Format : Sheet music
These part-songs were the first of Britten's works to be published. In 1932 Britten showed the pieces to John Ireland during discussions about proofs and possible transpositions.First called Three Studies InCanon revisions in 1932 by the Composer lead to the transposition of The Ride-By-Nights and The Rainbow into G minor and C major respectively.
SKU: HL.14042468
UPC: 888680887483. 6.75x9.75x0.019 inches.
The Ride-By-Nights by Benjamin Britten for 2-part boys' or women's voices and Piano. From Three Two-part Songs .
SKU: FP.FCG08
ISBN 9790570504084.
Born in Bury in 1937, Gordon Crosse is one of the most distinguished composers of his generation. He studied at Oxford University under Egon Wellesz and, during a long academic career, was Composer-in-Residence at King's College Cambridge from 1973-75. His best known works include the oboe concertante Ariadne, the Three Choirs Festival Oratorio Changes, the opera Purgatory, the children's entertainment Meet my Folks, to words by Ted Hughes, the orchestral Dreamsongs (a homage to the music of Benjamin Britten) and Memories of Morning: Night (a monodrama for mezzo-soprano and orchestra).Three Twitchings was first performed by John Turner (recorder) and Nathan Williamson (piano) in the Library at The Red House, Aldeburgh, on October 4th 2018. Two scores are provided, rather than a separate recorder part, so that the recorder player can see and respond to the pianist's part as they play.
SKU: CF.CM9735
ISBN 9781491161159. UPC: 680160919741. Key: A minor. Latin, English. Christopher Smart and ZRS.
Origins of the Tarantella The tarantella is a popular southern Italian dance with origins in the 11th century. (There is even some mention of the tarantella in ancient Greek mythology.) Of the possible sources of the dance, the most popular comes from the villages of Tanto and Tarentum (little spider), Italy. During harvest, workers in the field were sometimes bitten by the tarantula spider. To combat the poison, the afflicted workers went into a frenetic, almost musical exorcism to sweat the venom out of their pores. In the millennium since, the very energetic nature of the dance has remained, although the curative focus of the dance has given way to more enjoyable endeavors, even stately courtship. Origins of the Text Christopher Smart (1722-1771), also known as Kit Smart or Jack Smart, was born in Kent, England and suffered from what is now believed to be acute asthma and other health issues as a child. As such, he did not work in the fields, but spent much time reading and writing, a passion that he nurtured for a lifetime. Well known in London literary circles, his career as a writer floundered due to mounting debts and his falling out of favor with the literary establishment: Sadly, he was forced to confinement at St. Luke's Hospital for Lunatics, though this was based on his mounting debt, and not on insanity. (Confinement, or debtor's prison, was common during this period if one's debts could not be paid.) During his confinement, he worked on two of his most famous works, Jubilate Agno and A Song of David. (Part of Jubilate Agno [Rejoice in the Lamb] was set to music by English composer, Benjamin Britten.) Smart's writing style (which, at times, bordered on the absurd), along with his many obsessions, lead to frequent misperceptions of his work and his lucidity. In this present work, portions of Smart's Jubilate Agno were used in mm. 24-31, 103-110 and 149-156. The remaining text was gathered by the composer, including the rapid, almost patter-like, delivery of words from A-Z in the alphabet. (Christopher Smart had a preoccupation with the alphabet.) These words both rhyme and accentuate the frenetic nature of the spider dance: theraphosa [teh-rah-fo-sa] a genus of tarantula spiders bellicose [beh-lee-ko-sah] hostile; aggressive odiosa [o-dee-o-sa] hateful; vexation tenebrosa [teh-neh-bro-sa] creeping; dark nemorosa [neh-mo-ro-sa] wooded; shady lapidosa [lah-pee-do-sa] stony area; gritty The convergence, then, of the medieval tarantella (spider dance), the writings of a brilliant poet who bordered on the absurd, and the infusion of strong, descriptive and otherwise random, rhyming words, synthesizes to make dramatic lyrics for this work. About the Composer Z. Randall Stroope is an American composer and conductor. He has served as Professor of Music at three universities (an Endowed Professor at two), conducted 47 all-state choirs, and directed over 40 times at Carnegie Hall, among other American venues. Randall guest conducts full-time, and composes from his home studios on Merritt Island, Florida and in Sandia Park, New Mexico. Performance Notes Text: In Latin, the r is flipped; use s instead of z on endings such as phosa, cosa, and so on; the Latin o is a cross between oh and aw; in the transliteration above, I chose to simply use an o for consistency. The director will blend the oh and aw in the rehearsals to his/her own preference. Lastly, tarantula is pronounced tah-rah-n-too-lah (avoid teh-ran-choo-luh) within the confines of this text. Stomp: This can be done by the entire chorus, or just the first row. It is as much visual as it is auditory. The string quartet is preferred over piano when that option affords itself. I created a piano score that is a viable option and included it in the piano/vocal score if a performance uses chorus/piano.The tarantella is a popular southern Italian dance with origins in the 11th century. (There is even some mention of the tarantella in ancient Greek mythology.) Of the possible sources of the dance, the most popular comes from the villages of Tanto and Tarentum (“little spiderâ€), Italy. During harvest, workers in the field were sometimes bitten by the tarantula spider. To combat the “poison,†the afflicted workers went into a frenetic, almost musical exorcism to sweat the venom out of their pores. In the millennium since, the very energetic nature of the dance has remained, although the curative focus of the dance has given way to more enjoyable endeavors, even stately courtship.Christopher Smart (1722-1771), also known as “Kit Smart†or “Jack Smart,†was born in Kent, England and suffered from what is now believed to be acute asthma and other health issues as a child. As such, he did not work in the fields, but spent much time reading and writing, a passion that he nurtured for a lifetime. Well known in London literary circles, his career as a writer floundered due to mounting debts and his falling out of favor with the literary establishment: Sadly, he was forced to confinement at St. Luke’s Hospital for Lunatics, though this was based on his mounting debt, and not on insanity. (Confinement, or debtor’s prison, was common during this period if one’s debts could not be paid.) During his confinement, he worked on two of his most famous works, Jubilate Agno and A Song of David. (Part of Jubilate Agno [“Rejoice in the Lambâ€] was set to music by English composer, Benjamin Britten.) Smart’s writing style (which, at times, bordered on the absurd), along with his many obsessions, lead to frequent misperceptions of his work and his lucidity. In this present work, portions of Smart’s Jubilate Agno were used in mm. 24-31, 103-110 and 149-156. The remaining text was gathered by the composer, including the rapid, almost patter-like, delivery of words from A-Z in the alphabet. (Christopher Smart had a preoccupation with the alphabet.) These words both rhyme and accentuate the frenetic nature of the spider dance:The convergence, then, of the medieval tarantella (spider dance), the writings of a brilliant poet who bordered on the absurd, and the infusion of strong, descriptive and otherwise random, rhyming words, synthesizes to make dramatic lyrics for this work.Z. Randall Stroope is an American composer and conductor. He has served as Professor of Music at three universities (an Endowed Professor at two), conducted 47 all-state choirs, and directed over 40 times at Carnegie Hall, among other American venues. Randall guest conducts full-time, and composes from his home studios on Merritt Island, Florida and in Sandia Park, New Mexico. In Latin, the “r†is flipped; use “s†instead of “z†on endings such as “phosa,†“cosa,†and so on; the Latin “o†is a cross between “oh†and “awâ€; in the transliteration above, I chose to simply use an “o†for consistency. The director will blend the “oh†and “aw†in the rehearsals to his/her own preference. Lastly, “tarantula†is pronounced “tah-rah-n-too-lah†(avoid “teh-ran-choo-luhâ€) within the confines of this text.Stomp: This can be done by the entire chorus, or just the first row. It is as much visual as it is auditory. The string quartet is preferred over piano when that option affords itself. I created a piano score that is a viable option and included it in the piano/vocal score if a performance uses chorus/piano.The tarantella is a popular southern Italian dance with origins in the 11th century. (There is even some mention of the tarantella in ancient Greek mythology.) Of the possible sources of the dance, the most popular comes from the villages of Tanto and Tarentum (“little spiderâ€), Italy. During harvest, workers in the field were sometimes bitten by the tarantula spider. To combat the “poison,†the afflicted workers went into a frenetic, almost musical exorcism to sweat the venom out of their pores. In the millennium since, the very energetic nature of the dance has remained, although the curative focus of the dance has given way to more enjoyable endeavors, even stately courtship.Christopher Smart (1722-1771), also known as “Kit Smart†or “Jack Smart,†was born in Kent, England and suffered from what is now believed to be acute asthma and other health issues as a child. As such, he did not work in the fields, but spent much time reading and writing, a passion that he nurtured for a lifetime. Well known in London literary circles, his career as a writer floundered due to mounting debts and his falling out of favor with the literary establishment: Sadly, he was forced to confinement at St. Luke’s Hospital for Lunatics, though this was based on his mounting debt, and not on insanity. (Confinement, or debtor’s prison, was common during this period if one’s debts could not be paid.) During his confinement, he worked on two of his most famous works, Jubilate Agno and A Song of David. (Part of Jubilate Agno [“Rejoice in the Lambâ€] was set to music by English composer, Benjamin Britten.) Smart’s writing style (which, at times, bordered on the absurd), along with his many obsessions, lead to frequent misperceptions of his work and his lucidity. In this present work, portions of Smart’s Jubilate Agno were used in mm. 24-31, 103-110 and 149-156. The remaining text was gathered by the composer, including the rapid, almost patter-like, delivery of words from A-Z in the alphabet. (Christopher Smart had a preoccupation with the alphabet.) These words both rhyme and accentuate the frenetic nature of the spider dance:The convergence, then, of the medieval tarantella (spider dance), the writings of a brilliant poet who bordered on the absurd, and the infusion of strong, descriptive and otherwise random, rhyming words, synthesizes to make dramatic lyrics for this work.Z. Randall Stroope is an American composer and conductor. He has served as Professor of Music at three universities (an Endowed Professor at two), conducted 47 all-state choirs, and directed over 40 times at Carnegie Hall, among other American venues. Randall guest conducts full-time, and composes from his home studios on Merritt Island, Florida and in Sandia Park, New Mexico.In Latin, the “r†is flipped; use “s†instead of “z†on endings such as “phosa,†“cosa,†and so on; the Latin “o†is a cross between “oh†and “awâ€; in the transliteration above, I chose to simply use an “o†for consistency. The director will blend the “oh†and “aw†in the rehearsals to his/her own preference. Lastly, “tarantula†is pronounced “tah-rah-n-too-lah†(avoid “teh-ran-choo-luhâ€) within the confines of this text.Stomp: This can be done by the entire chorus, or just the first row. It is as much visual as it is auditory. The string quartet is preferred over piano when that option affords itself. I created a piano score that is a viable option and included it in the piano/vocal score if a performance uses chorus/piano.
SKU: AP.12-0571523617
ISBN 9780571523610. English.
The previously unpublished Two Pieces was released to mark the 2013 centenary of the Benjamin Britten's birth, who founded the publisher Faber Music. These trios were written in late 1929, after Britten composed the Rhapsody for String Quartet (March 1929). This edition was edited by David Matthews, who spent three years as an assistant to Benjamin Britten at Aldeburgh in the late 1960s.
SKU: HL.48022495
ISBN 9781476871486. UPC: 884088669676. 6.75x10.5 inches.
Texts: Latin and EnglishPublisher: Boosey & HawkesDifficulty level: 3The Ceremony of Carols is one of Britten's best-known and most-performed works. It is a brilliantly conceived and dramatic concert work which sees the voices process to their places singing unaccompanied plainsong and, at the end, processing out again to the same chant. These movements can also be accompanied but strictly only if the voices do not process. The final Alleluia can be repeated as many times as necessary to get the singers to and from their destination.The carols are for three-part children's voices (though, of course they can be sung by female adults as well) and they form a two-part work around a central Interlude for harp which is based on the plainsong from the Procession. Variety is the key word here as all the carols have such individual identities. The forthright Wolcum Yole!, the deliciously lyrical There is no Rose, the swinging Balulalow, the fiery and dramatic This little Babe all contribute to a work which is a feast of discovery throughout. Lovely solos and duos add further colour and the harp part, an inspired choice of accompaniment, enriches, colours and surrounds the voices with its pictorial musical imagery. If anything shows Britten's genius for writing for voices it must be this work.The challenges here are in creating a real equality between voice parts, fielding a confident pair of soloists, and making the most of the wonderfully colourful poems Britten has chosen to set. Pronunciation is not really an issue, but when I recorded this work with the Finzi Singers I decided to follow the example of Sacred and Profane and use authentic medieval pronunciation for which an expert coach was necessary. It brings an added element of colour to a familiar aural experience.Duration: 22 minutesPaul Spicer, Lichfield, 2011.
SKU: HL.48021234
ISBN 9781458423542. UPC: 884088642037. 6.75x10.5 inches.
Text: in Latin compiled from the charter of the University, and from older orations in praise of Basle by Bernhard Wyss.Publisher: Boosey & HawkesDifficulty level: 4 (for chorus)Britten's genius lifts this work above being just a worthy celebration of the 500th anniversary of the foundation of Basle University. It is tongue-in-cheek and mockingly non-academic while referring all the time to academic musical forms and formulae. It is written in two parts (everything is in the statutory Latin including the titles of the parts - Pars I and Pars II). The titles of the movements show Britten's intention to show off a wide variety of techniques. Here are some examples: Chorale/Alla Rovescio (the theme is given and responded to with the same melody upside down)/Recitativo/Tema seriale con fuga/Canone ed ostinato. There is a good deal of humour here.There are seven movements in Pars I and six in Pars II. The tenor soloist is given three florid recitatives, accompanied only by a piano, which act as bridges between other orchestrally accompanied movements. Of these the most noteworthy are the Arioso con canto popolare for soprano solo with tenors and basses who hum a student song; another terrific Britten scherzo; and a wonderfully raucous final pair of movements (Canon ed ostinato and Corale con canto) where Britten seems to be aping the Vivat Regina! cries in Parry's I was glad or encouraging the kind of noisy 'I'm from the best university' kind of student touchline shout. This has outrageously high notes for the tenors (top B) which further endorse this feeling. There are real echoes of the Spring Symphony (see separate entry) final movement here which are further underlined by the last section of the Cantata which brings in the bells, piano, huge percussion and the inevitable chorale in which the choir sings 'that a free academy may thrive in a free community, for ever the ornament and treasure of illustrious Basle'.This may not be Britten at his most soul-searching but, as always, there is plenty here to enjoy, especially if the work is not taken too seriously. It is a celebratory, occasional piece and it could be well taken up by other academic establishments celebrating big anniversaries. The chorus parts are not very difficult, though they do present challenges for the choir - not least in having tenors capable of those very high notes at the end. The Tema seriale con fuga is sinewy and needs careful tuning. It also has the subject regularly given upside down after its initial sounding by the basses. All good fun.Duration: 21 minutesPaul Spicer, Lichfield, 2011.
SKU: HL.402077
ISBN 9781705160084. UPC: 196288056829. 9.0x12.0x0.276 inches.
The Right of Your Senses is a set of nine songs for children's voices, solo soprano, and orchestra written for the National Children's Chorus, American Youth Symphony and Los Angeles Philharmonic Association. The texts are primarily 17th-century, by Thomas Traherne and George Herbert, but two of them come from the 11th-century Enchiridion by Byrhtferth. The overarching theme is the story of creation, but not just the list of objects created: the texts deal with the emotional resonances of the sun, the sea, the air, and the moon with all their mysterious, bright, and dark potential. There is a recurring gesture in the strings, introduced at the very top: a simple descending pattern which binds many of the movements together, even when hidden in the more tumultuous sections. The first two movements are bright, whereas the middle three movements are violent and deal with the angrier natural elements. The seventh movement is the most abstract and playful, and here a direct nod to Benjamin Britten's A Ceremony of Carols, with a fast three-part canon depicting the behavior of the atom. The eighth movement, Night, is the slowest, and depicts the night sky. The final movement is calm, and encourages us: Be faithful in a little, and you shall be master over much. The piece ends with five strokes of high bells. x Nico Muhly.
SKU: HL.402076
ISBN 9781705160077. UPC: 196288056812. 9.0x12.0x0.167 inches.
SKU: HL.14027993
ISBN 9788759811832. English.
Premiered at the festival 'Magma Berlin 2002' by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by David Robertson, 29th November 2002.3 Flutes, 1st and 2nd also Alto Flutes in G, 3rd also Piccolo3 Oboes, 3rd also Cor Anglais in F3 Clarinets in Bb, 3rd also Bass Clarinet in Bb3 Bassoons, 3rd also Contra Bassoon4 Horn in F3 Trumpets in Bb3 Trombones1 TubaTimpani4 Percussion, four playersPlayer 1 - Vibraphone, Glockenspiel, Water Chime, Bell Tree, Japanese Wood Blocks, Cymbal (Suspended), TamTam (Medium)Player 2 - Triangle, Tubular Bells, Crotales, Marimba, Chinese CymbalPlayer 3 - TamTam (Large), Java Gong(Large, very low), Bell Lyra (Handheld), Sizzle CymbalPlayer 4 - Bass Drum, Glockenspiel, Xylophone1 Harp1 Piano, also CelestaStrings - 16/14/12/10/8All transposing instruments are notated in their relevant transpositions.Any accidental apply only to the note that it immediately precedes, except tied notes.Naturals appear occasionally 'for safety'.'LISTENING EARTH' is a symphonic drama, a one- movement composition in four parts based on the work by two writers, Joseph Addison (1672-1719) and W.H.Auden (1907-1973). Joseph Addison is not particularly well known; he was English, a classical scholar, essayist, poet and politician, but one of his hymns was used by Benjamin Britten. in his setting of a Thomas Tallis canon.The hymn is singularly beautiful and being a composer always inspired by extramusical stimuli such as poems, nature, paintings, I was immediately convinced when I carne across the Addison hymn, that here was exactly what I wanted to use as my major source of inspiration for this piece, commissioned by and written for The Berlin Philharmonic. I don't refer to the hymn in its entirety, but have chosen the following 3 excerpts, all acting as mottos for the first three sections of the piece, thus turning the piece into a straightforward tonepoem in the classical.
SKU: CA.221400
ISBN 9790007188573.
The Folk Songs choral collection explores the musical world of Great Britain and Ireland. It contains 21 arrangements of English-language verse songs, canons, and ballads for mixed unaccompanied chorus. The folk songs are as diverse as the stories they tell: from the moving Greensleeves and Two hearts beat as one, through charming settings such as A rosebud by my early walk and There were three ravens, to saucy and tongue-in-cheek songs such as Dashing away with the smoothing iron and The mother-in-law. The stylistic treatment is very varied: the collection contains both original settings from the 13th century as well as arrangements specially commissioned from contemporary composers for the collection. The settings are in three to five parts, and the vocal parts sometimes divide. They are by well-known British and Irish composers such as Benjamin Britten, Gustav Holst, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Charles Villiers Stanford, as well as contemporary composers such as John Rutter and Carsten Gerlitz - who give a new twist to these traditional songs. Calmus Ensemble has recorded six arrangements from this collection for their CD Folk Songs (Carus 83.034).
SKU: CA.221405
ISBN 9790007188580.
The Folk Songs choral collection explores the musical world of Great Britain and Ireland. It contains 21 arrangements of English-language verse songs, canons, and ballads for mixed unaccompanied chorus. The folk songs are as diverse as the stories they tell: from the moving Greensleeves and Two hearts beat as one, through charming settings such as A rosebud by my early walk and There were three ravens, to saucy and tongue-in-cheek songs such as Dashing away with the smoothing iron and The mother-in-law. The stylistic treatment is very varied: the collection contains both original settings from the 13th century as well as arrangements specially commissioned from contemporary composers for the collection. The settings are in three to five parts, and the vocal parts sometimes divide. They are by well-known British and Irish composers such as Benjamin Britten, Gustav Holst, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Charles Villiers Stanford, as well as contemporary composers such as John Rutter and Carsten Gerlitz - who give a new twist to these traditional songs. Calmus Ensemble has recorded six arrangements from this collection for their newly-released CD Folk Songs (Carus 83.034). Score available separately - see item CA.221400.