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: CA.739400
ISBN 9790007186067. Language: English. Text: Tagore, Rabindranath.
The same stream of life for mixed choir (SSAATTBB), lyrics by Bengali poet and philosopher Rabindranath Tagore, was commissioned by the conductor of the New Dublin Voices, Bernie Sherlock. The New Dublin Voices were awarded for the piece, from the Arts Council Ireland. The piece was premiered at the Unitarian Church on Sunday 11th September 2016 in Dublin. It was performed at leading festivals and competitions including the International Chamber Choir Competition in Marktoberdorf in June 2017, and the World Symposium on Choral Music in Barcelona (July 2017).
SKU: GI.G-1049
UPC: 785147004929.
James Jordan and The Same Stream should be commended for this album. The Same Stream succeeds in presenting this collection of twenty-first century choral music with a high degree of technical accuracy. Their sectional balance is nearly perfect, and contains impeccable intonation. The performances on this recording should have a wide appeal to twenty-first century choral music enthusiasts. — Gerrit S.C. Scheepers, Indiana, PA Choral Journal (September 2020) These tracks represent the first full CD of a new American choral ensemble: The Same Stream. The choir’s very existence is the living result of questions regarding what it means to sing together within a deeply “knitted” community, a community that shares answers to commonly held questions and beliefs about what creates a truly human resonance within and among singers. For me, this ensemble is a continuation of beliefs that have been my North Star all of my career. To hear those questions answered and dreams become a reality with the establishment of The Same Stream choir is deeply humbling, gratifying and life affirming. It is our hope that these recordings enrich those who hear them—as much as making them has made our lives deeper and more meaningful. — James Jordan, Artistic Director and Conductor of The Same Stream www.thesamestreamchoir.com Recorded in the unparalleled Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia, The Same Stream's debut full-length recording, Songs of the Questioner, features music by outstanding living composers with a personal connection to the ensemble. Music by Thomas LaVoy, Paul Mealor, Peter Relph, and Dan Forrest help the listener to explore those deep and important questions that follow us throughout our entire lives.
SKU: GI.G-10886
ISBN 9781622777365.
James Jordan has been at the forefront of Choral Pedagogy for over 35 years. His landmark publications under the guidance of Frauke Haasemann have afforded him a front row seat to the development of Choral Warm-Up Pedagogy. His studies in the Psychology of Music with Edwin Gordon have allowed him to marry the pedagogy of the choral warm-up with Music Learning Theory. His text, The Choral Warm-Up (GIA), shared the pedagogical method for building healthy choral sound with teachers around the world. This book shares the exercises that have been at the core of vocal pedagogy for the choirs at Westminster Choir College: Chapel Choir/Schola Cantorum, Westminster Williamson Voices, Symphonic Choir, Westminster Choir, and his professional ensemble, The Same Stream (thesamestreamchoir.com). The revolutionary sequence of the efficient exercises in this book, while they appear simple, fold voice science and Music Learning Theory into the choral warm-up by refocusing choral ensemble warm-up pedagogy on tongue position and the inner architecture of vowels. Using only the triadic 1-3-5 provides a consistent pedagogy for vocal health for every ensemble that creates beautiful choral blend, accurate intonation, and a humanly centered sound for choirs at all levels. The gestural pedagogy and specific techniques for conducing these exercises and the Core Vocal Exercises (G-6397A) can be found in a series of streaming videos here: SV-1129 James Jordan is Professor of Conducting and Director of Choral Studies at Westminster Choir College of Rider University, where he conducts the Westminster Choir and the Westminster Symphonic Choir. He has published over 60 books regarding Choral Pedagogy, Conducting, and the Philosophy of Music Teaching and Performance. John Frederick Hudson is a London-based composer, conductor, and pianist who holds degrees from Westminster Choir College and The University of Aberdeen (Scotland), where he earned a PhD in Composition, studying with Paul Mealor. His published music can be found at Beckenhorst Press and in the Evoking Sound Choral Series at GIA.
SKU: GI.G-9759
ISBN 9781622772629.
Rehearsals should be structured in a way that trusts that human beings are truly the miracle workers and that if we work on being human, the magic of this thing called “moral acoustic” will resonate in a powerful, honest, and compelling way. For at the very end of the day, our goal in harnessing the energy contained in a moral acoustic is to create the most honest and direct communicative voice possible—a voice that can change lives and enrich our humanness just by hearing it, feeling it, and being touched by its ‘moral acoustic.’ —James Jordan, from Chapter 4 This volume is a continuation of the journey James Jordan began in his now iconic book The Musician’s Soul. In The Moral Acoustic of Sound, Jordan explores and defines those factors that create a “moral acoustic”—those human resonances among and between musicians. This book delves into the nature of authenticity and honesty in choral sound and how conductors and teachers, through these new understandings, can draw forth that which is living within each ensemble of musicians no matter their age or experience. Using the power of metaphor, this book attempts to provide answers to unlock the magic and mysteries in music making and human expression. Specific to the journey of The Moral Acoustic of Sound: Understanding trust between and among musicians The relationship of intonation and color as a function of moral acoustic Humility and its role in music making Thatching within an ensemble Enfleshment as a vital part of music making Metaphors that guide conductors to deeper listening Fostering generosity in music making Grammy-nominated conductor and music psychologist James Jordan is Professor and Senior Conductor at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ, where he conducts the acclaimed Westminster Williamson Voices and the Westminster Schola Cantorum. He is also Artistic Director and Conductor of The Same Stream (thesamestreamchoir.com). He heads two of the leading programs in the world for mentoring conductors, serving as Director of the renowned Westminster Conducting Institute and Co-Director of the Choral Institute at Oxford, held annually at St. Stephen’s House, Oxford, UK.
SKU: GI.G-1121
UPC: 785147812128.
On January 6, 2022, my friend Roger Ames passed after a battle with ALS. Throughout his illness, I dare say that work on this recording, selecting music and discussing scores, seemed to energize him every time we spoke. For musicians, I know our work gives our life purpose, but this recording seemed to give him a somewhat needed distraction. For me, this recording was one of the honors of my life. We all treated this music as sacred cargo. Roger heard a few tracks of the recording before he passed and wrote in a text the day before he passed that he “will listen from the other side.” For many years, I wanted to record an album of his music. In my mind, it was several projects ahead on our timetable. When Rog shared his diagnosis, I immediately said we would move the timeline for project to the summer of 2021. Rog selected all the music, much of which you will hear for the first time on this recording, which spans his entire career. The Same Stream met on hot days of an August summer in 2021 and recorded the music. Again, I am happy to say that Rog heard a few of the tracks before he passed. — James Jordan.
SKU: GI.G-10562
ISBN 9781622775989.
Continuing the journey started in The Musician’s Soul in 1999… In The Musician’s Empathy, James Jordan argues for both awareness and understanding of the essential role Empathy plays in honest musicianship. Jordan states that our awareness of what Empathy is (and is not) will build both new human depth and new connection within the rehearsal room and concert hall. This book is a collection of suggestions and metaphors for how musicians can harness their own human empathy to refocus rehearsals and performances. Jordan passionately argues that an acute and constant awareness and understanding of Empathy should be at the forefront of all music making, and must be the threshold to artistry and human connection in a post-pandemic world “re-set.” Joining with James Jordan, Jason Max Ferdinand shares how Empathy has shaped his own music making. The book also contains a wealth of QR codes for video presentations dealing with topics related to this book for both self-exploration and class use. Grammy-nominated James Jordan is Professor of Conducting at Westminster Choir College of Rider University, where he conducts the acclaimed Westminster Williamson Voices. He is Artistic Director and Conductor of The Same Stream (www.thesamestreamchoir.com). He is Co-Director of the Choral Institute at Oxford and Director of the Westminster Conducting Institute. Jason Max Ferdinand is Director of Choral Activities at Oakwood University, where he conducts the Aeolians of Oakwood University.
SKU: GI.G-9533
ISBN 9781622772407.
All our truth, or all but a few fragments, is won by metaphor. We don’t grasp the meaning of a word or concept until we have a clear image to connect it with. — C.S. Lewis Understanding artistry and those “things” that contribute to honest and direct musical expression are concepts that are both difficult to teach and difficult for us to understand as conductors and teachers. Born out of his teaching at The Choral Institute at Oxford each summer, James Jordan has realized the power of metaphor for teaching the highest artistic concepts involving human connection and deeper listening. The home of The Choral Institute at Oxford is St. Stephen’s House, the very place that C. S. Lewis worshipped. In this book, Jordan adapts Lewis’s love of powerful and effective metaphors. Jordan uses metaphors as a guide to help conductors engage the most profound the concepts of artistry in music, concepts that are often elusive to teach or learn. These metaphors can be effective doorways to understand our role as artist teacher/conductors in new and vibrant ways. In this book, Jordan explores: The metaphor of conductor as a refractive prism connecting musicians to conductors within constant communicative connection The light-generating source for conductors The power of abiding Polishing one’s metaphorical prism for the most powerful refraction to others Rethinking the “sublime” in music making Understanding and avoiding musical “kitsch” The power of predictive audiation as ultimate trust The artist’s necessary journey into loneliness GRAMMY-nominated conductor James Jordan is Professor and Senior Conductor at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey. He is conductor of the internationally acclaimed Westminster Williamson Voices and the Westminster Schola Cantorum, and is Artistic Director and Conductor of The Same Stream (thesamestreamchoir.com). He is Director of The Westminster Conducting Institute and is Co-Director along with James Whitbourn of The Choral Institute at Oxford. James Jordan talks about his new work, Conductor As Prism:.
SKU: GI.G-1092
UPC: 785147009221.
This world premiere recording features two new choral collections. The Fire of Love sets the words of fourteenth-century English mystic Richard Rolle, who depicted the soul’s movement towards God through the phases of heat, sweetness, and song, with song being the ultimate expression of the soul. For the second collection, Patrick has set nine of William Blake’s Songs of Innocence, and the fragile poetry gives rise to tender and heartfelt music. Somehow, I knew that I and The Same Stream needed to collaborate on a recording with Patrick Hawes. This recording grew out of our shared desire to collaborate on some new scores. Over the months that ensued from our initial meeting, the music on this CD grew out of meaningful exchanges between a composer and a conductor… Both works, The Fire of Love and Songs of Innocence, represent settings of profound poets that capture some essences of lives lived. But what made an impact upon us all was the honesty that Patrick Hawes knitted into these scores. Working with him on this recording was inspirational for us all. His passion for communicating through sound was radiantly clear to us, and it is our hope that his passion for these words by Richard Rolle and William Blake become alive in your ears and your heart. — James Jordan Click here to download the CD booklet Learn more about this album from Patrick Hawes, James Jordan, and The Same Stream in the video below:.
SKU: GI.G-10014
ISBN 9781622774494.
May this book serve to mend with gold our individual lives, and collectively to sing together toward the future. —Makoto Fujimura, from the Foreword Twenty years after the publication of his landmark work The Musician’s Soul, James Jordan returns to themes of musicianship, human connection, and artistry—but with depth and insight only possible with twenty years of additional perspective. Jordan explores our need for humility in music making and the importance of “slow art” for all musicians and teachers in this fast information age. He reflects on the loneliness of musicians and draws on yoga concepts to explore our deepest places. And he advocates, with contributions from Dominic Gregorio and Mark Moliterno, the gift of abundances and learning to breathe “as” another. The Musician’s Being, like its predecessor, is filled with inspiring, thought-provoking quotations, enlightened ideas and insights, and a contagious passion for the art of music making. Jordan has written another profound guide to musicianship and to “being” that miracle of artistry and human experience. James Jordan is Professor and Senior Conductor at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, where he conducts the acclaimed Westminster Williamson Voices. He is also Artistic Director and Conductor of the professional ensemble The Same Stream Choir (thesamestreamchoir.com), and Co-Director of the Choral Institute at Oxford (rider.edu/Oxford). He has published over 60 books and resources for music educators and conductors that are read around the world. Dominic Gregorio (1977–2019) served as Associate Professor and Director of Choral Activities at the University of Regina in Canada. He collaborated with James Jordan on several notable publications, including Discovering Chant, The Musician's Spirit, and The Musician's Being. Mark Moliterno is an accomplished professional opera singer, voice teacher, yoga teacher, IAYT-certified Yoga Therapist, workshop leader, and author who is known as a specialist in helping people understand and uncover their authentic voices. Enjoy this discussion of The Musician’s Being featuring Makoto Fujimura, Irene Gregorio, Alec Harris, Mark Moliterno, and Mike Scheibe. The hour is filled with enlightened, thought-provoking ideas and insights, and a contagious passion for the art of music making.
SKU: GI.G-1078
The musical prowess of Paul Mealor is brought to life in this new recording by The Same Stream, directed by Grammy-nominated conductor, James Jordan. Mealor’s gift for melody, thick harmonic textures, and subtle dissonances, as performed by a choral ensemble that knows what it means to sing together, lead the listener into a deep and spiritual musical journey. “His music, to quote Ezra Pound, is truly ‘undivided light,’ rooted in deep spiritual places that are there hidden within.” (James Jordan) Serenity is a stunning recording that you will want to add to your listening library.
SKU: GI.G-8955
UPC: 785147895503. Latin. Text Source: From the Liturgy of the Hours for Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
My setting of this well-known prayer is largely based on a piece of 16th-century visual art of the same name,Salvator mundi, attributed to Leonardo da Vinci. Though many artists have created similar paintings depicting Christ in this fashion, Leonardo’s is of the small minority in which the orb that Christ holds in his left hand lacks any sort of ornamentation or indeed any kind of religious symbol at all. The orb, as it appears in other depictions, is referred to as a globus cruciger (cross-bearing orb). This term does not apply in this instance, as the orb lacks a cross, existing purely as an unblemished globe, calm and serene, mirroring the expression that is present on Christ’s face. This piece should be sung in largely the same way that the painting appears on the canvas: subdued and reverent. The dynamic contrasts in measures 22–28 represent a very human supplication to Christ, but they should not be overstated or dramatic in any way. Such is the case with the entire work, it is a very introspective take on the prayer’s text, and as such it should feel quietly restrained and reflective throughout. The piece ends with four double-barred repetitions of the word “Deus,” representing the four points of the cross. Listen to The Same Stream perform Salvator Mundi from Songs of the Questioner.
SKU: GI.G-1095
The Universe works in strange ways. Recorded almost three years ago, none of us could have known that when this recording was released the world would have lived through a life-altering pandemic or a tumultuous upheaval in the cultural awareness that now surrounds us. The work that opens this recording—with the words of Quaker George Fox that end with, “So be faithful, and live in that which doth not think the time long”—provides a haunting premonition regarding the time in which we live, Quaker George Fox is strangely prophetic about these days and perhaps provides a future caution for us all. The music chosen for this recording is strangely and poignantly relevant, I believe, for each of us. “The Fruit of Silence” by Pēteris Vasks reminds us to visit those beliefs that are most sacred in the work by Cortlandt Matthews. A deeply personal Requiem by Peter Relph, in reflection, remembers the hundreds of thousands of lives lost in the pandemic. And then there is Thomas LaVoy’s “O Great Beyond.” All great texts are timeless and speak to the universality of the human condition. Particularly, the George Fox text set by Jackson Hill and the Tagore text set by LaVoy give us messages to reinforce the humanness of each of us for hope. Two other works on this recording poignantly remind us of the passing of life, with the Relph Requiem and especially the final movement of “O Great Beyond.” May these words give comfort to all those who endured the deepest of Life’s losses during our shared pandemic journey. For so many loved ones, goodbyes were said in silence, and alone. It is our hope that all the music on this CD will show us a way for living as we move forward and also give loving comfort to those who have lost loved ones. Peace, my heart, let the time for the parting be sweet. Let it not be a death but completeness. Let love melt into memory and pain into songs. Let the flight through the sky end in the folding of the wings over the nest. Let the last touch of your hands be gentle like the flower of the night. Stand still, O Beautiful End, for a moment, and say your last words in silence. I bow to you and hold up my lamp to light you on your way. —Rabindranath Tagore in The Gardener (1913).
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: HL.287559
ISBN 9781540043313. UPC: 888680904715. 9.0x12.0x0.299 inches.
This one-of-a-kind collection presents accessible, must-know songs from the Beatles and Bob Dylan to Dave Matthews Band and Tom Petty for those who have been learning 12-string guitar and are eager to put their new skills to work. You'll find a combination of tab, chords and lyrics for 50 great songs, including: California Dreamin' • Carry On • Closer to the Heart • Do You Believe in Magic • Free Fallin' • Give a Little Bit • A Hard Day's Night • Hotel California • Leaving on a Jet Plane • Life by the Drop • Like the Way I Do • Melissa • Mr. Tambourine Man • More Than a Feeling • The One I Love • Over the Hills and Far Away • Solsbury Hill • Space Oddity • Still the Same • Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season) • The Waiting • Wish You Were Here • You Wear It Well • and more!
About First 50
You've been taking lessons, you've got a few chords under your belt, and you're ready to buy a songbook. Now what? Hal Leonard has the answers in its First 50 series. The First 50 series steers new players in the right direction. These books contain easy to intermediate arrangements for must-know songs. Each arrangement is simple and streamlined, yet still captures the essence of the tune.
SKU: M7.ART-42185
ISBN 9783866421851.
Sie schätzen die Klavierstücke von Ludovico Einaudi, Yann Tiersen, Philip Glass oder Yiruma? Sie mögen emotionale, epische oder cinematische Musik? Dann werden Sie 'New Piano Dimensions' lieben! 'New Piano Dimensions' enthält 18 neue Kompositionen, welche die Dimensionen moderner Klaviermusik ausloten. Die leichten bis mittelschweren Stücke sind mit überschaubarem Aufwand erlernbar und ermöglichen auch Pianisten mit begrenztem spieltechnischem Können ein rasches Erfolgserlebnis. Mit ihrem ansprechenden und gleichermaßen zeitgemäßen Klangcharakter richten sie sich vor allem an Jugendliche und junge Erwachsene. Für den Einsatz im Klavierunterricht wurden die Stücke nach Schwierigkeitsgrad geordnet, sodass der Lehrer, je nach Vermögen des jeweiligen Schülers, eine passende Auswahl treffen kann. Unter www.artist-ahead-download.de stehen die enthaltenen Klavierstücke als Audio- und MP3-Dateien zum Download zur Verfügung.
SKU: HL.7013614
UPC: 840126915112. 9.0x12.0x0.333 inches.
Here is an economical collection of 15 complete arrangements in a variety of styles. Perfect for quickly building a library of great sounding charts. Playable with 3 saxes, 2 trumpets, 1 trombone, piano, drums. Includes: Ain't No Mountain High Enough; Baby, It's Cold Outside; Blue 'n' Moody; Blue Train; Come Fly with Me; Final Countdown; Green Onions; Hawaii Five-O Theme; Livin' on a Prayer; Puttin' on the Ritz; Sesame Street Theme; Sway (Quien Sera); 25 or 6 to 4; What'd I Say; and You've Got a Friend in Me. Full-band demo recordings are included. Audio is accessed online using the unique code inside the book and can be streamed or downloaded. The audio files include PLAYBACK+, a multi-functional audio player that allows you to slow down audio without changing pitch, set loop points, change keys, and pan left or right.
SKU: PR.466411770
UPC: 680160640850. 9 x 12 inches.
Mississippi I. Father of Waters: born of the Highlands and the Lakes; the Glaciers, the Mountains, and the Prairies. The picture of your birth is clounded in the ice and mists of ancient ages but your spirit remains our life stream. II. The Red Man knew your bountiful gifts and gave thanks to the Great Spirit on your banks. -- The Spanish and French Fathers brought the glory of Christianity to America on Mississippi. But all men, white and dark; -- Indian, Spaniard, and Negro; Bourbon and Yankee, combined to make Mississippi the heart of America. Saga of the Mississippi Harl McDonald Born near Boulder, Colorado, July 27, 1899 Now living in Philadelphia The original suggestion for a symphonic work on the subject of the Mississippi came indirectly from the late Booth Tarkington who saw in it color and movement and atmosphere translatable into the terms of music. In the course of time, by the mysterious processes of composers' chemistry, it took shape as a tone-poem of two sections, one representing the rise of the great stream from its primeval geologic sources, the other the human history of the river. Mr. McDonald devised the following verbal outline of the general scheme of his diptych: I. Father of Waters: born of the Highlands and the Lakes; the Glaciers, the Mountains, and the Prairies. The picture of your birth is clounded in the ice and mists of ancient ages but your spirit remains our life stream. II. The Red Man knew your bountiful gifts and gave thanks to the Great Spirit on your banks. -- The Spanish and French Fathers brought the glory of Christianity to America on Mississippi. But all men, white and dark; -- Indian, Spaniard, and Negro; Bourbon and Yankee, combined to make Mississippi the heart of America. The first of the two movements, beginning molto andante, is vaguel modal to hint at antiquity. It is built upon the conventional two themes, with an episode, poco piu mosso, misterioso, for prehistoric murk and muck. There are various changes of pace and mood. The second, Allegro ma vigorosamente, prefigures an Indian ceremony. A theme presented by flute, clarinet and bassoon is a Canadian Indian fishing call collected by the late J.B. Beck. A later passage of quasi-Gregorian chant identifies the French and Spanish priests who made the great river their highway. The fishing-call is altered in rhythm and harmony to represent Negro field hands and roustabous. A turbulent close brings all these elemts together in the muddy swirling currents of the Mississippi. The work was begun in the summer of 1945, and was revised and completed in the summer of 1947. Harl McDonald, who is the manager of The Philadelphia Orchestra, has concerned himself with music as an art, as a science and as a business in course of his career. He was born on a cattle ranch in the Rockies, but since his was a musical family, his up-bringing combined piano lessons with ranch life. Years of study and professional experience followed in Los Angeles and in Germany. In 1927 he was appointed lecuter in composition at the University of Pennsylvania and he has since then made is home in Philadelphia. In 1933 under a grant of the Rockefeller FOundation he collaborated with physicists in research dealing with the measurement of instrumental and vocal tone, new scale divisions and the resultant harmonies. In that same year he was named head of the University's music faculty and conductor of its choral organizations. In 1939, having been a member of the Board of Directors for five years, he was appointed manager of The Philadelphia Orchestra. He continus to write, but otherwise his entire attention is now devoted to managerial duties. Chief items in the catalogue of his compositions are four symphonies, three orchestra suites, a half-dozen tone-poems, three concertos and considerable quantity of choral music.
SKU: HL.49046544
ISBN 9781705122655. UPC: 842819108726. 9.0x12.0x0.224 inches.
I composed the Piano Concerto in two stages: the first three movements during the years 1985-86, the next two in 1987, the final autograph of the last movement was ready by January, 1988. The concerto is dedicated to the American conductor Mario di Bonaventura. The markings of the movements are the following: 1. Vivace molto ritmico e preciso 2. Lento e deserto 3. Vivace cantabile 4. Allegro risoluto 5. Presto luminoso.The first performance of the three-movement Concerto was on October 23rd, 1986 in Graz. Mario di Bonaventura conducted while his brother, Anthony di Bonaventura, was the soloist. Two days later the performance was repeated in the Vienna Konzerthaus. After hearing the work twice, I came to the conclusion that the third movement is not an adequate finale; my feeling of form demanded continuation, a supplement. That led to the composing of the next two movements. The premiere of the whole cycle took place on February 29th, 1988, in the Vienna Konzerthaus with the same conductor and the same pianist. The orchestra consisted of the following: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, tenor trombone, percussion and strings. The flautist also plays the piccoIo, the clarinetist, the alto ocarina. The percussion is made up of diverse instruments, which one musician-virtuoso can play. It is more practical, however, if two or three musicians share the instruments. Besides traditional instruments the percussion part calls also for two simple wind instruments: the swanee whistle and the harmonica. The string instrument parts (two violins, viola, cello and doubles bass) can be performed soloistic since they do not contain divisi. For balance, however, the ensemble playing is recommended, for example 6-8 first violins, 6-8 second, 4-6 violas, 4-6 cellos, 3-4 double basses. In the Piano Concerto I realized new concepts of harmony and rhythm. The first movement is entirely written in bimetry: simultaneously 12/8 and 4/4 (8/8). This relates to the known triplet on a doule relation and in itself is nothing new. Because, however, I articulate 12 triola and 8 duola pulses, an entangled, up till now unheard kind of polymetry is created. The rhythm is additionally complicated because of asymmetric groupings inside two speed layers, which means accents are asymmetrically distributed. These groups, as in the talea technique, have a fixed, continuously repeating rhythmic structures of varying lengths in speed layers of 12/8 and 4/4. This means that the repeating pattern in the 12/8 level and the pattern in the 4/4 level do not coincide and continuously give a kaleidoscope of renewing combinations. In our perception we quickly resign from following particular rhythmical successions and that what is going on in time appears for us as something static, resting. This music, if it is played properly, in the right tempo and with the right accents inside particular layers, after a certain time 'rises, as it were, as a plane after taking off: the rhythmic action, too complex to be able to follow in detail, begins flying. This diffusion of individual structures into a different global structure is one of my basic compositional concepts: from the end of the fifties, from the orchestral works Apparitions and Atmospheres I continuously have been looking for new ways of resolving this basic question. The harmony of the first movement is based on mixtures, hence on the parallel leading of voices. This technique is used here in a rather simple form; later in the fourth movement it will be considerably developed. The second movement (the only slow one amongst five movements) also has a talea type of structure, it is however much simpler rhythmically, because it contains only one speed layer. The melody is consisted in the development of a rigorous interval mode in which two minor seconds and one major second alternate therefore nine notes inside an octave. This mode is transposed into different degrees and it also determines the harmony of the movement; however, in closing episode in the piano part there is a combination of diatonics (white keys) and pentatonics (black keys) led in brilliant, sparkling quasimixtures, while the orchestra continues to play in the nine tone mode. In this movement I used isolated sounds and extreme registers (piccolo in a very low register, bassoon in a very high register, canons played by the swanee whistle, the alto ocarina and brass with a harmon-mute' damper, cutting sound combinations of the piccolo, clarinet and oboe in an extremely high register, also alternating of a whistle-siren and xylophone). The third movement also has one speed layer and because of this it appears as simpler than the first, but actually the rhythm is very complicated in a different way here. Above the uninterrupted, fast and regular basic pulse, thanks to the asymmetric distribution of accents, different types of hemiolas and inherent melodical patterns appear (the term was coined by Gerhard Kubik in relation to central African music). If this movement is played with the adequate speed and with very clear accentuation, illusory rhythmic-melodical figures appear. These figures are not played directly; they do not appear in the score, but exist only in our perception as a result of co-operation of different voices. Already earlier I had experimented with illusory rhythmics, namely in Poeme symphonique for 100 metronomes (1962), in Continuum for harpsichord (1968), in Monument for two pianos (1976), and especially in the first and sixth piano etude Desordre and Automne a Varsovie (1985). The third movement of the Piano Concerto is up to now the clearest example of illusory rhythmics and illusory melody. In intervallic and chordal structure this movement is based on alternation, and also inter-relation of various modal and quasi-equidistant harmony spaces. The tempered twelve-part division of the octave allows for diatonical and other modal interval successions, which are not equidistant, but are based on the alternation of major and minor seconds in different groups. The tempered system also allows for the use of the anhemitonic pentatonic scale (the black keys of the piano). From equidistant scales, therefore interval formations which are based on the division of an octave in equal distances, the twelve-tone tempered system allows only chromatics (only minor seconds) and the six-tone scale (the whole-tone: only major seconds). Moreover, the division of the octave into four parts only minor thirds) and three parts (three major thirds) is possible. In several music cultures different equidistant divisions of an octave are accepted, for example, in the Javanese slendro into five parts, in Melanesia into seven parts, popular also in southeastern Asia, and apart from this, in southern Africa. This does not mean an exact equidistance: there is a certain tolerance for the inaccurateness of the interval tuning. These exotic for us, Europeans, harmony and melody have attracted me for several years. However I did not want to re-tune the piano (microtone deviations appear in the concerto only in a few places in the horn and trombone parts led in natural tones). After the period of experimenting, I got to pseudo- or quasiequidistant intervals, which is neither whole-tone nor chromatic: in the twelve-tone system, two whole-tone scales are possible, shifted a minor second apart from each other. Therefore, I connect these two scales (or sound resources), and for example, places occur where the melodies and figurations in the piano part are created from both whole tone scales; in one band one six-tone sound resource is utilized, and in the other hand, the complementary. In this way whole-tonality and chromaticism mutually reduce themselves: a type of deformed equidistancism is formed, strangely brilliant and at the same time slanting; illusory harmony, indeed being created inside the tempered twelve-tone system, but in sound quality not belonging to it anymore. The appearance of such slantedequidistant harmony fields alternating with modal fields and based on chords built on fifths (mainly in the piano part), complemented with mixtures built on fifths in the orchestra, gives this movement an individual, soft-metallic colour (a metallic sound resulting from harmonics). The fourth movement was meant to be the central movement of the Concerto. Its melodc-rhythmic elements (embryos or fragments of motives) in themselves are simple. The movement also begins simply, with a succession of overlapping of these elements in the mixture type structures. Also here a kaleidoscope is created, due to a limited number of these elements - of these pebbles in the kaleidoscope - which continuously return in augmentations and diminutions. Step by step, however, so that in the beginning we cannot hear it, a compiled rhythmic organization of the talea type gradually comes into daylight, based on the simultaneity of two mutually shifted to each other speed layers (also triplet and duoles, however, with different asymmetric structures than in the first movement). While longer rests are gradually filled in with motive fragments, we slowly come to the conclusion that we have found ourselves inside a rhythmic-melodical whirl: without change in tempo, only through increasing the density of the musical events, a rotation is created in the stream of successive and compiled, augmented and diminished motive fragments, and increasing the density suggests acceleration. Thanks to the periodical structure of the composition, always new but however of the same (all the motivic cells are similar to earlier ones but none of them are exactly repeated; the general structure is therefore self-similar), an impression is created of a gigantic, indissoluble network. Also, rhythmic structures at first hidden gradually begin to emerge, two independent speed layers with their various internal accentuations. This great, self-similar whirl in a very indirect way relates to musical associations, which came to my mind while watching the graphic projection of the mathematical sets of Julia and of Mandelbrot made with the help of a computer. I saw these wonderful pictures of fractal creations, made by scientists from Brema, Peitgen and Richter, for the first time in 1984. From that time they have played a great role in my musical concepts. This does not mean, however, that composing the fourth movement I used mathematical methods or iterative calculus; indeed, I did use constructions which, however, are not based on mathematical thinking, but are rather craftman's constructions (in this respect, my attitude towards mathematics is similar to that of the graphic artist Maurits Escher). I am concerned rather with intuitional, poetic, synesthetic correspondence, not on the scientific, but on the poetic level of thinking. The fifth, very short Presto movement is harmonically very simple, but all the more complicated in its rhythmic structure: it is based on the further development of ''inherent patterns of the third movement. The quasi-equidistance system dominates harmonically and melodically in this movement, as in the third, alternating with harmonic fields, which are based on the division of the chromatic whole into diatonics and anhemitonic pentatonics. Polyrhythms and harmonic mixtures reach their greatest density, and at the same time this movement is strikingly light, enlightened with very bright colours: at first it seems chaotic, but after listening to it for a few times it is easy to grasp its content: many autonomous but self-similar figures which crossing themselves. I present my artistic credo in the Piano Concerto: I demonstrate my independence from criteria of the traditional avantgarde, as well as the fashionable postmodernism. Musical illusions which I consider to be also so important are not a goal in itself for me, but a foundation for my aesthetical attitude. I prefer musical forms which have a more object-like than processual character. Music as frozen time, as an object in imaginary space evoked by music in our imagination, as a creation which really develops in time, but in imagination it exists simultaneously in all its moments. The spell of time, the enduring its passing by, closing it in a moment of the present is my main intention as a composer. (Gyorgy Ligeti).
SKU: BT.DHP-0900226-120
This major concert work cosists o five movements.1st movement: La Laguna del ShimbeSituated high up in the Andes mountains in Northern Peru are the Huaringas, a group of lagoons in isolated and mysterious surroundings. The water has healing powersand for centuries traditional healers have settled there in small villages. From far the sick come to the Huaringas to be treated in nightly rituals, in which the hallucinating juice of the San Pedro cactus gives the prophet a look inside hispatient. The biggest lagoon is the “Laguna del Shimbe”, one of the countless wells of the immense Amazon stream.2nd movement: Los AguarunasFurther downstream in Northern Peru we come across the rain tribe of Los Aguarunas. It’s a proud, beautiful andindependent race, which has never succumbed to domination, not even from the Incas. They live from everything the forest has to offer: fish, fruit, plants, ... . They also grow some crops and live as semi-nomads. They take their fate into their ownhands and after having made contact with modern civilisation, they have integrated new elements into their lives without betraying their own ways.3rd movement: MekaronMekaron is an Indian word meaning “picture”, “soul”, “essence”. The Indians are theorigina inhabitants of the Amazon region. They either live in one place as a group or move around a large region. They all have their own political system, their own language and an intense social life. At the same time they are master of music andmedicine. “Everywhere the white man goes, he leaves a wilderness behind him”, wrote the North American Indian leader Seatl in 1885. As a result of these contacts with the whites, the disruption of most Indian societies began. (In this century alone,80 tribes have vanished completely).4th movement: KêêtuajêThis is the name of the initiating ceremony of the Krahô tribe in the Brazilian state of Goias, in which young boys and girls enter adult life. They are cleansed with water, painted with redpaint and covered with feathers, after which the ritual dance holds the entire tribe spell-bound.5th movement: Paulino FaiakanIn 1988 the Indian chiefs Faiakan and Raoni Kaiapo came to Europe to protest against the building of the Altamira dam inBrazil. As a result of the dam the Indians would be driven from their traditional land and enormous artificial would be created. The project was supported financially by, amongst others, the European Community. In February 1989 the Indian tribesaround Altamira held a protest march for the first time in their history together. Amongst other things they paid tribute tot Chico Mendez, who, murdered in 1988, was the leader of the rubber syndicate and a fierce opponent of the destruction of theBrazilian rain forest. Brazilian and world opinion was awakened. The building of the dam was -albeit temporarily - stopped.
SKU: BT.DHP-0900226-020
