SKU: CF.YPS204F

ISBN 9781491152928. UPC: 680160910427.

Avalon–Long Live the King is a medieval fantasy piece depicting the Isle of Avalon where the mystical sword Excalibur of King Arthur was forged. Composer Tyler Arcari unearths a solid piece for young bands that is both bold and dramatic. This piece is sure to spark the imagination of students and give them strong musical content with which they can develop their musicianship.
Program Notes:Avalon–Long live the King began its journey as a commission in honor of a dear friend and mentor. David Riggs is one of those band directors that just seems timeless. He is a powerhouse with such a stacked resume that it is easy to forget that at the end of the day he enjoys taking long bike rides with his lovely wife and whittling a piece of wood just as much as being a band director. He has touched so many lives and inspired so many people in our field and beyond. I was humbled, and honored, when I was contacted for the commission. To David, I hope that you one day know how much you mean to so many people, including myself.About the piece:The piece is written with a little homage to David’s long tenure at Avalon Middle school in Pace, Florida. He was certainly treated like a king as the band director and rightly so. It seemed only fitting to add a little medieval fantasy. Avalon is a mystical island in the world of King Arthur where the great sword Excalibur was forged.The piece begins lyrically with a slow introduction with melodic material. This melodic motive is used throughout with slight variations depending on the instrument voicing etc. Care should be taken at m. 10 that the Timpani roll helps to bridge our transition from an exposed section to full tutti. Care should be taken so that the tempo change at m. 19 is brisk and avoids the low brass turning into stomping. Accessories like the China cymbal and tambourine can become overpowering. I recommend having students think of these effects as background in order to make sure they don’t POP out. The dynamic changes at mm. 27-35 should be subito similar to orchestral dynamic changes. Avoid unwritten crescendos in this section. Measures 60–64 are a great opportunity to teach those unwritten dynamics that make music so enjoyable as we lead up to the finale. It was originally left blank for some theatrics in the premiere at David’s retirement concert so I know he would enjoy adding some Cholesterol as David would say.Long Live the King!

SKU: CF.YPS204

ISBN 9781491152249. UPC: 680160909742. Key: D minor.

Avalon–Long Live the King is a medieval fantasy piece depicting the Isle of Avalon where the mystical sword Excalibur of King Arthur was forged. Composer Tyler Arcari unearths a solid piece for young bands that is both bold and dramatic. This piece is sure to spark the imagination of students and give them strong musical content with which they can develop their musicianship.
Program Notes:Avalon–Long live the King began its journey as a commission in honor of a dear friend and mentor. David Riggs is one of those band directors that just seems timeless. He is a powerhouse with such a stacked resume that it is easy to forget that at the end of the day he enjoys taking long bike rides with his lovely wife and whittling a piece of wood just as much as being a band director. He has touched so many lives and inspired so many people in our field and beyond. I was humbled, and honored, when I was contacted for the commission. To David, I hope that you one day know how much you mean to so many people, including myself.About the piece:The piece is written with a little homage to David’s long tenure at Avalon Middle school in Pace, Florida. He was certainly treated like a king as the band director and rightly so. It seemed only fitting to add a little medieval fantasy. Avalon is a mystical island in the world of King Arthur where the great sword Excalibur was forged.The piece begins lyrically with a slow introduction with melodic material. This melodic motive is used throughout with slight variations depending on the instrument voicing etc. Care should be taken at m. 10 that the Timpani roll helps to bridge our transition from an exposed section to full tutti. Care should be taken so that the tempo change at m. 19 is brisk and avoids the low brass turning into stomping. Accessories like the China cymbal and tambourine can become overpowering. I recommend having students think of these effects as background in order to make sure they don’t POP out. The dynamic changes at mm. 27-35 should be subito similar to orchestral dynamic changes. Avoid unwritten crescendos in this section. Measures 60–64 are a great opportunity to teach those unwritten dynamics that make music so enjoyable as we lead up to the finale. It was originally left blank for some theatrics in the premiere at David’s retirement concert so I know he would enjoy adding some Cholesterol as David would say.Long Live the King!

SKU: HL.49045437

ISBN 9790001162715. UPC: 841886029088. 9.0x12.0x0.168 inches.

On the occasion of the quincentenary of Reformation Day in 2017, the composer Enjott Schneider thoroughly studied Martin Luther the individual and all his contradictions. The result is a brilliant, demanding organ symphony which is perfect for concerts on the subject of Reformation and Martin Luther.The composer describes the five movements of the symphony as follows:'1st movement:Wir glauben all an einen Gott with its quintuplet-like beginning is very Gregorian in style, outlining the range of Lutheran emotionalism between the Middle Ages and the modern era. The irrationality of faith ultimately has priority over any thought and evidence. At the beginning of the movement, sounds of knocking on wood remind of the nailing of the Ninety-Five Theses to the doors of churches in Wittenberg. The chorale melody sometimes hides with an almost rough medieval saltarello, referring to Luther's robustness and vitality with which he knew to carry away even common people.2nd movement:In 1530, the electoral prince of Saxony presented to Luther at Coburg Castle the golden signet ring with the Luther rose which became the symbol of his theology of grace. A white heart with black cross is fixed on a five-petalled rose. To him, white is the colour of angels and ghosts, black stands for the pain of crucification: The just shall live by faith, but by faith in the Crucified. But the fact that the rose and the heart are the dominating symbols shows how Catholic Marian piety remained an ingredient of Luther's spirituality throughout his life. In line with the dominant five-petal structure of the rose, this movement was composed, to a large extent, in accordance with the floating, lyrical rhythm in 5/8 time.3rd movement:The omnipresence of death and dying - from the plague and war to the never-ending dangers of daily life - was an essential part of the world view of that time. Fears ensued that might heighten into the grotesque, e.g. in the pictures of Hieronymus Bosch. The Danse macabre was a popular motif in those years. Luther's chorale Mitten wir im Leben sind / mit dem Tod umfangen from 1524 (Enchiridion from Erfurt) is based on the Gregorian chant Media vita in morte sumus created in France around 750 and, with its idea of transience, inspired a simplistic air.4th movement:The famous confession delivered at the Diet of Worms in 1521, I stand here and can say no more. God help me. Amen, are not Luther's words but the version later used as text for a pamphlet. However, it represents quite plainly the straightforwardness and inevitability of his mission. Musically, it was made into a perpetuum mobile, i.e. a dogged, ostinato and never-ending musical air.5th movement:The Mighty Fortress, on the other hand, is one of the great symbols of Martin Luther which, with its shining C major key, embodies the Protestant ideology and willful nature of the Reformation unlike any other song. Heinrich Heine called it the Marseille anthem of the Reformation, Friedrich Engels the Marseillaise of the Peasants' Wars. This disputability is not thought through to the end but rather interrupted: With a jubilant birdcall version of the melody, the finale shows a rather chamber-music-like side of the ideals of freedom of Christians.'.

SKU: HL.4008921

UPC: 196288277521.

A sinister legend hangs over the Borgia family, a legend of corruption, abuse of power, orgies, sex and murder. These rumors proliferated especially during the papacy of Alexander VI, a descendant of the family, who was even called the Antichrist. On his death, contemporary witnesses reported that the devil himself prowled around the death chamber and a black dog run along the corridors of the Vatican as his emissary. One might say that this Borgia pope, who ruled together with his family with the greatest brutality, became demonized. Unscrupulousness, poison-toting, incest and other malice are to this day the hallmarks of this pontiff. 2. NEPOTISM Rodrigo Borgia was elected Pope on August 11, 1492. From the very start, the new pope was prepared to use any means to eliminate his opponents, either through the infamous “Borgia poison” or by excommunication and execution. His son Cesare, who wanted little to do with the church, was appointed cardinal against his will. Alessandro Farnese, broth of Giulia Farnese, the Pope's mistress, also became a cardinal. Numerous Spaniards were brought into the country and were appointed to ecclesiastical posts. This infuriated the opponents of Alexander VI. The Dominican Girolamo Savonarola from Florence demanded the removal of the Pope. He was tortured and banned. Giuliano della Rovere wanted to convene councils to depose the Pope, which Alexander managed to prevent through artful political maneuverings. Through great brutality, brillian political skill and power games, this pope was able to achieve his goal of leaving for his children a great legacy. Alexander VI constantly changed his allies and always acted unscrupulously to improve his financial situation and expand his sphere of influence. At the centre of the second movement of this work is the medieval hymn Dies Irae (Day of Wrath), which acts as a warning in the background condemning the Pope's actions.

SKU: HL.50511310

ISBN 9790080129425. UPC: 073999169195. 9.0x12.0x0.284 inches. Hungarian, English, German, French. Ferenc Liszt; Imre Mezo.

Via Crucis is one of the most outstanding religious masterpieces from Liszt-s late creative period, and it depicts the story of the fourteen stations of Jesus' suffering. The work was not released during the composer-s lifetime due to its unusual and daring new sonorities. Based on his own dating, Liszt completed the composing process on February 26, 1879 in Budapest. The piece was originally written as fifteen short movements for solo vocalists, choir, and organ or harmonium, and its text was compiled by Liszt's partner, Carolyne von Sayn-Wittgenstein, using biblical excerpts, two medieval Latin hymns and two German Lutheran chorales.This volume, edited by Imre Mezo, contains German, English and Hungarian prefaces, as well as critical notes in English, which reveal valuable details about the history of the work.