Old Time Spirit - Score

SKU: KJ.WB172F

Old Time Spirit, a delightfully upbeat composition loosely based on the hymn, Old Time Religion, is also the fight song melody for Henderson State University in Arkansas. Compelling and spirited, the work features soloistic writing, soaring tutti horn lines, and exuberant tutti sections contrasting with a lyrical, reflective, slower section. The work concludes with a restatement of the lively and spirited opening material.

SKU: PR.114419200

ISBN 9781491114223. UPC: 680160671731. 9 x 12 inches.

Spirit was composed in memory of the renowned clarinetist Laura Flax. Laura commissioned Ran’s first solo clarinet work, For an Actor: Monologue for Clarinet, to premiere with the Da Capo Chamber Players in 1978. Ran returned to the clarinet in many compositions over the years, sometimes as a lead instrument and at other times as an important voice, yet always inspired by Laura’s rich sound, blazing technique, and the “brain and guts” that she brought to her playing. As a memorial, Spirit is not about absence, but rather a celebration displaying a wide range of emotions, with at least a tiny glimpse of Laura’s brilliant spirit and spiritedness. Only in the work’s final stretch does the sense of parting and loss take over.
SPIRIT was composed in memory of Laura Flax (1952-2017), the renowned New York-based clarinetist and my cherished friend. Our musical and personal association began in 1977 when Laura invited me to compose a solo clarinet work, For an Actor: Monologue for Clarinet, in memory of her mother, Hazel Flax, whom I had known.After composing For an Actor for Laura I came back to the clarinet in many of my compositions over the years, sometimes as a lead instrument and at other times as an important voice. In all of my clarinet music Laura is present. The rich sound, blazing technique, the “brain and guts” that she brought to her playing, and her remarkable person, have inspired me in so many ways during the four decades of our friendship, and beyond.I did not want Spirit to be about absence, though. I wanted the piece to exhibit a wider range of emotions, as well as capture at least a tiny glimpse of Laura’s brilliant spirit and spiritedness. Only in the work’s final stretch does the sense of “parting,” and of loss, take over.Upon completing Spirit on October 21, 2017 I found myself compelled to add at the bottom of the score the words “To Laura, always in my heart,” as though in an effort to reach out, for a brief moment, and touch the unreachable.—Shula mit Ran.

SKU: PR.164002480

UPC: 680160038237.

This work is my second for a solo woodwind and a solo percussionist, following Firewing: The Flame and the Moth for oboe and percussion by nine years. The earlier piece followed a specific story line, and pitted the oboe against the percussionist as both adversary and lover. In Spirit Realms, my aim was not only to juxtapose the very different sounds of flute (plus alto flute and piccolo) against a large array of percussion, but also to attempt three different meditative spaces, each named for a different type of spiritual practice. The musical means of expression is very different for each of the three movements (as is the instrumentation), although they share a common scale-source: the looped pentatonic scale I have been developing over the last several years.   The first movement is called Prayer Tunnel, and is named for the Eskimo practice of solo meditation within a tunnel of ice blocks. This is said to be a means of overcoming demons within, and in my musical rendering it takes the form of an unaccompanied alto flute solo. The flute begins rather angrily, full of tension, but in the course of the solo passage manages to slowly unwind. The percussionist then plays the exact same music the alto flute had played....on seven tuned cymbals. Toward the end, the alto flute re-enters, its original meditation having fused with its mirror.   Kiva represents the circular, subterranean pit in which the Anasazi practiced their religion, a form of which still can be found in the Hopi tribes of the American southwest. These are not spaces for solo meditation, but rather a group meeting place in which only the sanctified are permitted. After an introductory invocation (dove call), the music begins. At first, it is flowing, in a repetitive double-five meter. It then traces several sections, with metric shifts forcing the pulse to race faster and faster, until it halves itself in the coda and returns to the exact pulse of the beginning. The flutist here uses the C flute, and the percussionist plays on both pitched (marimba) and unpitched instruments (various drums and struck sources).   Zendo is the meditation room used by Zen Buddhists. My music begins with another invocation (wind chimes, temple cup gongs, and temple blocks), then moves on to a slow subject stated by the flute. The subject is taken up by the vibraphone, and after several modulations and tempo changes, the flutist takes up the piccolo. The music continues higher and higher, and faster and faster (Zen meditation is NOT all about becoming lost!) until it breaks free at the very end. The percussionist is put through his paces in this movement, having to reach a staggering number of instruments in a short time.   Spirit Realms was commissioned by, and is dedicated to, the Armstrong Duo. -- Dan Welcher.

SKU: HL.35030628

UPC: 888680092955. 5x5 inches.

A modern hymn classic from Keith and Kristyn Getty, this engaging tune and profound text is a paean of faith for the church. Useful as a congregational moment and equally at home in this choral adaptation, this is a welcome addition to songs that celebrate the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Arranged with reverence to the dignified stylings of the original, the voices have chorale-styled harmonies that are easily learned, giving directors time to work on creating clarity in this fine lyric. Score and Parts (fl, ob, cl, bn, hn 1-2, perc, vn 1-2, va, vc, db) available on CD-ROM and as a digital download.

SKU: CA.3030314

ISBN 9790007204082. Key: C minor. Language: German/English.

Joh ann Ernst Bach succeeded his father Johann Bernhard as organist at Eisenach, where he was later also appointed court Kapellmeister. In his compositions J. E. Bach reveals his receptiveness to the stylistic innovations of the age of sentiment (Empfindsamkeit). Score and part available separately - see item CA.3030300.

SKU: CA.3030313

ISBN 9790007204075. Key: C minor. Language: German/English.

Joh ann Ernst Bach succeeded his father Johann Bernhard as organist at Eisenach, where he was later also appointed court Kapellmeister. In his compositions J. E. Bach reveals his receptiveness to the stylistic innovations of the age of sentiment (Empfindsamkeit). Score and part available separately - see item CA.3030300.

SKU: CA.3030319

ISBN 9790007204099. Key: C minor. Language: German/English.

Joh ann Ernst Bach succeeded his father Johann Bernhard as organist at Eisenach, where he was later also appointed court Kapellmeister. In his compositions J. E. Bach reveals his receptiveness to the stylistic innovations of the age of sentiment (Empfindsamkeit). Score and parts available separately - see item CA.3030300.

SKU: CA.3030311

ISBN 9790007204051. Key: C minor. Language: German/English.

Joh ann Ernst Bach succeeded his father Johann Bernhard as organist at Eisenach, where he was later also appointed court Kapellmeister. In his compositions J. E. Bach reveals his receptiveness to the stylistic innovations of the age of sentiment (Empfindsamkeit). Score and part available separately - see item CA.3030300.