SKU: LO.70-2449L
ISBN 9780787779085.
Draw ing from over 250 years of evolving American hymnody, John Dixon has curated a diverse series of 12 organ settings that capture the essence of this rich heritage. Featuring a variety of tunes, half of which are rooted in 19th-century folk hymn tradition and the remainder hailing from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, these settings are designed to inspire, uplift, and console.
SKU: SU.80101410
Fantasy-Variati ons on Two Themes (2017) for organ was written for Heinrich Christensen in celebration of his significant 2017 birthday. The musical material for the work comprises two different themes. The first is a short melody by the Danish composer Carl Nielsen (1865-1931). (It was a sketch originally intended for inclusion in, but ultimately left out of, Nielsen's late organ work 29 Little Preludes.) This theme represents Heinrich's native Denmark. The second theme is the American folk-gospel hymn Angel Band. This theme represents Heinrich's adopted American homeland. It serves also as a remembrance of our dear mutual friend Harry Lyn Huff (1952-2016), for whom the tune was a particular favorite. Both these themes are developed freely in a set of alternating fantasy-variations. The opening variation begins with a dramatic pedal solo before quoting both themes. The second variation is a lyric setting based on the Nielsen melody. The third is a jubilant hornpipe on Angel Band. The fourth is an aria on a transformation of the Nielsen melody. The fifth is a gigue-toccata on Angel Band. The sixth is an atmospheric contemplation: lush chords in the manuals move slowly and hint at Angel Band while the Nielsen melody is heard for the first time in its complete original form on a high pedal stop. The seventh and final variation begins with a brief evocation of the harmonies of the late Daniel Pinkham (a mentor to both Heinrich and me) before going on to return dramatically and jubilantly to the opening music, bringing together both themes again in a bold conclusion. Instrumentation: Organ Duration: 15' Composed: 2017 Published by: Zimbel Press.
SKU: PR.165001000
ISBN 9781491129241. UPC: 680160669776. 9 x 12 inches.
Commissione d 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,â€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.â€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,â€cons tantly 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 tuneâ€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 sightâ€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.
SKU: GI.G-CD-667
You really must have a copy of Mercy, Mercy! GIA’s new benefit album for church musicians who were victims of the recent hurricanes. You are going to love the selections! We’ve put together a delightful and eclectic mix of tunes and texts coupled with an impressive list of composers, arrangers, and performers who, for the most part, share a common thread. Many of the selections were written or performed by folks who suffered loss during the disaster in the Gulf Coast region. Other pieces have a special musical connection to that area of the country. Ryan Meyers’ home in Mississippi suffered extensive damage as a result of the storm. ValLimar Jansen has numerous relatives who lost everything. The everpopular Dameans all met in the 1960s at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. We included something with a French connection: Théodore Dubois’ (1837–1924) haunting “Adoramus te Christe,†first performed on Good Friday, 1867, in Paris. There are three beloved African American spirituals. And how could we forget Rory Cooney’s arrangement of “O When the Saints Go Marching In� There are other great songs here, but you’ll have to listen! This album will touch your heart. Best of all, your purchase will help rebuild the lives of church musicians. Both the American Guild of Organists (AGO) and the National Association of Pastoral Musicians (NPM) have set up funds to help church musicians affected by these tragic storms. The composers represented on this recording have donated their royalties, GIA Publications, Inc., has donated all production costs, KRT Select has donated the cover art for the CD, and CRTCustom Products has donated the manufacturing expenses. 100% of the retail price of this CD will be split evenly between the AGO Hurricane Relief Fund and the NPM Hurricane Assistance Fund. CONTENTS: We Are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder (Arr. BOYER) - Song of the Storm (HAAS) - Remember Your Love (DAMEANS) - ERHALTUNS, HERR from Three Meditations forOrgan on Lenten Hymns(OWEN) - Nada Te Turbe / Nothing Can Trouble (TAIZE) - Nobody Knows (Arr. BELL) - Adoramus te Christe (DUBOIS) - Stand by Me (Arr. JEWEL TAYLOR THOMPSON) - Sometimes in Silence (MEYERS) - Softly and Tenderly (Arr. JANSEN) - Healer of Our Every Ill, Litany (HAUGEN) - A Litany of Saints / O When the Saints Go Marching In (Arr. COONEY) CD-667 Compact Disc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$20.00.
