SKU: GI.G-8868
UPC: 785147886808. English. Text by Mary Louise Bringle.
This festive gathering hymn will enliven your assembly during the Advent season. It includes optional flute and tambourine parts. Bring a sense of joy to your Christmas anticipation! SATB or Unision, optional Assembly. May be used as an entrance hymn or processional with dancers.
SKU: HL.48181098
UPC: 888680932947. 9x12 inches.
Dancers is the second volume of a set of six pieces called Romantic Suite. Composed by Robert Planel for alto saxophone and piano, this second piece is for intermediate players. In Dancers, the piano starts on its own but is soon joined by the saxophone. The piece is divided in five parts, the first one being the main theme which is later repeated as the last one. The tempo is quite fast on most of the piece, except for the third section. The full set of six volumes features: 1. Italian Serenade 2. Dancers 3. Sad Song 4. Feeling Waltz 5. Christmas story 6. Muleteer's song. Robert Planel (1908-1994) was a French musician and pedagogue.
SKU: CF.BPS148
ISBN 9781491163443. UPC: 680160922239.
Dance of the Crows was composed with the image of Renaissance-style dances in mind. In addition, some Danse Macabre concept started to form in my mind. I could see this melody as a part of some larger narrative in which a character attends a dance, and everything is beautiful and in sync. But when the character starts to look closer, things aren't what they seem. The dancers are actually animalistic hybrids, and the decorations are mockeries of life rather than celebrations of life. The food is inedible, and the shadows seem to have eyes. And that's why, though the melody is simple and largely on the beat, it elicits an uncomfortable and offbeat feeling.Performance Notes:The melody should have a calm almost restrained feeling until m. 17 when things should take a slightly more aggressive turn. Be sure to bring out the dynamics during the percussion break at m. 29 and the outro at m. 41. Feel free to use as many shaker-like instruments as desired in the Percussion 2 part. Use the largest possible tom-tom for the Percussion 3 part. Be sure to have the bass drum player mute all staccato notes with the hand.
SKU: CF.BPS148F
ISBN 9781491163849. UPC: 680160922635.
SKU: HL.4008005
How often has something been justified by, declared to be, or blessed as “in the name of†some cause or other? How can it be that opposing armies and the use of weapons are ever “in the name ofâ€...? This is a common thread in the history of different faiths. Good was created but evil was committed and all “in the name of...†This thread is also found in the history of the Premonstratensian Abbey at Wadgassen. The abbey was built in the 12th century on unfertile, desolate moorland, which later evolved into the most powerful religious community in the Saarland. The history of the abbey records quite astounding achievements under the motto desertum florebit quasi lilium (“the desert will bloom like a lilyâ€); but also the harsh treatment of delinquents. The order had its own school, in which children were taught the seven liberal arts (which included music as well as geography and astronomy), but the poor were left to starve outside the abbey walls and were only allowed to eat from the members' on feast days. The medieval witch trials demanded their pound of flesh, and one group that fell victim were ecstatic dancers who moved wildly to music--which was interpreted as the devil's work. The result: a show trial that sentenced the dancers to death by fire. All in the name of... The year is 1789: Abbot Bordier is in the tenth year of his command. He does not yet know that he is to be the last abbot of an almost 700-year-tradition. Not far from the abbey is the French border, which has long been making itself felt with the sound of gunfire, and the brothers continue to keep a nervous eye on it. The first portents of the French Revolution loom, but no one wants to believe it--that is, until the French pound the door down, storm the abbey and come right into the brothers' chambers. In a blind fury, all the pipes of the abbey organ are torn out, icons beheaded with swords and brothers beaten death while numerous buildings are set on fire. The abbey church is in flames. A frantic and desperate escape begins. Abbot Bordier and a handful of brothers make their getaway via the River Saar, adjacent to the abbey, to the neighbouring village of Bous. They survive, but their life--the Premonstratensian abbey--is destroyed. While they flee towards Prague and the sanctuary of the Strahov Monastery, the abbey at Wadgassen is razed to the ground and becomes a stone quarry. The desert blooms once more, however. A few short decades later, a glasswork arises from the foundations of the abbey. As peace returns to the region, it brings jobs and a new vision for its people.
SKU: HL.4008004
SKU: FA.MFCD014PN
8.27 x 11.69 inches.
Fetes galantes was actually planned as a hybrid opera-ballet to a libretto by Debussy's friend Louis Laloy. For this, Laloy arranged selected poetry by Paul Verlaine into three tableaux, replacing an earlier (unstarted) Debussyan project with Charles Morice entitled Crimen amoris. During his last productive summer of 1915, Debussy set a sequence from the start of the first tableau, 'Les Masques', involving stanzas 1 and 3 of the opening song for Mezzetin in Verlaine's comedy Les Uns et les autres. The action is set in a park a la Watteau late one summer afternoon as Mezzetin attempts to entertain a group of nonchalant masqueraders with only the aid of his voice and a mandolin.This appears to have been prefaced by a slower, elegiac introduction reminiscent of the opening of the comtemporary Cello Sonata and it leads to a danced minuet by the masqued dancers which has clear echoes of the piano piece L'Isle Joyeuse (1904). Following Laloy's scenario, the mas-queraders then sing extracts from Verlaine's 'A la promenade' (from Fetes galantes itself). The minuet returns at greater length before being cut short by a chilly gust of wind, after which the park returns to its orginal state (and music) as though nothing had really happened.
SKU: BT.MUSAM91952
ISBN 9780711940680. English.
An essential collection of great jazz classics as originally performed by the Duke Ellington Orchestra, newly arranged for piano. Includes 'Caravan', 'Take The 'A' Train', 'In A Sentimental Mood' and 'Perdido'.
SKU: CF.SPS71
ISBN 9781491143544. UPC: 680160901043. Key: G minor.
Nordanvind is a tour de force symphonic rhapsody that is built on three Scandinavian folk songs. Composer Carl Strommen has composed these Viking-influenced melodies into a concert setting that brings out all of the history of the Scandinavian people. The piece is at times bold and aggressive, at other times beautiful. Carl employs all of the instrumental colors of the concert band to create a new work for more advanced ensembles.Modern Scandinavians are descendants of the Vikings, an adventuresome people who were known for their love of the sea, their naval prowess, and as fierce fighters . The Scandinavian Vikings were warriors from Denmark, Norway, and Sweden who traded, raided and settled in various parts of Europe, Russia, the North Atlantic islands, and the northeastern coast of North America .Starting around 1850, over one million Swedes left their homeland for the United States in search of religious freedom and open farm land . Augustana College was founded in 1860 by graduates of Swedish universities and is located on the Mississippi River in Rock Island, Illinois . Home of the “Vikings,†Augustana College is the oldest Swedish- American institution of higher learning in the United States . This powerful and lively piece takes inspiration from Swedish history and from Swedish folk songs and hymns .Havsdrake (Dragon of the Sea)The Nordanvind or “North Wind†blows a cold wind during a journey of a group of courageous Viking rowers . The “Dragon-ship†or long ships designed for raiding and war was a sophisticated, fast ship able to navigate in very shallow water . To musically portray these magnificent seafaring vessels, the director is encouraged to use an Ocean Drum (or a rain stick) during the introduction . Wind players may consider blowing air through their instruments to suggest the North wind . Adding men’s voices to accompany the haunting low brass and percussive “rower†sounds can be helpful in creating the dark and ominous portrayal of Viking adventurers .Slangpolska efter Byss - KalleIn Sweden, a “polska†is a partner dance where the dancers spin each other (släng in Swedish “to sling or tossâ€) . Slangpolska efter Byss - Kalle is attributed to Byss-Kalle, who was a notable Swedish folk musician, specifically a nyckelharpa player . Slangpolska efter Byss - Kalle is a traditional “polska†dance song most often played on the Nyckelharpa or keyed fiddle and is commonly heard in pubs and at festive events throughout Sweden . Approximately 10,000 nyckelharpa players live in Sweden today, and the Swedish and the American Nyckelharpa Associations are dedicated to this Swedish National instrument . The director is encouraged to share video and audio examples of the nyckelharpa playing the original Slangpolska efter Byss - Kalle .Tryggare Kan Ingen Vara (Children of the Heavenly Father)Tryggare Kan Ingen Vara Is a traditional Swedish melody, possibly of German roots, and was believed to be arranged as a hymn by the Swedish hymn writer, Karolina Wilhelmina Sandell-Berg (1832–1903) . As a daughter of a Swedish Lutheran minister, she began writing poems as a teenager and is said to have written over 1,700 different texts . There are two different accounts as to the inspiration for this hymn . The first story is that Lina (as she was called) wrote the hymn to honor her father and to say thank you to him for raising her and protecting her . A second belief is of her witnessing the tragic death of her father . She and her father were on a boat, when a wave threw her father overboard . It was said that the profound effect of watching her father drown is what caused Lina to write the text to this hymn . Although this is a treasured song to people of Swedish descent everywhere, it speaks to all people about a father tending and nourishing his children, and protecting them from evil .SPS71FThe Augustana College Concert BandFounded in 1874, the Augustana Band program is one of the oldest continuously active collegiate band programs in the country . The Concert Band is one of two bands on campus and was formed more than thirty years ago . The Concert Band attracts students of every skill level and from a wide variety of majors . Students in the ensemble play a large part in choosing their music for performance, which include works from the standard repertoire, orchestral transcriptions, and the latest compositions from leading composers .Rick Jaeschke began his musical career as a clarinet player in the 1st US Army Band . He received a Bachelor of Music degree from Susquehanna University, a Masters of Music from James Madison University, and a doctorate from Columbia University in New York . He was also fortunate to study conducting with Donald Hunsburger and with Frederick Fennell .Dr . Jaeschke taught band and choir at Great Mills High School in Southern Maryland, and for fifteen years, he was the district Music Supervisor in Armonk, New York, where he taught high school concert and jazz bands, beginning band, and music technology . During that time, the music program flourished, and the high school band consistently received Gold Medals in the New York State Festivals, as well as in national, and international festivals . As a clarinet and saxophone player, Dr . Jaeschke performed in the New York metropolitan area with the Rockland Symphony Orchestra, the Putnam Symphony Orchestra, Fine Arts Symphony Orchestra, and served as the concert master for the Hudson Valley Wind Symphony .For several years, Dr . Jaeschke served as the Fine Arts Coordinator for the District 204 schools in Naperville, IL, a district selected as One of the Best 100 Schools in America for Music . Currently, Dr . Jaeschke is an Associate Professor at Augustana College where he teaches music and music education courses, and directs the Concert Band . He has served on various educational boards, is a National edTPA scorer, and has presented at state, national and international music conferences . He lives with his family in Bettendorf Iowa, and enjoys any opportunity to explore the open water in his sea kayak .