SKU: FJ.ST6219S

English.

Driving rhythmic patterns and a brisk tempo are at the center of this eerie musical journey on a fictitious phantom train. Haunting melodic lines along with moments of discord paint a vivid picture of a doomed phantom juggernaut in eternal search of a final destination. Climb aboard and take a ride-if you dare!

SKU: CF.CAS34F

ISBN 9780825861062. UPC: 798408061067. 8.5 X 11 inches. Key: E minor.

Cliffhanger is a programmatic work for string orchestra that harkens back to the days of silent film. One of the lasting images of that time period is the Saturday afternoon matinee, where each episode ended on a cliffhanger until it could be continued next week. This piece tells the familiar story of the damsel in distress who is tied up to the train tracks as a train is approaching. Nicely done!.
Cliffhanger is a programmatic work for string orchestra that harkens back to the days of silent film. One of the lasting images of that time period is the Saturday- afternoon matinee, where each episode ended on a cliffhanger until it could be continued next week. This piece tells the familiar story of the damsel in distress who is tied up to the train tracks as a train is approaching.The opening of the piece sets the scene with danger and desperation. By m. 6, our hero is making his way on horseback to rescue the fair maiden. This main melody is developed and passed around the ensemble until m. 36, at which point despair sets in. The music is rich with romantic harmonies and inner lines. Be sure to bring out these inner lines to add to the passion and drama of the moment. It continues to build until a thunderous arrival at m. 49. From there we return to our hero, who is now getting close to the train tracks to save the fair maiden. The tension becomes the highest at m. 61, when we are still not sure if our hero will make it in time. But alas, at m. 68 he swoops in to save the day and rescue the fair maiden. Of course, they live happily ever after.My hope is that your ensemble will have some fun with this style of music. It was adapted from an arrangement I wrote for the new pipe organ at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. They wanted some scary train music to show children how the organ was used back before movies had sound. Strings provide a heightened sense of drama with this genre of music.

About Carl Fischer Concert String Orchestra Series

This series of pieces (Grade 3 and higher) is designed for advancing ensembles. The pieces in this series are characterized by:

• Expanded use of rhythms, ranges and keys but technical demands are still carefully considered
• More comprehensive bowing techniques
• Viola T.C. included
• Careful selection of keys and degree of difficulty for advancing musicians

SKU: CF.FAS39

ISBN 9780825863301. UPC: 798408063306. 8.5 X 11 inches. Key: D major.

Virginia Croft's experience as a string player and educator is evident in the care with which she has scored this beautiful folk tune idiomatically for young string players. Relatively easy to play, Skye Boat Song is a great opportunity to develop lyrical playing habits with a developing string group.
Here is a very playable setting of a beautiful Scottish folk song. It commemorates one of the most exciting moments in Scottish history in the middle of the eighteenth century during the Jacobite Rebellion. At this time, a small group of men escaped by night in a tiny boat across the rough sea to the Isle of Skye to save the life of the young lad whom they believed to be the rightful heir to the throne of Scotland.As you play this music, can't you feel the boat rocking and the oarsmen straining at their posts against the sea? The long diminuendo from m. 51 to the end passes the final melodic fragment down through the voices until the small boat has vanished into the distance, leaving only the water.The words of the original folk song are:Speed, bonnie boat, like a bird on the wind;Hark, how the seagulls cray!Carry the lad that was born to be kindOver the sea to Skye!.

SKU: CF.CAS44

ISBN 9780825867118. UPC: 798408067113. 8.5 X 11 inches. Key: G minor.

This is a tour-de-force for the advancing string orchestra. Beautiful, dramatic, and flowing, Waterloo Station is very fresh and contemporary. Students will love it for the lush harmonic textures and rhythmic drive that this composer is so noted for.
Composed as a characterization of the fast-paced atmosphere of London’s Waterloo Train Station, this fast-slow-fast piece combines technical excitement with heartfelt simplicity.The fast section in G minor consists of two main parts: the intense, emotional A section at m. 21 and the legato, sweeping B section at m. 59. The syncopated tutti figures in the high strings coupled with the fiery cello and bass lines propel the fast sections. The phrase in mm. 1–8 recurs throughout. Making four- to eight-measure exercises of this section below tempo in the violins and viola, focusing on rhythmic clarity, will help to lock in the syncopation. Similarly, the cello and bass should rehearse this slowly as well as mm. 9–16 to gain fluidity and insure a solid foundation.The cellos carry the tune at m. 71, and the ensemble builds from mm. 79–86 to the transition at m. 87. An abrupt change to half tempo here slows the momentum and transitions to a quiet, melancholy tone in m. 91. The middle section (ABA) begins in G minor with a somber quality, highlighted by the Violin I solo. It gradually builds to a beautiful, uplifting setting as it moves to G major in m. 100. Returning back to the hushed G minor tonality, it then speeds up again and transitions back to Tempo I for a brief recapitulation of the fast section. Measure 117 marks the return to vigorous playing, beginning softly and building to a thrilling ride to the end.

About Carl Fischer Concert String Orchestra Series

This series of pieces (Grade 3 and higher) is designed for advancing ensembles. The pieces in this series are characterized by:

• Expanded use of rhythms, ranges and keys but technical demands are still carefully considered
• More comprehensive bowing techniques
• Viola T.C. included
• Careful selection of keys and degree of difficulty for advancing musicians