An American Celebration (Medley)

SKU: HL.8740885

UPC: 073999307405. 8.5x11.0x0.114 inches.

Here is a powerful and inspirational patriotic trilogy that includes: America the Beautiful, Golden Dream (from EPCOT Center's American Adventure), and Battle Hymn of the Republic. Available: SATB, SAB, 2-Part, Instrumental Pak, ShowTrax Cassette. Performance Time: Approx. 6:10.

SKU: HL.35032614

ISBN 9781540043436. UPC: 888680904982. 5.0x5.0x0.138 inches.

American singer-songwriter Carly Simon began her fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records. This medley captures three of those iconic hits: You're So Vain, Haven't Got Time for the Pain and Anticipation. Women's choirs and ensembles will love these strong lyrics, singing her famous melodies and celebrating this American artist.

SKU: WD.080689398575

UPC: 080689398575.

Patriotic and triumphant, this stand-alone orchestral medley of Americana songs, including You're a Grand Old Flag, This Is My Country, This Land Is Your Land, and The Star-Spangled Banner is the perfect service opener (or reprise) for your church's next patriotic celebration. This lively, stand-alone orchestration marches right along in a spirit of fervent patriotism with an arm raised in a salute to our high-flying, American flag.

SKU: BT.DHP-1053914-140

9x12 inches. English-German-French-Dutch.

Bella Italia is a medley of three Neapolitan songs that were made famous and popular by the tenor Mario Lanza. The work opens with the graceful waltz Santa Lucia, which is followed by a Latin-style version of O Sole Mio, a melody that became even more well known when used by Elvis Presley as the basis of the song It’s Now or Never. The cheerful Funiculì, Funicul ends the medley in 6/8 time. This arrangement for concert band by Roland Kernen will appeal to a broad audience and will leave both the band and the audience in a high-spirited mood.

Bella Italia is een medley van drie Napolitaanse liederen die met name door de tenor Mario Lanza bekend en geliefd zijn gemaakt bij een groot publiek. De sierlijke wals Santa Lucia komt als eerste aan bod. Dan volgteen latin-style versie van O Sole Mio. Het vrolijke Funiculì, Funicul sluit het geheel af in een 6/8 maat. Dit aanstekelijke arrangement voor harmonieorkest van Roland Kernen brengt zowel het orkest als het publiek in eenuitbundige stemming.

Bella Italia ist ein Medley aus drei neapolitanischen Liedern, die durch den Tenor Mario Lanza bei einem breiten Publikum bekannt und beliebt geworden sind. Den Anfang macht der würdevolle Walzer Santa Lucia. Dann folgt eine Version von O Sole Mio im lateinamerikanischen Stil. Diese Melodie erlangte noch größere Berühmtheit in It’s Now or Never von Elvis Presley. Das fröhliche Funiculì, Funicul beendet das Medley im 6/8- Takt. Diese reizvolle Bearbeitung für Blasorchester von Roland Kernen versetzt sowohl Musiker als auch das Publikum in Hochstimmung.

Bella Italia est un medley de trois chants napolitains rendus célèbres auprès du grand public par le ténor Mario Lanza. La valse gracieuse Santa Lucia ouvre le medley. S’ensuit le célébrissime O Sole Mio dans une version aux accents latino-américains. Le pétillant Funiculì, Funicul clôt le medley dans un 6/8 tourbillonnant. Cet arrangement pour Orchestre d’Harmonie signé Roland Kernen séduira les musiciens et l’auditoire.

Bella Italia è un medley di tre canti napoletani resi celebri al grande pubblico dal tenore Mario Lanza. Il primo brano del medley è il grazioso valzer Santa Lucia. Segue la famosissima O Sole Mio in una versione dagli accentilatino-americani. Lo spumeggiante Funiculì, Funicul chiude questo medley in un 6/8 vorticoso.

SKU: WD.080689493171

UPC: 080689493171.

America is a nation that sings! And we are a people who have always shared our extraordinary story through song. This exhilarating musical heritage is beautifully celebrated in Word Music’s newest patriotic musical, It’s America! from the stellar creative team of Russell Mauldin and Deborah Craig-Claar. Brimming with patriotic exuberance and nostalgic charm, It’s America! includes a stirring George M. Cohan tribute, a rich medley of traditional folk songs, and a uniquely moving vocal setting of “Taps” to honor our fallen heroes. At a rehearsal-friendly 30 minutes in length, Russell Mauldin’s signature vocal arrangements and orchestrations and Deborah Craig-Claar’s well-crafted, historically flavored narrations make the musical accessible for choirs of any size. A spectacular DVD Accompaniment Track is the crowning touch, making this down-home, up-lifting slice of Americana the perfect choice for both community and church presentations.

SKU: PR.16500100F

ISBN 9781491114421. UPC: 680160669783. 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.