SKU: PR.11641663S
UPC: 680160677740. English. After the drama 'The Dybbuk' by S. Ansky.
SKU: AP.12-0571539106
ISBN 9780571539109. English. Libretto by Nick Drake; set to music by Tansy Davies.
Between Worlds, the highly anticipated operatic debut from Tansy Davies to a libretto by Nick Drake, opened at London's Barbican Theatre on April 11, 2015. A bold and highly individual response to the events of 9/11, the opera---commissioned by English National Opera---brings Davies and Drake together with acclaimed director Deborah Warner. A disparate group of individuals is trapped high up in one of the Twin Towers, caught between earth and heaven, life and death. As the work progresses it opens out to a universal panorama of human beings in extremis. Drake's libretto deftly weaves together a wide variety of texts, from actual communications sent on the morning of 9/11 to passages from the Latin Requiem Mass.
SKU: CA.923400
ISBN M-007-24185-8. German. Text: Zarnack, Joachim August.
A beautiful, a sad song. One which sounds as if 'between the worlds' - here, dream and reality, life and death touch each other. And it has a special melody, with the two expressive leaps, firstly to the fifth and then greater, to the octave! It is as if a mist lies over the song, and it seems to be cold, it sounds like November. At least these are my associations and in the arrangement they are discernible: twice it sighs (or is that a cold breath of wind?), before it begins to flow. Sometimes a dissonance even disturbs the flow of the song and its story, sometimes it rises up. Between the verses it sighs and breathes again. And finally, after it has posed the final question, it ends distantly, 'between the worlds' ... A sad, a beautiful song. (Ludwig Bohme).
SKU: AP.20297US
ISBN 9783947998371. UPC: 038081558189. English.
The rhythmical language of South India is combined with snare drum rudiments?a book for drummers, percussionists and rhythm enthusiasts. Konnakol is one of the most effective ways of learning and mastering rhythm, and rudiments form an essential vocabulary of Western drumming. Both traditions can be counted among the most ancient and highly developed rhythm concepts across the world and are additionally useful methodical tools. The beauty of both konnakol and rudiments is their simplicity and clarity. Both concepts help us to memorize an extensive rhythmic vocabulary, visualize patterns and compositions and plan ahead mentally during performance. They enable us to cross borders, illuminating new paths towards rhythmic creativity and improvisation in any musical genre. This thorough and clear introduction to South Indian rhythms containing 26 selected pieces ranging from easy to complex demonstrates how the two rhythmic cultures blend with one another, enrich each other reciprocally, and provide access to new musical worlds. Taladiddle by Claus Hessler and Claudio Spieler is thereby creating a bridge between these previously unconnected worlds which display so many common factors and parallels.
SKU: BO.B.3610
The concerto establishes a dialogue which alternates constantly between the guitar and the symphony orchestra, with the two sound worlds being maintained in perfect balance while also exploring the unique possibilities presented by each: the guitar develops a surprising array of resources which enhance its expressive capacity to the utmost, while the orchestra envelops it in an extensive range of textures which at times give rise to subtle tones, and at others, all the tonal vigour of the tutti.The language I employ is intended as a means of achieving an efficient symbiosis between modernity and tradition, continuing in the line of my previous works as a composer. It contains no references to popular music and at all times veers away from the expectations created by the language of folklore exploited in concertos of this kind by the majority of recognised composers. In Concerto de Rialp, modernity is reflected through a search for unique expressive forms, experimentation with new means of thematic development and a unique presentation of formal solutions, all the while, however, respecting expressiveness and lyricism as the foundations of communicating with the audience.The concerto also explores the guitar's new technical resources. Thanks to specific work on left hand extensions, mechanical formulas have been developed which allow certain scales to be played at unprecedented speeds. In the cadenza of the first movement, the guitar develops the main theme in the form of an instrumental motif that has never been used before in guitar scores, producing a polyphonic effect of new dimensions.I have worked to exploit the distinctive sound differences existing between the guitar and the orchestra -both from the dynamic and the tonal points of view- in order to really develop the dramatic effect that their being brought together affords. In the second movement -calmo assai- this dramatic quality is expressed in a way that is particularly powerful by means of a tension never before achieved in a concerto for guitar and orchestra.
SKU: PE.EP14445
ISBN 9790014135041. 297 x 420 mm inches. German.
ARKA stammt aus dem Sanskrit und bedeutet so viel wie Strahl, Blitz, Sonne, Licht, aber auch Lied, Feuer und Hymnus, und entwickelt in meiner Vorstellung sehr viele unterschiedliche Assoziationsfelder. In ARKA stecken auch die Worter arc (beten) und ka (Wasser), und es kann auch ubersetzt werden mit: ,,Das Wasser stromt aus dem heraus, der mehr weiss.
Mein neues Werk fur Pipa, Oboe, Pauke, Schlagzeug und Orchester entstand im Auftrag der Kammerakademie Neuss und auf Anregung des Oboisten Christian Wetzel. Es entstanden drei Rituale mit zum Teil szenischen Elementen fur die Solisten und das Orchester.
Inspirationsquelle in der Vorbeschaftigung waren zwei Quellen und Bucher. Das Daodejing von Laozi in der hervorragenden Neuubersetzung von Viktor Kalinke, eine der wichtigsten Quellen chinesischen Denkens und der Philosophie dieser grossen Kulturtradition und die chinesische Tradition der 5-Elementelehre und der Wandlungsphasen. Als zweites Buch hat mich ,,Die Glut von Roberto Calasso inspiriert, ein Buch uber die indischen Veden in Verbindung mit den Ursprungen des Buddhismus und den damit verbunden Ritualen.
In den letzten 20 Jahren habe ich mich intensiv mit ostasiatischer Musik, Kunst und Philosophie beschaftigt und habe das auch durch langere Studienreisen und kompositorische Projekte vertiefen konnen. U.a. wurde 2012 mein Chorwerk PRAN in Kolkata in Indien uraufgefuhrt (Goethe-Institut), ebenfalls 2012 ,,in between VI fur Sho und Sheng in Tokyo und 2013 ,,Mirror and Circle fur Pipa, Cello und chinesisches Orchester in Taipeh/Taiwan (Auftragswerk der taiwanesischen Regierung). Mit der chinesischen Pipa-Virtuosin Ya Dong arbeite ich seit 2000 zusammen und habe fur sie mehrfach komponiert (Urauffuhrungen u.a. in Hannover/EXPO 2000, Rottweil 2001, Taipeh 2013, Magdeburg 2016). Auch mit Christian Wetzel arbeite ich seit uber 20 Jahren zusammen und habe ebenfalls haufig fur ihn komponiert (UA u.a. in Bonn 1999, Hannover/EXPO 2000, Rottweil 2001, Darmstadt 2004 und etliche weitere Projekte).
Jedes dieser drei Rituale hat eine Lange von ca. 6-7 Minuten und stellt unterschiedliche Qualitaten und Besonderheiten der beiden Soloinstrumente heraus, immer in Verbindung mit der Interaktion zwischen Soli und Orchester. Die Besetzung war fur mich ausserst reizvoll, da beide Instrumente in dieser Kombination noch nie so erklungen sind. Die Pipa ist ein ungemein modernes und ungewohnliches Instrument, reich an Farben und vor allem an perkussiven Effekten. Das Tonmaterial wurde zum grossten Teil aus den Namen der beiden Solisten gewonnen und ergibt interessanter zwei gespiegelte Viertonmotive. In der asiatischen Kultur spielen der Spiegel und der Kreis eine wichtige Rolle, und so werden die Tone, Rhythmen und Formen eingewoben in diese drei Rituale, welche am Ende des dritten Satzes wieder kreisformig an den Anfang des ersten Rituals anknupfen. Ein von den Streichern und der Pauke erzeugtes Gerausch, verbunden mit dem Rhythmus der grossen Trommel, welcher einen Herzschlag symbolisieren soll. Die drei Untertitel der Rituale Himmel, Erde und (atmospharischer) Raum spielen im vedischen und chinesischen Denken eine grosse Rolle und war fur mich beim Komponieren ebenfalls eine sehr starke Inspirationsquelle. In vielen meiner Kompositionen gibt es Raumeffekte, Annaherungen an das Publikum, das Verschieben von Perspektiven, die Dekonstruktion und das Hinterfragen der ublichen Konzertsituation, so u.a in meinem Beuys-Zyklus oder in den Zyklen ,,CUT und ,,in between.
In ARKA geht es mir besonders um die Interaktion zwischen westlichem und ostlichem Denken, um das gegenseitige Durchdringen dieser auf den ersten Blick so unterschiedlichen Denk- und Lebensweisen, um eine Verschmelzung scheinbarer Gegensatze - um Annaherung!
Bernd Franke. Leipzig, 11.10.2019
for low voice and piano This beautiful collection of 14 songs for low voice offers Christmas settings by some of Oxford's best-loved composers. Suitable for solo singers and unison choirs alike, each song is presented with piano accompaniment, and high-quality, downloadable backing tracks are included on a companion website. With a wonderful selection of pieces, including favourites such as Bob Chilcott's 'The Shepherd's Carol' and John Rutter's 'Candlelight Carol', this is the perfect collection for use in carol services and Christmas concerts or for enjoying at home. Also available in a volume for high voice and piano.
AGNI is the Hindu god of fire; the elemental and transformative force inherent in everything:
Every flame, every fire, every light, every warmth is AGNI.
AGNI is omnipresent, establishing everything and ending everything.
AGNI is often depicted with seven tongues which represent different aspects of his being.
These include: creating, sustaining, cleansing, purifying, priestly, martial, devastating, destructive, and consuming.
Derived from Franke's concerto of the same name, this solo work for bass clarinet compositionally traces the transformative processes initiated by the divine fire. The solo takes seven pieces from the concerto, presenting vivid character pieces exploring the creative possibilities and wide tonal range offered by the bass clarinet.
This version of AGNI for bass clarinet solo was premiered on 4 December 2020 in Leipzig by Volker Hemken, the principal bass clarinetist of the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. EP14437a convinces with its excellent and clear notation, making the piece a new standard for bass clarinet.
Ikons, commissioned by the Vancouver Cultural Olympiad 2010, exists in two forms. This 14-minute acoustic version, premiered by the Turning Point Ensemble, calls for an octet of live musicians to execute complex rhythms and quarter-tone harmonies.
The interactive, electronic version, created with visual artist Eric Metcalfe and designed to be presented separately, incorporates samples from this acoustic version into a sculptural environment of seven pyramidal structures that respond sonically to the viewer.
Roxanna Panufnik's Sonnets without Words is a contemporary piece for Horn in F and piano. Written for horn player Ben Goldscheider, Panufnik has reimagined the lyrical vocal lines from three of her previous settings of Shakespeare's sonnets (Mine eye, Music to hear and Sweet Love Remember'd for voice and piano) into a purely instrumental work.
Score and horn part.
Stephen McNeff's Trig is a short 7-minute contemporary work for solo cello, written to celebrate the bicentennial of the Royal Academy of Music in 2022 and in memorium cellist Mike Edwards 1948-2010.
Trig was premiered by Henry Hargreaves on 19 March 2021, livestreamed from the Royal Academy of Music.
to an utterance - study was commissioned by Klangforum Wien for the premiere commercial audio recording on a portrait CD in 2020 and first performed by Joonas Ahonen at the Berlin Philharmonie on 4th September 2020 at the Musikfest Berlin.
Roxanna Panufnik's Spirit Moves, for brass quintet, was commissioned by the Fine Arts Brass Ensemble. This 15-minute piece is scored for two trumpets in Bb (one doubling piccolo trumpet and the other doubling flugel horn), horn in F, trombone and tuba. This brass quintet is so called because the outer movements are highly spirited and the central one is spiritual.
This product consists of score and parts.
A gently flowing 3-minute arrangement by Roderick Williams for SATB (with divisi) with piano accompaniment that captures the beauty of this famous traditional Hebridean love song. The song text uses both old dialect and English, each verse ending with the words, 'Sad am I without thee'.
for high voice and piano This beautiful collection of 14 songs for high voice offers Christmas settings by some of Oxford's best-loved composers. Suitable for solo singers and unison choirs alike, each song is presented with piano accompaniment, and high-quality, downloadable backing tracks are included on a companion website. With a wonderful selection of pieces, including favourites such as Bob Chilcott's 'The Shepherd's Carol' and John Rutter's 'Candlelight Carol', this is the perfect collection for use in carol services and Christmas concerts or for enjoying at home. Also available in a volume for low voice and piano.
for SATB and organ This energetic setting of words by St Ambrose of Milan is a real showstopper. With pop-influences and a sparkling organ part, Young effortlessly fuses modern and traditional sound worlds, while changes in key and metre build up to an invigorating finish. Perfect for accomplished choirs looking for something different.
for SA unaccompanied This simple, charming two-part motet features long melismatic phrases that reflect the text (1 Corinthians 2: 9), such as the rising melodic line over three bars on the word 'ascended' (ascendit).
for SAATB unaccompanied. This glorious musical depiction of the honour, strength, power and authority of the Holy Trinity by Thomas Tallis is the third issue in the CMS's series of great English Responds from the 16th century, edited by Sally Dunkley. Scored for SAATB, it can be performed either as a motet or as a full Responsory with plainsong alternating with polyphony.
Based on a traditional Scottish/Irish 'farewell' song, this short piece is one of six works written to express my love of Scotland. After living there for nearly half my life, and raising a family, I moved back to England in 2018, and remarried in 2019.
Of course, there were many different emotions attached to the move south: especially the joy and excitement of new beginnings, and reconnection with friends from my youth.
But this piece expresses the wrench I experienced after a last family meal in Glasgow, and the realisation of all I was about to leave behind.
I have taken the melody of the original song, and expanded it, exploring the detail of its patterns, so that it becomes a timeless meditation.
The six pieces in the 'farewell' series are for 6 violas, string quintet, string quartet, trio, violin and clarinet duo, and solo clarinet.
The Parting Glass was composed in 2020 during the coronavirus lockdown, which intensified the feeling of separation from my Scottish family, as well as from other musicians.
It was commissioned by Vittorio Ceccanti for the ContempoArtEnsemble.
Maple arose from a commission to write a work for solo cello, to be performed alongside readings from artist John Newling's collection of letters entitled 'Dear Nature'; a poetic manifestation of our relationship with the natural world.
The piece is in eight short sections, to be interspersed with readings of groups of the poems. It may also be performed as a single movement. It begins with a seed - the seed of a maple tree, as it hangs on the mature tree, ready to drop. The seeds are like propellers, sometimes travelling more than a mile before landing on the ground. Maple follows the growth of the tree to maturity - which in reality would take at least a hundred years. 'Roots, shoots' grows downwards and upwards from a pedal note, and the dance-like 'Flowers' is followed by the stately 'Tree', and then the warm, cascading 'Autumn'. Maple is very often the wood of choice for the back of a stringed instrument, and the last section uses open strings to explore the full resonance of the cello.
The piece starts with a 'seed' of only five notes, which grows into different configurations. It is intended to be played in an improvisatory style.
Maple was co-commissioned by Brighton Festival, Ars et Terra Festival with SACEM and Ditchling Arts and Crafts Museum, to be performed by Margarita Balanas as part of the Brighton Festival's 'Dear Nature' project.
First performed by Noriko Kawai for Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, in a broadcast from the Radio Theatre, BBC Broadcasting House, November 2020.
Full of beautifully crafted, delicate tintinnabulations - Richard Morrison, The Times
SKU: HL.48024565
Most of us, when confronted with the term graffiti, are likely to associate it with the rather desolate wall scrawlings all over our urban landscapes. However, this is not the whole picture: no less artists than Klee, Miro, Dubuffet, and Picasso were interestedin it (the latter painting examples himself on Parisian walls). In our time, there is the highly interesting and controversial phenomenon of Street Art, which has occasionally wittily succeeded in criticizing the commercialization of cities. At their best, street artists have been able to thwart the expectations created by omnipresent mass media and by advertising - one can find some particularly remarkable examples in metropolises such as Berlin, Paris, or New York. Though this was the initial stimulus for Graffiti, it finally branched into rather different directions: it is only very loosely, ifat all, connected to the phenomenon of Street Art (or to the visual arts). The music is not illustrative nor is it programmatic and the main idea was to compose a music which is not restricted as to time or place, and which offers strong contrasts between different modes of expression. The three movements headings give a hint of the changing modes, moods, and structures of the music. The first movement, Palimpsest,is polydimensional and many-layered; one can hear allusions to a multiplicity of styles. The second movement, Notturno urbano, forms a strong contrast to the hyperactive previous movement. It starts with distant and gradually approaching bell-like sounds, from which the whole movement's musical material is being derived. The instruments are often used in an unconventional way: the winds as well as the strings employ extended techniques, which contributes to the aloofness and the mysteriousness of the movement. The third, highly virtuosic, movement, is a kind of an 'urban passacaglia' (the name of this musical form actually derives from the Spanish 'pasar una calle', 'to walk along a street'). It consists of eight incisive chords, which are played continuously by the brass, albeit always in a different way. Two worlds collide in this movement: the brass attacks are commented upon by flitting interjections of different instruments, which are highly varied in character and length. As a whole, the musical language of Graffiti shifts between roughness and refinement, complexity and transparency. It is rich in contrast and labyrinthine, neither tonal nor atonal. Graffiti calls for great agility, virtuosity, and constant changes of perspective from the musicians; each instrument is being treated as a soloist. Graffiti was commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, Barbican, London; Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa, Kunststiftung NRW and Ensemble musikFabrik. It was first performed on 26th of February 2013 by the Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group conducted b.
SKU: HL.49045924
ISBN 9783795711764. UPC: 888680949426. 8.0x10.5x1.8 inches. German. Korngold - Librettist: Paul Schott; Author of Original Text: Georges Rodenbach.
This masterpiece, composed by Erich Wolfgang Korngold when he was only 23, was one of the great stage successes of the 1920s and 30s before being removed from theatre schedules by the National Socialists. Rediscovered in the 1970s, it has enjoyed continuing popularity ever since. The libretto was compiled by the composer's father, the music critic Julius Korngold, writing under the pseudonym 'Paul Schott', a combination of the name of the protagonist and the publishing house. A vivacious theatre group comes to liven up the gloomy city of Bruges (here, a symbol of death) and the widower Paul is forced to decide between the past and the present. Korngold was fascinated by this symbolic plot and created an iridescent orchestral score washed in vivid colours. A variety of operatic devices are intermingled as if viewed through a kaleidoscope: opulent melodic arias, advanced harmonies, psychoanalytic profundity and cinematic transitions oscillating between reality and dream worlds guarantee the continuing modernity of this work up to the present day.
SKU: M7.VGH-546-70
ISBN 9790206660191.
Ständchen is the German word for Serenade, which is related to the word Stehen, which means Standing. Therefore, I invented the word Sitzchen, which would mean to serenade from a sitting position. I composed these two works for the 85th birthday of Ernst Krenek, the first for violin (to be played standing), the second for piano (to be played, of course, sitting). The half-step motion EE flatE, inherent in Ernst Krenek's name, became a horizontal motif in the violin piece and a vertical line in the piano piece. In the Ständchen, the opening and its repetitions are lyrically conceived as a chorus, whereas the dancelike contrasting interludes combine elements of the old and new worlds to portray Krenek's multi-faceted life between two continents. March-like and resounding bells characterize the appearance of the piano piece.
SKU: CL.011-4462-00
Embark upon a musical adventure when you board the trans-Siberian railway in Moscow! Let your imagination roam as you travel through the Ural Mountains, the geographical line between European Russia and Asian Russia. Visualize the snow covered reaches of Siberia and the vast plains. Take a quick stop at Baikal, the worlds’ largest and deepest freshwater lake for a swim that local legend says can add years to your life. Conclude your excursion in Vladivostok by the Sea of Japan. Let the music take your thoughts on the trip of a life-time! A perfect cross-curricular connection for your students studying the eastern hemisphere.
About C.L. Barnhouse Command Series
The Barnhouse Command Series includes works at grade levels 2, 2.5, and 3. This series is designed for middle school and junior high school bands, as well as high school bands of smaller instrumentation or limited experience. Command Series publications have a slightly larger instrumentation than the Rising Band Series, and are typically of larger scope, duration, and musical content.
SKU: HL.284545
ISBN 9781785582752. 9.0x12.0 inches.
For Bob. arranged for Viola and Piano. First performed by Elisabeth Smalt and Kevin Volans, London 2016. Composers Note: I have no idea where this piece came from and how it is structured. But before and after I wrote it I was nagged by the question: what does the Viola have to do with the Piano? Did this combination evolve by unfortunate accident? The Viola was perfected in the 18th century. Its natural metier is (private) chamber music. The Piano on the other hand kept growing and blossomed in the 19th century as the ultimate public instrument. If the piano is to play with the Viola, it has to rein back its power and pose as an accompanist. Maybe a third instrument, perhaps from the 20th century, is needed to mediate between these two very different sound worlds. So whenwe play this 'trio' with 2 instruments I invite the listener to mentally add the silent part(ner). - Kevin Volans.
SKU: PR.44641192L
UPC: 680160610860. 11 x 14 inches.
One of my greatest pleasures in writing a concerto is exploring the new world that opens for me each time I enter the sometimes alien, but always fascinating, world of a solo instrument or instruments. For me, the challenge is to discover the deepest nature of the solo instrument (its karma, if you will) and to allow that essential character to guide the shape and form of the work and the nature of the interaction between soloists and orchestra. In recent years, many of us have become more aware of the musical world outside the Western tradition of musics that follow different procedures and spring from other aesthetics. And contemporary percussionists have opened many of these worlds to us, as they have ventured around the globe, participating in Brazilian Samba schools, studying Gamelan and African drumming with local experts, collecting instruments from Asia and Africa and South America and the South Pacific, widening our horizons in the process. I will never forget our first meeting in Toronto when Nexus invited me into their world of hundreds of exciting percussion instruments. The vast array of instruments in the collection of the Nexus ensemble is truly global in scope as well as offering a thrilling sound-universe. I was inspired by the incredible range of sound and moved by the fact that so many of these instruments were musical reflections of a spiritual dimension. After long consideration, I decided that it would not only be impossible, but even undesirable for this Western-tradition-steeped composer to attempt to use these instruments in a culturally authentic way. My goal was an existential kind of authenticity: searching instead for universal ideas that would be true to both myself and the performers while acknowledging the traditional uses of the instruments. Since many percussion instruments are associated with various kinds of ritual, I decided that I would allow that concept to shape my piece. Rituals is in four movements, each issuing from a ritual associated with percussion, but with the orchestral interaction providing an essential element in the musical form. I. Invocation alludes to the traditions of invoking the spirit of the instruments, or the gods, or the ancestors before performing. II. Ambulation moves from a processional, through march and dance to fantasy based on all three. III. Remembrances alludes to traditions of memorializing. IV. Contests progresses from friendly competition games, contests to a suggestion of a battle of big band drummers, to warlike exchanges. In the 2nd and 4th movements, another percussion tradition, improvisation, is employed. Written into these movements are a number of seeds for improvisation. Indications in the score call for the soloists to improvise in three different ways, marked A for percussion alone; marked B for percussion with and in response to the orchestra; and C where the percussionists are free to add and embellish the written parts. These improvisations should grow out of and embellish previous motives and gestures in the movement.
SKU: AP.51029S
ISBN 9781470669607. UPC: 038081591551. English.
Inspired by the sounds of epic film and video game scores, One Final Mission takes the listener from the safety of home base right into the center of the action. Adrian Sims has written an extremely approachable work for developing bands with a deceivingly massive and sophisticated sound that is sure to have jaws dropping during the performance! (2:10)
SKU: PR.11641663L
UPC: 680160677757. English. After the drama 'The Dybbuk' by S. Ansky.
SKU: PR.362034230
ISBN 9781598069556. UPC: 680160624225. Letter inches. English.
When the Texas Choral Consort asked Welcher to write a short prologue to Haydn's The Creation, his first reaction was that Haydn already presents Chaos in his introductory movement. As he thought about it, Welcher began envisioning a truer void to precede Haydn's depiction of Chaos within the scope of 18th-century classical style - quoting some of Haydn's themes and showing human voices and inhuman sounds in a kind of pre-creation melange of color, mood, and atmosphere. Welcher accepted this challenge with the proviso that his prologue would lead directly into Haydn's masterpiece without stopping, and certainly without applause in between. Scored for mixed chorus and Haydn's instrumentation, Without Form and Void is a dramatically fresh yet pragmatic enhancement to deepen any performance of Haydn's The Creation. Orchestral score and parts are available on rental.When Brent Baldwin asked me to consider writing a short prologue to THE CREATION, my first response was “Why?â€Â THE CREATION already contains a prologue; it’s called “Representation of Chaosâ€, and it’s Haydn’s way of showing the formless universe. How could a new piece do anything but get in the way? But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. The Age of Enlightenment’s idea of “Chaos†was just extended chromaticism, no more than Bach used (in fact, Bach went further).Perhaps there might be a way to use the full resources of the modern orchestra (or at least, a Haydn-sized orchestra) and the modern chorus to really present a cosmic soup of unborn musical atoms, just waiting for Haydn’s sure touch to animate them. Perhaps it could even quote some of Haydn’s themes before he knew them himself, and also show human voices and inhuman sounds in a kind of pre-creation mélange of color, mood, and atmosphere. So I accepted the challenge, with the proviso that my new piece not be treated as some kind of “overtureâ€, but would instead be allowed to lead directly into Haydn’s masterpiece without stopping, and certainly without applause. I crafted this five minute piece to begin with a kind of “music of the spheres†universe-hum, created by tuned wine glasses and violin harmonics. The chorus enters very soon after, with the opening words of Genesis whispered simultaneously in as many languages as can be found in a chorus. The first two minutes of my work are all about unborn human voices and unfocused planetary sounds, gradually becoming more and more “coherent†until we finally hear actual pitches, melodies, and words. Three of Haydn’s melodies will be heard, to be specific, but not in the way he will present them an hour from now. It’s almost as if we are listening inside the womb of the universe, looking for a faint heartbeat of worlds, animals, and people to come. At the end of the piece, the chorus finally finds its voice with a single word: “God!â€, and the orchestra finally finds its own pulse as well. The unstoppable desire for birth must now be answered, and it is----by Haydn’s marvelous oratorio. I am not a religious man in any traditional sense. Neither was Haydn, nor Mozart, nor Beethoven. But all of them, as well as I, share in what is now called a humanistic view of how things came to be, how life in its many forms developed on this planet, and how Man became the recorder of history. The gospel according to John begins with a parody of Genesis: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.â€Â  I love that phrase, and it’s in that spirit that I offer my humble “opener†to the finest work of one of the greatest composers Western music has ever known. My piece is not supposed to sound like Haydn. It’s supposed to sound like a giant palette, on which a composer in 1798 might find more outrageous colors than his era would permit…but which, I hope, he would have been delighted to hear.
SKU: PR.114424110
ISBN 9781491137390. UPC: 680160690114.
Phrasings and hints of Chinese folksongs, and the dramatic beauty of nature, are often the deep inspiration for Chen Yi’s musical worlds, along with the subtle relationship between folk arts and progressive arts. All these inspirations combine elegantly in MOUNTAIN SONG, composed for the bicentennial of London’s Royal Academy of Music.
SKU: CF.CAS153F
ISBN 9781491163191. UPC: 680160921942. Key: E minor.
This exiting 6/8 piece conveys the daring adventures of voyages during the Viking Age, sailing aboard Norse longships in the Baltic Sea. This heavy, accented melody uses frequent doubling between sections for a full hearty sound that rings out like the songs of the sailors and Vikings as they navigated the high seas. The bowings and articulations throughout this piece create energy and drama, with Violin I, Bass, and Cello venturing briefly out of first position. Like the push and pull of the rowers’ oars, players will feel the rhythmic pull of 3 against 2 in places, driving the piece forward with momentous energy, exploring new worlds of music!
About Carl Fischer Concert String Orchestra Series
This series of pieces (Grade 3 and higher) is designed for advancing ensembles. The pieces in this series are characterized by:
SKU: CL.011-4462-01
