Flowing Stream

SKU: CF.YAS226

ISBN 9781491162743. UPC: 680160921492. Key: D major.

Chen Yi’s original A Set of Chinese Folk Songs included ten songs, first arranged for the vocal ensemble Chanticleer to perform with students in the “Singing-in-the-Schools” programs in the 1990's. Taken from a wide range of geographic regions in China, with rich characteristics and expressive contrast, the set has been sung by many choirs around the world in the past thirty years. Three songs from that collection have been thoughtfully arranged into a three-movement suite for intermediate string orchestras, bringing this beautiful Chinese folk music to even more young musicians. The celebratory Fengyang Song is from Anhui province which is popular in the whole country. The lyrical love song Flowing Stream is from Yunnan province in the southwest, and the passionate and vivid Mayila is from the ethnic group known as Kazakhs in the northwest.

SKU: GI.G-9035

UPC: 785147903505. English. Text Source: Stream of Life, verse 69 from Gitanjali, 1912. Text by Rabindranath Tagore.

I have recently been incredibly inspired by the writings of the great Bengali mystic Rabindranath Tagore, whose monumental collection of poetry Gitanjali won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. This book introduces the reader to a new awareness of the world that surrounds us, deepening the connection between nature and the human spirit that we all yearn for. Verse 69 is particularly joyful and life-affirming: an ecstatic realization of the energies that move in ceaseless ebb and flow through us, our lives, and our natural environment. Each individual line of this verse has a unique character and color, so I have placed each in a key that I feel suits the mood of the text. The constantly flowing ostinati that weave their way throughout are collectively a musical representation of the “stream of life” to which Tagore refers. This flowing line can be found even in the subdued third line of text, which makes reference to the “ocean-cradle of birth and of death.” In similar fashion, the more complex rhythmic cells found within the stream (e.g., measures 21–40) are a product of Tagore’s ecstatic tone. Ultimately this piece is simply meant to be an expression of joy. It is dedicated with great admiration to the commissioning ensemble, the Fort Myers High School Greenwave Singers, and their conductor Matt Koller. This tremendous ensemble is a prime example of choral music education in practice in the United States, and I feel honored to have been given this opportunity to work with them. —Thomas LaVoy.

SKU: PR.11441750S

UPC: 680160634934. 9.5 x 13 inches.

Stream for Clarinet and String Quartet (2015) was commissioned by the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society in celebration of its 30th Anniversary Season, through support of The William Penn Foundation. The first performance was in April 2016 at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. Notes from the composer: The 'line' in Stream is often threaded together into a chain made up of separate 'points' played by the strings, and sometimes by the string and the clarinet. An analogy might be that each instrument, at times, produces a single 'ray of light' from within the larger light source. Moreover, there are many passages where the intended effect is that of the strings providing a 'halo' surrounding the solo clarinet. Similarly, the clarinet often dovetails with, as well as emerges or submerges in and out of, a strand in the string music..
What's in a name?   In my titles, I generally aim to capture something that I believe to be essential about the particular work.  At some level this is to offer an entry-point for the listener, a glimpse of the composition in its totality.  STREAM as a title came to be when much of the music was already fully composed, and it encapsulates much of what I wish to say in words about this work: it suggests flow - whether gentle or forceful; it implies a journey, one that could take us onto unexpected terrains yet is always moving forward; embedded into this word is also the idea of stream of consciousness, and with it, free association and unexpected twists of fancy. Approximately 16 minutes in duration, STREAM is to be played without a break, yet there are strong elements of a three-movement structure here. An expository quasi-first-movement lays out important materials of varying character; the middle part, suggesting contrast and repose, is initially slow and reflective, but then embarks on new explorations of the notion of stasis, while the final movement is dominated by fast-moving music of high energy that consolidates the previous materials.  Important throughout is the way in which seemingly transitional stretches of music emerge and propel the music onward in ways that are at once unexpected and fantastical. A composer's statement about this work would not be complete without acknowledging the degree to which the work was inspired by the awareness that it was being created for a quintet of extraordinary performers of the most beautiful and flowing musicianship - clarinet virtuoso Anthony McGill and the intrepid Brentano Quartet. Shulamit Ran .

SKU: CF.YAS226F

ISBN 9781491163085. UPC: 680160921836. Key: D major.

Chen Yi’s original A Set of Chinese Folk Songs included ten songs, first arranged for the vocal ensemble Chanticleer to perform with students in the “Singing-in-the-Schools” programs in the 1990's. Taken from a wide range of geographic regions in China, with rich characteristics and expressive contrast, the set has been sung by many choirs around the world in the past thirty years. Three songs from that collection have been thoughtfully arranged into a three-movement suite for intermediate string orchestras, bringing this beautiful Chinese folk music to even more young musicians. The celebratory Fengyang Song is from Anhui province which is popular in the whole country. The lyrical love song Flowing Stream is from Yunnan province in the southwest, and the passionate and vivid Mayila is from the ethnic group known as Kazakhs in the northwest.

SKU: PR.312416820

UPC: 680160050376. 8.5 x 11 inches.

Chen Yi’s most performed and most beloved choral music is a series of 10 Chinese folk songs adapted for S.A.T.B. Chorus (published in 3 volumes: 312-41731, 312-41732, 312-41733). This special version is a setting of the familiar collection, adapted for children’s chorus and strings.
Remembering when I studied composition in the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, I learned to sing hundreds of Chinese folk songs collected from more than twenty provinces and fifty ethnic groups, and went to countryside to collect original folk music every year.  I got to know that the folk songs are a mirror of people’s daily lives, their thoughts and sentiments, local customs and manners.  They are sung in regional dialects and use the idioms of everyday speech with their particular intonations, accents and cadences.  This correlation between speech and music distinguishes folk songs of one region from another.  I learned all songs by heart and sang them back in the exams every week.  They melted in my blood and became my natural music language.  The more I walk into the music life,the more I treasure the rich culture I have learned from my homeland. When I became the Composer-in-Residence of Chanticleer and was invited to write the first work for its concert program, as well as another version for its Singing-In-The-Schools program, I decided to introduce A Set of Chinese Folk Songs to my American audiences, and add a new flavor to Chanticleer’srich repertoire.  The work includes ten folk songs, taken from eight provinces (Anhui, Shaanxi, Yunnan, Shanxi, Taiwan, Sinkiang, Jiangsu and Guizhou) and five ethnic groups (Han, Hasake, Uighur, Miao and Yi).  I arranged them for choirs (men’s or children’s chorus) with various combinations in voices, to be sung mostly in Chinese, some in English.   From the mysterious mountain songs originally sung in the open air with high and long notes that can carry over great distances, the sweet and delicate melodies of young love compared with nature, the humorous antiphony by little children, and the lively dancing tune by villagers, you may get an idea of various music styles in Chinese folk songs according to geographic, ethnic and linguistic differences, and appreciate the beauty of the Chinese folk music.  The pure choir sound and the sophisticated singing by Chanticleer, in terms of pitches, language and musical expressions, really attract and inspire me to create some more new works in the years to come.  In thisedition of A Set of Chinese Folk Songs for standard SATB mixed choir (with piano rehearsal score), I divided these ten songs into three volumes.  They are Fengyang Song, The Flowing Stream, Guessing, Thinking of My Darling, Mayila, Jasmine Flower, Riding on a Mule, Awariguli, Diu Diu Deng, andMountain Song and Dancing Tune.—Chen Yi.

SKU: HL.50488480

UPC: 073999821499. 9.5x12.5x0.062 inches.

Contents: Demierre: Escapade * Woollett: En cueillant des fleurs (Picking Flowers) * Koechlin: Esquisse (Sketch), La olie fleur (The Pretty Flower), En faisant un bouquet (Making a Posy) * Dieudonne: La voliere (The Birdcage), La vieille voiture (The Old Coach), La belette (Restlessness), Le cours d'eau tranquille du jardin (The Softly Flowing Stream in the Garden) * Sauvrezis: A la volee (In Flight) * Ribollet: Insouciante (Free from Care).

SKU: AP.46643

UPC: 038081535623. English. Chinese Folk Song.

This poignant melody is derived from a Chinese folk tune (hill song) of the same name from the Yunnan Province. This arrangement is dedicated to Joseph Cheung, an outstanding Chinese conductor and teacher. Correlates to Book 2, level 2.

SKU: LO.10-5306L

ISBN 9780787766344.

This beautiful baptismal anthem from Patricia Mock and Faye López reflects on the significance of following Christ into streams of living water. Optional parts for acoustic bass and guitar enhance the delicate folk-like sound. Here the water awaits each confession of faith. Come dip your robe in His mercy and His grace..