A Dozen A Day - Violin

SKU: BT.MUSWMR101167B

English.

SKU: BT.EMBZ810

English-German-Hungari an.

Ferenc Vecsey (1893-1935) was one of the greatest virtuoso violinists of the early twentieth century. He was soon noticed as a child prodigy, and after his early violin lessons from his father, he became a pupil of Hubay. His first known public appearance was at the age of 6 in Tátraszéplak (Tatranská Polianka), and a few years later in Berlin he made his debut abroad. There he heard the elderly maestro József Joachim, who was astonished at the talented boy's playing. So started the young Vecsey's performing career: he gave a dozen or so concerts in Germany, then followed a series of concert tours all over the world (in 1906 in Spain, Bartók was his accompanist). From1907, his permanent place of residence between concerts was Berlin, where he began to study harmony and counterpoint. Soon he began composing himself, mainly writing virtuoso pieces for his own concerts, of which the Valse triste became the most famous. Other musicians were also happy to include this short character piece in their programmes.Vecsey later settled in Italy. He died unexpectedly at the young age of 42.

SKU: PR.16400222S

UPC: 680160037841.

This work follows my Quartet No. 1 by five years. In terms of style and aesthetic aim, however, it seems light years away. Where the first work, a 28-minute, four-movement piece, took aim at cosmic conflicts and heroic resolutions, the present work is intended as a kind of divertissment. Harbor Music lasts a mere eleven minutes, is cast in a single movement with six sections, and should leave both performers and listeners with a feeling of good humor and affection.   The title comes from my experience as a guest in the magnificent city of Sydney, Australia. One of its most attractive features is its unique system of ferry boats: the city is laid out around a large, multi-channeled harbor, with destinations more easily approached by water than by land. Consequently, inhabitants of Sydney get around on small, people-friendly boats that come and go from the central docks at Circular Quay. During a week's visit in 1991, I must have boarded these boats at least a dozen times, always bound for a new location - the resort town of Manley, or the Zoo at Taronga Park, or the shopping district at Darling Harbour.   In casting about for a form for my second string quartet, a kind of loose rondo came to mind. Each new destination would be approached from the same starting-out point (although there are subtle variations in the repeating theme; it's always in a new key, and the texture is never the same). The result, I hope, is a sense of constant new information presented with introductory frames of a more familiar nature.   The embarkation theme, which begins the piece, is a sort of bi-tonal fanfare in which the violins are in G major and the viola and cello are in B-flat major. It is bold, eager, and forward-looking. The first voyage maintains this bi-tonality, beginning as a 9/8 due for second violin and viola in a kind of rocking motion -much as a boat produces when reaching the deeper water in the harbor. A sweet, nostalgic theme emerges over this rocking accompaniment. This music is developed somewhat, then transforms quickly into a much faster and lighter episode, filled with rising and falling scales (again, in differing keys). A scherzando interlude in short notes and changing meters provides contrast, and the episode ends with a reprise of the scales.   The second embarkation follows, this time in A major/C major. It leads quickly into a very warm and slow theme, in wide-leaping intervals for the viola. This section is interrupted twice by solo cadenzas for the cello, suggesting distant boat-horns in major thirds. The end of the episode becomes a transition, with boat-horns leading into the final appearance of the embarkation music, this time in trills and tremolos instead of sharply accented chords. The nostalgic theme of the first episode makes a final appearance, serving now as a coda. The rocking motion continues, in a lullaby fashion, leaving us drowsy and satisfied on our homeward journey.   Harbor Music was written for the Cavani Quartet, and is dedicated to Richard J. Bogomolny. Commissioned by his employees at First National Supermarkets as a gift, it represents a thank you from many of the people (including this composer) who have benefitted from his vision and generosity. An ardent advocate of chamber music (and a cellist himself), Mr. Bogomolny has for many years been Chairman of the Board of Chamber Music America. -- Dan Welcher.

SKU: PR.114419730

ISBN 9781491132333. UPC: 680160681686. 9 x 12 inches.

Chen Yi describes the cheery interplay of HAPPY TUNE as: “When one instrument plays a livelymelody, the other plays a vivid rhythmic pattern in the accompaniment. The pair of string instrumentsimitates the sound of primitive Chinese folk song singing, as well as the Chinese traditional windinstrument sheng, a mouth pipe organ.” Published as a shared score and extracted parts, and writtenas a celebration piece honoring the 25th anniversary of the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival.
Composed to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, my violin and viola duet HAPPY TUNE was written for Kim Kashkashian and Tien-Hsin Cindy Wu, and premiered at the festival on June 16, 2018.I fondly remember being invited by the GLCMF (directed by Prof. James Tocco) to be the dual Stone Composers-in-Residence with my husband Zhou Long, along with the Stone Composer Fellow Nicholas Omiccioli in 2011. We had a dozen of our chamber works performed excellently by the outstanding chamber ensembles and musicians during the week, meeting enthusiastic audiences and supporters of new music in various venues at the festival. The experience was truly inspiring, and I created HAPPY TUNE to honor the GLCMF, with hopes to carry on the high spirit in our new music society.In this duet, when one instrument plays a lively melody, the other plays a vivid rhythmic pattern in the accompaniment. The pair of string instruments imitates the sound of primitive Chinese folk song singing, as well as the Chinese traditional wind instrument sheng, a mouth pipe organ.

SKU: HL.374362

ISBN 9781705150153. UPC: 196288016892. 9.0x12.0x0.094 inches.

A baker's dozen of hot hits are included in this collection perfect for new instrumentalists. It features online access to audio demonstration and backing tracks for download or streaming to help you hear how the song should sound then play along and sound like a pro! Songs include: Adore You (Harry Styles) • Bad Habits (Ed Sheeran) • Blinding Lights (The Weeknd) • drivers license (Olivia Rodrigo) • Kings and Queens (Ava Max) • Therefore I Am (Billie Eilish) • Willow (Taylor Swift) • and more.

SKU: HL.14076805