SKU: PR.11441998S

UPC: 680160681730. 9 x 12 inches.

The ancient Egyptian empire began around 3100 B.C. and continued for over 3000 years until Alexander the Great conquered the country in 332 B.C. Over the centuries, the Egyptian empire grew and flourished into a highly developed society. They invented hieroglyphics, built towering pyramids (including the Great Pyramid of Giza, the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the World), and the created many household items we still use today, including toothbrushes, toothpaste, eyeliner, black ink, and the forerunner of modern-day paper. Included among their achievements were a series of highly developed funerary practices and beliefs in the Afterlife. As the average lifespan of an Egyptian hovered around 30 years, living past the death of oneAs physical body was a legitimate concern. Egyptians believed that upon death, their souls would undertake a harrowing journey through the Netherworld. If they survived the horrific creatures and arduous trials that awaited them, then their souls would be reunified with their bodies (hence the need to preserve the body through mummification) and live forever in a perfect version of the life they had lived in Egypt. To achieve this, Egyptians devised around 200 magical spells and incantations to aid souls on the path to the Afterlife. These spells are collectively called The Book of the Dead. Particular spells would be chosen by the family of the deceased and inscribed on the tombAs walls and scrolls of papyrus, as well as on a stone scarab placed over the deceasedAs heart. Subsequent collections of spells and mortuary texts, such as The Book of Gates, assisted a soul in navigating the twelve stages of the Netherworld. Not only did these spells protect and guide the soul on this dangerous path, but they also served as a safeguard against any unbecoming behavior an Egyptian did while alive. For instance, if a person had robbed another while alive, there was a spell that would prevent the soulAs heart from revealing the truth when in the Hall of Judgment. Rites for the Afterlife follows the path of a soul to the Afterlife. In Inscriptions from the Book of the Dead (movement 1), the soul leaves the body and begins the journey, protected by spells and incantations written on the tombAs walls. In Passage though the Netherworld (movement 2), the soul is now on a funerary barque, being towed through the Netherworld by four of the regionAs inhabitants. We hear the soul slowly chanting incantations as the barque encounters demons, serpents, crocodiles, lakes of fire, and other terrors. The soul arrives at The Hall of Judgment in movement 3. Standing before forty-two divine judges, the soul addresses each by name and gives a A!negative confessionA(r) connected to each judge (i.e. A!I did not rob,A(r) A!I did not do violence,A(r) and so on). Afterwards, the soulAs heart is put on a scale to be weighed against a feather of MaAat, the goddess of truth. If the heart weighs more than the feather, it will be eaten by Ammut, a hideous creature that lies in wait below the scale, and the soul will die a second and permanent death (this was the worst fear of the Egyptians). But if the heart is in balance with the feather, the soul proceeds onward. The final stage of the journey is the arrival at The Field of Reeds (movement 4), which is a perfect mirror image of the soulAs life in ancient Egypt. The soul reunites with deceased family members, makes sacrifices to the Egyptian gods and goddess, harvests crops from plentiful fields of wheat under a brilliant blue sky, and lives forever next to the abundant and nourishing waters of the Nile. Rites for the Afterlife was commissioned by the Barlow Endowment on behalf of the Akropolis Reed Quintet, Calefax Reed Quintet, and the Brigham Young University Reed Quintet. -S.G.

SKU: HL.372432

ISBN 9781458404893. UPC: 884088575823. 9x12 inches.

Adult and older school-age students thrive on the fun challenge of larger handspans, more arpeggiated accompaniments, fuller, more sophisticated harmonies, and broader melodic lines. These seven musically and technically engaging solos include: Cool Blue Cat ? In the Meadow Stood a Birch Tree ? Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair ? He's Gone Away ? Scarborough Fair ? Remembrances ? Cartwheel Capers.

SKU: CF.CM9707

ISBN 9781491160121. UPC: 680160918720. Key: Db major. John Gillespie Magee. Poem by John Gillespie Magee, Jr.

Just weeks after his nineteenth birthday, John Gillespie Magee, Jr. wrote the poem High Flight while serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force. The year was 1941, and World War II was culminating toward its darkest chapters. Magee had just completed his seventh flight in the iconic Spitfire Mk I fighter plane, soaring to heights well above 30,000 feet. These high altitude exercises supplied his inspiration for the poem, which describes the long, delirious, burning blue and having touched the face of God. Tragically, Magee died in a training exercise just months after writing High Flight. His words, however, live on to lift our hearts and stir the imagination. After you have learned High Flight, ask yourself the following questions: Are you singing the text clearly and articulately? Are you properly stressing the important syllables and backing off of non-stressed syllables? Is there a sense of energy throughout the piece, in both the lyrical, flowing sections and the up-tempo, faster sections? Are you also singing with a sense of energy no matter what the dynamic marking? Are you singing phrases with proper breath support and a sense of rise and fall to the phrase?.
Just weeks after his nineteenth birthday, John Gillespie Magee, Jr. wrote the poem High Flight while serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force. The year was 1941, and World War II was culminating toward its darkest chapters. Magee had just completed his seventh flight in the iconic Spitfire Mk I fighter plane, soaring to heights well above 30,000 feet. These high altitude exercises supplied his inspiration for the poem, which describes “the long, delirious, burning blue” and having “touched the face of God.”Tragically, Magee died in a training exercise just months after writing High Flight. His words, however, live on to lift our hearts and stir the imagination. After you have learned High Flight, ask yourself the following questions: Are you singing the text clearly and articulately? Are you properly stressing the important syllables and backing off of non-stressed syllables? Is there a sense of energy throughout the piece, in both the lyrical, flowing sections and the up-tempo, faster sections? Are you also singing with a sense of energy no matter what the dynamic marking? Are you singing phrases with proper breath support and a sense of rise and fall to the phrase?

SKU: GI.G-7896

ISBN 9781579998301. English.

Learn to improvise with this state-of-the-art book and CD set! With Developing Musicianship through Improvisation, you will learn to improvise as readily as you would join in a conversation. Using the tunes in this book, you will build a vocabulary of tonal patterns, melodic phrases, rhythm patterns, and rhythm phrases you can apply to a wide range of music in classical, jazz, and folk styles. You will also read and write music, connecting your improvisation to meaningful experiences with notation. Each unit contains six components: 1—Repertoire 2—Patterns and Progressions 3—Improvising Melodic Phrases 4—Learning to Improvise: Seven Skills 5—Reading and Writing 6—Learning Solos Regardless of your musical background, you can play tunes and learn harmony by ear—skills at the heart of improvisation. This intuitive and engaging approach to Developing Musicianship through Improvisation is a major advance in music teaching and learning. Christopher D. Azzara is a pianist, author, arranger, and Professor of Music Education at the Eastman School of Music. Richard F. Grunow is Professor of Music Education at the Eastman School of Music.   SONGS INCLUDED: Book 1 repertoire (2 CDs)—Long, Long Ago - Mary Ann - Joshua - Simple Gifts - Down by the Riverside Book 2 repertoire (2 CDs)—When the Saints Go Marching In - Amazing Grace - Motherless Child Book 3 repertoire (2 CDs)—Blues (Saint Louis Blues and More Blues) - Transformation (Rhythm Changes) - Red Wings (Familiar Harmonic Progression)  Book 1B repertoire (MP3 Downloads)—Greensleeves - My Country 'tis of Thee - La Folia - Rule of the Octave - Seven Bach Chorales.