Life Is Precious

SKU: HP.C6387

UPC: 763628163877. Joel Raney.

Choral Arrangement of Precious Lord Take my Hand This soulful, gospel medley starts with Precious Lord, Take My Hand then segues into Softly and Tenderly, returning with a rousing gospel restating of the original hymn. The piano accompaniment is classic gospel and the mini-orchestration enhances the presentation.

SKU: CF.CM9575

ISBN 9781491153970. UPC: 680160912476. 6.875 x 10.5 inches. Key: F minor. English. Mei-Li Medvar. Original.

When I found Born on a Fishing Boat in an issue of Poetry While You Wait in Colorado Springs, Colorado, I was immediately struck by Ms. Lius simple, evocative words. While I sat in the cafe on a cold January day waiting for my coffee, I closed my eyes and envisioned what it might be like to lie on my back in a small fishing boat and look up at the stars. I stole the free booklet of poetry and trudged home in the snow, already hearing the piano part in my mind. I would encourage anyone who is interested in learning more about Mei-Li Lius life and work to purchase her book Ten Thousand Miles from Home, published by Dragon Press (ISBN: 9780976137009). I sincerely hope I have honored her art with this setting. Born on a Fishing Boat I was born on fishing boat Lying in basket Ocean tide rocking me to sleep Papa fishing all-day and all-night Mamas washings hanging on line Above my head Misty sea washing my face Northern wind whispering to my ears Angel of sea kissing my forehead Beneath paper moon My little arms out from the cradle Out to the breeze Happy, born on fishing boat By the sea.
When I found aBorn on a Fishing Boata in an issue of Poetry While You WaitA in Colorado Springs, Colorado, I was immediately struck by Ms. Liuas simple, evocative words. While I sat in the cafA(c) on a cold January day waiting for my coffee, I closed my eyes and envisioned what it might be like to lie on my back in a small fishing boat and look up at the stars. I astolea the free booklet of poetry and trudged home in the snow, already hearing the piano part in my mind. I would encourage anyone who is interested in learning more about Mei-Li Liuas life and work to purchase her bookA Ten Thousand Miles from Home, published by Dragon Press (ISBN: 9780976137009). I sincerely hope I have honored her art with this setting. Born on a Fishing Boat I was born on fishing boat Lying in basket Ocean tide rocking me to sleep Papa fishing all-day and all-night Mamaas washings hanging on line Above my head Misty sea washing my face Northern wind whispering to my ears Angel of sea kissing my forehead Beneath paper moon My little arms out from the cradle Out to the breeze Happy, born on fishing boat By the sea.
When I found Born on a Fishing Boat in an issue of Poetry While You Wait in Colorado Springs, Colorado, I was immediately struck by Ms. Liu's simple, evocative words. While I sat in the cafe on a cold January day waiting for my coffee, I closed my eyes and envisioned what it might be like to lie on my back in a small fishing boat and look up at the stars. I stole the free booklet of poetry and trudged home in the snow, already hearing the piano part in my mind. I would encourage anyone who is interested in learning more about Mei-Li Liu's life and work to purchase her book Ten Thousand Miles from Home, published by Dragon Press (ISBN: 9780976137009). I sincerely hope I have honored her art with this setting. Born on a Fishing Boat I was born on fishing boat Lying in basket Ocean tide rocking me to sleep Papa fishing all-day and all-night Mama's washings hanging on line Above my head Misty sea washing my face Northern wind whispering to my ears Angel of sea kissing my forehead Beneath paper moon My little arms out from the cradle Out to the breeze Happy, born on fishing boat By the sea.
When I found Born on a Fishing Boat in an issue of Poetry While You Wait in Colorado Springs, Colorado, I was immediately struck by Ms. Liu's simple, evocative words. While I sat in the cafe on a cold January day waiting for my coffee, I closed my eyes and envisioned what it might be like to lie on my back in a small fishing boat and look up at the stars. I stole the free booklet of poetry and trudged home in the snow, already hearing the piano part in my mind. I would encourage anyone who is interested in learning more about Mei-Li Liu's life and work to purchase her book Ten Thousand Miles from Home, published by Dragon Press (ISBN: 9780976137009). I sincerely hope I have honored her art with this setting. Born on a Fishing Boat I was born on fishing boat Lying in basket Ocean tide rocking me to sleep Papa fishing all-day and all-night Mama's washings hanging on line Above my head Misty sea washing my face Northern wind whispering to my ears Angel of sea kissing my forehead Beneath paper moon My little arms out from the cradle Out to the breeze Happy, born on fishing boat By the sea.
When I found “Born on a Fishing Boat” in an issue of Poetry While You Wait in Colorado Springs, Colorado, I was immediately struck by Ms. Liu’s simple, evocative words. While I sat in the café on a cold January day waiting for my coffee, I closed my eyes and envisioned what it might be like to lie on my back in a small fishing boat and look up at the stars. I “stole” the free booklet of poetry and trudged home in the snow, already hearing the piano part in my mind. I would encourage anyone who is interested in learning more about Mei-Li Liu’s life and work to purchase her book Ten Thousand Miles from Home, published by Dragon Press (ISBN: 9780976137009). I sincerely hope I have honored her art with this setting.Born on a Fishing BoatI was born on fishing boatLying in basketOcean tide rocking me to sleepPapa fishing all-day and all-nightMama’s washings hanging on lineAbove my headMisty sea washing my faceNorthern wind whispering to my earsAngel of sea kissing my foreheadBeneath paper moonMy little arms out from the cradleOut to the breezeHappy, born on fishing boatBy the sea.

SKU: GI.G-CD-372

Jesus understood the strength of women, and the songs that have come together to be called One Heart are infused with Jesus' liberating vision for all. We hear three women's voices--a Hispanic American, an African American, and an Irish American--speaking from the heart, singing with one heart about women, equality, justice, and peace. Listen to the three voices of One Heart. You'll hear tomorrow singing, loud and clear. Who Is This God? - The Goodness of the Lord - Words - The Tree of Life - Precious Blood - Will You Go? - Jubilate Agno - Wind, River, Song - The Daystar Calls - I Must Believe - Soldiers in the Army - Stand Firm.

SKU: CA.1804800

ISBN 9790007032036.

SKU: CF.SPS75

ISBN 9781491147702. UPC: 680160905201. 9 x 12 inches. Key: F major.

When Hearts Tremble is an emotion packed piece dedicated to musician friends lost all to soon. This beautiful composition by Brant Karrick reflects on the fragility of human existence, joyous memories of loved ones and their effect on everyone around them, and maintaining hope for what the future will hold when all feels lost. This tour de force piece perfectly displays Karrick's polished compositional craft with impeccable scoring, beautiful melodic writing, and exceptional orchestrational color.
While the day-to-day grind of our lives can be filled with overwhelming obligations, goals and commitments, it is sometimes very easy to forget just how precious and fragile life is . It is so easy to get caught up in our own personal feelings and worries that we sometimes don’t realize and appreciate the many blessings we have, especially friendships . On Wednesday, November 18, 2015 the Jefferson High School Band in Jefferson, Georgia lost two of its members to a fatal car accident . The victims were brothers . Music was a constant part of their lives, and the boys were talented percussionists in the marching band . To help with the grieving process the school and community commissioned this piece to celebrate the lives of William and Alex Trimble .As a father, I cannot imagine losing a child, let alone two, and beginning this piece was very difficult as I felt extreme anguish, especially for the parents . But it was decided the piece should primarily reflect the enthusiasm, youthful spirits and positive influence these two young men demonstrated as they were deeply loved by their band mates, community and family . There are four main themes, each representing the feelings and emotions that are certain to occur after a loss of loved ones . The first theme is a short, introductory fanfare, strong and bold, to stand for courage . A second dance-like melody features a liltingly mixed meter to portray a youthful and carefree innocence . This soon changes into a third more song-like, and stately theme intended to provide encouragement as we move forward through life .The middle of the piece includes a soft transition as two snare drummers give voice to the boys, allowing them to thank their friends and assuring them that it will be okay . This moves directly into a slow melody introduced by the saxophones (Alex, the younger brother was also a saxophonist) and is a time for reflection and allows for feelings of sadness at losing beloved friends . However, a second statement of the same theme, now at full volume with a strong percussion cadence, intends to lift the spirits and allows all friends to unite in joyous celebration of life . Both the enthusiastic dance theme and stately lyrical theme return, now in different keys, and work their way toward the highly energetic burst of glorious sound in the short and wild coda . When Hearts Tremble was written to celebrate the joys of youth and life, and should remind us that our friends and loved ones are precious, and we should live each day to bring more joy into the world and into the lives of others .

SKU: PR.111402890

ISBN 9781491134672. UPC: 680160685264.

What� �??s in a name? While the title is French for â??Eight Flower Songs,â? the texts are all in English. The poemsâ?? flowers metaphorically evoke fragrance, love and loss, life and death, rebirth and regrowth. Perhaps the texture and beauty of Gordonâ??s music are themselves French. The 20-minute song cycle draws on poems from Wordsworth to Dorothy Parker, as well as from contemporary poets including the composer himself.
When So-Chung Shinn came to me with the idea of commissioning a song cycle with her spectacular husband Tony Lee, she had in mind something having to do with flowers. Tony had asked her what she wanted for her birthday, and she said she wanted to be behind the creating of a new work. Lucky me, I was the recipient of the commission. So-Chung sent me a little description of all the flowers she loves, but I had to take the idea and create a narrative in my head.It is always a matter of pleasing the commissioner, yet coming up with something you can get behind and hear music for as well. I already knew I wanted to use my â??Tulipsâ? poem which is really about the arc of a relationship as represented through the life span of the Tulips, and, in many ways, disappointment; and Dorothy Parkerâ??s â??One Perfect Rose,â? which is wry, bitter, cynical, and funny, in a way only Dorothy Parker can so pithily express.I thought of Jane Kenyonâ??s exquisite â??Peonies at Dusk,â? because knowing she died so young (46) of leukemia, the poem has such a particular resonance, almost humanizing the Peonies, casting the moon as a sentient being, illustrating so beautifully how connected everything is, alive here, and revolving around these exquisite blossoms. Then, I remembered her husband Donald Hallâ??s poem â??Her Garden,â? which he wrote after Jane died, his grief intermingled with his inability to care for what she had created, to keep alive what so represented her aliveness, broken as he was, and I felt I already had a story.I found the Wordsworth, because it felt like pure joy to me, but also, if each of the songs has a color in my head, â??The Daffodilsâ? is pure yellow and a good place to start. My partner Kevin and I live on a lake, and every year, the first Daffodils, the shock of yellows, the oranges, the blinding whites, after the long snowy winters, sing of the newness that is about to enfold us in its green miraculousness.At first, the cycle ended with the Langston Hughes poem â??Cycle,â? or â??New Flowers,â? because it was lovely, and about rebirth, which is obviously optimistic, and apt, but then, my friend Telmo Dos Santos, a wonderful Canadian poet whom I met at Banff, sent me his poem â??Afterlife With Lilacs,â? having no idea what I was working on. I felt I had to add it because it is so dazzling, and it immediately felt like the missing link. Finally, there were unfortunately rights issues, namely, we could not, no how, get in touch with the Langston Hughes Estate, after so many happy collaborations.After almost a yearâ??s frustration, I wrote my own text, â??Play, Orpheus,â? which ended up being fortuitous, because the first time I met So-Chung, she entered the room and the most exquisite scent of Lillies of the Valley, Muguet de Bois, filled the room. I went right over to her and rudely put my nose to her neck, for the intoxication of the scent. So â??Play, Orpheusâ? is for So-Chung, to remind us of the precious treasures of this world flowers remind us of. Everything and everyone lives and dies, lives and dies. Death and resurrection.And of course, this is music, this is song, so the inclusion of the God of music, Orpheus, seems apt. Huit Chansons de Fleurs is really about what flowers represent, their radiance, their flickering impermanence, the way they are used to celebrate, as well as to mourn...... and of course, their fragrance. Their fragrance.Ricky Ian GordonJuly 28, 2021.

SKU: PR.16500103F

ISBN 9781491131763. UPC: 680160680290.

Ever since the success of my series of wind ensemble works Places in the West, I've been wanting to write a companion piece for national parks on the other side of the north American continent. The earlier work, consisting of GLACIER, THE YELLOWSTONE FIRES, ARCHES, and ZION, spanned some twenty years of my composing life, and since the pieces called for differing groups of instruments, and were in slightly different styles from each other, I never considered them to be connected except in their subject matter. In their depiction of both the scenery and the human history within these wondrous places, they had a common goal: awaking the listener to the fragile beauty that is in them; and calling attention to the ever more crucial need for preservation and protection of these wild places, unique in all the world. With this new work, commissioned by a consortium of college and conservatory wind ensembles led by the University of Georgia, I decided to build upon that same model---but to solidify the process. The result, consisting of three movements (each named for a different national park in the eastern US), is a bona-fide symphony. While the three pieces could be performed separately, they share a musical theme---and also a common style and instrumentation. It is a true symphony, in that the first movement is long and expository, the second is a rather tightly structured scherzo-with-trio, and the finale is a true culmination of the whole. The first movement, Everglades, was the original inspiration for the entire symphony. Conceived over the course of two trips to that astonishing place (which the native Americans called River of Grass, the subtitle of this movement), this movement not only conveys a sense of the humid, lush, and even frightening scenery there---but also an overview of the entire settling-of- Florida experience. It contains not one, but two native American chants, and also presents a view of the staggering influence of modern man on this fragile part of the world. Beginning with a slow unfolding marked Heavy, humid, the music soon presents a gentle, lyrical theme in the solo alto saxophone. This theme, which goes through three expansive phrases with breaks in between, will appear in all three movements of the symphony. After the mood has been established, the music opens up to a rich, warm setting of a Cherokee morning song, with the simple happiness that this part of Florida must have had prior to the nineteenth century. This music, enveloping and comforting, gradually gives way to a more frenetic, driven section representative of the intrusion of the white man. Since Florida was populated and developed largely due to the introduction of a train system, there's a suggestion of the mechanized iron horse driving straight into the heartland. At that point, the native Americans become considerably less gentle, and a second chant seems to stand in the way of the intruder; a kind of warning song. The second part of this movement shows us the great swampy center of the peninsula, with its wildlife both in and out of the water. A new theme appears, sad but noble, suggesting that this land is precious and must be protected by all the people who inhabit it. At length, the morning song reappears in all its splendor, until the sunset---with one last iteration of the warning song in the solo piccolo. Functioning as a scherzo, the second movement, Great Smoky Mountains, describes not just that huge park itself, but one brave soul's attempt to climb a mountain there. It begins with three iterations of the UR-theme (which began the first movement as well), but this time as up-tempo brass fanfares in octaves. Each time it begins again, the theme is a little slower and less confident than the previous time---almost as though the hiker were becoming aware of the daunting mountain before him. But then, a steady, quick-pulsed ostinato appears, in a constantly shifting meter system of 2/4- 3/4 in alteration, and the hike has begun. Over this, a slower new melody appears, as the trek up the mountain progresses. It's a big mountain, and the ascent seems to take quite awhile, with little breaks in the hiker's stride, until at length he simply must stop and rest. An oboe solo, over several free cadenza-like measures, allows us (and our friend the hiker) to catch our breath, and also to view in the distance the rocky peak before us. The goal is somehow even more daunting than at first, being closer and thus more frighteningly steep. When we do push off again, it's at a slower pace, and with more careful attention to our footholds as we trek over broken rocks. Tantalizing little views of the valley at every switchback make our determination even stronger. Finally, we burst through a stand of pines and----we're at the summit! The immensity of the view is overwhelming, and ultimately humbling. A brief coda, while we sit dazed on the rocks, ends the movement in a feeling of triumph. The final movement, Acadia, is also about a trip. In the summer of 2014, I took a sailing trip with a dear friend from North Haven, Maine, to the southern coast of Mt. Desert Island in Acadia National Park. The experience left me both exuberant and exhausted, with an appreciation for the ocean that I hadn't had previously. The approach to Acadia National Park by water, too, was thrilling: like the difference between climbing a mountain on foot with riding up on a ski-lift, I felt I'd earned the right to be there. The music for this movement is entirely based on the opening UR-theme. There's a sense of the water and the mysterious, quiet deep from the very beginning, with seagulls and bell buoys setting the scene. As we leave the harbor, the theme (in a canon between solo euphonium and tuba) almost seems as if large subaquatic animals are observing our departure. There are three themes (call them A, B and C) in this seafaring journey---but they are all based on the UR theme, in its original form with octaves displaced, in an upside-down form, and in a backwards version as well. (The ocean, while appearing to be unchanging, is always changing.) We move out into the main channel (A), passing several islands (B), until we reach the long draw that parallels the coastline called Eggemoggin Reach, and a sudden burst of new speed (C). Things suddenly stop, as if the wind had died, and we have a vision: is that really Mt. Desert Island we can see off the port bow, vaguely in the distance? A chorale of saxophones seems to suggest that. We push off anew as the chorale ends, and go through all three themes again---but in different instrumentations, and different keys. At the final tack-turn, there it is, for real: Mt. Desert Island, big as life. We've made it. As we pull into the harbor, where we'll secure the boat for the night, there's a feeling of achievement. Our whale and dolphin friends return, and we end our journey with gratitude and celebration. I am profoundly grateful to Jaclyn Hartenberger, Professor of Conducting at the University of Georgia, for leading the consortium which provided the commissioning of this work.