Format : Octavo
SKU: HL.14027942
8.25x12.0x0.091 inches.
Composed in 1976.
SKU: OU.9780193528314
ISBN 9780193528314. 10 x 7 inches.
For SATB (with divisions) unaccompanied 'My Love has Died for Me' is taken from Passion Music, a concert and liturgical work that epitomizes Todd's love of blending jazz and choral music. Recurring melodies, changing metres, and extended harmonies combine to explore the theme of loss in this powerful and expressive lament.
SKU: CF.CM9635
ISBN 9781491157077. UPC: 680160915637. 6.875 x 10.5 inches. Key: E major. English, English. Abram Joseph Ryan (1838-1886).
Victor Johnson captures the mystery and nuance of the bittersweet poem, Wake Me a Song, by American poet, Abram Joseph Ryan. Nuance, text, and Johnson's rich harmonies paired with intertwining textures make this a noteworthy addition to any program. Also available for SATB Voices (CM9561).About the Author Abram Joseph Ryan was born Matthew Abraham Ryan on February 5, 1838 in Hagerstown, Maryland. As a young man, Ryan and his family moved west St. Louis, Missouri, where he was educated at the Christian Brothers School. He studied for the priesthood at Niagra University in New York State and was ordained a priest in the Vincentian order on November 1, 1856. He taught theology, first at Niagra university and then at the diocesan seminary in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, until the beginning of the war between the states. Father Ryan enlisted in the army on September 1, 1862, and served as a chaplain throughout the conflict, carrying the wounded to safety and performing last rites on the battlefield. His first piece of poetry was inspired by the death of a younger brother while serving in the army. After the war, he established a weekly literary magazine in which most of his poetry was published. He also put out several volumes of poetry, including Father Ryan's Poems and A Crown for Our Queen. Father Ryan died on April 22, 1886 at a Franciscan monastery in Louisville, Kentucky. About the Song Wake Me A Song is an inspired and sensitive setting of the 19th-century poem by Abram Joseph Ryan. It features sweeping melodic lines, rich harmonies, and a flowingly beautiful accompaniment. To master a performance of this selection, singers must perform very expressively, paying close attention to such musical aspects as phrase shaping, the rise and fall of the melodic line, blending and proper intonation between sections. One strategy that could be used to ensure proper phrasing is the idea of Painting the Phrase. The singer should make a motion as if they have a paintbrush in their hand and paint the melodic line and phrase shape as if they are painting with a nice, flowing brush stroke. One could think about painting a rainbow or an arch to show the rise and fall of the line and/or phrase. The director can also show this gesture while conducting to reinforce this concept.About the AuthorAbram Joseph Ryan was born Matthew Abraham Ryan on February 5, 1838 in Hagerstown, Maryland. As a young man, Ryan and his family moved west St. Louis, Missouri, where he was educated at the Christian Brothers School. He studied for the priesthood at Niagra University in New York State and was ordained a priest in the Vincentian order on November 1, 1856. He taught theology, first at Niagra university and then at the diocesan seminary in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, until the beginning of the war between the states.Father Ryan enlisted in the army on September 1, 1862, and served as a chaplain throughout the conflict, carrying the wounded to safety and performing last rites on the battlefield. His first piece of poetry was inspired by the death of a younger brother while serving in the army. After the war, he established a weekly literary magazine in which most of his poetry was published. He also put out several volumes of poetry, including Father Ryan's Poems and A Crown for Our Queen. Father Ryan died on April 22, 1886 at a Franciscan monastery in Louisville, Kentucky.About the SongWake Me A Song is an inspired and sensitive setting of the 19th-century poem by Abram Joseph Ryan. It features sweeping melodic lines, rich harmonies, and a flowingly beautiful accompaniment.To master a performance of this selection, singers must perform very expressively, paying close attention to such musical aspects as phrase shaping, the rise and fall of the melodic line, blending and proper intonation between sections.One strategy that could be used to ensure proper phrasing is the idea of “Painting the Phrase.†The singer should make a motion as if they have a paintbrush in their hand and “paint†the melodic line and phrase shape as if they are painting with a nice, flowing brush stroke. One could think about painting a rainbow or an arch to show the rise and fall of the line and/or phrase. The director can also show this gesture while conducting to reinforce this concept.
SKU: CF.CM9591
ISBN 9781491154137. UPC: 680160912636. 6.875 x 10.5 inches. Key: Bb major. Italian. Gedicht Goldoni. Original.
There is not a lot written about the history of La Pastorella by Austrias classical composer, Franz Schubert (17971828). An extremely prolific writer, Schubert died before his thirty-second birthday. With lyrics from the libretto Il filosofo di campagna by Carlo Goldoni (17071793), this simple, charming part song about a little shepherd girl, was originally written for four-part male chorus and piano and is believed to have been written sometime between 1813 and 1817. Be careful not to sing with too much weight in the voice so that you dont get bogged down in the sixteenth note runs. I would suggest speaking the Italian words in rhythm many times before singing them in rhythm. Once youve learned it, youll find it very rewarding to sing. PHONETIC PRONUNCIATION La pastorella al prato contenta se ne va lah pah-stoh-REHL-lah ahl PRAH-toh kohn-TEHN-tah seh neh vah Collagnellino a lato Cantando in liberta kohl-ah-neh-LEE-noh ah LAH-toh kahn-TAHN-doh een lee-behr-TAH Se linnocente amore Gradisce il se lee-noh-CHEN-teh ah-MOH-re grah-DEE-sheh il suo pastore eel SOO-oh pah-STOH-reh La bella pastorella contenta ognor sara lah BEHL-lah pah-stoh-REHL-lah kohn-TEHN-tah oh-nor sah-RAH NOTE: All R's should be flipped, not rolled.There is not a lot written about the history of La Pastorella by Austriaas classical composer, Franz Schubert (1797a1828). An extremely prolific writer, Schubert died before his thirty-second birthday. With lyrics from the libretto Il filosofo di campagna by Carlo Goldoni (1707a1793), this simple, charming part song about a little shepherd girl, was originally written for four-part male chorus and piano and is believed to have been written sometime between 1813 and 1817. Be careful not to sing with too much weight in the voice so that you donat get bogged down in the sixteenth note runs. I would suggest speaking the Italian words in rhythm many times before singing them in rhythm. Once youave learned it, youall find it very rewarding to sing. PHONETIC PRONUNCIATION LaA A pastorellaA A A A A A A A A A A A A alA A A A pratoA A A A A contentaA A A A A A A A seA A neA A va lah pah-stoh-REHL-lah ahlA PRAH-toh kohn-TEHN-tah seh neh vah CollaagnellinoA A A A A A A A A A A aA A A A latoA A A A A A CantandoA A A A A A A A inA A A A libertA kohl-ah-A+-eh-LEE-nohA ah LAH-tohA A kahn-TAHN-doh een lee-behr-TAH Se lainnocente amore Gradisce il se lee-noh-CHEN-teh ah-MOH-re grah-DEE-sheh ilA A A A suoA A A A A A pastore eel SOO-ohA pah-STOH-reh LaA bellaA A A A A A A A pastorellaA A A A A A A A A A A A A contentaA A A A A A A A A ognorA A A sarA lah BEHL-lahA pah-stoh-REHL-lahA kohn-TEHN-tahA A oh-A+-or sah-RAH NOTE: All R's should be flipped, not rolled.There is not a lot written about the history of La Pastorella by Austria's classical composer, Franz Schubert (1797-1828). An extremely prolific writer, Schubert died before his thirty-second birthday. With lyrics from the libretto Il filosofo di campagna by Carlo Goldoni (1707-1793), this simple, charming part song about a little shepherd girl, was originally written for four-part male chorus and piano and is believed to have been written sometime between 1813 and 1817. Be careful not to sing with too much weight in the voice so that you don't get bogged down in the sixteenth note runs. I would suggest speaking the Italian words in rhythm many times before singing them in rhythm. Once you've learned it, you'll find it very rewarding to sing. PHONETIC PRONUNCIATION La pastorella al prato contenta se ne va lah pah-stoh-REHL-lah ahl PRAH-toh kohn-TEHN-tah seh neh vah Coll'agnellino a lato Cantando in liberta kohl-ah-neh-LEE-noh ah LAH-toh kahn-TAHN-doh een lee-behr-TAH Se l'innocente amore Gradisce il se lee-noh-CHEN-teh ah-MOH-re grah-DEE-sheh il suo pastore eel SOO-oh pah-STOH-reh La bella pastorella contenta ognor sara lah BEHL-lah pah-stoh-REHL-lah kohn-TEHN-tah oh-nor sah-RAH NOTE: All R's should be flipped, not rolled.There is not a lot written about the history of La Pastorella by Austria's classical composer, Franz Schubert (1797-1828). An extremely prolific writer, Schubert died before his thirty-second birthday. With lyrics from the libretto Il filosofo di campagna by Carlo Goldoni (1707-1793), this simple, charming part song about a little shepherd girl, was originally written for four-part male chorus and piano and is believed to have been written sometime between 1813 and 1817. Be careful not to sing with too much weight in the voice so that you don't get bogged down in the sixteenth note runs. I would suggest speaking the Italian words in rhythm many times before singing them in rhythm. Once you've learned it, you'll find it very rewarding to sing. PHONETIC PRONUNCIATION La pastorella al prato contenta se ne va lah pah-stoh-REHL-lah ahl PRAH-toh kohn-TEHN-tah seh neh vah Coll'agnellino a lato Cantando in liberta kohl-ah-neh-LEE-noh ah LAH-toh kahn-TAHN-doh een lee-behr-TAH Se l'innocente amore Gradisce il se lee-noh-CHEN-teh ah-MOH-re grah-DEE-sheh il suo pastore eel SOO-oh pah-STOH-reh La bella pastorella contenta ognor sara lah BEHL-lah pah-stoh-REHL-lah kohn-TEHN-tah oh-nor sah-RAH NOTE: All R's should be flipped, not rolled.There is not a lot written about the history of La Pastorella by Austria’s classical composer, Franz Schubert (1797–1828). An extremely prolific writer, Schubert died before his thirty-second birthday. With lyrics from the libretto Il filosofo di campagna by Carlo Goldoni (1707–1793), this simple, charming part song about a little shepherd girl, was originally written for four-part male chorus and piano and is believed to have been written sometime between 1813 and 1817.Be careful not to sing with too much weight in the voice so that you don’t get bogged down in the sixteenth note runs. I would suggest speaking the Italian words in rhythm many times before singing them in rhythm. Once you’ve learned it, you’ll find it very rewarding to sing.PHONETIC PRONUNCIATIONLa  pastorella             al    prato     contenta        se  ne  valah pah-stoh-REHL-lah ahl PRAH-toh kohn-TEHN-tah seh neh vahColl’agnellino           a    lato      Cantando        in    libertà kohl-ah-ñeh-LEE-noh ah LAH-toh  kahn-TAHN-doh een lee-behr-TAHSe l’innocente amore Gradisce ilse lee-noh-CHEN-teh ah-MOH-re grah-DEE-shehil    suo      pastoreeel SOO-oh pah-STOH-rehLa bella        pastorella             contenta         ognor   sarà lah BEHL-lah pah-stoh-REHL-lah kohn-TEHN-tah  oh-ñor sah-RAHNOTE: All R's should be flipped, not rolled.
SKU: CF.CM9582
ISBN 9781491154045. UPC: 680160912544. 6.875 x 10.5 inches. Key: Bb major. English. Original.
English composer William Boyce was born in London in 1711 and died in 1779. He began his musical career as a choir boy at St. Pauls cathedral and throughout his career, he wrote symphonies and church music. Alleluia was originally written for four voices a cappella; however, this arrangement has an accompaniment that may be used for rehearsal or in performance. The key has also been lowered from the original key of C major to Bb major, making this arrangement of this beautiful work for SSA voices more accessible for SSA choirs. The form consists of homophonic sections followed by canons and refrains with the homophonic sections. Whether performing a cappella or with piano, sing Alleluia by William Boyce with joy and enthusiasm.English composer William Boyce was born in London in 1711 and died in 1779. He began his musical career as a choir boy at St. Paulas cathedral and throughout his career, he wrote symphonies and church music. Alleluia was originally written for four voices a cappella; however, this arrangement has an accompaniment that may be used for rehearsal or in performance. The key has also been lowered from the original key of C major to Bb major, making this arrangement of this beautiful work for SSA voices more accessible for SSA choirs. The form consists of homophonic sections followed by canons and refrains with the homophonic sections. Whether performing a cappella or with piano, sing Alleluia by William Boyce with joy and enthusiasm.English composer William Boyce was born in London in 1711 and died in 1779. He began his musical career as a choir boy at St. Paul's cathedral and throughout his career, he wrote symphonies and church music. Alleluia was originally written for four voices a cappella; however, this arrangement has an accompaniment that may be used for rehearsal or in performance. The key has also been lowered from the original key of C major to Bb major, making this arrangement of this beautiful work for SSA voices more accessible for SSA choirs. The form consists of homophonic sections followed by canons and refrains with the homophonic sections. Whether performing a cappella or with piano, sing Alleluia by William Boyce with joy and enthusiasm.English composer William Boyce was born in London in 1711 and died in 1779. He began his musical career as a choir boy at St. Paul's cathedral and throughout his career, he wrote symphonies and church music. Alleluia was originally written for four voices a cappella; however, this arrangement has an accompaniment that may be used for rehearsal or in performance. The key has also been lowered from the original key of C major to Bb major, making this arrangement of this beautiful work for SSA voices more accessible for SSA choirs. The form consists of homophonic sections followed by canons and refrains with the homophonic sections. Whether performing a cappella or with piano, sing Alleluia by William Boyce with joy and enthusiasm.English composer William Boyce was born in London in 1711 and died in 1779. He began his musical career as a choir boy at St. Paul’s cathedral and throughout his career, he wrote symphonies and church music.Alleluia was originally written for four voices a cappella; however, this arrangement has an accompaniment that may be used for rehearsal or in performance. The key has also been lowered from the original key of C major to Bb major, making this arrangement of this beautiful work for SSA voices more accessible for SSA choirs.The form consists of homophonic sections followed by canons and refrains with the homophonic sections.Whether performing a cappella or with piano, sing Alleluia by William Boyce with joy and enthusiasm.
SKU: CF.CM9731
ISBN 9781491161111. UPC: 680160919703. Key: C major. English.
Johannes Brahms, born May 7, 1833 in Hamburg, Germany and died April 3, 1897 in Vienna where he lived most of his life. Brahms is one of the most famous composers of the Romantic period (1830-1920) although his music has many elements of the Classical period (1750 to 1830) as he followed many of the practices of Classical composers Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. In addition to being a composer, he was also well-known as a pianist and conductor. Brahms began writing the Requiem (also known as the German Requiem, Opus 45) soon after his mother died in February 1865 which caused him great grief. In April of that year, he completed the first, second and fourth movements and completed the rest of the seven movements in May of 1868. How Lovely is Thy Dwelling Place (Wie Lieblich sind Deine Wohnungen) was the fourth movement of his seven movement work. Originally written for SATB voices in E-flat major, this seamlessly similar arrangement for SAB voices, now in C major, affords all voices comfortable ranges. Although, it is approximately 5 minutes and 30 seconds in length, it is perceived to be much shorter because of the contrasting stylistic sections within the work. How Lovely is Thy Dwelling Place is one of the most beautiful choral pieces by Brahms, perhaps in the entire Romantic period. Although Brahms wrote the original piano reduction, in this edition, it has been made more accessible for pianists with a wide range of skills. Pay close attention to the dynamic markings throughout the piece, making them apparent to the voices, conductor, and audience. I hope you enjoy singing this beautiful and timeless piece by Johannes Brahms! Russell Robinson, Arranger .Johannes Brahms, born May 7, 1833 in Hamburg, Germany and died April 3, 1897 in Vienna where he lived most of his life. Brahms is one of the most famous composers of the Romantic period (1830-1920) although his music has many elements of the Classical period (1750 to 1830) as he followed many of the practices of Classical composers Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. In addition to being a composer, he was also well-known as a pianist and conductor. Brahms began writing the Requiem (also known as the German Requiem, Opus 45) soon after his mother died in February 1865 which caused him great grief. In April of that year, he completed the first, second and fourth movements and completed the rest of the seven movements in May of 1868. How Lovely is Thy Dwelling Place (Wie Lieblich sind Deine Wohnungen) was the fourth movement of his seven movement work. Originally written for SATB voices in E-flat major, this seamlessly similar arrangement for SAB voices, now in C major, affords all voices comfortable ranges. Although, it is approximately 5 minutes and 30 seconds in length, it is perceived to be much shorter because of the contrasting stylistic sections within the work. How Lovely is Thy Dwelling Place is one of the most beautiful choral pieces by Brahms, perhaps in the entire Romantic period. Although Brahms wrote the original piano reduction, in this edition, it has been made more accessible for pianists with a wide range of skills. Pay close attention to the dynamic markings throughout the piece, making them apparent to the voices, conductor, and audience.I hope you enjoy singing this beautiful and timeless piece by Johannes Brahms!Russell Robinson, Arranger    .
SKU: HL.49045822
ISBN 9781540024749. UPC: 888680737764. 9.25x12.0x0.29 inches.
The Kreutzer Sonata was originally dedicated not to Rudolphe Kreutzer (who never performed it) but to George Bridgetower, a famed 18th-century Afro-European concert violinist. In an early draft, Beethoven jokingly labeled the piece in starkly racialized terms: Sonata Mulattica composed for the mulatto Brischdauer, big wild mulatto composer.Beethoven and Bridgetower performed the premiere, which was by all accounts a success, and even featuring some improvised embellishment by the violinist. While celebrating afterwards, the two quarreled about what Beethoven construed as Bridgetower's insult of a female acquaintance; the composer then revoked the original dedication, adding Kreutzer's name instead. The work gained acclaim, while Bridgetower's career languished; he eventually died in poverty.Bridgetower has been the subject of considerable research and speculation, most notably in poet Rita Dove's book, Sonata Mulattica. From our 21st-century vantage, considering Bridgetower's unique circumstance, we can only see him as an ambiguous figure who, in embodying difference, provoked inspiration, fantasy, desire, anger and, finally, erasure.My piece is a collection of imaginings about George Bridgetower. It is not programmatic, but it takes on an episodic character, assembled from contrasting fragments. The dance rhythms, recurring figures and gestural contours are intended to feature the embodied expertise and expressivity of the performers, who at times must access liminal sounds and execute complex synchronies. I am grateful to Jenny Koh and Shai Wosner for involving me in their beautiful, virtuosic music-making.
SKU: PR.114424240
ISBN 9781491137581. UPC: 680160691036.
THE BONES OF MR. FORTUNE (FREE AT LAST!) is an 11-minute concerto-like work for solo flute accompanied by symphonic winds and percussion – perfect to play with band or with orchestra, as well as with the composer’s own piano reduction. The work features lengthy cadenzas, and exhilarating dance-like sections with the ensemble. Hailstork describes the historical inspiration: Abused in life and death, an enslaved man (Mr. Fortune) was owned by a surgeon who preserved his skeleton to study anatomy. The bones remained with the doctor’s family for generations, and were given a proper burial making national news in 2013, 215 years after Mr. Fortune’s death.Abused in life and death, an enslaved man known as Mr. Fortune was honored with an elaborate funeral more than 200 years after he died in Connecticut.Mr. Fortune was owned by Dr. Preserved Porter on a farm in Waterbury, Connecticut. When Fortune died in 1798, Porter, a bone surgeon, preserved his skeleton by having the bones boiled to study anatomy at a time when cadavers for medical study were disproportionately taken from slaves, servants and prisoners.One of Porter’s descendants gave the skeleton in 1933 to Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury, where it was displayed from the 1940s until 1970. The descendant referred to the slave as “Larry†and his name was forgotten at the time.A study by forensic anthropologists at the Quinnipiac University School of Medicine concluded that Fortune was about 5 feet 5 inches tall and died at around 55 years old. He suffered a number of painful ailments, including a fracture in his left hand, a severe ankle sprain and lower back pain. “He was an individual who was in considerable distress,†a forensic professor, Richard Gonzalez said.I was taken by the bizarre story of Mr. Fortune and decided to use it as the stimulus for this work.
SKU: HL.124612
ISBN 9781603209632. UPC: 884088968168. 8.0x10.88x0.402 inches. The editors of Guitar World magazine.
Some died young. Some died old. All paid their dues with guitar in hand. Rock in Peace looks at the lives of the late, great guitarists of blues, metal, rock, and jazz. Comprehensive profiles of legends like Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, George Harrison, Frank Zappa, Bob Marley along with the Ultimate Guitar Hero Gravesite Tour make this a definitive collectors' item. It is the final word on rock history - complete with rare photos of the artists and their often surprising tombstones.
SKU: GI.G-10597
ISBN 9781574635409.
At 19 years old, Saul Goodman became timpanist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under renowned conductor Arturo Toscanini. Forty-six years later, he retired as one of the most celebrated orchestral musicians of all time. During his illustrious career as composer, inventor, and timpanist, he performed on over 1,000 recordings, placed his students in the world’s major symphony orchestras, and set standards in percussion performance and pedagogy that remain in place to this day. His memoirs, and those of his students, trace his musical development and take the reader on a voyage of his unique experiences during the greatest era of the American symphony orchestras. His incredible legacy as a performer and a teacher is unrivaled in the history of percussion, and perhaps any other instrument as well. The list of his students reads like a ‘who’s who’ of our world. —Daniel Druckman, New York Philharmonic He was one of the greatest artists of all times. He was an inspiration to me, not only as a student, but throughout my professional career. —Vic Firth, Boston Symphony Orchestra Saul often said that his teachers were Toscanini, Monteux, Reiner, Stokowski, and Bruno Walter. He was the greatest player in the era of stars throughout the symphonic world. The sheer numbers of concerts, recordings, and TV that he played is staggering. —Morris Lang, New York Philharmonic Saul Goodman was a brilliant orchestral musician who just happened to play the timpani. His style, musicianship and strong personality were a tremendous influence on those with whom he worked. —James Rago, Louisville Orchestra Review from Percussive Notes Magazine This treasure of a book tells the story from the man himself: Saul Goodman, one of the most celebrated orchestral musicians, timpanists, and percussion teachers to ever live. Through a combination of Goodman’s own writing, as well as contributions from a variety of others who knew, studied, and worked with him, this 106-page book is informative for students and enjoyable for general music enthusiasts. The book is constructed in two parts — the first being a previously unpublished memoir written by Goodman during his lifetime (he died in 1996) and edited by Anthony Cirone, and the second consisting of reflections from students and colleagues, an interview with Goodman conducted by Rick Mattingly in 1981, a Percussive Notes article published shortly after this death, and an overview of his recording history. The book also contains several pages of pictures from throughout his career. The first part, written by Goodman, contains five chapters: Beginnings, Carnegie Hall, The Business of Modern Orchestra, Toscanini, and On Recording. While he discusses many percussion-specific things, such as lessons with Alfred Friese, Goodman spends just as much, if not more, time talking about the general orchestral culture of the time and how it evolved during his 46 years in the New York Philharmonic. This includes reflections on conductors, management, recording, and the audition process. The second part proves just as valuable, with first-hand stories from those who knew him. These range from acknowledgments of Goodman’s excellence in performing and instruments making to heartfelt and sometimes humorous anecdotes relating to his teaching. This book will undoubtedly be appreciated by all orchestral percussion and classical music performers, students, conductors, and teachers, as well as the general concert-going public. It is a rare first-hand look into the life and career of a world-class artist and teacher. — Jason Baker Percussive Notes, February 2022.
SKU: IS.PN4516EM
ISBN 9790365045167.
Peter Benoit was born at Harlebeke on 17 August 1834 and died in Antwerp on 8 March 1901. He was, without doubt, the most important Flemish composer of the nineteenth century, responsible for the foundation of a Flemish national school of music. He studied at the Brussels Conservatory, where his teachers included Fétis, and won the Grote Rome Prize, the highest musical distinction in Belgium. He made use of the money from the prize for a study tour through Germany and Bohemia and afterwards settled in Paris where, in 1862, he became conductor of the Buffes-Parisiens. The following year he returned to Brussels and achieved phenomenal success with his Quadrilogie religieuse for choir and orchestra and with the oratorio of 1866, Lucifer. From then onwards he laid aside instrumental music and concentrated almost exclusively on vocal and choral music with Flemish texts. In 1867 he settled in Antwerp, where he was appointed director of the local music school, which under his leadership became the Royal Flemish Music Conservatory. In addition to his activity as a composer, he proved himself to be a remarkable educator, conductor and music administrator.
SKU: BR.DV-9515-01
ISBN 9790200490596. 9 x 12 inches. German / English.
In the latter half of the 18th and in the 19th century the Old Preface Testament Christmas prophecy (Isaiah 9, 1-6) formed the basis for numerous motetto- and cantata-like compositions originating from the Erzgebirge and the Vogtland of Saxony. From very early times, this text was included in Matins for Christmas day, hut until the period specified it was usually intoned on a reciting note. The present cantata is one of the few surviving testimonies to musical activity in the small Thuringian town of Schleiz. The prophecy Das Volk, so im Finstern wandelt was written - probably for performance at court services - in all likelihood by Johann Georg Reichard, a magistrate in the Grafschaft (County) of Reuss who later held higher judicial appointments. Reichard was born at Oels (Olefoica) in Silesia in 1710 and studied law at Leipzig from 1732. He then went to Schleiz and rose from the position of archivist to high legal office, at the same time succeeding Gottfried Siegmund Liebich (d. 1736) as director of the court chapel. He died in Schleiz on 2 June 1782. A few of his church cantatas and other pieces (serenades etc) written for the court at Schleiz once belonged to the Fursten- and Landesschule of St Augustine at Grimma whose music holdings are now preserved in Dresden. Some of Reichard's compositions are autograph, some in copies made by his son Heinrich Gottfried Reichard (1742-1801) who pursued an active career at Grimma both in music and ancient philology, first as cantor, finally as co-rector. The 'Prophecy' cantata survives anonymously in a score copied by Heinrich Gottfried Reichard who may well have sung it himself when he was fourteen, before bis voice broke - as the date Anno 17 56 suggests. He probably prepared the score in bis later years from the original parts, now no langer existent, as he did in the case of other works of his father's. Whether he revised the musical text, and to what extent, cannot now be established. This short and attractive work has all the lightness and exuberance of the rococo as well as genuine emotional depth. In addition, it is easy to perform and should prove very popular. Liturgically, it still occupies a place in Christmas matins or vespers. Permission for this publication was kindly given by Dr. Wolfgang Reich of the Sachsische Landesbibliothek Dresden, Musikabteilung. Wolfram Steude, Dresden, January 1972.
SKU: HL.14015255
10.25x14.25x0.43 inches.
One of Holst's most under-appreciated works, Ode To Death (Op. 38) was written in 1919 in response to the First World War, and mourned his friends who had died in that conflict. Scored for SATB Chorus and Orchestra, it is a setting of the elegiac poem When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd by Walt Whitman.
Gustav Holst (1874-1934) was an English composer and teacher. Having studied under Stanford and Parry, he became a close friend of Vaughan Williams - they would often critique each other's work - and influenced composers such as Tippet and Britten. He is best remembered for his Planets suite.
