career in the first half of the twentieth century.I have practiced this set of exercises since I was twelve years old. It has served me as a superb warm-up and hand setting tool. Over the years, I have found that there are some aspects of this warm-up routine that were not given sufficient attention or not addressed at all. Consequently, I have expanded the Daily Dozen to create a new work entitled The Violinist’s Daily Sixteen.I have also paid particular attention in this work as to how these exercises are to be practiced. In exercises one and two, I have indicated some notes to be played before the actual written exercises. This is to ensure that the fourth finger will be over the string in a position ready to strike even though it is not being used. Before playing exercises three, four, nine, ten, eleven and twelve, I have indicated silent fingers to be placed on the notes they would be playing if they were being used.I have replaced Mr. White’s grace notes with notes of specific value and have slowed down the exercises so that the first joint (the joint nearest the string) of each finger can move with flexibility and strength. At no time should the first joint buckle.In Mr. White’s version, the last exercise gave the first finger some very valuable backward extensions. In this exercise (number 14 in this book), I caution the student not to move the hand along with the first finger. The hand should remain in position while the first finger independently moves back and forth.It became obvious to me that if the first finger were given the opportunity to develop the dexterity that Mr. White’s twelfth exercise emphasizes, the fourth finger could benefit from an exercise that gives it a forward extension. Consequently, I added another exercise to create a Baker’s Dozen (thirteen).Several years later, I felt that the second and third fingers should also have an exercise to further develop their dexterity…hence exercise fourteen was added to create a “Vamos Dozen.â€Because the first finger did not have sufficient practice in the development of the first joint in the original version, I have added two exercises to precede White’s fifth exercise. After re-working and re-numbering these exercises, I have come up with a total of sixteen exercises. It is my suggestion that these be practiced as a warm-up, choosing a different string each day.—Roland VamosEvanston, Illinois 2017 PrefaceScales are a means of teaching a person the fingerboard on his or her instrument. The fingers move across the strings and are required to make shifts, all in highly organized patterns. Scales and arpeggios are the foundation upon which our repertoire is built. Many scale books have been written; each one being organized in its own specific way. The Flesch Scale System has been a standard for many decades. It is very comprehensive and systematic. From the point of view of establishing similar patterns, it has one drawback: it is organized by starting with a major key, followed by its relative minor, going through the circle of fifths. I believe that it is more profitable to do only major scales with their arpeggios first, going up chromatically, and then follow them in a similar way with the minor scales. In using this approach, the similarities in fingerings between the various scales are more apparent. It is also profitable to have alternate fingerings whenever possible. My approach to scales and arpeggios includes a variety of slurred and mixed bowings using the three parts of the bow whenever feasible. These bowings are not all-inclusive. Whenever a particularly awkward bowing pattern is encountered in the repertoire, it can be practiced as an additional bowing variation in the scales and arpeggios.   I have chosen to introduce the three and four octave scales by teaching two octave scales across the strings in one position going up chromatically through seven positions; starting on the first, second, third, and finally fourth fingers in major and melodic minor.—Roland VamosEvanston, Illinois 2017.
SKU: HL.49004661
ISBN 9790001048880. UPC: 884088215927. 9.25x12.0x0.084 inches.
The easy violin duos by Johann Sebastian Bach, arranged by Gustav Lenzewski, have always been very popular. Wolfgang Birtel has re-edited the collection, adopting the entire arrangement except for a few movements and adding further well-known pieces by Bach. The level of difficulty ranges from very easy to advanced. The original fingering and bowing have all been maintained; numerous articulation marks, however, have been deleted as they do no longer correspond to the modern way of playing Baroque music. The ideal edition for music lessons or music-making at home.
SKU: CF.BF115
ISBN 9781491150993. UPC: 680160908493. 9x12 inches.
Johann Sebastian Bach’s (1685—1750) SixSonatas and Partitas have captivated violinistsfor centuries. Rachel Barton Pine—havingspent decades studying the music of Bach,his contemporaries, and his predecessors—now offers this unparalleled edition completewith detailed historical notes, performancesuggestions, and downloadable study materialsincluding a new Urtext edition and a speciallyprepared manuscript. Pine’s interpretationis informed by thorough historical study, which has been polished byyears of performance insight, but also encourages those studying Bach’srepertoire to craft their own unique interpretation of these timelessmasterpieces. This edition closely follows Pine’s critically acclaimed 2016recording “Testament: Complete Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin byJ.S. Bach†(Avie 2360) making it an invaluable resource for any student,teacher, or performer enthralled with J.S. Bach’s long standing legacy.Ms. Pine holds the distinction of being the only American and youngestperson to win the gold medal at the J.S. Bach International ViolinCompetition in Leipzig, Germany, 1992.here is no one right way to play Bach. More thanalmost any repertoire, each individual’s interpretation isas unique as their personality. Though I have spent decadesstudying Bach’s music as well as that of his contemporariesand predecessors, my final rationale for artisticdecisions is often taste and instinct. Every violinist whoundertakes a lifetime’s journey with this incredible repertoireis continually discovering new ideas. Thus, theopinions on the following pages may evolve over time.However, everything in the sheet music closely follows my2016 recording “Testament: Complete Sonatas and Partitasfor Solo Violin by J.S. Bach†(Avie 2360), which I trulyfeel represents the culmination of my exploration intothese extraordinary works.In choosing to present this edition, my hope is thatyou will find useful solutions to challenges of fingering,bowing, and polyphony, and helpful information aboutphrasing. I have also included additional dynamic suggestionswith the hope that trying these ideas will help inspireyou to discover your own. All of these markings aredesigned to work with a baroque violin and baroque bow,a modern violin and baroque bow, or a modern violinand modern bow. While the information in this editionis unusually dense, there is much that I did not include,such as lifts, breaths, articulations, whether to play on oroff the string, metronome markings, details of timing,and emphases other than hemiolas.I offer this book to you in the spirit of Bach: “SoliDeo Gloria.â€.
SKU: HL.48022520
9.0x12.0x0.08 inches.
In 'Metamorphosen' - performed for the first time in March 2008 by Viviane Hagner at a Berlin gala concert marking the 80th birthdayof the composer, only a few weeks before his death - Frank Michael Beyer refers to Scriabin's Piano Sonata No. 6 from 1911, a work the motivic and thematic penetration of which ahead of the serial technique had fascinated Beyer since his student days. Based on a scale found in Scriabin's works, Metamorphosen contrasts the frequently ecstatic nature of the piano setting with the linearity of the solo violin. The strict structure is contrasted by the music's free character which Scriabin himself described as 'volando - flying'.
SKU: FH.S50
ISBN 9781554409150.
The Official Syllabi of The Royal Conservatory are essential for teachers preparing students for examinations. Students and their parents will also benefit from the information presented in these helpful resource books. The syllabi include information about application procedures and marking systems for RCM Examinations, technical requirements and listings of a wide range of repertoire for each level of study, and comprehensive bibliographies of music texts and reference books. This resource outlines the Violin requirements for the Preparatory to ARCT levels of The Royal Conservatory Examinations. The Violin Syllabus includes an extensive listing of repertoire organized by musical style, historical era, or genre.
SKU: FG.55011-878-2
Lasting 27 minutes, Kalevi Aho’s String quartet no. 4 (2021) is in four movements. The first, Nocturne, begins with a hazily muted melody dominated by the interval of a minor third on the second violin. Though the first movement begins in nocturnal mood, there is also some more forceful music around the middle. The second movement, Allegro capriccioso, is quick with quirky rhythms. At times tempestuous, it faces the players with the biggest technical and virtuoso challenges. The following Largo is slow. A couple of times in the first half it is dominated by soft, mysterious harmonies. The tempo marking of the virtuosic closing movement is Presto, leggiore. The movement begins with quick, flickering, will-o’-the-wisp-like music. It later builds up to an extremely violent climax dominated by tremolo figures on the second violin and thick chords on the other instruments. The flickering music of the beginning returns at the end, before dissolving into silence.This product includes the full score (A4) and the parts (B4).
