Scott Joplin Reconsidered. Composed by Scott Joplin (1868-1917). Edited by Lara Downes. Collection. Theodore Presser Company #440-40028. Published by Theodore Presser Company

Band Bass Clarinet, Bass Drum, Bassoon 1, Bassoon 2, Bongos, Castanets, Celesta, Clarinet, Clarinet 1, Clarinet 2, Clarinet 3, Contrabass Clarinet, Contrabassoon, English Horn, Euphonium, Euphonium T.C., Flute 1, Flute 2, Horn 1, Horn 2, Horn 3 and more.

SKU: PR.16500100F

Hymns for Wind Ensemble. Composed by Dan Welcher. Sws. Full score. 48 pages. Duration 10 minutes, 41 seconds. Theodore Presser Company #165-00100F. Published by Theodore Presser Company (PR.16500100F).

ISBN 9781491114421. UPC: 680160669783. 9 x 12 inches.

Commissioned for a consortium of high school and college bands in the north Dallas region, FOR THEMYSTIC HARMONY is a 10-minute inspirational work in homage to Norwood and Elizabeth Dixon,patrons of the Fort Worth Symphony and the Van Cliburn Competition. Welcher draws melodic flavorfrom five American hymns, spirituals, and folk tunes of the 19th century. The last of these sources toappear is the hymn tune For the Beauty of the Earth, whose third stanza is the quatrain: “For the joy of earand eye, For the heart and mind’s delight, For the mystic harmony, Linking sense to sound and sight,”giving rise to the work’s title.
This work, commissioned for a consortium of high school bands in the north Dallas area, is my fifteenth maturework for wind ensemble (not counting transcriptions). When I asked Todd Dixon, the band director whospearheaded this project, what kind of a work he most wanted, he first said “something that’s basically slow,” butwanted to leave the details to me. During a long subsequent conversation, he mentioned that his grandparents,Norwood and Elizabeth Dixon, were prime supporters of the Fort Worth Symphony, going so far as to purchase anumber of high quality instruments for that orchestra. This intrigued me, so I asked more about his grandparentsand was provided an 80-page biographical sketch. Reading that article, including a long section about theirdevotion to supporting a young man through the rigors of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition fora number of years, moved me very much. Norwood and Elizabeth Dixon weren’t just supporters of the arts; theywere passionate lovers of music and musicians. I determined to make this work a testament to that love, and tothe religious faith that sustained them both. The idea of using extant hymns was also suggested by Todd Dixon,and this 10-minute work is the result.I have employed existing melodies in several works, delving into certain kinds of religious music more than a fewtimes. In seeking new sounds, new ways of harmonizing old tunes, and the contrapuntal overlaying of one tunewith another, I was able to make works like ZION (using 19th-century Revivalist hymns) and LABORING SONGS(using Shaker melodies) reflect the spirit of the composers who created these melodies, without sounding likepastiches or medleys. I determined to do the same with this new work, with the added problem of employingmelodies that were more familiar. I chose five tunes from the 19th century: hymns, spirituals, and folk-tunes.Some of these are known by differing titles, but they all appear in hymnals of various Christian denominations(with various titles and texts). My idea was to employ the tunes without altering their notes, instead using aconstantly modulating sense of harmony — sometimes leading to polytonal harmonizations of what are normallysimple four-chord hymns.The work begins and ends with a repeated chime on the note C: a reminder of steeples, white clapboard churchesin the country, and small church organs. Beginning with a Mixolydian folk tune of Caribbean origin presentedtwice with layered entrances, the work starts with a feeling of mystery and gentle sorrow. It proceeds, after along transition, into a second hymn that is sometimes connected to the sea (hence the sensation of water andwaves throughout it). This tune, by John B. Dykes (1823-1876), is a bit more chromatic and “shifty” than mosthymn-tunes, so I chose to play with the constant sensation of modulation even more than the original does. Atthe climax, the familiar spiritual “Were you there?” takes over, with a double-time polytonal feeling propelling itforward at “Sometimes it causes me to tremble.”Trumpets in counterpoint raise the temperature, and the tempo as well, leading the music into a third tune (ofunknown provenance, though it appears with different texts in various hymnals) that is presented in a sprightlymanner. Bassoons introduce the melody, but it is quickly taken up by other instruments over three “verses,”constantly growing in orchestration and volume. A mysterious second tune, unrelated to this one, interrupts it inall three verses, sending the melody into unknown regions.The final melody is “For the Beauty of the Earth.” This tune by Conrad Kocher (1786-1872) is commonly sung atThanksgiving — the perfect choice to end this work celebrating two people known for their generosity.Keeping the sense of constant modulation that has been present throughout, I chose to present this hymn in threegrowing verses, but with a twist: every four bars, the “key” of the hymn seems to shift — until the “Lord of all, toThee we praise” melody bursts out in a surprising compound meter. This, as it turns out, was the “mystery tune”heard earlier in the piece. After an Ivesian, almost polytonal climax, the Coda begins over a long B( pedal. At first,it seems to be a restatement of the first two phrases of “For the Beauty” with long spaces between them, but it soonchanges to a series of “Amen” cadences, widely separated by range and color. These, too, do not conform to anykey, but instead overlay each other in ways that are unpredictable but strangely comforting.The third verse of “For the Beauty of the Earth” contains this quatrain:“For the joy of ear and eye, –For the heart and mind’s delightFor the mystic harmonyLinking sense to sound and sight”and it was from this poetry that I drew the title for the present work. It is my hope that audiences and performerswill find within it a sense of grace: more than a little familiar, but also quite new and unexpected.

Band Concert Band

SKU: PR.46500013L

For Wind Ensemble. Composed by Dan Welcher. Contemporary. Large Score. With Standard notation. Composed 2010. Duration 14 minutes. Theodore Presser Company #465-00013L. Published by Theodore Presser Company (PR.46500013L).

UPC: 680160600151. 11 x 14 inches.

I n 1803, President Thomas Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clarks Corps of Discovery to find a water route to the Pacific and explore the uncharted West. He believed woolly mammoths, erupting volcanoes, and mountains of pure salt awaited them. What they found was no less mind-boggling: some 300 species unknown to science, nearly 50 Indian tribes, and the Rockies. I have been a student of the Lewis and Clark expedition, which Thomas Jefferson called the Voyage of Discovery, for as long as I can remember. This astonishing journey, lasting more than two-and-a-half years, began and ended in St. Louis, Missouri and took the travelers up more than a few rivers in their quest to find the Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean. In an age without speedy communication, this was akin to space travel out of radio range in our own time: no one knew if, indeed, the party had even survived the voyage for more than a year. Most of them were soldiers. A few were French-Canadian voyageurs hired trappers and explorers, who were fluent in French (spoken extensively in the region, due to earlier explorers from France) and in some of the Indian languages they might encounter. One of the voyageurs, a man named Pierre Cruzatte, also happened to be a better-than-average fiddle player. In many respects, the travelers were completely on their own for supplies and survival, yet, incredibly, only one of them died during the voyage. Jefferson had outfitted them with food, weapons, medicine, and clothing and along with other trinkets, a box of 200 jaw harps to be used in trading with the Indians. Their trip was long, perilous to the point of near catastrophe, and arduous. The dream of a Northwest Passage proved ephemeral, but the northwestern quarter of the continent had finally been explored, mapped, and described to an anxious world. When the party returned to St. Louis in 1806, and with the Louisiana Purchase now part of the United States, they were greeted as national heroes. I have written a sizeable number of works for wind ensemble that draw their inspiration from the monumental spaces found in the American West. Four of them (Arches, The Yellowstone Fires, Glacier, and Zion) take their names, and in large part their being, from actual national parks in Utah, Wyoming, and Montana. But Upriver, although it found its voice (and its finale) in the magnificent Columbia Gorge in Oregon, is about a much larger region. This piece, like its brother works about the national parks, doesnt try to tell a story. Instead, it captures the flavor of a certain time, and of a grand adventure. Cast in one continuous movement and lasting close to fourteen minutes, the piece falls into several subsections, each with its own heading: The Dream (in which Jeffersons vision of a vast expanse of western land is opened); The Promise, a chorale that re-appears several times in the course of the piece and represents the seriousness of the presidential mission; The River; The Voyageurs; The River II ; Death and Disappointment; Return to the Voyage; and The River III . The music includes several quoted melodies, one of which is familiar to everyone as the ultimate river song, and which becomes the through-stream of the work. All of the quoted tunes were either sung by the men on the voyage, or played by Cruzattes fiddle. From various journals and diaries, we know the men found enjoyment and solace in music, and almost every night encampment had at least a bit of music in it. In addition to Cruzatte, there were two other members of the party who played the fiddle, and others made do with singing, or playing upon sticks, bones, the ever-present jaw harps, and boat horns. From Lewis journals, I found all the tunes used in Upriver: Shenandoah (still popular after more than 200 years), Vla bon vent, Soldiers Joy, Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier, Come Ye Sinners Poor and Needy (a hymn sung to the tune Beech Spring) and Fishers Hornpipe. The work follows an emotional journey: not necessarily step-by-step with the Voyage of Discovery heroes, but a kind of grand arch. Beginning in the mists of history and myth, traversing peaks and valleys both real and emotional (and a solemn funeral scene), finding help from native people, and recalling their zeal upon finding the one great river that will, in fact, take them to the Pacific. When the men finally roar through the Columbia Gorge in their boats (a feat that even the Indians had not attempted), the magnificent river combines its theme with the chorale of Jeffersons Promise. The Dream is fulfilled: not quite the one Jefferson had imagined (there is no navigable water passage from the Missouri to the Pacific), but the dream of a continental destiny.

By Greg Fishman. For Guitar. Play-Along (Book CD). Published by Greg Fishman Jazz Studios

Composed by Hyun Kook. Arranged by Allan Robert Petker. Pavane Choral. Concert, Latin, Sacred. Octavo. 8 pages. Pavane Publishing #JR1127. Published by Pavane Publishing

40 Contemporary Arrangements of Praise Songs with Hymns. Arranged by Carol Tornquist. Book; Piano Collection; Piano Supplemental. Sacred Performer Collections. Contemporary Christian; Hymn; Sacred. 172 pages. Published by Alfred Music

Christmas, Saddle-stitched. World. Eook/online audio. Mel Bay Publications, Inc #30917M. Published by Mel Bay Publications, Inc

With Variants, Examples and Advice for Playing and Improvising on any instrument. Edited by Pascale Boquet, Gerard Rebours. Music Books/CDs. Teaching Works. Level: Grade 0. 144 pages. Published by Editions Fuzeau Classique - France (French import).

Arranged by Matthew Harris. For SATB a cappella w/divisi. Mixed Chorus a cappella with divisi and solos -- Sitting in an outdoor cafe in Mexico a few years ago, I was intrigued when a strolling mariachi band played something str strange yet familiar. Here was 'La Bamba' the 'right way'!, I thought. But a little. Modern. Octavo. 22 pages. Duration circa 6 minutes

Choral Hand Clap, Voice 1, Voice 2, Voice 3

SKU: CF.CM9600

Composed by American Folk Song. Arranged by Michael John Trotta. Sws. Mjts. Performance Score. 20 pages. Duration 3 minutes, 19 seconds. Carl Fischer Music #CM9600. Published by Carl Fischer Music (CF.CM9600).

ISBN 9781491154229. UPC: 680160912728. 6.875 x 10.5 inches. Key: G major. English. Traditional.

About the song . . .

This beloved American folk song is set atop a rhythmic vocal ostinato that casts this familiar tune in a new light. The energetic ostinato provides the backdrop for the soaring vocal line. Cued notes provide additional options for performance, based on the needs of the ensemble and the discretion of the director.

About the text . . .

The text for this song dates back to the 19th century when one of its many variants appeared in Harpers New Monthly Magazine in 1882. While there is some debate about the exact origin of the song, it is likely linked to the fur trade that existed along the Missouri river. The song quickly spread along these trade routes and exists to this day as one of the most familiar and beloved American folk songs.

This popular song has been recorded by many artists including Judy Garland, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Renee Flemming, the King Singers, Chanticleer and many more.

.

About the song . . .

This beloved American folk song is set atop a rhythmic vocal ostinato that casts this familiar tune in a new light. The energetic ostinato provides the backdrop for the soaring vocal line. Cued notes provide additional options for performance, based on the needs of the ensemble and the discretion of the director.

About the text . . .

The text for this song dates back to the 19th century when one of its many variants appeared in Harpers New Monthly Magazine in 1882. While there is some debate about the exact origin of the song, it is likely linked to the fur trade that existed along the Missouri river. The song quickly spread along these trade routes and exists to this day as one of the most familiar and beloved American folk songs.

This popular song has been recorded by many artists including Judy Garland, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Renee Flemming, the King Singers, Chanticleer and many more.

.
About the song . . . This beloved American folk song is set atop a rhythmic vocal ostinato that casts this familiar tune in a new light. The energetic ostinato provides the backdrop for the soaring vocal line. Cued notes provide additional options for performance, based on the needs of the ensemble and the discretion of the director. About the text . . . The text for this song dates back to the 19th century when one of its many variants appeared in Harpers New Monthly Magazine in 1882. While there is some debate about the exact origin of the song, it is likely linked to the fur trade that existed along the Missouri river. The song quickly spread along these trade routes and exists to this day as one of the most familiar and beloved American folk songs. This popular song has been recorded by many artists including Judy Garland, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Renee Flemming, the King Singers, Chanticleer and many more.
About the song . . .This beloved American folk song is set atop a rhythmic vocal ostinato that casts this familiar tune in a new light. The energetic ostinato provides the backdrop for the soaring vocal line. Cued notes provide additional options for performance, based on the needs of the ensemble and the discretion of the director.About the text . . .The text for this song dates back to the 19th century when one of its many variants appeared in Harpers New Monthly Magazine in 1882. While there is some debate about the exact origin of the song, it is likely linked to the fur trade that existed along the Missouri river. The song quickly spread along these trade routes and exists to this day as one of the most familiar and beloved American folk songs.This popular song has been recorded by many artists including Judy Garland, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Renee Flemming, the King Singers, Chanticleer and many more.

Trombone and piano - Advanced

SKU: CY.CC2144

Composed by Nick Francis. Contemporary tonal. Full score & set of parts. Published by Cherry Classics (CY.CC2144).

The Skye Boat Song, among the most popular of all Scottish folk tunes, deals with the flight of Bonnie Prince Charlie (Charles Edward Stewart) from Scotland to the Isle of Skye in 1746, after having been defeated on Culloden Moor by the English Army of King George II. The present setting, for either Tenor or Bass Trombone and Piano, is mostly lyrical and passes through a series of episodes that evoke watery images in various ways. A stormy episode which superimposes a more martial tune (relying heavily on the familiar scotch snappy rhythm) against a variation of the original folk tune leads to brief quotations from Mendelssohn's Hebrides overture (the Isle of Skye is part of the group of islands known as the Hebrides) before a short recapitulation of the theme.

Choral TTBB choir

SKU: PR.312416820

Men's Chorus (10 Copies). Composed by Chen Yi. Choral part(s). With Standard notation. 480 pages. Duration 17 minutes. Theodore Presser Company #312-41682. Published by Theodore Presser Company (PR.312416820).

UPC: 680160050376. 8.5 x 11 inches.

Chen Yi’s most performed and most beloved choral music is a series of 10 Chinese folk songs adapted for S.A.T.B. Chorus (published in 3 volumes: 312-41731, 312-41732, 312-41733). This special version is a setting of the familiar collection, adapted for children’s chorus and strings.
Remembering when I studied composition in the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, I learned to sing hundreds of Chinese folk songs collected from more than twenty provinces and fifty ethnic groups, and went to countryside to collect original folk music every year.  I got to know that the folk songs are a mirror of people’s daily lives, their thoughts and sentiments, local customs and manners.  They are sung in regional dialects and use the idioms of everyday speech with their particular intonations, accents and cadences.  This correlation between speech and music distinguishes folk songs of one region from another.  I learned all songs by heart and sang them back in the exams every week.  They melted in my blood and became my natural music language.  The more I walk into the music life,the more I treasure the rich culture I have learned from my homeland. When I became the Composer-in-Residence of Chanticleer and was invited to write the first work for its concert program, as well as another version for its Singing-In-The-Schools program, I decided to introduce A Set of Chinese Folk Songs to my American audiences, and add a new flavor to Chanticleer’srich repertoire.  The work includes ten folk songs, taken from eight provinces (Anhui, Shaanxi, Yunnan, Shanxi, Taiwan, Sinkiang, Jiangsu and Guizhou) and five ethnic groups (Han, Hasake, Uighur, Miao and Yi).  I arranged them for choirs (men’s or children’s chorus) with various combinations in voices, to be sung mostly in Chinese, some in English.   From the mysterious mountain songs originally sung in the open air with high and long notes that can carry over great distances, the sweet and delicate melodies of young love compared with nature, the humorous antiphony by little children, and the lively dancing tune by villagers, you may get an idea of various music styles in Chinese folk songs according to geographic, ethnic and linguistic differences, and appreciate the beauty of the Chinese folk music.  The pure choir sound and the sophisticated singing by Chanticleer, in terms of pitches, language and musical expressions, really attract and inspire me to create some more new works in the years to come.  In thisedition of A Set of Chinese Folk Songs for standard SATB mixed choir (with piano rehearsal score), I divided these ten songs into three volumes.  They are Fengyang Song, The Flowing Stream, Guessing, Thinking of My Darling, Mayila, Jasmine Flower, Riding on a Mule, Awariguli, Diu Diu Deng, andMountain Song and Dancing Tune.—Chen Yi.

Composed by Gwyneth W. Walker (1947-). Christmas, Easter, 21st Century. Published by E.C. Schirmer Publishing (EC.8254).