All Time Klezmers

SKU: BT.1246-05-404-DHI

ISBN 9789043169738. English-German-French-Dutch.

SKU: OT.37019

ISBN 9789655050851. 8.27 x 11.69 inches.

Lev Kogan
Klezmer Dance Suite for clarinet, strings, percussion, and tuba
arranged by Alan Kaufman, with cadenzas by Gene Kavadlo
Score. A set of parts may be ordered separately.
There is also an edition for small ensemble including a score and one copy each part, SKU 37019set
I have been Principal Clarinetist with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, North Carolina, since 1975. My interest in klezmer music began in 1984 when I realized how unique the clarinet voice can be in the klezmer idiom - it is totally different from playing in a symphony orchestra, and I found that unique voice to be very appealing. I formed a quartet called Viva Klezmer!, and we have been concertizing and recording ever since.
I discovered Lev Kogan's Hassidic Tunes for Clarinet and Piano a number of years ago and was struck by the lovely melodies and harmonies that Mr. Kogan had composed. The tunes were always enjoyed by audiences whenever I performed them, and it occured to me that several of them could be orchestrated and grouped together to form a very attractive klezmer suite. I enlisted the aid of my talented colleague, Alan Kaufman, and the result is this publication. There is dearth of klezmer music featuring clarinet with orchestra or chamber ensemble, and this publication helps fill that void.
The suite can be performed with orchestra or, if percussion and tuba are unavailable, as chamber music with clarinet and strings. In the absence of tuba, the part may be played by another bass instrument.
Gene Kavadlo
Lev Kogan (1927-2007) was born in Baku, Azerbaijan, and immigrated to Israel in 1972. Kogan attended the Moscow State Conservatory from 1946-1952 where he studied piano and was a composition of Aram Khatchturian. He has devotred much time to the research, creation and performance of Jewish music. In Israel, he has composed many productions for the Yiddish theater and Chassidic, Yiddish songs and chamber music.
Originally from New York State, Alan Kaufman graduated from Potsdam State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education and a Master's Degree in Music Performance in Percussion. Since then, he has been a performer, arranger, educator, producer and composer of commercial jingles, recordings and movie and television soundtracks. He has produced albums and/or has arranged for an array of groups from The Buddy Rich Band to performing with artists as diverse as Luciano Pavoratti and Bernadette Peters, to Dave Brubeck and Johnny Cash. Since 1978, Alan has resided in Charlotte, NC where he continues his musical journey.

SKU: AP.1-ADV8437

UPC: 805095084375. English.

Klezmer Jam is a lively jam session original by Valentin Hude where the lead material is shared by every member of the quartet at one time or another. It is great fun for players and audiences alike. Arranged for 4 clarinets (3 clarinets in B-flat & bass clarinet in B-flat).

SKU: PR.144407530

ISBN 9781491136614. UPC: 680160687992.

A violinist herself, Lauren Bernofsky has described SONATA FOR SOLO VIOLIN as drawn from autobiographical inspiration, including gestures from Bach�??s beloved Partita in E Major. Bernofsky opens with a Preludio movement whose references to Bach may be disguised, but they are surely lurking. The second movement is lusciously contrapuntal with the idiomatic finesse of a violinist composing for her own instrument, while musically journaling the emotional pain of living through 2020. The third and final movement is aptly marked �??white-hot,�?� and the music certainly is.
My SONATA FOR SOLO VIOLIN was commissioned by violinist Megan Healy as part of The Maud Powell Project, which celebrated the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment. The project included the creation of five new works for solo violin inspired by and dedicated to the memory of pioneering American violinist Maud Powell (1867-1920). Healy premiered the sonata on May 8, 2021 at PianoForte Studios in Chicago.Among the works Powell most frequently performed in her recitals was the �??Preludio�?� movement from Bach�??s E major Partita, and I decided to refer to that music in my own first movement, also titled �??Preludio.�?� The beginning subtly reflects Bach�??s opening three-note motive, wherein the music dips down a semitone and then comes back up. This melodic material returns throughout the movement in various forms. I also refer to Bach�??s sixteenth-note dominated texture, and the gesture in the third measure, which outlines a perfect fifth and then fills it in with notes that alternate between a scale and a pedal tone. The corresponding passage in my piece occurs in the same place, measure 3. Apart from these references to Bach, my sonata is much more modern sounding, especially in its chromatic character.I was still thinking of Bach�??s solo violin writing while composing the second movement, particularly the polyphonic nature of the slow movements, where the melodic interest moves around between the voices. Emotionally, I wanted my movement to reflect the acute sadness I had been experiencing over the political and social situation in the United States as I wrote the piece. I realized that this is a historically noteworthy time in U.S. history, marked not only by political unrest, but also by a challenge to the very values that I consider essential to what makes a person fundamentally human. I wanted to create a record of that pain in my music.The final movement is marked �??White-hot.�?� It is imbued with a relentless, passionate intensity. Wanting again to reflect aspects of our own time, I included glissandi that refer to rock music, specifically the �??fall-offs�?� I frequently hear played by electric guitarists. I borrowed from another (completely different) musical tradition as well, one that is near-and-dear to my heart: Klezmer. Klezmer (Eastern European Jewish folk music) is characterized in part by scales colored by augmented seconds, and is often performed by solo instrumentalists who improvise embellishments like quick grace notes. The second, more lyrical theme in this movement is my nod to Klezmer style.While this piece is an homage to Maud Powell, I also think of it as my own musical autobiography, as it combines some of my favorite aspects of music, and is played on my own instrument.