Romantic Spirit, The - Book 1

SKU: BR.CHB-5384

ISBN 9790004413852. 7.5 x 10.5 inches. German / English / Latin.

Until now, anyone looking for music on the theme of Pentecost and the Holy Spirit for church services and concerts usually had to do so in larger collections that cover the entire church year or parts of it. With Music for the Spirit, there is now a choirbook specifically for the feast of Pentecost for the first time, closing a gap for an important feast of the Catholic, Protestant, and Anglican churches. Over 500 years of choral music from Renaissance to the modern age are covered here with compositions from the German-, English-, Italian- and French-speaking regions. Almost all the great composers of European sacred music are represented, from Palestrina over Byrd, Bach, Mozart, Brahms, Gounod, and Bruckner to Reger, Parry, Stanford, and Distler. With the chronological order, the development of the genre of the Pentecost motet and sacred choral music in general can be traced easily. All pieces can be performed by mixed choir a cappella or with organ accompaniment. In some cases, the accompaniment has been supplemented or arranged by the editor Stephen Harrap, in individual cases also the choral parts, e.g. when the original was composed for male voices only. The scoring ranges from three to eight voices while the length and difficulty of the pieces likewise cover a broad range for a wide variety of choirs and ensembles.

SKU: PE.EP14530

ISBN 9790014136819. 210 x 297 mm inches. German. Georg Trakl.

Ørjan Matre's Trompeten, Nachts und Untergang is a 26-minute work for solo trumpet and choir (SSAATTBB). It is based on texts by the Austrian poet Georg Trakl and describes distant trumpet sounds, decaying castle ruins and icy lakes, in the spirit of German Romanticism. Trompeten, Nachts und Untergang (Trumpets, Night and Downfall) was premiered by Norwegian trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth and the Norwegian Soloists' Choir (conductor: Grete Pedersen) at the Ultima Oslo Contemporary Festival in September 2020.

This edition is the choral score (EP14530) of the work. The trumpet part (EP14530a) is available separately.

SKU: BT.PWM5447

''Stabat Mater'' by Karol Szymanowski for solo voices, chorus and orchestra, Op. 53, is one of the most famous and, at the same time, most personal works of the composer, making its appeal to the audience through the depth of its expression and sheer artistry. The first sketches of the work were made in the spring of 1925, while work on the full score occupied the composer from 20 January to 2 March 1926. Józef Jankowskis Polish translation of the medieval sequence formed the basis of the composition. This text, which was simple in a folk-like way, devoid of pathos but full of religious zeal, harmonized perfectly from the poetic point of view with the composers creative design. In an interview for the monthly Muzyka Szymanowski stated: ''in its Polish vestments that eternal, naive hymn was filled for me with its own immediate expressive content; it became something painted in colours which were recognisable and comprehensible as distinct from the black and white of the archaic original'' (''A Footnote to Stabat Mater'', Muzyka 1926, Nos. 11/12). In the score, the Latin text is given beside the Polish text, making it possible for the work to be performed more easily by foreign performers. In this work, the universal tradition of the Christian church was fused with the Polish religious tradition. The composer creates the religious folk-like climate primarily through the character of the melodies which are akin to to the plainchant melodies to the text of Stabat Mater (the sequence, and especially the hymn) and their paraphrases in Polish religious songs (e.g. Sta a Matka Bole ciwa [The Dolorous Mother was standing]) as well as motifs from Polish Lenten songs and Gorzkie ale (Bitter Laments). Szymanowski did not introduce them as quotations, but intersperses the melodic lines, which are more fully developed and frequently highly chromatic, with diatonic phrases, based on modal scales. They appear in all the movements of the work determining its cohesion. In dividing the twenty-stanza text into separate segments, Szymanowski created a six- movement cantata. He took care to distinguish between the emotional shades of the various movements, varying his selection of solo voices (soprano, contralto, baritone), the voices of the chorus (female or mixed) and the orchestral forces. In the first and third movements the lyrical idiom prevails; the first movement, portraying the Mother of God at the foot of the cross, has a narrative character, whereas the third is a kind of prayer from a man who sympathizes with, and who wishes to be associated with Mater Dolorosas pain. In these movements only the female voices are used (soprano, contralto and female chorus), while the orchestra is employed in a chamber style, sometimes drawing on solo accompanying parts (e.g. the beginning of the third movement). The fourth movement, which continues the mood of prayerful contemplation, is designed for soprano and contralto solo as well as unaccompanied chorus. On the other hand, the second and fifth movements, involving the participation of solo baritone and the full chorus and orchestra, are similar with regard to forces and their dramatic character, which is austere in expression, harsh in tone, and markedly dissonant. Here grand climaxes appear with powerful orchestral tutti. The sixth movement crowns the whole. The lyrical, soft melody of the solo soprano at the beginning is gradually strengthened by the addition of the female chorus and the solo contralto, and in the final section, the solo baritone as well as the tutti of chorus and orchestra. The conclusion, subdued and full of concentration, suggests the introvert character of the experience as opposed to its dramatic pathos. Stabat Mater by Szymanowski is part of a long tradition of compositions based on the text of the medieval sequence - ranging from polyphonic works by Josquin des Prés and Palestrina to the romantic Stabat by Giuseppe Verdi and Anton n Dvo ák. And it was perhaps because of his consciousness of this tradition that Szymanowski used stylizing devices in the spirit of early music. The archaization manifests itself not only in the character of the melodies and their modal framework, but also in the harmonies (with their predominance of triads, open fourths and fifths chords and doubled thirds), the simple rhythms as well as the texture of the choruses (esp. the fourth movement). The composer does not, however, imitate the style of any specific historical epoch, but combines resources taken from early music with modern tonal and harmonic techniques. Archaization in Stabat Mater serves, moreover, a symbolic function; in evoking the many-centuries old tradition of church music, it emphasizes the universal nature of the idea contained in the text of the sequence, while the re-reading of the text by the composer gives the work its individual features. [Zofia Helman, translated by Ewa Cholewka].

SKU: FH.WS7

ISBN 978-1-55440-556-5.

Unparalleled in scope, this groundbreaking series for E_Alto and B_Tenor offers a single collection of Repertoire and supporting materials written or arranged specifically for saxophone. With Repertoire spanning from the Baroque to contemporary eras, Recordings, Etudes, Technique, and Orchestral Excerpts, this comprehensive series serves as a balanced and organized pedagogical resource from the beginner to advanced levels of study. Nine progressive volumes of Repertoire expose students to original works and arrangements of diverse styles from W.A. Mozart to Violet Archer, with selected works by notable jazz artist Paul Desmon (Take Five), and living composer Phil Woods. Each level provides opportunities to explore Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and contemporary works, with original, unaccompanied selections from Levels 5 through 8 that use extended techniques such as multiphonics, key clicks, and bisbigliando. Earlier works pre-dating the origin of the saxophone have been carefully arranged with consideration of the unique quality of the instrument. Exposure to these works help to develop musicianship and an understanding of tonality, creating well-rounded and versatile performers. Selections written for both E_Alto and B_Tenor include piano accompaniments that function with both instruments.
Eb Saxophone:

Mainly Transcriptions:
Sonata , op. 2, no. 6 (La bouget) - Michel Blavet
- [Complete]
Minuet and Dance of the Blessed Spirits (from Orphee et Euridice) - Christoph Willibald Gluck, arr. Stephen Chatman
Mainly Original Repertoire for Saxophone:
Dance with Sticks - Bela Bartok
Hornpipe Dance - Bela Bartok
Ragtime Waltz - Richard Rodney Bennett
Sonata - Phil Woods
- First Movement

Bb Saxophone:

Mainly Transcriptions:
Sonata in G minor, H 542.5 - attr. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
- Third Movement
Sonata in G minor, HWV 364a - George Frideric Handel, arr. Harold Birston
- [Complete]
Mainly Original Repertoire for Saxophone:
Souvenir - Robert Walker
Sonata - Walter S. Hartley
- First Movement
I Got Unhappy - Neil Currie

Eb Saxophone or Bb Saxophone:

Unaccom panied Repertoire:
Fantasia no. 6 in D minor, TWV 40:7 - Georg Philipp Telemann
- [Complete]
In the Company of My Soul - Kelly-Marie Murphy
- First Movement
Sketch - Ronald L. Caravan.