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2,131 sheet music found Zoetrope - Wheel of Life
Zoetrope - Wheel of Life # Orchestra # INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED # Contemporary # Nick Hunter # Zoetrope - Wheel of Life # Nick
Hunter # SheetMusicPlus
Full Orchestra - Advanced
Intermediate - Digital
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Composed by Nick Hunter. 21st
Century. Score, Set of Parts.
172 pages. Published by Nick
Hu...(+)
Full Orchestra - Advanced
Intermediate - Digital
Download
Composed by Nick Hunter. 21st
Century. Score, Set of Parts.
172 pages. Published by Nick
Hunter Zoetrope-Wheel of Life is a new orchestral composition written for the Manawatu Sinfonia and made possible with a grant from the Earle creativity trust in 2015. It was premiered on May 21st 2017. Suitable for community/amateur and youth orchestras through to professional orchestras. Approximately 10 minutes long. Full score and parts.
A zoetrope is a 19th century barrel-like mechanical device that creates an early form of simple animation on a loop. ‘Wheel of life’ is its transliteration, the name being coined from the Greek words for life and turning. The title is inspired by the composers daughter, Zoey (meaning life) and was written throughout her first year. The work creates a feeling of wheel-like, rhythmical sequences that tell a story and draw the listener into a new sound world. The opening repeated chords heard throughout the work are cyclic in nature perhaps signifying the turning seasons/phases of life.
Instrumentation: 2(2nd flute doubling Piccolo, 2,2,2 2,2,2,1 Timpani, Cymbals, Strings. United States of America National Anthem for Symphony Orchestra (KT Olympic Anthem Series)
United States of America National Anthem for Symphony Orchestra (KT Olympic Anthem Series) # Orchestra # INTERMEDIATE # Patriotic # John Stafford
Smith # Keith Terrett # United States of America Natio # Music for all
Occasions # SheetMusicPlus
Full Orchestra - Intermediate
- Digital Download
Composed by John Stafford
Smith (30 March 1750 – 21
September 1836). Arranged by
Keith Terrett. 20th...(+)
Full Orchestra - Intermediate
- Digital Download
Composed by John Stafford
Smith (30 March 1750 – 21
September 1836). Arranged by
Keith Terrett. 20th Century,
European, Patriotic. Score,
Set of Parts. 28 pages.
Published by Music for all
Occasions The national anthem of the USA arranged for full orchestra. There are also versions for Brass Quintet & String Orchestra in my stores.
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the Defence of Fort M'Henry, a poem written on September 14, 1814, by the then 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by British ships of the Royal Navy in Baltimore Harbor during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812. Key was inspired by the large U.S. flag, with 15 stars and 15 stripes, known as the Star-Spangled Banner, flying triumphantly above the fort during the U.S. victory.
The poem was set to the tune of a popular British song written by John Stafford Smith for the Anacreontic Society, a men's social club in London. "To Anacreon in Heaven" (or "The Anacreontic Song"), with various lyrics, was already popular in the United States. Set to Key's poem and renamed "The Star-Spangled Banner", it soon became a well-known U.S. patriotic song. With a range of 19 semitones, it is known for being very difficult to sing. Although the poem has four stanzas, only the first is commonly sung today.
"The Star-Spangled Banner" was recognized for official use by the United States Navy in 1889, and by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson in 1916, and was made the national anthem by a congressional resolution on March 3, 1931 (46 Stat. 1508, codified at 36 U.S.C. § 301), which was signed by President Herbert Hoover.
Before 1931, other songs served as the hymns of U.S. officialdom. "Hail, Columbia" served this purpose at official functions for most of the 19th century. "My Country, 'Tis of Thee", whose melody is identical to "God Save the Queen", the United Kingdom's national anthem, also served as a de facto national anthem. Following the War of 1812 and subsequent U.S. wars, other songs emerged to compete for popularity at public events, among them "America the Beautiful", which itself was being considered before 1931, as a candidate to become the national anthem of the United States.
John Stafford Smith (30 March 1750 – 21 September 1836) was a British composer, church organist, and early musicologist. He was one of the first serious collectors of manuscripts of works by Johann Sebastian Bach.
Stafford Smith is best known for writing the music for "The Anacreontic Song", which became the tune for the US patriotic song "The Star-Spangled Banner" following the War of 1812, and in 1931 was adopted as the national anthem of the United States.
Love anthems, then join me on twitter, instagram, facebook & soundcloud for updates. Innerspace
Innerspace # Orchestra # INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED # Film/TV # Mikael Carlsson # Innerspace # Carlssons Kluster # SheetMusicPlus
Full Orchestra - Advanced
Intermediate - Digital
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Composed by Mikael Carlsson.
21st Century, Neo-Classical,
Movies. Score, Set of Parts.
136 ...(+)
Full Orchestra - Advanced
Intermediate - Digital
Download
Composed by Mikael Carlsson.
21st Century, Neo-Classical,
Movies. Score, Set of Parts.
136 pages. Published by
Carlssons Kluster A large orchestral piece, inspired by the classic film music of science fiction cinema, perfect for cross-over, pops programs. A symphonic love letter to science fiction!
Anyone familiar with the 1980s sci-fi cinema boosted by the success of Steven Spielberg should note the obvious reference in the title of this piece. The 1987 sci-fi adventure, directed by Joe Dante and produced by Spielberg, was one of my favourite movies as a teenager.
When the enthusiastic Gothia Concentus commissioned me to write Innerspace, the task was to write a stand-alone concert work that would serve as companion piece to an impressive set list of well-known genre works primarily from the world of film, but also video games. Since all of the other pieces were written for sci-fi adventures taking place in outer space, I wanted to go in the other direction - inwards.
My piece and its storyline is inspired by that of Joe Dante’s movie, and of course, even more so by the ingenious 1960s sci-fi gem Fantastic Voyage. I would not say, though, that the music itself is particularly inspired by the scores written for these films (by Jerry Goldsmith and Leonard Rosenman) - it’s more of a love letter to all of the great sci-fi music written in the past century.
Innerspace is in large doses based on an octatonic scale which I developed based on a chord progression that has been in my head since I was a teenager, just waiting for the righ opportunity to “come out”. The piece makes a condensed journey from the stark and alarming opening, through atmospheric passages which are almost bitonal in character, via stirring action and heroic scherzo motifs to a triumphant finale.
It is my intention that this piece should be entertaining, fun and exciting for the post-modern symphony audience, as well as a lot of fun for the players and conductor who share my love for the great sci-fi movies!
Duration: ca 7:30
Instrumentation: 3(1.2.pic)3(1.2.eh)3(1.2.bcl)3(1.2.cbn) - 6652(1opt) - timp.3perc - hp.pno - str.
Mikael Carlsson
January 2019 Claude Debussy/Robert Orledge: Prélude à L'Histoire de Tristan for orchestra, score only
Claude Debussy/Robert Orledge: Prélude à L'Histoire de Tristan for orchestra, score only # Orchestra # INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED # Classical # Claude
Debussy/Robert Orledg # Claude Debussy/Robert Orledge: # Musik Fabrik Music Publishing # SheetMusicPlus
Full Orchestra - Advanced
Intermediate - Digital
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Composed by Claude
Debussy/Robert Orledge. 20th
Century, Impressionistic.
Score. 19 pages. ...(+)
Full Orchestra - Advanced
Intermediate - Digital
Download
Composed by Claude
Debussy/Robert Orledge. 20th
Century, Impressionistic.
Score. 19 pages. Published by
Musik Fabrik Music Publishing Scored for 21EH22/2200/timp/1perc/hp/strings Parts on rental.
Debussy’s friendship with the versatile poet and playwright Gabriel Mourey began in 1899, and in July 1907, Mourey offered Debussy a libretto based on Le roman de Tristan - Joesph Bédier’s adaptation of a twelfth-century Breton romance by the Anglo-Norman poet known as Tomas - which had recently been published in Paris. Debussy enthusiastically outline the four-act plot to Victor Segalen that October, and the main differences from Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde are that none of the action takes place in Cornwal and that “Isolde of the white hands” is found guilty of cuckolding King Marc with Tristan, who has to rescue her from the leper colony in which she is abandoned in Act 1. She also betrays hi when he goes mad at the end.
The idea of a Tristan that restorced its ‘legendary character’ and had no connections with Wagner, appealed to Debussy, who was extremely moved by the circumstances of Tristan’s death. Even if he thought that Mourey’s poetry was “not very lyrical and many passages do not exactly “invite” music”, he did work on the libretto and the music that summer and sent his pubisher Jacques Durand, ‘one of the 363 themes for the “Roman de Tristan”’ in a letter sent from Pourville on 23 August, 1907. The present prelude grows from this theme, together with the poignant Breton folksong “Le Faucon”. After a short atmospheric introduction, Debussy’s dance-like theme (which is definitely not a leitmotif) gradually gains momentum and after it reaches it ecstatic climas, representing the transient happiness of the lovers, it dissolves into an expressive coda and an elegiac close (all growing from Debussy’s opennning, off-stage trumpet calls), leaving us with the ultimate tragedy of their ill-fated advice.
Unforunately, Mourey’s actual libretto has been lost and the project eventually foundered because Bédier’s cousin, Louis Artus, wanted Debussy to use the scenario he had prepared and copyrights for the stage, and would not allow him to proceed with Mourey’s version. Debussy, it need hardly be said, would never have dreamed of collaborating with the author of the vaudeville hit La culotte (The pants)!
Symphony No. 6 ... The Penobscot River (2004) for chorus and orchestra
Symphony No. 6 ... The Penobscot River (2004) for chorus and orchestra # Orchestra # INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED # Thomas Oboe Lee # Symphony No. 6 ... The Penobsc # Thomas Oboe Lee # SheetMusicPlus
Full Orchestra - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.869295 Composed by Thomas Oboe Lee. 20th Century,Baroque,Classical,Contemporary,Romantic Period. Scor...(+)
Full Orchestra - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.869295 Composed by Thomas Oboe Lee. 20th Century,Baroque,Classical,Contemporary,Romantic Period. Score and parts. 149 pages. Thomas Oboe Lee #431379. Published by Thomas Oboe Lee (A0.869295). Instrumentation: 3222-4231-timp-2perc-hp-chorus-strings Program note:It has been a wonderful two years of thinking, learning and working on my Continental Harmony Project with the Bangor Symphony Orchestra. It is a rare occasion that a composer in the 21st century would receive a commission to write a musical work of such scale: a 40-minute piece for symphony orchestra, 200-plus chorus and a ballet company. At the Bangor Public Library I found some wonderful evocative 19th century texts for the chorus about the city of Bangor and its environs: the Penobscot River, Mt. Ktaadn, the logging industry, the native American culture, etc. At times I felt overwhelmed, but most of the times I was exuberant and quite inspired by the music that came forth in the process. The premiere is less than a month away, and I am looking forward to it. Susan Jonason, Executive Director of the Bangor Symphony, has made the occasion a very public one: a free concert on a Saturday evening! I hope the audience will go home humming the tunes from the work as they walk into the crisp, cool Bangor night.Formally the work is in five movements. The first, third and fifth movements are choral, and the two in between are orchestral. In the premiere, the Robinson Ballet will dance in the orchestral movements. The first movement is about the Penobscot River from winter to spring. The melting of the ice is a harbinger of things to come: warmer weather, for instance; but it has also contributed to a lot of flooding in the city of Bangor and its surroundings.The second movement is a waltz, a grand 19th century ballroom waltz for the ladies of the rich lumber barons. They come to the ball showing off their latest hats and gowns from London, Paris and Milan.The third movement is about the woods and the people who work in them. Thoreau’s text about Mt. Ktaadn is full of awesome thoughts about how nature is beautiful, yet unkind to man. It is followed by a J.G. Whittier lyric entitled The Logger’s Boast. The original song had twenty stanzas to it. I whittled it down to five. I don’t know what the original song sounded like, so I made up my own version of a lumberjack’s drinking song.The fourth movement is a wild, drunken polka. After a long week of working in the woods the lumbermen come back to the city and spend all their earnings on booze, women and gambling. And they dance the night away …The last movement begins with a funeral march for Joe Attien, a native American who was Thoreau’s guide when he came up here in the 1900’s. The work ends with a rousing march, a centennial hymn to the city of Bangor. God bless our city Bangor, now! On this its birthday morn …NB: The two ballet movements, II. La Valse and IV. Drunken Polka, are optional. Pathe'tique in G minor - Score Only
Pathe'tique in G minor - Score Only # Orchestra # INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED # Classical # Note Performers Orchestra # Bryan M # Pathe'tique in G minor - Score # Composer Bryan M. Powell's Music # SheetMusicPlus
Full Orchestra - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1377764 By Note Performers Orchestra. By Bryan M. Powell. Arranged by Bryan M. Powell. 19th Century,2...(+)
Full Orchestra - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1377764 By Note Performers Orchestra. By Bryan M. Powell. Arranged by Bryan M. Powell. 19th Century,20th Century,21st Century,Classical,Contest,Festival. 62 pages. Composer Bryan M. Powell's Music #962357. Published by Composer Bryan M. Powell's Music (A0.1377764). This piece is for review purposes only. Critiques, thoughts, and suggestions will be thoughtfully considered. The piece comes in four movements, Theme and Variations, Waltz, Appassinato, and Capreciano. It is written for piano and full orchestra. Dream of Dunhuang - Ballet in 3 Acts, O,p.29 (1979 - 80) (Parts)
Dream of Dunhuang - Ballet in 3 Acts, O,p.29 (1979 - 80) (Parts) # Orchestra # ADVANCED # An-lun Huang # Dream of Dunhuang - Ballet in # DoReMi Edition # SheetMusicPlus
Full Orchestra - Level 5 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1040111 Composed by An-lun Huang. 20th Century,Contemporary,Multicultural,Traditional,World. Score an...(+)
Full Orchestra - Level 5 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1040111 Composed by An-lun Huang. 20th Century,Contemporary,Multicultural,Traditional,World. Score and parts. 1019 pages. DoReMi Edition #644935. Published by DoReMi Edition (A0.1040111). One of the Masterpieces of Chinese Music of 20th Century The magnificent cave art at Dunhuang, in Western China sets the stage for the ballet, “Dream of Dunhuangâ€. In the middle of the vast wastes of Western China, lies the oasis of Dunhuang, situated in today‘s Gansu Province. Since the Western Han Dynasty(202BC-8AC), Dunhuang was an important trading and cultural center on the famous “Silk Road’, the ribbon of communication which fostered the historic ties between East and West. In the East was China, source of treasured trading articles such as silk; in the West, the â€road“ branched to Venice, and north to what is today‘s Russia. The mural led caves at Dunhuang, which were begun the Northern Wei dynasty(336AD), and developed over one thousand years into the Qing Dynasty, re presents one of the world‘s richest cultural treasures. Drawing on bothn Western(Indian and Persian) as well as Chinese tradition, the caves, of which 492 remain intact, were decorated as a mines of religious devotion, with the initiation of Buddhism into China. The subjects of the murals, such as devise, demons, apsaras and bodhisattvas, represent the entire pantheon of Buddhist mythology, yet are also significant in their representation of muti-racial and muti-cultural influences, standing as an important testament to the age old exchange between East and West. A fabricated fantasia, the story of the ballet was inspirited by the famous artist, maestro Chang Shu-hong, who dedicated his whole life to Dunhuang. One of the Huang An-lun‘s major compositions with the play written by Xu Qing-dong, the score of “Dream of Dunhuang†was completed in mid-1979. The ballet has been dedicated to the composer‘s closest friends, Canadian writers John Fraser and Elizabeth MacCallun. Up to the date this CD being released, the ballet has never got a chance to performed in mainland China. Nevertheless, its music has been wildly performed and warmly received around the world. The Singapore premiere of its suite No.1 was performed by the SSO, conducted by Maestro Lim Yao. It has been also chosen as one of the “Master Piece of Chinese Music in 20th Century†in 1993. The world premiere of the complete ballet was performed successfully by the Russian State Ballet of Moscow, directed by its artist director, Vyatcheslav Godeyev, in 1994. Choreographed by Chen Min, it was took place in Taiwan with the Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, conducted by maestro David C.H.Chen. In 2002, ROI of Hong Kong has released the CD of the whole ballet, performed by the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra of Moscow. This is also the audio file attached. Before this recording conducted by the composer himself, the entire score was also performed by the Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra of Moscow in1995. The YouTube video was the World Premiere in Taiwan by the Russia National Ballet with the Taiwan symphony Orchestra, conducted by David Chen in 1994. The ballet, “ Dream of Dunhuang†depicts two young artists seeking the ultimate experience in love and expression. This two lovers arrived at desert and with the guidance of the celestial maiden, they discover the miracles of Dunhuang. It‘s divided into three acts: Act I: Desert, Act II: Cave, and Act III: Mogao cave. Ballet, “THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL”, Op.24, (1977) - (parts)
Ballet, “THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL”, Op.24, (1977) - (parts) # Orchestra # ADVANCED # An-lun Huang # Ballet, “THE LITTLE MATCH GI # DoReMi Edition # SheetMusicPlus
Full Orchestra - Level 5 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1009195 Composed by An-lun Huang. 20th Century,Christmas,Classical. Score and parts. 248 pages. DoReM...(+)
Full Orchestra - Level 5 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1009195 Composed by An-lun Huang. 20th Century,Christmas,Classical. Score and parts. 248 pages. DoReMi Edition #594857. Published by DoReMi Edition (A0.1009195). Based on the fairy tale “The Little Match Girl†by Hans Christian Anderson (1805-1875), the famous Danish writer, the Beijing Ballet School of China commissioned An-Lun Huang to compose this ballet in 1977. The play was written by Zhang Dun-yi, and the choreographers were Wu Fu-kang and Huang Buo-hong. The premiere took place in Beijing in 1977. It was performed by the school and the Central Opera House Orchestra, conducted by Zheng Xiao-ying. The music is written in Nineteen Century-Romantic style with some strong Scandinavian flavor. Margot Fonteyn, one of the most important ballet dancers of our age, claimed that “the composer has composed the very, very, very good music for this ballet ! “ She then produced a movie of it, which has been broadcasted by the PBS of U.S.A. in early of eighties. Since the great success of the premiere, this ballet and its music have been widely performed and warmly received. A tape of it was also released in China. This is the story of the ballet: In a little Danish town in the nineteenth century, Betty, a little girl who lost her mother, was selling matches along the street during Christmas time. The sound of the church bell reminded her that the time was quite late, but she was unable to go home until she completed her job. An old man came to light the street lights. He gave her some money and left. Betty tried to sell her matches to a carriage, but the carriage just ran away. Snow fell, cold and hungry, she lit a match on the wall to warm herself. A group of “Fire Fairies†appeared. They danced around her and got her warm. Since they disappeared so quickly, Betty lit another match. She saw a big dining room with a beautiful Christmas tree and a lot of food. While some bus boys were handing her a piece of roasted goose, the typical Danish Christmas food, a nobleman in a portrait hanging on the wall suddenly moved. Everything disappeared again. Betty immediately lit the third match, a “Swan Lake†with a beautiful garden appeared. She met her mother with tears because the mother had passed away for years. Mother got a pair of little red shoes for her as the Christmas gift and danced with her. The “Portrait nobleman†brought the mother out of the scene. Everything was gone but the snow storm. The church bell sounded again, with the morning dawn, the old man came to extinguish the street lights. He found the frozen body of the little girl. The attached mp3 is a performance by the Russian Philharmonic, conducted by the composer, 1998. English Text by Rebekah Wong Orchestration: Flauto Piccolo ( Flauto III), 2 Flauti, 2 Oboi (Corno- inglese), 2 Clarinetti in B flat, 2 Fagotti; 4 Corni in F, 2 Trombe in B flat, 3 Tromboni, 1 Tuba; 4 Timpani, Piatti, Tamburo, Trianglo, Companelli, Celesta, Campana, Wood Blocks ,Sonagliera; Violini I, Violini II, Viole, Violoncelli e Contrabassi. Divinum Mysterium
Divinum Mysterium # Orchestra # INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED # 12th Century Plainchant # Robert Myers # Oboe 1,2 # Divinum Mysterium # WheatMyer Music # SheetMusicPlus
Full Orchestra - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.976721 Composed by 12th Century Plainchant. Arranged by Robert Myers. Christian,Christmas,Contemporar...(+)
Full Orchestra - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.976721 Composed by 12th Century Plainchant. Arranged by Robert Myers. Christian,Christmas,Contemporary,Sacred. Score and parts. 76 pages. WheatMyer Music #4798079. Published by WheatMyer Music (A0.976721). DIVINUM MYSTERIUM is a chant tune dating to the 12th century which is associated with the hymn, Of the Father's Love Begotten, based on the Latin hymn, Corde natus ex parentis, written by Prudentius in the late 4th / early 5th century. This is thus one of the very oldest texts and tunes still sung in our churches today. The shape and flow of this arrangement, which includes quotations from CANTIQUE de NOEL (O Holy Night) – Adolphe Adam (1844), was strongly influenced by what one writer described as the strong wave shapes of the tune. I’ve attempted to make these waves a significant feature of the piece, featured in both the constant crescendo/decrescendos and the interweaving of the two tunes. And, just as ocean waves don’t arrive in steady rhythms, these musical waves are variable – sometimes closely spaced, sometimes not, and sometimes overlapping. The unique character of each of the three major sections is implied in their headings: (1) with mystery and wonder, (2) Joyfully – a child is born, and (3) contemplative – God is with us. The opening section portrays the mystery of the trinity (the hymn text was written as an apology for the Nicene Creed) mixed with the wonder of the Creator God lying in a manger. Since the tune is derived from medieval chant, I wanted this section to reflect the loose metrical nature of that genre, so the melodic phrasing should predominate over any sense of meter up to letter C. The initial tonal and metrical ambiguity and the fractured melodic lines gradually meld into conventional tonality and clear statements of the two main themes. Don’t let the poco rit. just before C be too poco. Build a definite sense of tension in anticipation of the Presto section. The Presto section presents the first complete statement of the main theme. I felt a strong, rhythmic treatment should follow the ambiguity of the opening to reflect the joy of the Messiah’s incarnation realized. However, the gravity of the text demands avoidance of frivolity and banality. Thus, I used a combination of the long, flowing lines with a syncopated pulse and echoing rhythms to produce what I hope is a fresh but still reverent treatment of this ancient hymn – one that produces a kaleidoscope of tonal color. Arriving at the third section at letter F, the asymmetrical pulse gradually shifts into a straight 3 pattern. The slower tempo and return of the secondary theme call us to reflect on the import of God now with us. The marking of Let off the gas and coast to the end is a word picture of how the tempo should draw to a close, as would an expert helmsman allow the ship’s momentum to stop just as it taps the dock. One parting moment is provided to savor the woodwinds closing phrase from CANTIQUE de NOEL. Robert Myers S.D.G. INSTRUMENTATION Fl 1,2; Oboe 1,2; Bb Cl 1,2 ; Bsn 1,2 Hn in F 1/2, 3/4; C Tpt 1,2 (Opt Bb Tpt 1,2); Tbn 1, 2; Tuba Timpani Perc. 1 (cymbals, tam-tam, vibraphone) Perc. 2 (chimes, snare) Perc. 3 (concert toms (4), bass drum) Vln 1,2; Vla 1,2; VC; DB Unchained Melody
Unchained Melody # Orchestra # INTERMEDIATE # Al Hibbler # Kevin Riley # Unchained Melody # Kevin Riley # SheetMusicPlus
Full Orchestra - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1272619 By Al Hibbler. By Alex North and Hy Zaret. Arranged by Kevin Riley. 20th Century,Film/TV,Pop....(+)
Full Orchestra - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1272619 By Al Hibbler. By Alex North and Hy Zaret. Arranged by Kevin Riley. 20th Century,Film/TV,Pop. Score and Parts. 43 pages. Kevin Riley #864843. Published by Kevin Riley (A0.1272619). Unchained Melody is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. North wrote the music as a theme for the prison film Unchained (1955), hence the song title. Todd Duncan sang the vocals for the film soundtrack. It has since become a standard and one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, most notably by the Righteous Brothers in 1965. According to the song's publishing administrator, over 1,500 recordings of Unchained Melody have been made by more than 670 artists, in multiple languages.In 1955, three versions of the song (by Les Baxter, Al Hibbler, and Roy Hamilton) charted in the Billboard top 10 in the United States, and four versions (by Al Hibbler, Les Baxter, Jimmy Young, and Liberace) appeared in the top 20 in the United Kingdom simultaneously, a record for any song.The song continued to chart in the 21st century, and it was the only song to reach number one with four different recordings in the United Kingdom until it was joined by Band Aid 30's Do They Know It's Christmas? in 2014.Of the hundreds of recordings made, the Righteous Brothers' version, with a solo by Bobby Hatfield, became the jukebox standard after its release. Hatfield changed the melody in the final verse and many subsequent covers of the song are based on his version. The Righteous Brothers recording achieved a second round of great popularity when featured in the film Ghost in 1990. In 2004, it was number 27 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema.