SKU: SU.26190050
Four tuneful, lively movements for bassoon quartet4 Bassoons Duration: 10' Composed: 2019 Published by: Freundworks Publishing (ASCAP).
SKU: PR.11641867S
UPC: 680160683208.
Conte xtures: Riots -Decade '60 was commissioned by Zubin Mehta and the Southern California Symphony Association after the successful premiere of the Concerto for Four Percussion Soloists and Orchestra. It was written during the spring and summer months of 1967. Riots stemming from resentment against the racial situation in the United States and the war in Vietnam were occurring throughout the country and inevitably invaded the composer's creative subconscious. Contextures, as the title implies, was intended to exploit various and varying textures. As the work progressed the correspondence between the fabric of music and the fabric of society became apparent and the allegory grew in significance. So I found myself translating social aspects into musical techniques. Social stratification became a polymetric situation where disparate groups function together. The conflict between the forces of expansion and the forces of containment is expressed through and opposition of tonal fluidity vs. rigidity. This is epitomized in the fourth movement, where the brass is divided into two groups - a muted group, encircled by the unmuted one, which does its utmost to keep the first group within a restricted pitch area. The playful jazzy bits (one between the first and second movements and one at the end of the piece) are simply saying that somehow in this age of turmoil and anxiety ways of having fun are found even though that fun may seem inappropriate. The piece is in five movements, with an interlude between the first and second movements. It is scored for a large orchestra, supplemented by six groups of percussion, including newly created roto-toms (small tunable drums) and some original devices, such as muted gongs and muted vibraphone. There is also an offstage jazz quartet: bass, drums, soprano saxophone and trumpet. The first movement begins with a solo by the first clarinetist which is interrupted by intermittent heckling from his colleagues leading to a configuration of large disparate elements. The interlude of solo violin and snare-drum follows without pause. The second movement, Prestissimo, is a display piece of virtuosity for the entire orchestra. The third movement marks a period of repose and reflection and calls for some expressive solos, particularly by the horn and alto saxophone. The fourth movement opens with a rather lengthy oboe solo, which is threatened by large blocks of sound from the orchestra, against an underlying current of agitated energy in the piano and percussion. This leads to a section in which large orchestral forces oppose one another, ultimately bringing the work to a climax, if not to a denouement. Various thematic elements are strewn all over the orchestra, resulting in the formation of a general haze of sound. A transition leads to the fifth movement without pause. The musical haze is pierced gently by the offstage jazz group as if they were attempting to ignore and even dispel the gloom, but a legato bell sound enters and hovers over both the jazz group and the orchestra, the latter making statements of disquieting finality. Two films were conceived to accompany portions of Contextures. The first done by Herbert Kosowar, was a chemography film (painting directly into the film using dyes and various implements) with fast clips of riot photographs. The second was a film collage made by photographically abstracting details from paintings of Reginald Pollack. The purpose was to invoke a non-specific response - as in music - but at the same time to define the subject matter of the piece. The films were constructed to correspond with certain developments in the piece and in no way affect the independence and musical flow of the piece, having been made after the piece was completed. Contextures: Riots - Decade '60 is dedicated to Mehta, the Southern California Symphony Association and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. The news of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King came the afternoon of the premiere, April 4, 1968. That evening's performances, and also the succeeding ones, were dedicated to him and a special dedication to Dr. King has been inserted into he score. All the music that follows the jazz group - beginning with the legato bell sound playing the first 2 notes to We shall overcome constitutes a new ending to commemorate Dr. King's death.
SKU: HL.323086
UPC: 888680977559. 6.75x10.5x0.029 inches. Genesis 1:31, Psalm 57:8-9.
This celebrated text to the tune of BUNESSAN has invited the world to celebrate Spring for years. Made famous on the pop charts, this song is now a treasured part of many hymnals and a regular feature in congregational worship moments. This choral version is a classic setting of refined grace, creating a seamless fabric of expressive tonal beauty. The piano accompaniment is a pleasure to play and adds a subtle watercolor nuance to the impact of the piece. Score and Parts (fl 1-2, ob, cl 1-2, bn, perc 1-3, hp, vn 1-2, va, vc, db) available as a digital download.
SKU: LO.15-3473H
ISBN 9780787757526.
Love ly piano and oboe writing support the beautifully flowing and easily learned vocal lines in this deeply emotional setting of a thought-provoking quote by Helen Keller. Subtly shifting tonal centers, dynamic contouring, and occasional soprano divisi add to the rich musical fabric. The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart..
SKU: HL.14023221
ISBN 9788759867822. International (more than one language).
Version for Soprano and Chamber Ensemble. Aftonland (1957) for soprano and chamber orchestra, the work to give Nordheim his breakthrough in the Northern countries, is written on the basis of four poems by the Swedish Nobel prize-winner, the writer Par Lagerkvist. The original version is for soprano accompanied by five strings, harp, celesta and percussion. The second version (1965) is for soprano and chamber orchestra with 22 strings. The work is dedicated to the memory of the composer's father, Erling Nordheim. Transition, transformation and existential wonder, as evoked by these lines in the second movement, resonate, sympathetically, seemed to be etched into the very musical fabric as well. Nordheim's free-tonal language with its dissonant intervals is employed effectively to punctuate Aftonland's powerful expressivity. Beyond the contours and importance of the lines, however, the instrumentation too probes broad expressive registers and is highly foregrounded in its own right.
