A Garden of Flowers

SKU: HL.48016691

UPC: 073999366891. 8.5x11.0x0.115 inches.

Contents: Time to Rise * Marching Song * Where go the Boats? * Looking Forward * Whole Duty of Children * The Flowers * Rain * My Bed is a Boat * From a Railway Carriage * The Lamplighter * A Good Boy * Happy Thought.

SKU: FP.FBS03

ISBN 9790570500192.

Sarah Baker is Vocal Composer in Residence at Education Music Services, an ABRSM examiner and a well known composer of songs and musicals for primary schools and massed-choral events.

All this experience has come together in the creation of this album of piano pieces, inspired by growing up in the Chiltern Hills. Suitable for players of around grade 4-5 standard, her evocative sound pieces describe a crash-landing hot air balloon, garden invading cows and a even a snake in a pond!

Air Balloon!: One vivid memory I have as a child is of the day that a hot air balloon passed over our house and made an emergency landing on the road in front! The sound of the gas being blown into the balloon to try to keep it high enough to pass the house sounded so loud and intimidating, and then there was the bustle of the neighbours as we all went out into the street to watch. It was both terrifying and exhilarating to watch the balloon float past and then land so near by.

Buzzards Circling: There is something so calming and restful about watching birds of prey circling in the thermal currents of a summer sky. Growing up in the Chilterns gave me plenty of opportunity to watch buzzards and red kites. This piano solo captures the beauty of their flight as they glide so effortlessly through the air.

There’s A Cow In The Garden Eating The Flowers: Inspired by the memory of seeing an unexpected cow in the garden! This surreal image is captured in a quirky waltz, as I portray both the absurdity of the moment and the sense of wonder I felt as a child, looking out of the window and seeing the cow walking round and eating the flowers. The final phrase articulates my longing: ‘I wish it would come again’.

Watching The World Go By: A short, reflective piece, remembering what it was like to have time to just sit and watch the world go by from my bedroom window.

Autumn Skies: A miniature about the beauty of Autumn skies and the poignant sense of loss for a summer gone. Friends I was fortunate to have several children of my own age living close by. We seemed to be forever making dens, playing out in the street and generally enjoying each other’s company. This piece reflects that sense of well-being.

Snake In The Pond: One hot summer I was astonished and scared to see a grass snake cooling off in our garden pond! I watched, both horrified and fascinated, as it rose up from the depths and then disappeared again. Here I portray the sense of the hazy summer afternoon as I peacefully watched the tiny movements of fish in the pond, contrasted with the fear and excitement of seeing the snake appear.

Morning Commute: I recollect many mornings stuck in traffic as my Dad took me to school on his way to work. There is one main road out of the village where I grew up, and that got more and more congested the closer we got to the town. We may not have chatted a lot, but it was always good to be together with my Dad, lost in our own thoughts.

The Witch’s Cottage: My siblings and I had a fascination with a small cottage nearby. It was set back from the road in a dark part of the woods and we called it 'the witch's cottage’. Every time we passed, I imagined I heard the distant cackle of the witch and wished I could catch a glimpse of her.

These pieces are written to complement my other collection, Night Time Impressions, which also draw on childhood recollections, particularly of the woods behind the house where I grew up. - Sarah Baker 2023.

SKU: LB.269

Ginger Pratt was a sweet wonderful friend who was also a master gardener. She and her husband Earl had a beautiful large garden and shared their bounty of okra, flowers, tomatoes and other luscious fruits and vegatables with their many thankful neighbors.

SKU: CL.012-4144-75

This is a great opportunity for your ensemble to present a selection highlighting the musical styles of this richly vibrant culture. Written as a result of the composer's visit to Japan, this character piece is constructed in the style of a promenade...as if the listener is strolling through a traditional garden filled with sculptured trees and shrubs, fish ponds and beautiful flowers. The subtle melodic and harmonic elements convey a carefree sense of serenity, joy and peace to the listener. This will be a concert favorite for both your students and your audiences.

SKU: HL.49008008

ISBN 9790001112437. 9.0x12.0x0.172 inches. Russian - French - English - German.

The Sheet Lightning (Balmont) * The Flower (Balmont) * Morana (Balmont) * In my Gardens there are Flowers, in Yours Sadness (Gumiljov) * Your Love is Like the Milky Way (Volosin) * I Did not Call You (Blok) * Evening (Gumiljov) * Swans (Ivanov) * I Know not Today What Happend Yesterday (Blok).

SKU: BT.MUSM570364459

English.

Robert Saxton 's Hortus Musicae , Book 1 was commissioned by Ian Richie for the 2013 City of London Festival with funds provided by the John S. Cohen Foundation. The first performance was given by Clare Hammond on June 24th 2013 at the church of St Mary Le Bow. The title, less 'literal' in Latin than in the vernacular, refers to the idea of an allegorical/metaphysical garden (reference to a 'real', or existing, garden might be implied by Hortus Musicus) with various facets. The titles of the individual pieces/movements, with their respective garden image, are as follows: 1) Hortus Somniorum: a fleeting vision of a 'magical' garden 2) Hortus Temporis: a reflection of/on the floralclock described by Andrew Marvell (1621-1678) in his [metaphysical] poem The Garden: How well the skilful gardener drew Of flowers and herbs this dial new Where from above the milder sun Does through a fragrant zodiac run; And, as it works, the industrious bee Computes its time as well as we. How could such sweet and wholesome hours Be reckoned but with herbs and flowers! 3) Hortus Cantus: A garden in which nature 'sings' (praises), in the manner of a 'chorale prelude' and ending with the cantus firmus transformed into bells. 4) Hortus Infinitatis: A meditative/formal garden representing Time suspended, in the form of a palindromic prolation canon combined with a harmonic ground (chaconne). 5) Saltatio Hortensis: A (summer) garden of dancing, celebratory nature. Its essence (and that of the entire cycle, both metaphorically and structurally/formally) is summed up in words spoken by Miranda in WH Auden's 1944 Tempest [Shakespeare]-inspired poem The Sea And The Mirror; So, to remember our changing garden, we Are linked as children in a circle dancing. Duration: 15 minutes.