Minstrels

The Minstrels was commissioned and performed by the BBC Singers in their Winter Solstice concert at St Paul’s Church Knightsbridge London on 21 December 2016 which was broadcast live on BBC Radio 3. This lively non-religious carol a setting of the opening verses of the William Wordsworth poem of the same name paints vivid images of jocular minstrels and their followers completed with cittern effects in the bass part. The clever interplay between the vocal parts and opportunities for fun wordplay make this an exciting and rewarding sing and a very engaging piece for an audience.

extrait du - excerpt from Série I Vol. 5-Claude Debussy's Minstrels for solo Piano.

Debussy écrivit ses 'Préludes' pour piano entre 1909 et 1913. Il en existe 24 au total répartis en 2 livres de tailles égales. Le compositeur considérait les 'Préludes' comme des morceaux de musique indépendants quil ne fallait donc pas nécessairement jouer à la suite les uns des autres. Dans lédition originale les titres figurent à la fin de chaque partie comme une sorte de note de bas de page. Linterprète peut ainsi se faire une première impression sans ?tre influencé par les titres évocateurs de Debussy. Les préludes que jai choisis proviennent tant du premier que du deuxième livre. Ils sont toutefois présentés dans un tout autre ordre quà lorigine. Pour les sélectionner je me suis demandé : Quelles sont les parties qui saccordent dans un nouvel ensemble? La partie centrale 'La fille aux cheveux de lin' qui est sans conteste le prélude le plus connu et 'Minstrels' un morceau empreint dhumour en forment le fil conducteur.Orchestrer quelques-uns de ces préludes pour une harmonie a été une expérience passionnante et instructive. Il ne fait aucun doute que Debussy était un orchestrateur hors pair. Dans mon orchestration jai essayé de servir au mieux le caractère et lesprit général de la musique. Ainsi jai conservé les tonalités dorigine et modifié le moins possible la partition originale en me contentant dajouter parfois des octaves. Çà et là Debussy suggère lui-m?me une orchestration par exemple dans 'Minstrels' o? il écrit 'tambour' en regard dun certain passage rythmé. Enfin je trouve toujours intéressant de placer la musique dans un cadre plus vaste. Debussy termina son deuxième livre de 'Préludes' en 1913. Cette m?me année eut lieu à Paris la première du 'Sacre du Printemps' de Stravinsky. Un an plus tard la Première Guerre mondiale éclata. La fin dune époque ?Karel Deseure

In ‘Land of Legends’ German composer Andreas Ludwig (what’s in a name) Schulte takes you along to the fictional world of legends myths and fairy tales. The introduction to the first part (The Castle) describes the majestic contours of the scene of action. Its instrumentation (horns) immediately makes you imagine being in Medieval spheres. The addition of trenchant copper instruments even gives the part a heroic tinge. After entering through the gate a lot of hustle and bustle appears to be going on in the courtyard. Pages squires and soldiers are busy attending to their arms. Beer is being brewed flax is being spun cattle are being tended and some craftsmen fromneighbouring villages are busily at work. In the upper chamber of the round tower lives an old man (The Old Wizard). He hardly ever comes out and nobody knows exactly what he is doing. It is said that he is engaged in wizardry and magic. It is all very mysterious. There are also festivities some of them sober others exuberant. The wedding in the third part is celebrated in a grand manner. With a flourish of trumpets the bride makes her entrance at the hand of her father. Afterwards at the party there is dancing to the music played by minstrels and of course a plentiful banquet follows.

Piano Solo. This superb collection features advanced piano solo arrangements of 44 pieces by Cuba's greatest composer as well as a biography and photo. Includes: A La Antigua · Ahi Viene El Chino (Here Comes the Chinaman) · Al Fin Te Vi · Alhambra · Andalucia · Ante El Escorial · Arabesque · Aragon · Aragonesa · Bell-Flower · Canto Del Guajiro (Song of the Cuban Farmer) · Cordoba · Danza De Los Nanigos (Dance of the Negroes) · Danza Lucumi · Danza Negra · The Dolls Have a Party (Bacanal de Munocos) · Ella Y Yo · En Tres Por Cuatro (In Three Quarter Time) · Gitanerias · Good Morning (Buenos Dias) · Granada · Guadalquivir · Impromptu · Interrumpida · La Cardenense · La Comparsa(Carnival Procession) · La Conga De Media Noche · La Mulata · La Primera En La Frente · Lola Esta De Fiesta (Lola is Celebrating) · Malaguena · Mazurka Glissando · Merry-Go-Round Whirl (Carousel) · Minstrels · The Moon Lights Up (Cancion de Luna) · Music Box · No Hables Mas!! (Speak No More) · No Puedo Contigo (I Cannot Make You Understand) · Polichinella · Por Que Te Vas? (Why Do You Go) · The Puppets Dance (El Baile de la Muneca) · San Francisco El Grande · Y La Negra Bailaba! · Zambra Gitana.

In ‘Land of Legends’ German composer Andreas Ludwig (what’s in a name) Schulte takes you along to the fictional world of legends myths and fairy tales. The introduction to the first part (The Castle) describes the majestic contours of the scene of action. Its instrumentation (horns) immediately makes you imagine being in Medieval spheres. The addition of trenchant copper instruments even gives the part a heroic tinge. After entering through the gate a lot of hustle and bustle appears to be going on in the courtyard. Pages squires and soldiers are busy attending to their arms. Beer is being brewed flax is being spun cattle are being tended and some craftsmen fromneighbouring villages are busily at work. In the upper chamber of the round tower lives an old man (The Old Wizard). He hardly ever comes out and nobody knows exactly what he is doing. It is said that he is engaged in wizardry and magic. It is all very mysterious. There are also festivities some of them sober others exuberant. The wedding in the third part is celebrated in a grand manner. With a flourish of trumpets the bride makes her entrance at the hand of her father. Afterwards at the party there is dancing to the music played by minstrels and of course a plentiful banquet follows.

Description Here in one volume, are two bodies of work that reveal the essence of Debussy's extraordinary expressiveness and his innovative gifts for musical imagery. Includes 'La Cathedrale engloutie', 'Ondine' and 'La fille aux cheveux de lin'. Songlist Brouillards Bruyeres Canope Ce Qu'a Vu Le Vent D'ouest Danseuses De Delphes De Pas Sur La Neige Feuilles Mortes Feux D'artifice General Lavine Hommage A S.Pickwick Esq La Cathedrale Engloutie La Danse De Puck La Fille Aux Cheveux De Lin La Puerta Del Vinto La Serenade Interrompue La Terrasse Des Audiences Du Clair De Lune Le Vent Dans La Plaine Les Collines D'anacapri Les Fees Sont D'exquises Danseuses Les Sons Et Les Parfums Tournent Dans L'air Du Soir Les Tierces Alternees Minstrels Ondine Voiles

Par DEBUSSY CLAUDE / LOUVIER ALAIN (Arr.). Pour l'adorateur de Debussy que je suis depuis la plus rendre enfance, toucher à ces merveilles que sont les Préludes de Claude Debussy fut un cas de conscience. Le séduisant quatuor avec flûte, avec son trio à cordes, permet à un orchestrateur de métier d'infin ies nuances et dégradés : quatre instruments virtuoses, souvent polyphoniques, aux nombreuses irisations de timbre... Cependant, nous n'avons aucun modèle chez Debussy lui-même d'un tel travail, sinon son Quatuor à cordes (très antérieur) et sa Sonate pour flûte, alto et... harpe ! Sans ajouter une harpe (qui possède l'étendue du piano), impossible d'imaginer La Cathédrale Engloutie ou La Terrasse des audiences du clair de lune ... les résonances graves du piano, si poétiques, quasi magiques, ne pourraient être traduites par quatre instruments non résonants. J'ai donc dû choisir peu de Préludes, ne voulant pas trahir Debussy. Après une écoute intérieure très exigeante, et en me permettant, à la rigueur, quelques brèves octaviations de l'extrême-grave du piano, je me suis limité à six, trois dans chaque livre: 1er livre : - Des Pas sur la neige (n° 6) - La Sérénade interrompue (n° 9) - Minstrels (n° 12) 2e livre: - Bruyères (n°5) - Hommage à Sir Pickwick PPMPC (n° 9) - Canope (n° 10) Très vite, j'ai compris que partir du son-piano était une erreur; il valait mieux imaginer le Debussy des années 1910 orchestrant ces pièces pour une grande formation (du type Ibéria ou Jeux), puis réduire pour un petit orchestre de quatre instruments. D'où l'emploi de batteries (même à la flûte), de trémolos, de doublures étranges pour simuler les timbres absents, créer des illusions de polyphonie, si prisées des orchestrateurs français. J'espère n'en avoir pas abusé; j'ai essayé de mettre dans ces transcriptions toute l'imagination - tous les sons improbables - que Debussy aurait lui-même recherchés. Alain WlMER/ Répertoire / Flûte et Trio à Cordes

Four of Debussy's most playable Preludes for Piano. Including 'Danseuses De Delphes' 'Des Pas Sur La Neige' 'La Fille Aux Cheveux De Lin' and 'Minstrels'. Grade: 7 - 8

Work for Mezzo-Soprano and Orchestra. Judith Weir: Much of my non-operatic work for solo voice occupies an area between folk music and cabaret. In 1990 I began a personal project which is still going on today to write asmany songs as I could with the word 'horse' in the title. This short preliminary set was collected together and orchestrated for a Spitalfields Festival concert in 1996. It was written for the soprano Jane Manning her ensembleJane's Minstrels and their conductor Roger Montgomery. Text: Lawrence Ferlinghetti Scottish Folk Text and Wang Wei.

A Look at the American Musical Theater. This revised and expanded edition of Kislan's acclaimed study of America's musical theater includes a new section on Recent Musical Theater: Issues and Problems. The ancient union of drama and song known as musical theater comes in many forms - vaudeville burlesque comic opera minstrels etc. The author reviews these and other highlights of American musicals ... with a fascinating background on the elements that contribute to the success of a Showboat. - King Features · Worth study by anyone who still thinks that the musical is a collection of songs. - The Stage

In ‘Land of Legends’ German composer Andreas Ludwig (what’s in a name) Schulte takes you along to the fictional world of legends myths and fairy tales. The introduction to the first part (The Castle) describes the majestic contours of the sceneof action. Its instrumentation (horns) immediately makes you imagine being in Medieval spheres. The addition of trenchant copper instruments even gives the part a heroic tinge. After entering through the gate a lot of hustle and bustle appearsto be going on in the courtyard. Pages squires and soldiers are busy attending to their arms. Beer is being brewed flax is being spun cattle are being tended and some craftsmen from neighbouring villages are busily at work. In the upperchamber of the round tower lives an old man (The Old Wizard). He hardly ever comes out and nobody knows exactly what he is doing. It is said that he is engaged in wizardry and magic. It is all very mysterious. There are also festivities some ofthem sober others exuberant. The wedding in the third part is celebrated in a grand manner. With a flourish of trumpets the bride makes her entrance at the hand of her father. Afterwards at the party there is dancing to the music played byminstrels and of course a plentiful banquet follows.