English Folk Tunes for Flute

SKU: PR.16500100F

ISBN 9781491114421. UPC: 680160669783. 9 x 12 inches.

Commissioned for a consortium of high school and college bands in the north Dallas region, FOR THEMYSTIC HARMONY is a 10-minute inspirational work in homage to Norwood and Elizabeth Dixon,patrons of the Fort Worth Symphony and the Van Cliburn Competition. Welcher draws melodic flavorfrom five American hymns, spirituals, and folk tunes of the 19th century. The last of these sources toappear is the hymn tune For the Beauty of the Earth, whose third stanza is the quatrain: “For the joy of earand eye, For the heart and mind’s delight, For the mystic harmony, Linking sense to sound and sight,”giving rise to the work’s title.
This work, commissioned for a consortium of high school bands in the north Dallas area, is my fifteenth maturework for wind ensemble (not counting transcriptions). When I asked Todd Dixon, the band director whospearheaded this project, what kind of a work he most wanted, he first said “something that’s basically slow,” butwanted to leave the details to me. During a long subsequent conversation, he mentioned that his grandparents,Norwood and Elizabeth Dixon, were prime supporters of the Fort Worth Symphony, going so far as to purchase anumber of high quality instruments for that orchestra. This intrigued me, so I asked more about his grandparentsand was provided an 80-page biographical sketch. Reading that article, including a long section about theirdevotion to supporting a young man through the rigors of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition fora number of years, moved me very much. Norwood and Elizabeth Dixon weren’t just supporters of the arts; theywere passionate lovers of music and musicians. I determined to make this work a testament to that love, and tothe religious faith that sustained them both. The idea of using extant hymns was also suggested by Todd Dixon,and this 10-minute work is the result.I have employed existing melodies in several works, delving into certain kinds of religious music more than a fewtimes. In seeking new sounds, new ways of harmonizing old tunes, and the contrapuntal overlaying of one tunewith another, I was able to make works like ZION (using 19th-century Revivalist hymns) and LABORING SONGS(using Shaker melodies) reflect the spirit of the composers who created these melodies, without sounding likepastiches or medleys. I determined to do the same with this new work, with the added problem of employingmelodies that were more familiar. I chose five tunes from the 19th century: hymns, spirituals, and folk-tunes.Some of these are known by differing titles, but they all appear in hymnals of various Christian denominations(with various titles and texts). My idea was to employ the tunes without altering their notes, instead using aconstantly modulating sense of harmony — sometimes leading to polytonal harmonizations of what are normallysimple four-chord hymns.The work begins and ends with a repeated chime on the note C: a reminder of steeples, white clapboard churchesin the country, and small church organs. Beginning with a Mixolydian folk tune of Caribbean origin presentedtwice with layered entrances, the work starts with a feeling of mystery and gentle sorrow. It proceeds, after along transition, into a second hymn that is sometimes connected to the sea (hence the sensation of water andwaves throughout it). This tune, by John B. Dykes (1823-1876), is a bit more chromatic and “shifty” than mosthymn-tunes, so I chose to play with the constant sensation of modulation even more than the original does. Atthe climax, the familiar spiritual “Were you there?” takes over, with a double-time polytonal feeling propelling itforward at “Sometimes it causes me to tremble.”Trumpets in counterpoint raise the temperature, and the tempo as well, leading the music into a third tune (ofunknown provenance, though it appears with different texts in various hymnals) that is presented in a sprightlymanner. Bassoons introduce the melody, but it is quickly taken up by other instruments over three “verses,”constantly growing in orchestration and volume. A mysterious second tune, unrelated to this one, interrupts it inall three verses, sending the melody into unknown regions.The final melody is “For the Beauty of the Earth.” This tune by Conrad Kocher (1786-1872) is commonly sung atThanksgiving — the perfect choice to end this work celebrating two people known for their generosity.Keeping the sense of constant modulation that has been present throughout, I chose to present this hymn in threegrowing verses, but with a twist: every four bars, the “key” of the hymn seems to shift — until the “Lord of all, toThee we praise” melody bursts out in a surprising compound meter. This, as it turns out, was the “mystery tune”heard earlier in the piece. After an Ivesian, almost polytonal climax, the Coda begins over a long B( pedal. At first,it seems to be a restatement of the first two phrases of “For the Beauty” with long spaces between them, but it soonchanges to a series of “Amen” cadences, widely separated by range and color. These, too, do not conform to anykey, but instead overlay each other in ways that are unpredictable but strangely comforting.The third verse of “For the Beauty of the Earth” contains this quatrain:“For the joy of ear and eye, –For the heart and mind’s delightFor the mystic harmonyLinking sense to sound and sight”and it was from this poetry that I drew the title for the present work. It is my hope that audiences and performerswill find within it a sense of grace: more than a little familiar, but also quite new and unexpected.

SKU: CA.1037813

ISBN 9790007190934. Language: German/English/French.

I wrote this Christmas cantata from Koroshegy at the request of the Council of the Komitat Somogy. When I visited the still unrenovated little church at Koroshegy about ten years ago I had no idea that this beautiful Gothic building would one day be the scene of the world premiere of one of my works. - The cantata is founded on four pillars: four organ soli which could be described as ritornelli, followed by four a cappella choruses with the same melody but different harmonizations. These are settings of the four verses of In Epiphaniam by Janus Pannonius, the most renowned Hungarian poet and humanist of the Renaissance. Between these pillars I have introduced movements for choir or for soloists based on Hungarian folk tunes and Christmas songs from Transylvania and the Komitat Somogy: songs of the shepherds, angels and wise men, and, after a pastorale for organ, a large scale mixed-voice chorus intoning Ez karacsony ejszakajan [Holy Night]. A narrator introduces the individual numbers with passages from the Christmas story. An organ postlude concludes the work. (Ferenc Farkas) This work may be performed in German, English, French or Hungarian language. Score and part available separately - see item CA.1037800.

SKU: CA.1037800

ISBN 9790007077624. Language: German/English/French.

I wrote this Christmas cantata from Koroshegy at the request of the Council of the Komitat Somogy. When I visited the still unrenovated little church at Koroshegy about ten years ago I had no idea that this beautiful Gothic building would one day be the scene of the world premiere of one of my works. - The cantata is founded on four pillars: four organ soli which could be described as ritornelli, followed by four a cappella choruses with the same melody but different harmonizations. These are settings of the four verses of In Epiphaniam by Janus Pannonius, the most renowned Hungarian poet and humanist of the Renaissance. Between these pillars I have introduced movements for choir or for soloists based on Hungarian folk tunes and Christmas songs from Transylvania and the Komitat Somogy: songs of the shepherds, angels and wise men, and, after a pastorale for organ, a large scale mixed-voice chorus intoning Ez karacsony ejszakajan [Holy Night]. A narrator introduces the individual numbers with passages from the Christmas story. An organ postlude concludes the work. (Ferenc Farkas) This work may be performed in German, English, French or Hungarian language.

SKU: CA.1037805

ISBN 9790007110819. Language: German/English/French.

I wrote this Christmas cantata from Koroshegy at the request of the Council of the Komitat Somogy. When I visited the still unrenovated little church at Koroshegy about ten years ago I had no idea that this beautiful Gothic building would one day be the scene of the world premiere of one of my works. - The cantata is founded on four pillars: four organ soli which could be described as ritornelli, followed by four a cappella choruses with the same melody but different harmonizations. These are settings of the four verses of In Epiphaniam by Janus Pannonius, the most renowned Hungarian poet and humanist of the Renaissance. Between these pillars I have introduced movements for choir or for soloists based on Hungarian folk tunes and Christmas songs from Transylvania and the Komitat Somogy: songs of the shepherds, angels and wise men, and, after a pastorale for organ, a large scale mixed-voice chorus intoning Ez karacsony ejszakajan [Holy Night]. A narrator introduces the individual numbers with passages from the Christmas story. An organ postlude concludes the work. (Ferenc Farkas) This work may be performed in German, English, French or Hungarian language. Score available separately - see item CA.1037800.

SKU: BT.EMBZ2524

English-German-Hungarian.

An Evening in the Village was composed in 1908 as no. 5 of the Ten Easy Piano Pieces. It has become one of Bartók s favorite works, which the composer himself was fond of playing at recitals. As he explained in an American interview, it was an original composition that is ... with themes of my own invention but ... the themes are in the style of the Hungarian-Transylvanian folk tunes. There are two themes. The first one is a parlando-rubato-rhythm and the second one is more in a dance-like rhythm. The second one is more or less the imitation of a peasant flute playing. Bartók also orchestrated the piece in 1931 as no. 1 of Hungarian Sketches.

SKU: HL.35028867

UPC: 884088888633. 5.25x7.5 inches.

From the composer of Festival of Carols and The Winter Rose comes a cantata that celebrates the legacy of early American carols and hymnody. Composed in the spirit of folk music, the cantata combines traditional sounds with more rustic elements creating a blend that is fresh and pleasing. Popular American carols like Away In a Manger and O Little Town of Bethlehem dance with traditional spirituals such as Children, Go Where I Send Thee and Go, Tell It on the Mountain. Sacred Harp tunes are re-tooled for Advent and stand alongside new versions of Shaker hymns and Appalachian melodies. Thoughtful narration weaves the movements together in a meaningful tapestry of song and Scripture. Two orchestral options are available allowing maximum flexibility in performance. A full line of support products is also available. Available separately: SATB, CD-ROM Full Orchestration (Score & Parts for Flute 1 & 2, alto recorder, Oboe/English Horn, Clarinet 1 & 2, Bassoon, Horn 1 & 2, Trumpet 1-3, Trombone 1 & 2, Bass Trombone/Tuba, Timpani, Percussion, Acoustic Guitar, Banjo, Harp, Piano, Synth, Solo fiddle, Violin 1 & 2, Viola, Cello, Double Bass), Printed Full Orchestration, Appalachian Consort Orchestration (Score & parts for Flute, Violin, Cello, Mandolin, Guitar, Percussion and Piano), StudioTrax CD (accompaniment only), SplitTrax CD, Listening CD, 10-Pack Listening CDs, Preview Pack (Book/CD combo), RehearsalTrax CDs (part predominant, reproducible), Digital Resource Kit (PowerPoint, Choir Devotionals, Poster, Program, Flyers, Children's Program PDFs). Duration: approx. 40 min.

SKU: AP.1-ADV7425

ISBN 9783892215790. UPC: 805095074253. English. Traditional.

Patapan is a French carol attributed to Bernard de la Monnoye who lived from 1641--1728. The title refers to the beating of a drum, and the lyrics also mention other instruments (pipes, fife, and flute). As with many Christmas tunes, Patapan reflects the joyous union of Christmas music with dance, as the lyrics express, when you play your fife and drum, how can anyone be glum? The melody is complimented in this arrangement by the use of a lyrical folk song also used by Tchaikovsky in his 1812 Overture.

This arrangement for saxophone quartet, rather than favoring a soprano solo with accompaniment, strives to include all of the players by distributing the melodic material. In addition, all dynamics and articulations should be taken as suggestions only, as performers are encouraged to make their own interpretations. Arranged for saxophone quartet (SATBar).

SKU: CF.YPS265F

ISBN 9781491164051. UPC: 680160922840.

The Rocky Road to Dublin is a song written by Irish poet D. K. Gavan in the mid-nineteenth century for English music-hall performer Harry Clifton and tells the story of an Irish man leaving his hometown of Tuam in the county of Galway in Ireland to go to Dublin to make money. Because of the Great Potato Famine at that time, large groups of Irish folks left their hometowns looking for food and work. Thousands ended up in America, in particular, Philadelphia, where many made their way south through the Appalachian mountains, settling in southwest Virginia, western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. As the Irish began their new lives here in America, they would often sing these songs, which would bring back fond memories of their homeland. Many old-time fiddle tunes can be traced to Irish music, including this song. However, their music changed as the songs were passed around through other cultures in the mountains, with new verses about their new lives. Often the tunes and lyrics made their way back overseas where they would change yet again, so there are many versions of these songs found in both Ireland and America. This setting is close to the original and can be found in both places. It gets to the heart of having to leave one’s home to seek a better life.This tune is a fun one and should be played with a lilt until m. 43. At this point, the original material is more legato, but returns at m. 59 in the alto saxophone. Let the percussion play on their solis, especially at the end where some of them answer the band motifs. The straight eighth notes (as at m. 29) will perhaps look difficult to younger players, but once they understand the concept, it will be a favorite part. Have fun!