Peter Maxwell Davies: Seven Summer Songs - Alto Xylophone: Percussion:

Composed in 2003 The Kestrel Road was jointly commissioned by forty-seven choirs all of which are members of Music Making a national society that links several thousand amateur choirs and orchestras. This work wascommissioned as a tribute to mark the seventieth birthday of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies and was performed nationwide throughout the 2004/5 season.The Kestrel Road is a song-cycle for SATB Choir and Piano settings ofpoems by the ‘Bard of Orkney’ George Mackay Brown (1917-96). The poems are highly evocative of Orkney life history and folklore with shepherds crofters fisher folk a laird a scarecrow King Barleycorn and the timeless figureof Ikey the Tinker who passes through many of Brown’s poems seemingly linking past and present. According to Maxwell Davies the music is suggestive of the ‘elusive land and seascapes’ of the islands and is much influenced bythe local folk music.

There are seven songs and an instrumental interlude making all together an entertainment that provides opportunity for very simple stage action and dancing: nothing at all elaborate is needed in the way of scenery and costumes.The voices are in unison throughout and their part is always doubled by instruments which should make it relatively easy for quite young children to learn their way into Davies's delightful tunes. The references to Hoy areincidental and could possibly be adapted to suit the locality of a particular performance. In any event most of these tall stories and rhymes will appeal to children everywhere.Full score for this set of songs for children'svoices recorders piano guitars and percussion.Sets of parts also available.

There are seven songs and an instrumental interlude making all together an entertainment that provides opportunity for very simple stage action and dancing: nothing at all elaborate is needed in the way of scenery and costumes.The voices are in unison throughout and their part is always doubled by instruments which should make it relatively easy for quite young children to learn their way into Davies's delightful tunes. The references to Hoy areincidental and could possibly be adapted to suit the locality of a particular performance. In any event most of these tall stories and rhymes will appeal to children everywhere.Set of instrumental parts (8 descant recorderparts 4 tuned percussion parts and 4 unpitched percussion parts).

A Selkie Tale is a short music-theatre work (duration about 25 minutes) designed for performance by seven- to eleven-year-olds year olds. Four solo roles and several separate chorus groups give scope for the participation of a large number of children of all ability levels.The story is a humorous version of the Orkney folk-tale of an islander kidnapping a Selkie wife - a creature who is a seal in the sea and a woman on the land. Things go hilariously wrong with the Selkie wife escaping to rejoin her companions in the sea and Mansie the islander facing a most uncongenial alliance with his cousin and housekeeper Miss Trowie-Tattibogle.Unpitched percussionpart.This is a special item which is made to order. Please e-mail our Mail Order Department for further information.

A Selkie Tale is a short music-theatre work (duration about 25 minutes) designed for performance by seven- to eleven-year-olds year olds. Four solo roles and several separate chorus groups give scope for the participation of a large number of children of all ability levels.The story is a humorous version of the Orkney folk-tale of an islander kidnapping a Selkie wife - a creature who is a seal in the sea and a woman on the land. Things go hilariously wrong with the Selkie wife escaping to rejoin her companions in the sea and Mansie the islander facing a most uncongenial alliance with his cousin and housekeeper Miss Trowie-Tattibogle.Woodwind instrumentspart.This is a special item which is made to order. Please e-mail our Mail Order Department for further information.

Written for an instrumental ensemble consisting of Flute Clarinet Violin Cello Guitar Percussion this set of seven delightful realisations of early Scottish dances from the 16th century is both pleasing to listen to and relatively easy to perform yet not without enough difficulties to provide a challenge to young players.

A Selkie Tale is a short music-theatre work (duration about 25 minutes) designed for performance by seven- to eleven-year-olds year olds. Four solo roles and several separate chorus groups give scope for the participation of a large number of children of all ability levels.The story is a humorous version of the Orkney folk-tale of an islander kidnapping a Selkie wife - a creature who is a seal in the sea and a woman on the land. Things go hilariously wrong with the Selkie wife escaping to rejoin her companions in the sea and Mansie the islander facing a most uncongenial alliance with his cousin and housekeeper Miss Trowie-Tattibogle.Glockenspiel and chimebars part.This is a special item which is made to order. Please e-mail our Mail Order Department for further information.

A Selkie Tale is a short music-theatre work (duration about 25 minutes) designed for performance by seven- to eleven-year-olds year olds. Four solo roles and several separate chorus groups give scope for the participation of a large number of children of all ability levels.The story is a humorous version of the Orkney folk-tale of an islander kidnapping a Selkie wife - a creature who is a seal in the sea and a woman on the land. Things go hilariously wrong with the Selkie wife escaping to rejoin her companions in the sea and Mansie the islander facing a most uncongenial alliance with his cousin and housekeeper Miss Trowie-Tattibogle.Piano part.This isa special item which is made to order. Please e-mail our Mail Order Department for further information.