SKU: GI.G-EH1018
Measure Me, Sky! (SSAA) encourages your treble singers to take hold of their limitless potential. Ascending vocal lines stretch across a driving accompaniment, as if reaching out to grasp the expanse depicted in Leonora Speyer's rapturous poem. This impassioned piece builds through key changes and several returns of the opening material before arriving at its brilliant final chord, reflecting Loveliness, wings for my flight! A thrilling concert opener or closer!
SKU: LO.60-1031H
UPC: 000308076455.
This contemporary sounding chart puts the spotlight on your emerging Trumpet soloist or section. The solo line is cued in all the Trumpet parts, so you'll have several performance options. The even-eighth groove will be easy for your rhythm section to play with confidence, and the unique harmony and texture should make it interesting for all the players. Topaz Sky requires no improvisation, but there are written out, eight-measure solos for both Trumpet and piano. This chart provides a multitude of ways to teach your band how dynamic peaks and valleys really can make music come alive.
SKU: LO.60-1030H
UPC: 000308055108.
SKU: MH.1-59913-072-6
ISBN 9781599130729.
Program Notes: It was a happy coincidence that the commission for SINFONIA XVI: TRANSCENDENTAL VIENNA came from the Henry David Thoreau School located in Vienna, Virginia. Thoreau is one of the magic names in American culture: Henry David Thoreau, one of the leading figures of the Transcendentalist movement, centered in 19th-century New England, left us a body of unique philosophical and poetical writings. To utter the words, Walden Pond, is to invoke an America long past in physical actuality, but still present in the minds and hearts of many American citizens. The name, Vienna, of course, summons thoughts of the Old World: culture, fine food, wine, civilized cities. While contemplating the form that SINFONIA XVI should take, I found myself thinking of two pillars of Viennese culture: expressionism and the waltz. Musically speaking, expressionism reached a zenith in the works of Arnold Schoenberg and Alban Berg. It was Berg, in particular, that I wanted to invoke in the outer movements of my composition. I knew I would also have to include a waltz, and an invocation of the mysterious forces that are contained in both expressionism and transcendentalism. Thus was the structure of the work generated. The outer movements with their vision of the night sky and the stars, Aldebaran and Sirius, frame the central movements, which are essentially two versions of the same material, and are quieter and less dramatic. The outer movements are symmetrical, and share both pitch and rhythmic materials. Accordingly, I see the work as a ternary form, with the central movements forming a unit within the outer frame: A (Movement 1) B (Movements 2 & 3) A' (Movement 4). Harmonically, the work can be summarized by the two pitch-series which occur in the opening bars of Movement 1: the initial 12-note row, with a tonal center on F-sharp (measures 1-6), and the subsequent D-minor Dorian 7-note row (beginning in measure 14). Aspects of these materials occur in all four movements, but they are most strongly present in Movements 1 and 4. Note that the 12-note row is not subjected to the usual serial procedures, but instead is treated as a signifier and is left unchanged. Since the fourth movement takes up where the first movement leaves off, I can conceive of one interpretation of SINFONIA XVI as an evocation of Thoreau himself contemplating two of the brightest stars on a clear, cold night. Aldebaran is an orange, first-magnitude star, located in the constellation Taurus; Sirius, the Dog Star, is the brightest star in the sky, and is located in the constellation Canis Major. Thoreau interrupts his star-gazing to entertain some inward thoughts, waking dreams, as it were, then returns his gaze to the splendid night sky and all its treasures. Although many other interpretations of the material are possible, it is important to remember that the abstract materials of the piece -- pitch, rhythm, structure -- are what count the most. Ensemble instrumentation: 1 Piccolo, 4 Flute 1, 4 Flute 2, 3 Oboe, 1 Eb Clarinet (opt.), 4 Bb Clarinet 1, 4 Bb Clarinet 2, 4 Bb Clarinet 3, 3 Bass Clarinet, 3 Bassoon, 3 Eb Alto Saxophone 1, 3 Eb Alto Saxophone 2, 2 Bb Tenor Saxophone, 2 Eb Baritone Saxophone, 3 Bb Trumpet 1, 3 Bb Trumpet 2, 3 Bb Trumpet 3, 2 Horn 1, 2 Horn 2, 3 Trombone 1, 3 Trombone 2, 3 Euphonium B.C., 2 Euphonium T.C., 5 Tuba, 2 Timpani, 3 Percussion 1, 3 Percussion 2, 3 Percussion 3, 3 Percussion 4.
SKU: PR.144407530
ISBN 9781491136614. UPC: 680160687992.
A violinist herself, Lauren Bernofsky has described SONATA FOR SOLO VIOLIN as drawn from autobiographical inspiration, including gestures from Bachâ??s beloved Partita in E Major. Bernofsky opens with a Preludio movement whose references to Bach may be disguised, but they are surely lurking. The second movement is lusciously contrapuntal with the idiomatic finesse of a violinist composing for her own instrument, while musically journaling the emotional pain of living through 2020. The third and final movement is aptly marked â??white-hot,â? and the music certainly is.My SONATA FOR SOLO VIOLIN was commissioned by violinist Megan Healy as part of The Maud Powell Project, which celebrated the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment. The project included the creation of five new works for solo violin inspired by and dedicated to the memory of pioneering American violinist Maud Powell (1867-1920). Healy premiered the sonata on May 8, 2021 at PianoForte Studios in Chicago.Among the works Powell most frequently performed in her recitals was the â??Preludioâ? movement from Bachâ??s E major Partita, and I decided to refer to that music in my own first movement, also titled â??Preludio.â? The beginning subtly reflects Bachâ??s opening three-note motive, wherein the music dips down a semitone and then comes back up. This melodic material returns throughout the movement in various forms. I also refer to Bachâ??s sixteenth-note dominated texture, and the gesture in the third measure, which outlines a perfect fifth and then fills it in with notes that alternate between a scale and a pedal tone. The corresponding passage in my piece occurs in the same place, measure 3. Apart from these references to Bach, my sonata is much more modern sounding, especially in its chromatic character.I was still thinking of Bachâ??s solo violin writing while composing the second movement, particularly the polyphonic nature of the slow movements, where the melodic interest moves around between the voices. Emotionally, I wanted my movement to reflect the acute sadness I had been experiencing over the political and social situation in the United States as I wrote the piece. I realized that this is a historically noteworthy time in U.S. history, marked not only by political unrest, but also by a challenge to the very values that I consider essential to what makes a person fundamentally human. I wanted to create a record of that pain in my music.The final movement is marked â??White-hot.â? It is imbued with a relentless, passionate intensity. Wanting again to reflect aspects of our own time, I included glissandi that refer to rock music, specifically the â??fall-offsâ? I frequently hear played by electric guitarists. I borrowed from another (completely different) musical tradition as well, one that is near-and-dear to my heart: Klezmer. Klezmer (Eastern European Jewish folk music) is characterized in part by scales colored by augmented seconds, and is often performed by solo instrumentalists who improvise embellishments like quick grace notes. The second, more lyrical theme in this movement is my nod to Klezmer style.While this piece is an homage to Maud Powell, I also think of it as my own musical autobiography, as it combines some of my favorite aspects of music, and is played on my own instrument.
SKU: CF.MXE272
ISBN 9781491159064. UPC: 680160917600. 9 x 12 inches.
Odd Moments was written for the Da Capo Chamber Players in 1999 in celebration of George Perleas 85th birthday. The piece was revised in 2009, resulting in a version that is a few minutes shorter. The title of the piece obliquely refers to Perleas late piece Critical Moments, and also to an aspect of Perleas system of 12-tone tonality, which distinguishes between odd and even harmonies. The piece is in six short sections, each with its own tempo. A slight pause should be taken before each section. A A A The score is in C. Accidentals apply only within the measure, and cautionary accidentals have been added, as needed. A A.Odd Moments was written for the Da Capo Chamber Players in 1999 in celebration of George Perle's 85th birthday. The piece was revised in 2009, resulting in a version that is a few minutes shorter. The title of the piece obliquely refers to Perle's late piece Critical Moments, and also to an aspect of Perle's system of 12-tone tonality, which distinguishes between odd and even harmonies. The piece is in six short sections, each with its own tempo. A slight pause should be taken before each section. The score is in C. Accidentals apply only within the measure, and cautionary accidentals have been added, as needed.Odd Moments was written for the Da Capo Chamber Players in 1999 in celebration of George Perle’s 85th birthday. The piece was revised in 2009, resulting in a version that is a few minutes shorter. The title of the piece obliquely refers to Perle’s late piece Critical Moments, and also to an aspect of Perle’s system of 12-tone tonality, which distinguishes between odd and even harmonies.The piece is in six short sections, each with its own tempo. A slight pause should be taken before each section.    The score is in C. Accidentals apply only within the measure, and cautionary accidentals have been added, as needed.   .
SKU: BP.BP129
UPC: 748769001295. 6.875 x 10.5 inches.
Now revoiced for TTBB Choirs! Piano and voices combine in floating melodic lines and resonant harmonies, lending an ethereal quality to this delightful piece in the Beckenhorst Press Concert Series for school, community, and college choirs, edited by Dan Forrest. The universe, our relationship to it, and our communication with it come to life, freeing the imagination to soar for singers and listeners alike.
SKU: CF.J763
ISBN 9781491146248. UPC: 680160903740. 9 x 12 inches. Key: Bb major. Text: Julia Ward Howe. Julia Ward Howe.
Made popular by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's Grammy winning performance in 1959, Peter Wilhousky's famous arrangement of Battle Hymn of the Republic has remained a staple to this day. In this Critical Edition for Band edited by Justin P. Tokke, a new arrangement has been crafted based on Wilhousky's original orchestral scoring. To enhance playability, generous cross-cuing and doubling of the choral parts have been applied in cases where the band version is played without voices. This new arrangement ensures complete compatibility with both the choral and orchestral versions, with matching measure numbers and rehearsal marks, and comes complete with a full score and parts produced with modern engraving standards. This exciting edition is ready to continue Wilhousky's legacy and hopes to inspire future collaboration and new performance opportunities.