The full score for String Quartet No.3 'Angel's Music' by Bent Sørensen (1988) Premiered by the Arditti String Quartet at the Danish Radio Concert Hall 16 November 1988. Parts available: KP00249The composer writes:'Even when I was writing 'Adieu' I knew that I wished to write 'Angel’s Music'. The title existed in an incomplete form in my mind and gradually more and more ideas and a few outlines became clear. The actual work on 'Angel’s Music' was started in Rome where I spent the autumn of 1987 staying at 'The Danish Academy'. Whether this stay has influenced the quartet or not is impossible to say. however it is true tosay that in the Roman churches I visited I saw countless angels playing in the top of frescoes and altars. Without these angels together with the many crackled-gold paintings in this city and my general fascination with the Italian renaissance painter Fra Angelico (in fact there are only a few paintings by him in Rome but even his name..!) I am not sure my quartet would have been what it is. Anyway I do feel that there is a bit of Italy in the piece. The angels apart there are in the short rhythmic agitating part of the quartet reminiscences of the Italian medieval Trotto dance and in the most expressive part of the piece there are flashes of Puccini-like music. From the very beginning of my work on the quartet the distant extremely muted sound in the high register which opens the piece was on my mind. A sound satiated with a dense heterophonic and polyphonic texture of elegiac melody and vibrating trills. I imagined that 'little songs' (maybe angel songs) could be created in this density these songs constantly echoing themselves. Gradually as this sound got a more and more concrete musical and instrumental form I felt that not only should the 'little songs' be created played and die out in an echo but also that the general pattern of the quartet should give the feeling of music which from the distance is getting closer and

This outstanding collection of 90 carols offers a balanced mixture of accompanied and unaccompanied items which will appeal immediately to conductors, singers and audiences alike. Mostly for mixed voices, it includes 16 carols and a further 39 arrangements published here for the first time. From Gabrielli to Judith Weir, medieval melodies to spirituals, the range of styles covers a wide spectrum of tastes. Conductors will welcome the availability of optional orchestral material available on hire for 24 of the carols, to allow for performances without organ. This major issue of carols is edited by William Llewellyn, a well established figure in the world of choral music. / Chant Et Piano

The Oxford Book of Flexible Carols is the perfect resource for choirs of all types and sizes. Each piece is presented with flexible scoring options clearly explained throughout enabling performance by various combinations of singers. With carols for Advent Christmas New Year and Epiphany and a fabulous range of accessible quality material this is a must-have collection for all choirs at Christmas. 56 flexibly scored carols Suitable for mixed choirs upper-voice choirs choirs with few men unison choirs small choirs and all other groups New flexible arrangements of traditional carols and modern favourites Brandnew carols written specially for the collection Variety of composers including Kerry Andrew Malcolm Archer Alan Bullard Bob Chilcott Stephen Cleobury Cecilia McDowall John Rutter Mack Wilberg and David Willcocks Wide range of material from Medieval to the present day and including wassails gallery carols world carols and spirituals Accessible keyboard accompaniments suitable for Organ (with or without pedals) or Piano

Christmas fiddlers can draw on a rich and varied repertoire. This collection spans seven centuries, from the boisterous medieval Song of the Ass to contemporary tunes like Sleigh ride, taking in such traditional carols as Away in a manger and O little town of Bethlehem along the way. There is music in The Christmas Fiddler from England, Wales, France, Germany and North America.Of course Christmas time is not only a religious festival. Much of the music here - the Welsh carol Deck the hall, the 'fireside' movement from The Four Seaons, the modern classic Chestnuts roasting on an open fire - is as much a celebration of the ancient secular festival of the Winter Solstice.The arrangements in this collection can be performed as solos or duets, or by larger ensembles. The keyboard accompaniments are there for a multitude of purposes, from concert performances to playing at home- and the violin accompaniments will be invaluable for those Christmas busking sessions.The full range of traditional fiddle repertoire is now at your fingertips! Using these generous collections, you can create your own ceilidh, barn dance, jazz club, Sarajevo street-café or Gypsy gathering. Some of this music is familiar, some more exotic, but all of it is absolutely authentic, faithfully arranged and, above all, hugely enjoyable. Each title in the series is available in two formats: the violin edition (with an optional easy violin part and guitar chord)- or the complete edition, which also includes both keyboard and violin accompaniments. Either format is hugely flexible, which means the music can be played as solos, duets or trios as well as with larger ensembles. Edward Huws Jones has travelled extensively researching fiddle-playing traditions. In each book he explains the background of the particular musical style, giving his own suggestions for a lively performance. And to help recreate the spirit of the music, every book in the series is beautifully illustrated. / Violon Et Guitare

For open-minded teachers and inquisitive kidsThese piano miniatures are a distinctive and unusual addition to the teaching literature - genre paintings in contrasting styles with musical wit and inventive sounds and rhythms. They offer glimpses into the musical cultures of different countries ('Hunting in Hungary, Gamelan, Balkan Dance, African Games?) and music history ('Medieval Feast for the Left-Handers?).Besides training finger technique, the pieces help students to think in terms of counterpoint and to develop an expressive delivery.Peter Graham (actually Jaroslav ?tastný, b. 1952) teaches composition at the Janácek Academy of Arts in Brno.- Miniature recital pieces for piano with amusing illustrations by Andrea Tachezy- A welcome addition to the piano teaching literature- Simple and entertaining genre paintings- Easy to moderate level of difficulty / Piano

Score and Parts. Par CROCKETT DONALD. Commissioned by Caramoor Music Festival in New York and premiered July 14, 2017 by the Argus Quartet, this work is in no small part a response to this quartet's sense of adventure and expressive emotional range. Inspired by two end-of-civilization novels the composer was reading prior to composing the work, the quartet unfolds in a single movement, loosely based on plot lines in both novels. One of the novels includes a Traveling Symphony, an assortment of musicians and actors who travel the countryside for decades playing symphonies, jazz and orchestral arrangements of popular music alongside performances of Shakespeare plays, reminiscent of medieval troupes traveling the countryside in plague-ridden times. The work is written so that the quartet embodies the Traveling Symphony, not only playing music but also singing and 'stage whispering' fragments of King Lear and other text across the collection of nine scenes./ Répertoire / Quatuor à Cordes

Par TEMPERLEY N.. Both a dedicated carol singer and an authority on the history of English music, Nicholas Temperley here offers a unique book of 37 carols dating from the fifteenth century to the present. For over fifty years he has sung, edited and composed carols each Christmas, and in Christmas is Coming the fruit of his enthusiasm is combined with his wealth of knowledge to produce an outstanding and original new collection. As John Rutter observes in his Foreword, the book does not pointlessly duplicate what can be found in many other carol books, but has a personality and purpose of its own. Twenty-two fresh and practical arrangements include carols from Austria, France, Germany, Mexico, Poland and the USA, alongside music both rare and familiar from the rich heritage of the English carol tradition. As well as eight of his personal favourites, from J. S. Bach to Charles Ives, the author includes seven new compositions of his own, settings of medieval and traditional texts that reveal his skill as a choral composer whose command of style ranges from the humorous to the profound. In addition to sample programmes and translations, there are invaluable notes on the performance and history of individual items, plus an historical summary of the genre as a whole: everything in fact to make Christmas is Coming an indispensable companion for singers who wish to enrich the seasonal repertoire for concerts, churches and traditional Yuletide carolling./ Recueil / Chorale

Martin Luther. Par SCHNEIDER ENJOTT. 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'.'/ Répertoire / Orgue

Gaudete ('rejoice' in Latin) is a sacred Christmas carol which is thought to have been composed in the 16th century but could easily have existed as a monophonic hymn in the late medieval period particularly due to its Medieval Latin lyrics. The British vocal ensemble The King's Singers recorded Gaudete for their 1990 ‘A Little Christmas Music’ album and it has remained one of their favourite most requested songs. As sung by The King’s Singers Gaudete is arranged here for SATTBB Voices a cappella. Duration ca. 1:30.The King’s Singers is a Grammy Award-winning British male sextet founded in1968 at King’s College Cambridge. The group has always consisted of six singers in total with their membership constantly changing. Over the decades the ensemble has reached an ever-widening international audience and popularity today appearing in around 125 concerts each year mostly in Europe the US and the Far East.

This is a high quality collection of Easy Pieces for Mandolin. If you play the mandolin, this is a must have book/cd collection. These medieval pieces sound great on the mandolin. They also lay right under the fingers. There is both notation and TAB and no page turns for any of the pieces in this book. The reason? This book is made for musicians, by musicians. The book comes with a CD and the guitar and mandolin are on separate tracks. You can turn the mandolin totally off and play with the CD. There are two measures of intro with the guitar, so you can sit and listen to the CD and become familiar with the sounds of the pieces without it sounding like a learning CD. There arechords with the music and at the end of the book, there are examples of what the guitar is doing for many of the tunes in both tablature and notation. These tunes sound terrific, and are a great addition to any repertoire. You can use them for any kind of gig, or you can try doing some medieval fairs, medieval feasts or medieval weddings. The bowl back mandolin looks so much like the lute, most people would never know the difference. Allan the author plays the lute, guitar and more recently mandolin and has a wealth of knowledge about the music. These pieces are particulary suited for the sound of the mandolin. The book is beautiful and scored professionally. The titles may not make a lot of sense, but these are great pieces with many of them having variations to make them longer. This is a high quality collection of Easy Pieces for Mandolin. If you play the mandolin, this is a must have book/cd collection. These medieval pieces sound great on the mandolin. They also lay right under the fingers. There is both notation and TAB and no page turns for any of the pieces in this book. The reason? This book is made for musicians, by musicians. The book comes with a CD and the guitar and mandolin are on separate tracks. You can turn the mandolin totally off and play with the CD. There are two measures of intro with the guitar, so you can sit and listen to the CD and become familiar with the sounds of the pieces without it sounding like a learning CD. There arechords with the music and at the end of the book, there are examples of what the guitar is doing for many of the tunes in both tablature and notation. These tunes sound terrific, and are a great addition to any repertoire. You can use them for any kind of gig, or you can try doing some medieval fairs, medieval feasts or medieval weddings. The bowl back mandolin looks so much like the lute, most people would never know the difference. Allan the author plays the lute, guitar and more recently mandolin and has a wealth of knowledge about the music. These pieces are particulary suited for the sound of the mandolin. The book is beautiful and scored professionally. The titles may not make a lot of sense, but these are great pieces with many of them having variations to make them longer./ Recueil / Mandoline

Three delightful “village” songs from the Spanish Renaissance have been combined into this instrumental suite for younger string ensembles. The short movements have stylistic shifts between major and minor modes andare written with melodic moving parts for all instruments. The optional medieval percussion adds to the Renaissance flavor. I. Song of the Innkeeper; II. Song of the Soldier; III. Song of the Woodmen