Early Classics For Beginning String Quartet Or String Orchestra - Full Score And Parts

SKU: BT.PWM4901

Concerto for String Orchestra - the magnum opus of Grayna Bacewicz (1909-1969), the outstanding composer and violinist - was composed in 1948 and at once became one of the most frequently performed works of this Polish artist. This masterpieceof neoclassicism fascinates as much by its invention and virtuosic briliance as its harmonious combination of formal elements of a traditional nature with new tonal ideas. The form of the three-movement Concerto oscillates between that of the baroqueconcerto grosso and the early classical sonata cycle. The neoclassical tendency is evident, above all, in the articulation of the musical structure in keeping with the rigours of periodicity and the manner of developing thematic threads derived fromthem, while the concertato character of particular movements and the generally linear texture indicate baroque connections. The first movement (Allegro) - in the form of an early classical sonata allegro - begins with a subject with energeticfigurations, emblematic for the whole piece and based on a constant, pendulum-like semiquaver movement anchored securely on D. It is precisely because of the nature of this subject that Bacewiczs work has been compared to the Brandenburg Concertosby Jan Sebastian Bach The second movement (Andante), while retaining its concertato charakter, is, at the same time, an example of the composers ability to create emotionally serene lyrical moods, and her sense of cantilena derived from the spiritof romantic song (a motto-subject presented at the beginning by cello solo). In this movement it is both the process of evolution and the instrumental colouring which constitute the constructional agents forming here a self-containedvalue. In thethird movement (Vivo) the composer returns to her favourite type of music, understood as an expression of pure motion in the form of figural motives with infinite transformational possibilities. The spontaneity of the music, the constant mutabilityof the tonal situations, and the sophisticated, acerbic harmonies - as Witold Lutosawski described them - form a colourful mosaic built in the structural skeleton of a sonata rondo. Concerto for String Orchestra is not only proof of thestylizing tendency of the composer but also of an unerring intuition concerning the technical and expressive possibilities inherent in a string instruments ensemble. [Magorzata Gsiorowska, translated by Ewa Cholewka].

SKU: HL.48024228

ISBN 9781540057310. UPC: 888680949266. 9x12 inches.

For Isang Yun, String Quartet No. 3 from 1959 marked the beginning of his European creative phase and of his official canon of works. Now it is possible to encounter Yun's early works from his Korean period in the form of his String Quartet No. 1 (1955). Three important 10-minute movements containing references not only to Asia but also to Ravel, Bartók and Eastern European folk musicand having an idiosyncratic structure: “Yun lines up forms and figures, makes them emerge from each other in a contrasting manner and assembles them into a mosaic-like whole, seeking for integration, laying down his material in layer upon layer and ending the movements with a rhythmic unison. [] Even then, he probably regarded a work of art as an energetic stream of sounds and as a reflection of a world whose diverging parts weave into a harmonic whole.” (Walter-Wolfgang Sparrer).

SKU: XC.PSO1902FS

UPC: 812598031096. 9 x 12 inches.

Subatomic is written for the youngest of string students. It uses only the first 6 notes of the D scale, with no more difficult rhythm than two repeated eighth notes. Plus, there are no long sustained notes, which can often be challenging for young players. What is amazing is how exciting this piece is, despite limited technical resources! Composer Larry Clark continues to find new and creative ways to stimulate beginning students, providing them an opportunity for early musical success. This is a winner!