Power Surge

SKU: FJ.B1219

UPC: 674398214334. English.

David Shaffer captures the power and awe of a magnificent storm surge in this exciting new work. The use of wind chimes at changing dynamics actually brings the force of Mother Nature right into your auditorium! Ideal to work on crescendos and diminuendos while keeping student excitement extremely high, this work is sure to become a standard in the repertoire!

About FJH Developing Band

Slightly more advanced than beginning band. Clarinet 1 begins to play over the break. Rhythms and ranges are expanded to accommodate the end of first-year as well as second-year instruction. Grade 1.5

SKU: CF.BPS143

ISBN 9781491161241. UPC: 680160919833.

Alchemy is usually defined as the Medieval search for the means of transmuting base metals, such as lead into gold and silver. The alchemist hoped to find the mysterious combination of words or elements to attain the goal. Our scene begins with a dramatic invocation to the spirits of the metals, followed by a chant to empower the energy necessary for the change. A procession of the alchemist's apprentices is heard as they add their presence to the effort and a final surge as the transformation is realized. Or is it? Careful execution of the dynamic variations within the work is essential to realize the desired effect. A metal plate can be substituted for the break drum. The tap on stands instruction in mm. 46 - 52 should be performed with a metallic beater on a metal stand. Experiment with mechanical pencils, small screwdrivers, portions of coat hangers, etc. Additional metallic percussion instruments could be added to enhance the effect or in place of the music stands. Volume is not as important as timbre.
Alchemy is usually defined as the Medieval search for the means of transmuting base metals, such as lead into gold and silver. The alchemist hoped to find the mysterious combination of words or elements to attain the goal. Our scene begins with a dramatic invocation to the spirits of the metals, followed by a chant to empower the energy necessary for the change. A procession of the alchemist’s apprentices is heard as they add their presence to the effort and a final surge as the transformation is realized. Or is it?Careful execution of the dynamic variations within the work is essential to realize the desired effect. A metal plate can be substituted for the break drum. The “tap on stands” instruction in mm. 46 – 52 should be performed with a metallic beater on a metal stand. Experiment with mechanical pencils, small screwdrivers, portions of coat hangers, etc. Additional metallic percussion instruments could be added to enhance the effect or in place of the music stands. Volume is not as important as timbre.

SKU: CF.CAS113

ISBN 9781491151327. UPC: 680160908820. 9 x 12 inches. Key: E minor.

Composed by Bruce W. Tippette, Drifting?utilizes musical passages to allude to the image of something drifting down a river in the woods. It journeys through twists and turns, placid streams and roaring rapids, eventually making a grand entrance into open waters.
The musical passages in this piece for string orchestra conjure images of something, perhaps a leaf, gently drifting down a river in the woods. It journeys through twists and turns, placid streams and roaring rapids, eventually making a grand entrance into open waters. As Drifting opens, soft pizzicato strings are uttered in the lower string voices, while the upper voices slowly swell into the appearance of the main motive in m. 9. This theme develops and passes through several voices until being replaced by a new motive in m. 36, accompanied by driving rhythms and frequent modulations. A powerful resurgence of the original motive occurs in m. 60. Melodic remnants of the previous sections are presented in a new fashion as the piece comes to a dramatic close with all voices playing in rhythmic unison in the closing measures..
The musical passages in this piece for string orchestra conjure images of something, perhaps a leaf, gently drifting down a river in the woods. It journeys through twists and turns, placid streams and roaring rapids, eventually making a grand entrance into open waters. As Drifting opens, soft pizzicato strings are uttered in the lower string voices, while the upper voices slowly swell into the appearance of the main motive in m. 9. This theme develops and passes through several voices until being replaced by a new motive in m. 36, accompanied by driving rhythms and frequent modulations. A powerful resurgence of the original motive occurs in m. 60. Melodic remnants of the previous sections are presented in a new fashion as the piece comes to a dramatic close with all voices playing in rhythmic unison in the closing measures..
The musical passages in this piece for string orchestra conjure images of something, perhaps a leaf, gently drifting down a river in the woods. It journeys through twists and turns, placid streams and roaring rapids, eventually making a grand entrance into open waters. As Drifting opens, soft pizzicato strings are uttered in the lower string voices, while the upper voices slowly swell into the appearance of the main motive in m. 9. This theme develops and passes through several voices until being replaced by a new motive in m. 36, accompanied by driving rhythms and frequent modulations. A powerful resurgence of the original motive occurs in m. 60. Melodic remnants of the previous sections are presented in a new fashion as the piece comes to a dramatic close with all voices playing in rhythmic unison in the closing measures.

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:

• Expanded use of rhythms, ranges and keys but technical demands are still carefully considered
• More comprehensive bowing techniques
• Viola T.C. included
• Careful selection of keys and degree of difficulty for advancing musicians

SKU: PR.114422520

ISBN 9781491134788. UPC: 680160683833.

After decades as a renowned oboe virtuoso, Katherine Needleman was improvising at the piano during the quarantine summer of 2020 when her ideas congealed in a powerful way. Within a week she completed a 16-minute oboe sonata inspired by the world’s overlapping crises. This riveting three-movement sonata bears the title qua resurget ex favilla, drawn from the Dies Irae text referring to rising back from ashes. Needleman won the International Double Reed Society’s Inaugural Commissioning Competition by entering her own recording of this work, performing as both oboist and pianist from her living room. As a result, IDRS commissioned her to compose a new work for English horn and piano which was premiered at their 2021 Virtual Symposium and programmed for the live 2022 convention.
I’m not exactly sure how, in a life consumed by music, I never put anything on paper between the time I stopped at age 10 and the age of 42. I mean, I have some ideas why, but that could easily dissolve into a feminist manifesto or a condemnation of my musical education and the overwhelming culture of American oboe playing, the vehicle through which I’ve made a living my entire adult life. Rather than go there, I will just say this is the first piece I put on paper in my adult life.Six months into COVID-19 lockdown in the US, the world was feeling pretty weird. I had familiarized myself with the music notation program, Sibelius, for recent arranging projects. I had written some mockeries of A.M.R. Barret oboe etudes in response to an assignment I was given (and did appropriately first). When I descended into a dark chorale in the middle of the fourth mockery, I realized I needed a new vehicle. I wrote a short, ridiculous piece for my husband’s birthday, and then, the next night, when improvising at the piano, like I’ve done since I was seven years old, this piece came to me. However, this time, I sketched it out into Sibelius. Over the course of the next week, I found notating and picking permanent, official notes to enter into the computer challenging. But it was all done on paper in seven days, and I took another few for dynamics and articulations thinking they might be useful for someone else, if I would ever be lucky enough for someone else to play it.I don’t have much to say about the music of qua resurget ex favilla itself. It’s a personal statement couched in the feelings of that time. The US presidential election was looming large and ugly in my mind, well, that and the end of life as we knew it, but I also had some bizarre feeling that everything would be okay.

SKU: FJ.B1769S

English.

Everyone is still. The countdown begins. And in a single moment, adrenaline surges in an eruption of energy and power. This intense closer does not let go, keeping the audience and performer on the edge of their seats throughout. Very playable - just make sure you find time to catch your breath (or does that refer to the audience?...). Ready, set...

About FJH Young Band

Appropriate for middle school and smaller high school groups. Second clarinets usually stay below the break. Parts are written with more independence, and instrumentation increases slightly. There is still adequate doubling in the lower voices. Grades 2 - 2.5

SKU: CF.YPS212

ISBN 9781491152317. UPC: 680160909810. Key: C minor.

Taking its title from a poem about grief and loss by Chrissie Pinney, Live On honors the life of band director Linda Mann, to whom the piece is dedicated. The piece begins with a pensive intro before shifting to a whimsical theme that brings about happy thoughts of a life well-lived. After a return to the poignant opening material, the music surges to a triumphant conclusion based on an augmented version of the whimsical theme.
Live On was commissioned by Diplomat Middle School's staff, faculty and students, in Cape Coral, Florida, and is dedicated to the memory of their Director of Bands, Linda Mann. Director of Orchestras, Roland Forti, championed the commissioning of this piece to honor the life of Linda after her untimely passing in February of 2017. Linda Mann’s impact on the field of music education was profound and wide-reaching. She was a beloved member of the staff at Diplomat Middle School, as well as the music community of Cape Coral and the state of Florida. Linda was highly respected throughout the state, serving as recent past-president of the Florida Bandmasters Association.In discussing the type of piece the school wanted to honor Ms. Mann, they indicated the piece should “depict Linda’s personality: dynamic, sassy, yet thoughtful and almost mentor-like.” They wanted a piece that was upbeat, yet still had moments that were thoughtful, portraying the grief that the Diplomat Middle School community has suffered from the sudden loss of such a beloved teacher.After contemplating their thoughts, I did some research to find inspiration for the piece. This led me to poetry about grief and loss. In time, I stumbled upon a short, yet poignant poem that I felt perfectly depicted the sentiment that I wanted the piece to convey.  That poem is entitled Live On by Chrissie Pinney.Live OnNow as I live onWithout youI hope to keepThe pieces of youThat I loved so dearlyYour mannerismsAnd compassionate characterAnd smiles through struggleSo that youMay live on too -Chrissie PinneyI reached out to Ms. Pinney, and she graciously agreed to allow me to quote her powerful poem in these notes. She expressed that she was deeply touched that her work would inspire me to write a piece in honor of Linda Mann.The piece begins with a poignant, pensive opening section. The use of the musical interval of a tritone between the first two openly voiced chords are used to represent the sadness we all feel from this type of loss. When I sat in front of my piano and started to work on this piece, my hands seemed to naturally and immediately play these first two chords, which set the process in motion of composing the piece.After the somber opening, the piece shifts to a whimsical theme that I hope brings about happy thoughts of Linda and her personality. It was also my intent, however, to include some musical dissonance in the theme that still reflected the bittersweet loss at the same time. The piece develops into a secondary theme that is a quasi inversion of the main fast theme. This section is followed by a return of the opening material, with snippets of the fast theme intertwined, before the piece builds to a triumphant, augmented presentation of the main theme in a lush form to complete the work.It is my hope that in some small way, this piece will bring comfort to those affected by the loss of Linda Mann, and that the music will allow her memory to Live On.–Larry ClarkLakeland, FL 2017.