SKU: GI.G-RS40
The publication in 1611 of the King James Bible, the 'authorized version', was a landmark event in English history that has reverberated down the centuries. This festival service seeks to trace through history the place of the Bible in Christian life and worship, as well as celebrating the effect the King James Bible has had on generations of Christians since its publication. The festival service is in five parts, each reflecting on a particular phase in the story of the Bible's translation and use: The Early Church A Bible in Every Church Appointed to be Read in Churches Into all the World According to the Latest Translation  It includes a varied selection of hymns and worship songs, readings and anthems, including some specially written for this festival. Includes works by:  Philip Wilby David Ogden Thomas Hewitt Jones The Taizé Community Stuart Towned  as well as music by Attwood, Batten, Handel and Mendelssohn.
SKU: AP.6-213161
ISBN 9780486213163. English.
Mozart on opera, musicians, life, love, religion, etc. Revealing self-portrait. 99 pages.
SKU: MB.30666M
ISBN 9781513462851. 8.75x11.75 inches.
The Hawaiian word for slack key guitar, kÄ« hÅâ??alu, means to â??loosen the keyâ? or retune some of the strings to create a harmonious sound with an open or alternate tuning. Slack key is a fingerpicking style characterized by strong alternating bass lines played with the thumb. While slack key can be played on any guitar, most players prefer a nylon- or steel-stringed acoustic instrument. This book presents 25 intermediate to advanced traditional and original tunes in the Hawaiian slack key style. Melodies are often harmonized in sixths or thirds played with or without double stops. Techniques like syncopated bass lines, hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, and harmonics are tastefully employed to evoke the images of ocean breezes, swaying palms, hula dancers and white sandy beaches. The author writes, â??Unless you grew up playing slack key, itâ??s hard to get from the material presented in most books and DVDs to a fluid, play-it-your-own-way style.â? This book seeks to reveal the insights the author has gleaned from studying and jamming with some of the giants of the slack key style, and help you develop a style all your own. Includes access to online audio tracks of all 25 relaxing but challenging Hawaiian slack key tunes.
SKU: WD.080689620171
UPC: 080689620171.
From the Integrity Choral Series, in association with Word Music & Church Resources, comes ONE VOICE, a powerful, new multi-generational musical of unity and praise. Arranged and orchestrated by Cliff Duren and featuring The Station Hill Worship Choir and soloists from Cliff’s home congregation, The Church at Station Hill, ONE VOICE is designed to unite all ages of your choir and congregation in wholehearted, passionate praise and worship, while revealing the mystery of His will…to bring unity to all things in Heaven and on Earth under Christ.
SKU: WD.080689497230
UPC: 080689497230.
This captivatingly upbeat song from Integrity’s Majesty in a Manger album, arranged and orchestrated by Daniel Semsen, is easy to learn and fun to sing! With catchy rhythms that latch onto your heart and memory, Joy is the perfect song for your church to lift their voices and hands in celebration of that incredible first Christmas. Joy to the world! Let Earth receive her King…this Gift given to us, revealing the Father’s great love!
SKU: WD.080689604171
UPC: 080689604171.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU features a well-rounded blend of Christmas favorites, with both traditional carols and newer hit-radio songs. Jay Rouse astonishes again with a diversity of styles, including Aaron Shust’s Advent Carol, traditional Angels, from the Realms of Glory, and perennial favorite It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year. J. Daniel Smith presents a vivid and adoring picture with Chris Tomlin’s Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus. Cliff Duren’s treatment of Meredith Andrews’ Glory in the Highest will have hearts praising and yearning for the arrival of the Savior. You will love David Wise’s fun arrangement Here Comes Christmas, revealing just how wonderful all the little things are during the Christmas season! And to top it all off, Daniel Semsen delivers an exciting version of Merry Christmas to You, the oh-so-relatable title song by Sidewalk Prophets.
“So come on…Sing it out…Let’s give love that’s true...MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU!
SKU: WD.080689519178
UPC: 080689519178.
Hymns revisited. Hymns reimagined. Hymns reinvented. Hymns relived. Hymns rewritten.At this point we've seen everything done with hymns that we can possibly think of. And you may be saying the last thing you want or need is another book of hymns. And some might be inclined to agree. Except...What if, instead of working so hard to change them or improve them, we focus on revealing the true nature, power, and majesty of our favorite hymns? Rather, to be true to them, and frame them in their best light by rediscovering a fresh appreciation of their well-deserved place in our houses of worship. Let our choirs raise their voices in unbridled passion, fed by the awe-inspiring, rich, theological and doctrinal truths buried deep within these tremendous songs of the Faith. Let our spirits rise with the soaring melodies, and once again give voice to our praise of the immortal, invisible, only-wise God! And, more than anything else, let us rediscover the joy that comes when we encourage our congregations to raise our joys and triumphs high, as together the Church proclaims, Then Sings My Soul, to the greatness of our God.While each great arrangement in this book stands alone, Then Sings My Soul is designed to be presented as a through-composed worship service of hymns, scripture, and inspirational readings for Choir, Congregation, and Worship Leaders, created and orchestrated by Cliff Duren. DVD Accompaniment Track, Orchestration, and Stem Mixes available.
SKU: PR.16400261S
UPC: 680160038411.
Since the bassoon is my own instrument, many people have asked me why I've written so little for the instrument. Beyond my early Concerto Da Camera for bassoon and small orchestra, written for Leonard Sharrow in 1975, I've not written a single piece that features the bassoon as a solo vehicle (though I have written three woodwind quintets). When I first began composing seriously, critics were quick to point out that my orchestral writing revealed nothing of my roots as a woodwind player--and bassoonists asked why my pieces didn't have more bassoon solos. Perhaps I was so aware that people were looking at me as a bassoonist/composer that I was determined to remove that stigma. Now that my transformation from performer to composer is complete, however, it's time to re-address my instrument. I wanted this new piece to be serious rather than whimsical. The Wind Won't Listen represents my return to the bassoon as the highly expressive, poetic soul that it is. As such, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the piece is based on a poem, and that the title of the piece as well as both its movement titles come from lines in that poem. I first read Beth Gylys' poem Split at the MacDowell Colony in the summer of 2001, and it made a big impression on me. My personal life had been ruptured by divorce in the preceding year. This poem, with its dry insistence on observation rather than feeling, expressed the wrung-out state of my emotions at the time better than any I had seen. I set it to music, as a song, immediately. In this format, for voice and piano, I was able to put a musical note to every word of the poem. The first lines of the poem, Everyone I know is crying, or should be crying, became a melody that haunted me even without the words. The work for bassoon and string quartet is an outgrowth of the song. The first movement is labeled Romanza, and has a loose formal arch structure of A-B-C-B-A, with B and C being fast sections framed by the lamenting A music. In addition to hearing the bassoon's first notes attached to the lines Everyone I know is crying, there's a sense of agitation, of loss, of longing, and at times of desperation in the music. At one point, the opening theme from Tristan even appears in the strings. The second movement follows, without a real pause--the pizzicato final chords of the first movement becoming the increasingly aggressive opening chords of the second. The recitative is actually a foreshadowing of the basic theme that will be varied, again to the words of the song: Life makes itself without us. Don't let me tell you how it is. Go out. Look. The recitative begins in an anguished state, but subsides into more gentle singing by the end, when it simply falls into an ostinato 5/8-3/4 pattern to begin the variations. Marked Very steady tempo; Dancing, this set of variations consists of three dances, each faster than the previous. The first, in the aforementioned 5/8-3/4 meter, gives way to a 3/8 scherzo, which in turn takes on a furious 2/4 scurrying motion. The music becomes breathless, almost pulse-less, and an ethereal theme appears in the violins while the rushing music continues, sotto voce in the bassoon. This new theme is also from the song: Why do I do this? The wind won't listen. The bassoon re-states its Everyone I know is crying melody from the first movement, and at length the 5/8-3/4 music returns, more subdued this time. The piece ends on a major-minor chord, suspended. The Wind Won't Listen is dedicated to the man who commissioned it, bassoonist Steven Dibner--who shares my passion for poetry and language. --Dan Welcher.
SKU: BT.DHP-0960767-030
This stately concert opener was originally written by Jan Van der Roost for a special event in which six respected wind orchestras (two Belgian and four Dutch) of different composition (two symphonic bands, two fanfare bands and two brass bands) were featured during six concerts. Each evening brought forth a performance by a symphonic band, a fanfare, and brass band, so that the audience could experience all three types of ensembles. This was indeed an original concept.The name, ConZEnSus, comes from a combination of the words, ‘Concert Cyclus’ (concert series) and ‘zes’ (Dutch for ‘six’). This leads to a new word, which refers to ‘consensus’. The general tenor of the cycle isthus immediately indicated. The richness of color of the various ensembles is revealed through an open and friendly atmosphere. During all six concerts (over a span of three years), ConZEnSus functioned as a permanent opening number for each orchestra. Thus the same musical story was portrayed in three different packages.
SKU: BT.DHP-0960767-010
SKU: BT.DHP-0960767-020
SKU: HL.44002614
UPC: 073999026146.
This stately concert opener was originally written by Jan Van der Roost for a special event in which six respected wind orchestras (two Belgian and four Dutch) of different composition (two symphonic bands, two fanfare bands and two brass bands) were featured during six concerts. Each evening brought forth a performance by a symphonic band, a fanfare, and brass band, so that the audience could experience all three types of ensembles. This was indeed an original concept. The name, ConZEnSus, comes from a combination of the words, 'Concert Cyclus' (concert series) and 'zes' (Dutch for 'six'). This leads to a new word, which refers to 'consensus'. The general tenor of the cycle is thus immediately indicated. The richness of color of the various ensembles is revealed through an open and friendly atmosphere. During all six concerts (over a span of three years), ConZEnSus functioned as a permanent opening number for each orchestra. Thus the same musical story was portrayed in three different packages.
SKU: BT.DHP-1175781-020
English-German-French-Dutch.
Galea et Bellum was commissioned by the Excelsior Schraard music society (Friesland, the Netherlands). The work tells the story of a rare helmet that was discovered in a church in the Frisian village of Schettens in 2015. Research revealed that it had been the property of Skelte van Aysma, a Frisian officer who fought in the armies of the Princes of Orange Maurice and Frederick Henry during the Eighty Years’ War. This little piece of history was the starting point for this composition. As a leitmotif, the hymn ‘Ach wie flüchtig, ach wie nichtig ist der Menschen Leben’ (‘Ah, how fleeting, ah how insignificant’) has been used. This 17th century melody by Michel Franck, inan arrangement by Johann Sebastian Bach, initially appears only in fragments, but grows to full stature toward the end of the work. An ideal contest piece with lots of challenges for your band. Galea et Bellum is geschreven in opdracht van muziekvereniging Excelsior Schraard. Het werk verhaalt over een zeldzame helm die in 2015 werd ontdekt in een kerk in het Friese dorpje Schettens. Dit stukje geschiedenis is het uitgangspunt geweest voor deze compositie. Als leidmotief wordt het lied ‘Ach wie flüchtig, ach wie nichtig ist der Menschen Leben’ gebruikt. Deze 17e-eeuwse melodie van Michel Franck, in een zetting van Johann Sebastian Bach, duikt eerst fragmentarisch op, maar komt tegen het einde van het werk tot volle wasdom. Een ideaal wedstrijdwerk met veel uitdaging voor uw orkest.Galea et Bellum wurde von der Music Society Excelsior Schraard (Friesland/Niederlande) in Auftrag gegeben. Das Werk erzählt die Geschichte eines seltenen Helms, der 2015 in einer Kirche in dem friesischen Dorf Schettens entdeckt wurde. Dieses kleine Stück Geschichte bildet den Ausgangspunkt für die Komposition. Als Leitmotiv wurde das Kirchenlied Ach wie flüchtig, ach wie nichtig“ verwendet. Diese Melodie aus dem 17. Jahrhundert von Michael Franck, in einer Bearbeitung von Johann Sebastian Bach, erscheint anfangs fragmentarisch, entwickelt sich dann aber zum Ende des Werkes hin zu seiner vollen Größe. Ein hervorragendes Wettbewerbsstück mit vielen Herausforderungenfür Ihr Orchester. Galea et Bellum est une commande de la société de musique Excelsior Schraard (Frise, Pays-Bas). L’œuvre raconte l’histoire d’un casque rare qui a été découvert dans l’église du village frise Schettens en 2015. Des recherches menées ont révélé qu’il appartenait Skelte van Aysma, un officier frise qui s’était battu dans les armées des Princes d’Orange, Maurice et Frédéric-Henri, pendant la guerre de Quatre-Vingts Ans. Ce petit bout d’histoire fut le point de départ de cette composition. L’hymne « Ach wie flüchtig, ach wie nichtig ist der Menschen Leben » (« Ah ! combien fugitive, ah! combien vaine est la vie de l’homme ») y figure comme leitmotiv. Cettemélodie du XVIIe siècle de Michel Franck, dans un arrangement de Jean-Sébastien Bach, est présentée d’abord de manière fragmentée, mais grandit jusqu’ atteindre sa pleine stature vers la fin. Idéale pour des concours avec des défis en abondance pour votre band.
SKU: BT.DHP-1175781-120
SKU: PR.510077130
ISBN 9790043087250.
In Sanskrit, the word Vrishti means rain and in the Hindu context, the work evokes (divine) light falling on the world like rain, the influx of luminous thoughts. Vrishti is a manifestation of superior consciousness in our life, a spiritual fullness. This piece is based on a mantra to Siva I once heard in Jaisalmer (Rajasthan) in July 2008. M. Rupendra Gopa Ji allowed me to record his vocal performance. The in-depth study of this mantra revealed important factors (temporality, rhymicity, intonation, articulation, agogics) that influenced my own compositioin, showing through the surface as a far-off echo in filigree or as a faint trace like a thermal imprint or a fossil light. For the performer, the most tangible traces of this palimpsest-like process are found in the constant change between binary and ternary meters, and in the 27-strophe structure that follows the original design and proportions of the original mantra. --Bertrand Dubedout.
SKU: CA.2740105
ISBN 9790007110925. Key: F major. Language: Latin.
These psalm settings are in the tradition of classical vocal polyphony as practiced in the modified a cappella style of the 17 th century (stylus gravis). Characteristic of this style is the continuo line, which generally doubles the vocal bass, only occasionally functioning independently. Despite its closeness to the tradition of the a-cappella style, Carissimi proves in this psalm to be a master of the artistic expression of words, which characterizes his music in the concertante style. This art is revealed here primarily in the rhythmically, highly differentiated diction of the words, which essentially distinguishes it from the flowing style of Palestrina. Score available separately - see item CA.2740100.
SKU: PR.466000470
UPC: 680160099405. 11 x 17 inches.
This is the second incarnation of a work I first composed in 1994 for symphonic wind ensemble. The earlier version was intended to be the summation of three-part suite, each part being named for a different national park in the Western United States. This orchestral version, commissioned in 1999 by the Utah Symphony and dedicated to the memory of Aaron Copland, is more than a re-scoring of the earlier piece; it is a re-thinking of all its elements. Zion is a place with unrivaled natural grandeur, being a sort of huge box canyon in which the traveler is constantly overwhelmed by towering rock walls on every side of him -- but it is also a place with a human history, having been inhabited by several tribes of native Americans before the arrival of the Mormon settlers in the mid-19th century. By the time the Mormons reached Utah, they had been driven all the way from New York State through Ohio and, with tragic losses, through Missouri. They saw Utah in general as a place nobody wanted, but they were nonetheless determined to keep it to themselves. Although Zion Canyon was never a Mormon Stronghold, the people who reached it and claimed it (and gave it its present name) had been through extreme trials. It is the religious fervor of these persecuted people that I was able to draw upon in creating Zion as a piece of music. There are two quoted hymns in the work: Zion's Walls (which Aaron Copland adapted to his own purposes in both his Old American Songs and the opera The Tender Land) and Zion's Security, which I found in the same volume in which Copland found Zion's Walls -- that inexhaustible storehouse of 19th-century hymnody called The Sacred Harp. My work opens with a three-verse setting of Zion's Security, a stern tune in F-sharp minor which is full of resolve. (The words of this hymn are resolute and strong, rallying the faithful to be firm, and describing the city of our God they hope to establish). This melody alternates with a fanfare tune, whose origins will be revealed in later music, until the second half of the piece begins: a driving rhythmic ostinato based on a 3/4-4/4 alternating meter scheme. This pauses at its height to restate Zion's Security one more time, in a rather obscure setting surrounded by freely shifting patterns in the flutes, clarinets, and percussion -- until the sun warms the ground sufficiently for the second hymn to appear. Zion's Walls is set in 7/8, unlike Copland's 9/8-6/8 meters (the original is quite strange, and doesn't really fit any constant meter), and is introduced by a warm horn solo. The two hymns vie for attention from here to the end of the piece, with the glowingly optimistic Zion's Walls finally achieving prominence. The work ends with a sense of triumph.
SKU: AP.6-212610
ISBN 9780486212616. English. [Ludwig van Beethoven] Ed. Friedrich Kerst; Henry Edward Krehbiel.
Beethoven speaks on music, art, education, his own works and his contemporaries, etc. 110 pgs.
SKU: PR.16500092L
UPC: 680160039531. 11 x 17 inches.
Zion is the third and final installment of a series of works for Wind Ensemble inspired by national parks in the western United States, collectively called Three Places in the West. As in the other two works (The Yellowstone Fires and Arches), it is my intention to convey more an impression of the feelings I've had in Zion National Park in Utah than an attempt at pictorial description. Zion is a place with unrivalled natural grandeur, being a sort of huge box canyon in which the traveler is constantly overwhelmed by towering rock walls on every side of him -- but it is also a place with a human history, having been inhabited by several tribes of native Americans before the arrival of the Mormon settlers in the mid-19th century. By the time the Mormons reached Utah, they had been driven all the way from New York State through Ohio and, with tragic losses, through Missouri. They saw Utah in general as a place nobody wanted, but they were nonetheless determined to keep it to themselves. Although Zion Canyon was never a Mormon Stronghold, the people who reached it and claimed it (and gave it its present name) had been through extreme trials. It is the religious fervor of these persecuted people that I was able to draw upon in creating Zion as a piece of music. There are two quoted hymns in the work: Zion's Walls (which Aaron Copland adapted to his own purposes in both is Old American Songs and the opera The Tender Land) and Zion's Security, which I found in the same volume in which Copland found Zion's Walls -- that inexhaustible storehouse of 19th-century hymnody called The Sacred Harp. My work opens with a three-verse setting of Zion's Security, a stern tune in F-sharp minor which is full of resolve. (The words of this hymn are resolute and strong, rallying the faithful to be firm, and describing the city of our God they hope to establish). This melody alternates with a fanfare tune, whose origins will be revealed in later music, until the second half of the piece begins: a driving rhythmic ostinato based on a 3/4-4/4 alternating meter scheme. This pauses at its height to restate Zion's Security one more time, in a rather obscure setting surrounded by freely shifting patterns in the flutes, clarinets, and percussion -- until the sun warms the ground sufficiently for the second hymn to appear. Zion's Walls is set in 7/8, unlike Copland's 9/8-6/8 meters (the original is quite strange, and doesn't really fit any constant meter), and is introduced by a warm horn solo. The two hymns vie for attention from here to the end of the piece, with the glowingly optimistic Zion's Walls finally achieving prominence. The work ends with a sense of triumph and unbreakable spirit. Zion was commissioned in 1994 by the wind ensembles of the University of Texas at Arlington, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Oklahoma. It is dedicated to the memory of Aaron Copland.
SKU: CF.W2687
ISBN 9781491150955. UPC: 680160908455. 9x12 inches.
This new edition of Jean Baptiste Arban's Fourteen Characteristic Studies for Trombone, edited by Alan Raph, was specifically written to provide the student with suitable material with which to test his powers of endurance, according to Arban himself.The following fourteen studies have been specifically written to provide the student withsuitable material with which to test his powers of endurance. In taking up these studies, he willdoubtless be fatigued, especially at the outset, by those numbers requiring an unusual length ofbreath. However, through careful study and experience he will learn to overcome the difficultiesand will acquire the resources which will enable him to master this particular phase of playingwith ease. As a means to this end, attention is drawn to cantabile passages in particular, whichshould be played with the utmost expression, yet at the same time with as much modified toneas possible. On the cornet, as with the voice, clear tones may be obtained by widening thelips and veiled tones by contracting them. This happy circumstance allows the performer anopportunity to rest while still continuing to play, and at the same time enables him to introduceeffective contrasts into the execution. It should be noted that by little artifices of this kind, andby skillfully conserving his resources, the player will reach the end of the longest and mostfatiguing pieces, not only without difficulty, but even with a reserve of strength and power,which, when brought to bear on the final measures of a performance, never fails to impress anaudience.At this point my task as professor (using the written instead of the spoken word) willend. There are things which appear clear enough when stated verbally but which when writtendown on paper cause confusion, seem obscure, and even sometimes appear trivial.There are other things of such an elevated and subtle nature that neither speech norword can clearly explain them. They are felt, they are conceived, but they are not to be explained;and yet these things constitute the elevated style, the grand ecole, which it is my ambition toestablish for the cornet, just as they already exist for singing and for the various kinds of otherinstruments.Those of my readers who are ambitious and who want to attain this high level ofperfection, should above all things, always try to hear good music well interpreted. Theymust seek out, among singers and instrumentalists, the most illustrious models, and by doingthis purify their taste, develop their sentiments, and bring themselves as near as possible tothat which is beautiful. Perhaps then the innate spark which may someday be destined todemonstrate their own talent, will reveal itself and render them worthy of being, in their turn,cited and imitated in the future.
SKU: CF.W2686
ISBN 9781491150948. UPC: 680160908448. 9x12 inches.
This new edition of Jean Baptiste Arban's Fourteen Characteristic Studies for Trumpet in Bb, edited by Thomas Hooten and Jennifer Marotta, was specifically written to provide the student with suitable material with which to test his powers of endurance, according to Arban himself.The following fourteen studies have been specifically written to provide the student withsuitable material with which to test his powers of endurance. In taking up these studies, he willdoubtless be fatigued, especially at the outset, by those numbers requiring an unusual length ofbreath. However, through careful study and experience he will learn to overcome the difficultiesand will acquire the resources which will enable him to master this particular phase of playingwith ease. As a means to this end, attention is drawn to cantabile passages in particular, whichshould be played with the utmost expression, yet at the same time with as much modified toneas possible. On the cornet, as with the voice, clear tones may be obtained by widening thelips and veiled tones by contracting them. This happy circumstance allows the performer anopportunity to rest while still continuing to play, and at the same time enables him to introduceeffective contrasts into the execution. It should be noted that by little artifices of this kind, andby skillfully conserving his resources, the player will reach the end of the longest and mostfatiguing pieces, not only without difficulty, but even with a reserve of strength and power,which, when brought to bear on the final measures of a performance, never fails to impress anaudience.At this point my task as professor (using the written instead of the spoken word) will end.There are things which appear clear enough when stated verbally but which when written downon paper cause confusion, seem obscure, and even sometimes appear trivial.There are other things of such an elevated and subtle nature that neither speech nor wordcan clearly explain them. They are felt, they are conceived, but they are not to be explained;and yet these things constitute the elevated style, the grand ecole, which it is my ambition toestablish for the cornet, just as they already exist for singing and for the various kinds of otherinstruments.Those of my readers who are ambitious and who want to attain this high level of perfection,should above all things, always try to hear good music well interpreted. They must seek out,among singers and instrumentalists, the most illustrious models, and by doing this purifytheir taste, develop their sentiments, and bring themselves as near as possible to that which isbeautiful. Perhaps then the innate spark which may someday be destined to demonstrate theirown talent, will reveal itself and render them worthy of being, in their turn, cited and imitatedin the future.
SKU: CF.B3475
ISBN 9781491162026. UPC: 680160920709.
This work for violin and piano by Martin Bresnick is a play on the words suite and bittersweet. Each of the four movements is based on a Yiddish folk song, which in English translate to On the Road, My Resting Place, Black Cat, and Dona, Dona. Each of the four pieces is primarily based on a Jewish folk song, but re-envisions them in a modern context, akin to Bartok and Kodaly. The composer noted, I found it a very challenging, yet touching way to remain in contact with some part of my own past that I don't usually reveal. The title references the difficult (bitter) and pleasant (sweet) aspects of experiencing the tumultuous history of a people through their folk music.This work for violin and piano by Martin Bresnick is a play on the words suite and bittersweet. Each of the four movements is based on a Yiddish folk song, which in English translate to On the Road, My Resting Place, Black Cat, and Dona, Dona. Each of the four pieces is primarily based on a Jewish folk song, but re-envisions them in a modern context, akin to Bartok and Kodaly. The composer noted, “I found it a very challenging, yet touching way to remain in contact with some part of my own past that I don’t usually reveal.†The title references the difficult (bitter) and pleasant (sweet) aspects of experiencing the tumultuous history of a people through their folk music.
SKU: HL.14042354
ISBN 9788759822630. 9.5x14.25x0.17 inches. International (more than one language).
Programnote According to tradition, a mid- or late-19th century instrumental Romance - or Romanza - is a shortish composition of predominantly melodic nature, with a slight leaning toward the sentimental.In several European languages, such as German, French, and Danish, the word for navel, i.e., an unfolding drama in writing, is Roman, and although there's nothing literary about my Six Romances for viola and piano, each piece tells its own story open to individual inner interpretation. Portal forms the opening chapter, so to speak, paving the way for the second movement, named Even Song. Maybe it's just a simple tune heard at sunset, perhaps the melody is carried from faraway, over the hills from inside the village church...Titles such as, Ballad, and Dirge (song of mourning) immediately reveal the nature and mood of the music to come, where-as the concluding piece Duet is slightly more 'mysterious.'In a classic duet the two instruments in question, or more likely voices complement each other benevolently. In the present case, however, the viola and the piano both stand firm, protection their own turf - and - 'the twain shall never meet!'The piece is very short indeed, it just stops, leaving the listener to finish the 'story' in his or her own imagination. A true open ending. Poul Ruders.
SKU: HL.49044715
ISBN 9790001191968.
'Kaddish (Aramaic: 'holy') is the Jewish mourning prayer recited for the dead. My Kaddisch fur David Stahl was conceived to honour the memory of the long-serving chief musical director of the Staatstheater am Gartnerplatz in Munich and begins with a lyrically flowing lament on the clarinet which towards the end rears up in a despairing wail of grief. The piano and double bass punctuate the arching structure of the melody with an aggressive and urgent three-note phrase which should sound as if 'hammered in steel', symbolising the three syllables 'Da-vid Stahl'. The work culminates with an original Jewish melody for Psalm 119 with the following text: 'Your word is a lamp to my feet, shadows and light reveal the width and depth of the path of my life.' Wilfried Hiller.