Orchestra

SKU: PR.11641867S

Composed by William Kraft. Full score. Duration 16 minutes, 25 seconds. Theodore Presser Company #116-41867S. Published by Theodore Presser Company (PR.11641867S).

UPC: 680160683208.

Contextures: Riots -Decade '60 was commissioned by Zubin Mehta and the Southern California Symphony Association after the successful premiere of the Concerto for Four Percussion Soloists and Orchestra. It was written during the spring and summer months of 1967. Riots stemming from resentment against the racial situation in the United States and the war in Vietnam were occurring throughout the country and inevitably invaded the composer's creative subconscious. Contextures, as the title implies, was intended to exploit various and varying textures. As the work progressed the correspondence between the fabric of music and the fabric of society became apparent and the allegory grew in significance. So I found myself translating social aspects into musical techniques. Social stratification became a polymetric situation where disparate groups function together. The conflict between the forces of expansion and the forces of containment is expressed through and opposition of tonal fluidity vs. rigidity. This is epitomized in the fourth movement, where the brass is divided into two groups - a muted group, encircled by the unmuted one, which does its utmost to keep the first group within a restricted pitch area. The playful jazzy bits (one between the first and second movements and one at the end of the piece) are simply saying that somehow in this age of turmoil and anxiety ways of having fun are found even though that fun may seem inappropriate. The piece is in five movements, with an interlude between the first and second movements. It is scored for a large orchestra, supplemented by six groups of percussion, including newly created roto-toms (small tunable drums) and some original devices, such as muted gongs and muted vibraphone. There is also an offstage jazz quartet: bass, drums, soprano saxophone and trumpet. The first movement begins with a solo by the first clarinetist which is interrupted by intermittent heckling from his colleagues leading to a configuration of large disparate elements. The interlude of solo violin and snare-drum follows without pause. The second movement, Prestissimo, is a display piece of virtuosity for the entire orchestra. The third movement marks a period of repose and reflection and calls for some expressive solos, particularly by the horn and alto saxophone. The fourth movement opens with a rather lengthy oboe solo, which is threatened by large blocks of sound from the orchestra, against an underlying current of agitated energy in the piano and percussion. This leads to a section in which large orchestral forces oppose one another, ultimately bringing the work to a climax, if not to a denouement. Various thematic elements are strewn all over the orchestra, resulting in the formation of a general haze of sound. A transition leads to the fifth movement without pause. The musical haze is pierced gently by the offstage jazz group as if they were attempting to ignore and even dispel the gloom, but a legato bell sound enters and hovers over both the jazz group and the orchestra, the latter making statements of disquieting finality. Two films were conceived to accompany portions of Contextures. The first done by Herbert Kosowar, was a chemography film (painting directly into the film using dyes and various implements) with fast clips of riot photographs. The second was a film collage made by photographically abstracting details from paintings of Reginald Pollack. The purpose was to invoke a non-specific response - as in music - but at the same time to define the subject matter of the piece. The films were constructed to correspond with certain developments in the piece and in no way affect the independence and musical flow of the piece, having been made after the piece was completed. Contextures: Riots - Decade '60 is dedicated to Mehta, the Southern California Symphony Association and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. The news of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King came the afternoon of the premiere, April 4, 1968. That evening's performances, and also the succeeding ones, were dedicated to him and a special dedication to Dr. King has been inserted into he score. All the music that follows the jazz group - beginning with the legato bell sound playing the first 2 notes to We shall overcome constitutes a new ending to commemorate Dr. King's death.

Concert band - Grade 2

SKU: RM.HURI02710-CO

Composed by Jacques Hurier. Arranged by Desire Dondeyne. Rock, latino, jazz. Orchestra. Conductor's score. Editions Robert Martin #HURI02710-CO. Published by Editions Robert Martin (RM.HURI02710-CO).

By Jerry Silverman. For Guitar (Fingerpicking). SongBook. Bill's Music Shelf. Victorian. Beginning. Book. 140 pages. Published by Mel Bay Publications, Inc

TTBB choir and piano

SKU: OU.9780193566958

Bendith Bendigeidfran. Composed by Edward-Rhys Harry. In the deep. Vocal score. 12 pages. Duration 4.5'. Oxford University Press #9780193566958. Published by Oxford University Press (OU.9780193566958).

ISBN 9780193566958. 10 x 7 inches.

For TTBB and piano A Blessing for Bendigeidfran' is the third movement of Four Welsh Psalms. It was recorded by the London Welsh Male Voice Choir, and this was chosen as one of Classic FM's 'Platinum Performances' in 2022. The stirring melody illuminates the inspiring lyrics in both English and Welsh by Grahame Davies.

String quartet

SKU: FG.55011-510-1

Composed by Matthew Whittall. Score and parts. Fennica Gehrman #55011-510-1. Published by Fennica Gehrman (FG.55011-510-1).

ISBN 9790550115101.

Matthew Whittall's preface to Bright Ferment (2019): I have a complicated history with the string quartet. Actually, it's not that complicated. I spent months writing a huge one in my early twenties and hastily withdrew it after a long delayed premiere, vowing never to write another. In a typical case of karmic retribution, my fear of the form would eventually be overcome by the unrefusable offer to write the compulsory piece for the Banff International String Quartet Competition in my native Canada. The short duration requested, about nine minutes, also felt like a good way to wade gingerly back into the medium. The title was originally just a nice-sounding pair of words that surfaced in a brainstorming session with fellow composer Alex Freeman over an injudicious amount of fermented barley. When I looked it up later, I found that it was a phrase of older coinage, seemingly used more for poetic resonance than any fixed meaning. Ferment by itself denotes a state of confusion, change or lack of order. With bright, it takes on a more positive connotation with regard to society and creativity: a wild profusion of ideas barely checked by reason. (It may not actually mean that, but it describes this piece nicely, so let's go with it.) Fermentation in its trendy culinary usage is also hinted at via a recurrent percolating device of scattered pizzicati. As one may guess from the tone of this introduction, there is little attempt at gravity in Bright Ferment, the only means by which I felt I could sidestep the historical and expressive weight of the string quartet genre. Styles, gestures and moods are tossed around, cross-cut and abandoned in stream-of-consciousness fashion, connected by little except an intuitive sense of rightness in their juxtaposition. If the piece acquires depth in spite of me, it will only be because its disparate parts amplify and strengthen each other simply by being together - much like the ensemble itself. Bright Ferment was commissioned by the Banff Centre for the Arts and Creativity and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, with additional funding from the Americas Society (New York), for the 2019 Banff International String Quartet Competition. Duration: ca. 9 minutes.

Concert Band/Harmonie - Grade 5

SKU: BT.DHP-0991533-010

Composed by Piet Swerts. Sovereign Series. Set (Score & Parts). Composed 1999. De Haske Publications #DHP 0991533-010. Published by De Haske Publications (BT.DHP-0991533-010).

Following the spectacular movie Titanic, the story of the world famous ship stood in the spotlights once again. Piet Swerts was inspired by this catastrophic saga to compose this beautifully narrative piece, reflecting the masses of people in Southampton, playing children and the undulating sea. The piece gradually picks up impetuously culminating with the looming iceberg and the dramatic sinking of the Titanic.

Le prologue dépeint l'excitation de cette foule impatiente d'embarquer sur le Titanic amarré dans le port de Southampton en Angleterre. Le motif principal de ce passage d’ouverture fait référence Big Ben, remarque touchante pour mieux installer le décor d'une scène typiquement britannique. L'agitation des futurs passagers s'exprime par des sections polyrythmiques. Le premier thème aux accents héro ques dérivé du motif Big Ben est exposé. La trame devient plus constante, fluide, répétitive, symbole du doux départ du célèbre palais flottant. Le tableau suivant est une aquarelle riche en couleurs ; motifs ascendants et descendants rappellent le voyage en haute mer. On entend lesenfants jouer, le Capitaine Smith donner des ordres. On perçoit aussi les différences d’atmosphère entre les ponts de première et deuxième classes ; la pression ronflante des moteurs. Tout est présent dans cette fresque musicale. On entend surtout l'accélération des moteurs suite un ordre du Capitaine soumis la pression de l'armateur. Faisant suite un accelerando, le piccolo et la percussion font écho d'un signal en morse provenant d'un autre bateau qui prévient d'un danger immédiat : la proximité d'un iceberg. Hélas, ce message est ignoré et les moteurs continuent de tourner plein régime jusqu'au moment fatidique où le Titanic heurte l'iceberg. Le motif plaintif du saxophone, accompagné de trilles des clarinettes, traduit l'arrêt des moteurs après la collision. La percussion marque le tristement célèbre S.O.S. en code morse : trois points, trois traits, trois points. Les passagers sont pris de panique. Finalement, nous assistons au lent naufrage du paquebot. L'épilogue reprend le motif initial qui se métamorphose en une fin dramatique.

Concert Band - Grade 5

SKU: BT.DHP-0991533-040

Composed by Piet Swerts. Sovereign Series. Set (Score & Parts). Composed 1999. De Haske Publications #DHP 0991533-040. Published by De Haske Publications (BT.DHP-0991533-040).

Following the spectacular movie Titanic, the story of the world famous ship stood in the spotlights once again. Piet Swerts was inspired by this catastrophic saga to compose this beautifully narrative piece, reflecting the massesof people in Southampton, playing children and the undulating sea. The piece gradually picks up impetuously culminating with the looming iceberg and the dramatic sinking of the Titanic.

Le prologue dépeint l'excitation de cette foule impatiente d'embarquer sur le Titanic amarré dans le port de Southampton en Angleterre. Le motif principal de ce passage d’ouverture fait référence Big Ben, remarque touchante pour mieux installer le décor d'une scène typiquement britannique. L'agitation des futurs passagers s'exprime par des sections polyrythmiques. Le premier thème aux accents héro ques dérivé du motif Big Ben est exposé. La trame devient plus constante, fluide, répétitive, symbole du doux départ du célèbre palais flottant. Le tableau suivant est une aquarelle riche en couleurs ; motifs ascendants et descendants rappellent le voyage en haute mer. On entend lesenfants jouer, le Capitaine Smith donner des ordres. On perçoit aussi les différences d’atmosphère entre les ponts de première et deuxième classes ; la pression ronflante des moteurs. Tout est présent dans cette fresque musicale. On entend surtout l'accélération des moteurs suite un ordre du Capitaine soumis la pression de l'armateur. Faisant suite un accelerando, le piccolo et la percussion font écho d'un signal en morse provenant d'un autre bateau qui prévient d'un danger immédiat : la proximité d'un iceberg. Hélas, ce message est ignoré et les moteurs continuent de tourner plein régime jusqu'au moment fatidique où le Titanic heurte l'iceberg. Le motif plaintif du saxophone, accompagné de trilles des clarinettes, traduit l'arrêt des moteurs après la collision. La percussion marque le tristement célèbre S.O.S. en code morse : trois points, trois traits, trois points. Les passagers sont pris de panique. Finalement, nous assistons au lent naufrage du paquebot. L'épilogue reprend le motif initial qui se métamorphose en une fin dramatique.