SKU: UT.HS-284
ISBN 9790215326460. 9 x 12 inches.
Melodia for Solo Harp/ Alleluja Modo II - Wachet auf for Harp and OrganThis publication gathers together in these three pieces the only compositions by Santucci devoted to the harp, both as a solo instrument and in dialogue with the organ, his favourite instrument.The little Melodia per arpa, a simple piece having an apparently didactic purpose, does not show the date of composition but, judging by the handwriting of the manuscript, it probably dates back to the period between 1980 and 1990. No other information has reached us as to why the piece was composed.The two pieces Alleluja Modo II and Wachet auf, both dated 20 March 1993, composed for the unusual duo of harp and organ, are dedicated to Anna Maria Restani, first harp in the orchestra of the Teatro Comunale of Bologna from 1965 to 2002, and to her son Wladimir Matesic, organist and now teacher at the Conservatoire in Trieste. Gregorian chant is the protagonist of the first piece, evoking a Gothic and rarefied atmosphere. The second is instead a blatant tribute to Johann Sebastian Bach (right from the first bars the reference to Prelude no. 1 of the Well-Tempered Clavier is clear), through one of his most famous chorales (Wachet auf, ruft uns die stimme), also used by Santucci for numerous other compositions, including Il corteo dei Magi [for trumpet, organ, orchestra and choir, 1986, ms.], still performed in the Christmas concerts in Bologna. (Giuseppe Monari).
SKU: HL.48180013
UPC: 888680787660. 9.0x12.0x0.061 inches.
Gabriel Pierné (1863-1937) was a French composer, conductor and organist. Despite being predominantly remembered as a conductor, his Impromptu-Caprice remains a popular performance piece in the advanced harpists' repertoire. Pierné studied at the Paris Conservatoire before taking up the position of chief conductor for the concert series, Concerts Colonne in 1910. He remained in the post until 1933, and during this time, he notably conducted the world premiere of Igor Stravinsky's The Firebird. Pierné composed for a variety of instruments, Impromptu-Caprice being one of four solo works by the composer. This Pierné piece for harp contains many characteristics typical of the French style, such as significant tempo changes, flourishes of semiquavers and many alterations in dynamics. Impromptu-Caprice is a varied piece essential to the repertoire of aspiring harpists.
SKU: UT.MAG-265
ISBN 9790215326422. 9 x 12 inches.
Posse’s compositions for harp are rich and varied, and range from the easy pieces dedicated to his students to the virtuoso concert pieces; we must also remember his didactic works, in particular the ‘Six Small Studies’ and the universally known ‘Eight Great Concert Studies’.It is not easy to draw a balance of his legacy in the harp world. On one hand his technical vision of virtuosity combined with a great stability of the hand and rigor of the fingerings certainly contributed to the development of the 20th Century harp technique; on the other hand, his use of the pedals, often driven by two together with the same foot (a very old French technique), has gradually become more and more difficult on modern harps. From the point of view of his contribution to the harp repertoire, the constant run-up to the piano has heavily influenced his compositional production, making him often completely miss the idiomatic effects of 19th Century harp music (except for the use of harmonic sounds), which were so loved by his friend Liszt in the compositions of Parish Alvars.
SKU: UT.MAG-266
ISBN 9790215326439. 9 x 12 inches.
SKU: HL.48181739
UPC: 888680862275. 9x12 inches.
“Born in 1929, French composer, Pierick Houdy was a student of Olivier Messiaen at the Paris Conservatoire. He led a successful career as director of many institutions and choirs, and his compositions remain known to this day, Sonata for Harp being no exception. Composed in 1983, Sonata for Harp contributes to a substantial catalogue of works by Houdy. The Sonata comprises three movements and a typical performance lasts about twelve minutes. The work is modern in style and addresses a range of technical features. Suitable for advanced harpists, Houdy's Sonata for Harp is an exciting addition to the contemporary Harp repertoire and makes for a evocative performance.&rdquo.
SKU: PR.110406720
UPC: 680160001316.
I have always been fond of writing works for specific people or organizations. It has been my good fortune during most of my creative career to be asked to compose for many extraordinary performers. The Sonata for Harpsichord Solo is such a case in point: it was written in 1982 for Barbara Harbach, a superb performer, close friend, and collaborator on many musical projects. The Sonata was premiered on March 2, 1984, in a recital given by Dr. Harbach at Nazareth College in Rochester, New York. During my formative years as a composer, one seldom heard of the harpsichord as a modern instrument, though while I attended undergraduate school at Boston University, some of us banded together to construct a small harpsichord from one of the first do-it-yourself kits which began to appear in the late '40s. It was also during this time that I heard the Sonatina for Violin and Harpsichord by my teacher Walter Piston and consequently specified that the accompanying instrument for my second violin sonata could either be a piano or a harpsichord. It was not until recently, however, that my interest in the harpsichord as a solo instrument for new music was aroused. This was because of the emergence of so many young virtuosi, such as Barbara Harbach, who are interested in the performance of new music besides the great harpsichord music of the Classical, Baroque, and pre-Baroque eras. The keyboard music of Domenico Scarlatti has always intrigued and fascinated me. The brevity, excitement, and clarity of this sparkling music is charming as well as exhilarating. It is this type of Baroque sonata that inspired the conception and form of my harpsichord sonata. The entire work is loosely based on the musical translation of Barabara Harbach's name, especially the conflict of the B (B-flat) and H (B-natural in German notation). This secondo rub or dissonance especially pervades the first movement, which is in a modified sonata form, pitting jagged and tense melodic elements against most lyrical and smooth lines. This second movement is a song-like melody accompanied by rolled chords which may be played on the lute stop of the instrument if this sonata is performed on a two-manual harpsichord. The final movement is an ever-driving joyous toccata which brings the work to an exciting close with a coda made up of accelerating repeated chords. --Samuel Adler.
SKU: UT.MAG-293
ISBN 9790215328341. 9 x 12 inches.
John Stanleyâ??s 30 Voluntaries (translatable as preludes), published in three collections as opp. 5, 6 and 7, are among the best known organ works of the 18th century. These free-style compositions were received with great appreciation by his contemporaries; the first volume, published in 1748, immediately achieved canonical status and encouraged other composers to write similar collections. The pieces, of easy to medium difficulty, are for manuals (alternatively, they can also be played on the harpsichord) and comprise two movements, slow and fast, many of which are characterized by a certain rhythmic energy and richness of color, expressed through the use of solo registers such as cornet and trumpet, with multiple echo effects, here adapted and transformed into piano, forte, and playing near the sound board effect, limiting, or rather modifying, their results.
SKU: HL.50511754
ISBN 9790080143582. B/4 quer inches. Hungarian, English. Laszlo Tihanyi.
Greek mythology seems spontaneously to have offered the figure of linos as the central character in a work for solo harp. (Linos was a poet, believed to be the brother of Orpheus, and according to Greek tradition no greater musician ever appeared among mankind.) The musical material, conforming to the characteristics of the harp, consits of two interesting seven-degree note rows incorporating all the possible pedal combinations, their mirror inversions and the five-degree noterows that fit between them. The nine-section composition is made up of scenes from the imagined life of Linos, an imagined 'Linos's hymn', and laments played in his honour.
