In Sleep, in Thunder

SKU: MN.12-115

UPC: 688670121159.

Pedals only and Large Tam-Tam. The Kraken is a work for organ pedals with the player also playing a large tam-tam (or the player could also be joined by a percussionist.) It is based upon the poem by the same name by Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809-1892.) The Kraken is a mythical Norse sea monster. The opening lines of the poem give the setting for the music, which starts on the lowest possible pitches and works upward to a frenzy in both instruments: Below the thunders of the upper deep, Far, far beneath in the abysmal sea, His ancient, dreamless, uninvaded sleep The Kraken sleepeth.

SKU: PR.416415760

UPC: 680160636532. 9 x 12 inches.

The 1712 Overture stands out in P.D.Q. Bach's oeuvre for two reasons, among others: it is by far the most programmatic instrumental piece among those by the minimeister of Wein-am-Rhein so far unearthed, and 2) its discovery has led to a revelation about the composer's father, Johann Sebastian Bach, that has exploded like a bombshell on the usually serene musicological landscape. The overture is based on an anecdote told to P.D.Q. Bach by a cousin, Peter Ulrich. Since P.U. Bach lived in Dudeldorf, only a few miles down the road from Wein-am-Rhein, he was P.D.Q.'s closest relative, and he was, in fact, one of the few members of the family who was on speaking terms with P.D.Q. The story, related to P.D.Q. (fortunately for us posterity types) in a letter, may be summarized thus: The town of Dudeldorf was founded by two brothers, Rudi and Dieter Dudel, early in the 18th century. Rudi remained mayor of the newborn burg for the rest of his long life, but Dieter had a dream of starting a musicians' colony, an entire city devoted to music, which dream, he finally decided, could be realized only in the New World. In 1712, he and several other bagpipers sailed to Boston, never to return to Germany. (Henceforth, Rudi became known as der deutscher Dudel and Dieter as the Yankee Dudel). Unfortunately, the head of the Boston Musicians' Guild had gotten wind of Dudel's plans, and Wilhelm Wiesel (pron. VEE-zle), known none too affectionately around town as Wiesel the Weasel, was not about to share what few gigs there were in colonial America with more foreigners and outside agitators. He and his cronies were on hand to meet Dudel's boat when it pulled into Boston Harbor; they intended to prevent the newcomers' disembarkation, but Dudel and his companions managed to escape to the other side of the bay in a dinghy, landing with just enough time to rent a carriage and horses before hearing the sound of The Weasel and his men, who had had to come around the long way. The Germans headed West, with the Bostonians in furious pursuit. soon the city had been left far behind, and by midnight so had the pursuers; Dieter Dudel decided that it was safe for him and his men to stop and sleep until daybreak. When they awoke, they found that they were in a beautiful landscape of low, forested mountains and pleasant fields, warmed by the brilliant morning sun and serenaded by an entrancing variety of birds. Here, Dudel thought, her is where I will build my colony. The immigrants continued down the road at a leisurely pace until they came upon a little church, all by itself in the countryside, from which there suddenly emanated the sounds of a pipe organ. At this point, the temptation to quote from P.U. Bach's letter to P.D.Q. cannot be resisted: They went inside and, after listening to the glorious music for a while, introduced themselves to the organist. And who do you think it was? Are you ready for this -- it was your old man! Hey, no kidding -- you know, I'm sure, that your father was the guy to get when it came to testing new organs, and whoever had that one in Massachusetts built offered old Sebastian a tidy sum to go over there and check it out. The unexpected meeting with J.S. Bach and his sponsors was interrupted by the sound of horse hooves, as the dreaded Wiesel and his men thundered on to the scene. They had been riding all night, however, and they were no spring chickens to start with, and as soon as they reached the church they all dropped, exhausted, to the ground. The elated Germans rang the church bells and offered to buy everyone a beer at the nearest tavern. There they were taught, and joined in singing, what might be called the national anthem of the New World. The melody of this pre-revolutionary patriotic song is still remembered (P.D.Q. Bach quotes it, in the bass instruments, near the end of the overture), but is words are now all but forgotten: Freedom, of thee we sing, Freedom e'er is our goal; Death to the English King, Long live Rock and Ross. The striking paucity of biographical references to Johann Sebastian Bah during the year 1712 can now be explained: he was abroad for a significant part of that year, testing organs in the British Colonies. That this revelation has not been accepted as fact by the musicological establishment is no surprise, since it means that a lot of books would have to be rewritten. The members of that establishment haven't even accepted the existence of P.D.Q. Bach, one of whose major works the 1712 Overture certainly is. It is also a work that shows Tchaikowsky up as the shameless plagiarizer that some of us have always known he was. The discovery of this awesome opus was made possible by a Boston Pops Centennial Research Commission; the first modern performance took place at the opening concert of the 100th anniversary season of that orchestra, under the exciting but authentic direction of John Williams.

SKU: SP.TS180

ISBN 9781585604623. UPC: 649571101800.

Variety lies at the core of 83 Classified Piano Solos published by Santorella Publications. It combines eighty-three songs from seven different genres to form an incredibly unique product. From Hymns to Marches, Waltzes to Folk songs and Classics to Boogie, 83 Classified Piano Solos has everything that a beginning piano student needs. Boredom is a major obstacle to learning which students and teachers have encountered. They have found it extremely difficult to maintain interest when using a single resource. Often, supplemental materials are needed to keep study interesting and exciting since it is nearly impossible to find adequately diverse books. This adds a significant and unnecessary financial burden on both parties. 83 Classified Piano Solos from Santorella Publications is different. This best-selling easy piano title eliminates the need for costly supplemental materials while exploring many composers in varied genres and keeping study fun and interesting. To take full advantage of the variety, we strongly urge that you jump around from section to section and explore all that 83 Classified Piano Solos has to offer. This Jonathon Robbins best seller from Santorella Publications includes a performance CD which serves as a great tool for the beginning student. He or she can listen to a performance of each piece performed at the appropriate tempos, dynamics and stylings, then emulate this during their own performance, practice or study sessions. Just take a look at the incredibly diverse range of titles found in this great Santorella title: WALTZES - WALTZ (From, The Sleeping Beauty) - Tchaikovsky - EMPEROR WALTZ - Strauss - WALTZ IN A MINOR - Chopin, WALTZ IN Bb - Schubert - WALTZ IN C - Schubert - WALTZ IN C - Brahms - WAVES OF THE DANUBE - Ivanovici - WALTZ OF THE FLOWERS (From, The Nutcracker) - Tchaikovsky COWBOY MUSIC RED RIVER VALLEY - HOME ON THE RANGE - POOR, LONESOME COWBOY - GOOD BYE OLD PAINT - BIG ROCK CANDY MOUNTAIN - I'D LIKE TO BE IN TEXAS - THE COLORADO TRAIL - TO BURY ME NOT ON THE LONE PRAIRIE - WHOOPIE TI-YI-YO! (Git Along Little Dogies!) HYMNS ABIDE WITH ME - I NEED THEE EVERY HOUR - WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS - ETERNAL FATHER - STRONG TO SAVE - HEAR OUR PRAYER - O LORD - I LOVE TO TELL THE STORY - ROCK OF AGES - COME, THOU ALMIGHTY KING - MY FAITH LOOKS UP TO THEE - NEARER, MY GOD TO THEE - HE LEADETH ME - ALL HAIL THE POWER OF JESUS' NAME - HOLY, HOLY, HOLY - SWEET HOUR OF PRAYER - IN THE SWEET BYE AND BYE - FAITH OF OUR FATHERS FOLK MUSIC BILLYBOY - ALOUETTE - ON TOP OF OLD SMOKY - CRAWDAD SONG - TURKEY IN THE STRAW - THE FARMER IN THE DELL - SKIP TO MY LOU - SHE'LL BE COMIN''ROUND THE MOUNTAIN - PUT YOUR LITTLE FOOT - JOHN PEEL - OH, WHERE HAS MY LITTLE DOG GONE - MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB - FOR HE'S A JOLLY GOOD FELLOW - POLLY WOLLY DOODLE MARCHES THE STARS AND STRIPES FOREVER - AMERICAN PATROL - MARCH OF THE PRIESTS (From, Athalia) - GRAND MARCH (From the Opera, Aida) - DIXIE - THE MARINES' HYMN - SOLDIER'S CHORUS (From the Opera, Faust) - HAIL TO THE CHIEF - ANCHORS AWEIGH - THE THUNDERER CLASSICS CRADLE SONG - Brahms - TURKISH MARCH (From, The Ruins of Athens) - Beethoven, NOCTURNE IN F - Chopin - MINUET IN G - Bach - MUSETTE - Bach - FANTASIE IMPROMTU - Chopin - GAITE PARISIENNE (Can Can) - Offenbach - THEME FROM SURPRISE SYMPHONY - Haydn - MARCHE MILITAIRE - Schubert - UNFINISHED SYMPHONY THEME - Schubert - LARGO (From the Opera, Xerxes) - Handel - TOREADOR SONG (From the Opera, Carmen) - Bizet - JUNE - Tchaikovsky - BRIDAL CHORUS (From the Opera, Lohengrin) - Wagner - BARCAROLLE (From, The Tales of Hoffman) - Offenbach, HALLELUJAH CHORUS (From, The Messiah) - Handel - LA DONNA E MOBILE (From the Opera, Rigoletto) - Verdi. BOOGIE WOOGIES (Jonathon Robbins) BOOGIE WOOGIE BLUES - DOODLIN'- RIDE THE BOOGIE WOOGIE TRAIN - THE LAZY BOOGIE WOOGIE - ONE NOTE BOOGIE - MR. BOOGIE WOOGIE - THE NON-STOP BOOGIE - THE HORSE BACK BOOGIE.