Two Gentle Melodies

SKU: MB.30963

ISBN 9781513468204. 8.75x11.75 inches.

This exceptional collection of 41 truly beautiful airs and ballads from the British Isles offers both well-known tunes by the prolific blind Irish harpist, Turlough Oâ??Carolan and rarely heard melodies by anonymous composers; all have stood the test of time. Arranged for soprano or tenor recorder, these include Oâ??Carolanâ??s classically influenced â??Lord Inchiquinâ? and â??Eleanor Plunkettâ? as well as â??O Gentle Doveâ? and â??Cuckoo Dearâ?â?? both examples of the strong tradition of song in Wales. Among other tunes, the haunting modal melodies of â??The Dark Slender Boyâ? and â??Enchanted Valleyâ? express the melancholic heart and soul of the British Isles.

A few of these songs have taken on a life of their own in modern times. â??Bonny at Mornâ?, a popular traditional tune of northern England and Scotland, was arranged for soprano voice and harp by the 20th century British composer, Benjamin Britten. â??The Skye Boat Songâ? originally recounted Bonnie Prince Charles Edward Stuartâ??s journey to the Isle of Skye after his defeat at the historic Battle of Culloden. Later, the song evolved into a lilting lullaby and was more recently used as the theme song for the popular Outlander television series.

Departing slightly from recorder notation practice, author Marcia Diehl has judiciously arranged these melodies complete with spare slur markings to aid the amateur player in authentically and musically rendering these tunes.

SKU: MB.30964

ISBN 9781513469775. 8.75x11.75 inches.

This collection of 41 timeless melodies is tastefully arranged for soprano and tenor recorders with suggested breath marks and accompaniment chords. Selections include a variety of influences which provide a historical and aesthetic view of the American musical landscape. The works of both well-known, classically trained composers and unknown folk artists are featured in standard notation arrangements suitable for performance by intermediate players. The one thing these tunes have in common is their striking melodies, which in many cases have endured throughout the ages.

SKU: KN.61987S

UPC: 822795619874.

This easy-going, feel-good bossa nova is the perfect follow-up to a high energy tune. It contains a combo featuring solo tenor sax, trumpet, and trombone (written solos provided) that converses effectively with the rest of the band. The composer's sturdy, yet gentle melodies and rhythms solidify the subtle impact of this great piece of music for advancing groups. A guitar chord chart by Jim Greeson is includedrhythm section parts are notated. Duration 6:25.

SKU: CL.012-2091-75

Here are two of Grainger's most poetic and richly textured inspirations. The first Early One Morning, begins with a rather somber setting in minor key, abruptly changing to the sunnier mood of the major, featuring several different solo voices. The second Six Dukes Went A-Fishin', is serene and gentle, making effective use of contrasting colors and textures.

About C.L. Barnhouse Classics Series

Under the editorial supervision of Dr. Alfred Reed, these classics from master composers have been adapted and arranged for concert band. A perfect way to acquaint concert band performers and audiences with some of the greatest classical music of all time!

SKU: CF.BAS78F

ISBN 9781491151600. UPC: 680160909100. 9 x 12 inches.

The imagery of a lush, green meadow helps set the stage for Verdant Meadows. This simple, yet harmonically adventurous composition alternates between legato melodies and staccato harmonies. Following a climactic moment, a peaceful resolution hearkens back to earlier material and ends the piece with a Maestoso section.
Imagine taking a gentle stroll through a lush, green meadow, filled with wildlife and vegetation. This imagery helps set the stage for the melodic content of Verdant Meadows. In the key of G major (and sometimes E minor), this simple, yet harmonically adventurous composition alternates between soaring legato melodies and staccato harmonies. Following the broadly climactic moment, a peaceful resolution hearkens back to earlier material and ends the piece with a wonderful Maestoso section. .
Imagine taking a gentle stroll through a lush, green meadow, filled with wildlife and vegetation. A This imagery helps set the stage for the melodic content of Verdant Meadows. In the key of G major (and sometimes E minor), this simple, yet harmonically adventurous composition alternates between soaring legato melodies and staccato harmonies. A Following the broadly climactic moment, a peaceful resolution hearkens back to earlier material and ends the piece with a wonderful Maestoso section. A .
Imagine taking a gentle stroll through a lush, green meadow, filled with wildlife and vegetation. A This imagery helps set the stage for the melodic content of Verdant Meadows. In the key of G major (and sometimes E minor), this simple, yet harmonically adventurous composition alternates between soaring legato melodies and staccato harmonies. A Following the broadly climactic moment, a peaceful resolution hearkens back to earlier material and ends the piece with a wonderful Maestoso section. A .
Imagine taking a gentle stroll through a lush, green meadow, filled with wildlife and vegetation. This imagery helps set the stage for the melodic content of Verdant Meadows. In the key of G major (and sometimes E minor), this simple, yet harmonically adventurous composition alternates between soaring legato melodies and staccato harmonies. Following the broadly climactic moment, a peaceful resolution hearkens back to earlier material and ends the piece with a wonderful Maestoso section. .
Imagine taking a gentle stroll through a lush, green meadow, filled with wildlife and vegetation. This imagery helps set the stage for the melodic content of Verdant Meadows. In the key of G major (and sometimes E minor), this simple, yet harmonically adventurous composition alternates between soaring legato melodies and staccato harmonies. Following the broadly climactic moment, a peaceful resolution hearkens back to earlier material and ends the piece with a wonderful Maestoso section.
Imagine taking a gentle stroll through a lush, green meadow, filled with wildlife and vegetation.  This imagery helps set the stage for the melodic content of Verdant Meadows. In the key of G major (and sometimes E minor), this simple, yet harmonically adventurous composition alternates between soaring legato melodies and staccato harmonies.  Following the broadly climactic moment, a peaceful resolution hearkens back to earlier material and ends the piece with a wonderful Maestoso section.  .

About Carl Fischer Beginning String Orchestra Series

This series of Grade 1 pieces is designed for first year string groups. The pieces in this series are characterized by:

• Limited parts (often 2nd violin and viola are the same part, cello and bass are same part)
• Limited keys and rhythms - only simple 8th note patterns
• Limited independence of parts
• Playable after limited study time
• First position and natural bowings
• Piano for rehearsal and reinforcement

SKU: PR.165001000

ISBN 9781491129241. UPC: 680160669776. 9 x 12 inches.

Commissioned for a consortium of high school and college bands in the north Dallas region, FOR THEMYSTIC HARMONY is a 10-minute inspirational work in homage to Norwood and Elizabeth Dixon,patrons of the Fort Worth Symphony and the Van Cliburn Competition. Welcher draws melodic flavorfrom five American hymns, spirituals, and folk tunes of the 19th century. The last of these sources toappear is the hymn tune For the Beauty of the Earth, whose third stanza is the quatrain: “For the joy of earand eye, For the heart and mind’s delight, For the mystic harmony, Linking sense to sound and sight,”giving rise to the work’s title.
This work, commissioned for a consortium of high school bands in the north Dallas area, is my fifteenth maturework for wind ensemble (not counting transcriptions). When I asked Todd Dixon, the band director whospearheaded this project, what kind of a work he most wanted, he first said “something that’s basically slow,” butwanted to leave the details to me. During a long subsequent conversation, he mentioned that his grandparents,Norwood and Elizabeth Dixon, were prime supporters of the Fort Worth Symphony, going so far as to purchase anumber of high quality instruments for that orchestra. This intrigued me, so I asked more about his grandparentsand was provided an 80-page biographical sketch. Reading that article, including a long section about theirdevotion to supporting a young man through the rigors of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition fora number of years, moved me very much. Norwood and Elizabeth Dixon weren’t just supporters of the arts; theywere passionate lovers of music and musicians. I determined to make this work a testament to that love, and tothe religious faith that sustained them both. The idea of using extant hymns was also suggested by Todd Dixon,and this 10-minute work is the result.I have employed existing melodies in several works, delving into certain kinds of religious music more than a fewtimes. In seeking new sounds, new ways of harmonizing old tunes, and the contrapuntal overlaying of one tunewith another, I was able to make works like ZION (using 19th-century Revivalist hymns) and LABORING SONGS(using Shaker melodies) reflect the spirit of the composers who created these melodies, without sounding likepastiches or medleys. I determined to do the same with this new work, with the added problem of employingmelodies that were more familiar. I chose five tunes from the 19th century: hymns, spirituals, and folk-tunes.Some of these are known by differing titles, but they all appear in hymnals of various Christian denominations(with various titles and texts). My idea was to employ the tunes without altering their notes, instead using aconstantly modulating sense of harmony — sometimes leading to polytonal harmonizations of what are normallysimple four-chord hymns.The work begins and ends with a repeated chime on the note C: a reminder of steeples, white clapboard churchesin the country, and small church organs. Beginning with a Mixolydian folk tune of Caribbean origin presentedtwice with layered entrances, the work starts with a feeling of mystery and gentle sorrow. It proceeds, after along transition, into a second hymn that is sometimes connected to the sea (hence the sensation of water andwaves throughout it). This tune, by John B. Dykes (1823-1876), is a bit more chromatic and “shifty” than mosthymn-tunes, so I chose to play with the constant sensation of modulation even more than the original does. Atthe climax, the familiar spiritual “Were you there?” takes over, with a double-time polytonal feeling propelling itforward at “Sometimes it causes me to tremble.”Trumpets in counterpoint raise the temperature, and the tempo as well, leading the music into a third tune (ofunknown provenance, though it appears with different texts in various hymnals) that is presented in a sprightlymanner. Bassoons introduce the melody, but it is quickly taken up by other instruments over three “verses,”constantly growing in orchestration and volume. A mysterious second tune, unrelated to this one, interrupts it inall three verses, sending the melody into unknown regions.The final melody is “For the Beauty of the Earth.” This tune by Conrad Kocher (1786-1872) is commonly sung atThanksgiving — the perfect choice to end this work celebrating two people known for their generosity.Keeping the sense of constant modulation that has been present throughout, I chose to present this hymn in threegrowing verses, but with a twist: every four bars, the “key” of the hymn seems to shift — until the “Lord of all, toThee we praise” melody bursts out in a surprising compound meter. This, as it turns out, was the “mystery tune”heard earlier in the piece. After an Ivesian, almost polytonal climax, the Coda begins over a long B( pedal. At first,it seems to be a restatement of the first two phrases of “For the Beauty” with long spaces between them, but it soonchanges to a series of “Amen” cadences, widely separated by range and color. These, too, do not conform to anykey, but instead overlay each other in ways that are unpredictable but strangely comforting.The third verse of “For the Beauty of the Earth” contains this quatrain:“For the joy of ear and eye, –For the heart and mind’s delightFor the mystic harmonyLinking sense to sound and sight”and it was from this poetry that I drew the title for the present work. It is my hope that audiences and performerswill find within it a sense of grace: more than a little familiar, but also quite new and unexpected.