SKU: HL.50602314
UPC: 840126906585.
The Planets, op. 80 for mezzo-soprano, flute, viola and guitar, was composed in spring 1978 and given its first performance on 30 July the same year at the Lerchenborg Music Days. The occasion which led to the composition of the work was the 50th anniversary of the finding of a block book from the second half of the 15th century with texts on the planets. The inspiration came from Louise Lerche-Lerchenborg, who organised the Lerchenborg Music Days, and the work is dedicated to her. In connection with the concert at Lerchenborg, Poul Rovsing Olsen wrote the following about his opus: The Planets derives from the block book found in Lerchenborg's library in 1928. Seven fine, coloured drawings tell of the seven celestial bodies which in many European languages have given the weekdays their names. Each drawing is accompanied by a Latin text, under which there is a two-line dictum that briefly - though very concisely - gives an account of the characteristics of the children who belong to that particular celestial body. And these concentrated portrayals form the basis for the music. In the music I have attempted to give indications of my own experience of the particular power and nature characterizing each one of the heavenly bodies, just as I have allowed this cycle of planet songs to pass like a journey through the ethereal realms with motifs that appear, are repeated, are varied and disappear (but only so as to be replaced by new ones), until we finally return to the point of departure. The introduction - Aether - is purely instrumental. Two of the planets - Venus and Luna - are female; in the music written for them small (Indian) cymbals are used that are also present in Aether..
SKU: BT.WH31915
ISBN 9788759829004.
The Planets, op. 80 for mezzo-soprano, flute, viola and guitar, was composed in spring 1978 and given its first performance on 30 July the same year at the Lerchenborg Music Days. The occasion which led to the composition of the work was the 50th anniversary of the finding of a block book from the second half of the 15th century with texts on the planets. The inspiration came from Louise Lerche-Lerchenborg, who organised the Lerchenborg Music Days, and the work is dedicated to her. In connection with the concert at Lerchenborg, Poul Rovsing Olsen wrote the following about his opus: “The Planets derives from the block book found in Lerchenborg’s library in 1928. Seven fine,coloured drawings tell of the seven celestial bodies which in many European languages have given the weekdays their names. Each drawing is accompanied by a Latin text, under which there is a two-line dictum that briefly though very concisely gives an account of the characteristics of the children who belong to that particular celestial body. And these concentrated portrayals form the basis for the music. In the music I have attempted to give indications of my own experience of the particular power and nature characterizing each one of the heavenly bodies, just as I have allowed this cycle of planet songs to pass like a journey through the ethereal realms with motifs that appear, are repeated, are varied and disappear (but only so as to be replaced by new ones), until we finally return to the point of departure. The introduction Aether is purely instrumental. Two of the planets Venus and Luna are female; in the music written for them small (Indian) cymbals are used that are also present in Aether.”.
SKU: CY.CC2840
Venus and Mercury movements from the Planets Suite are now available for sale to supplement your present package of 4 movements, or just to order the two movements alone.Brilliantly transcribed by Ralph Sauer for 14-part Brass Ensemble and Percussion, these two movements will finish off your collection perfectly, or make a lovely 15 minute mini-suite.This package has been discounted from purchasing the movements separately.For advanced performers.Instrumentation is for:4 Trumpets in C (parts include Piccolo and Flugelhorn in B-flat)4 Horns 3 Trombones Euphonium (Tenor Tuba), 2 TubasTimpani and Glockenspiel.
SKU: HL.14015267
UPC: 884088808525. 8.5x11.0x0.334 inches.
Edited by Nicholas Hare. Kaleidoscope will save you time! Do you spend hours arranging music for odd assortments of instruments? Kaleidoscope is specially arranged to suit almost any instrumental combination and these varied ensembles are easy and enjoyable too. So much scope for virtually any combination of instruments! The series is successful with recorders, guitars, percussion and keyboard as well as with orchestral groupings. Whether there are five or fifty players, every Kaleidoscope title will work! Just make sure that melody and keyboard parts are included - all other parts are optional. Kaleidoscope is superb value for money - each set contains a score plus around 50 parts, each one carefully written to suit the needs of each instrument. For example, easy string parts are in first position only whilst easy clarinet parts take care to avoid the break. There are more demanding parts too, for experienced players. To help you choose the right pieces for your players we have given the key of each Kaleidoscope in brackets. The complete performance option! These super-flexible arrangements of well-known titles are a must for every school. Why not choose a theme for your concert and perform a selection of Kaleidoscope show titles and film themes or have an evening of classical favourites. And don't forget we have Kaleidoscope bumper carol packs and seasonal gems for your Christmas Concert too!
SKU: CF.CM9714
ISBN 9781491160329. UPC: 680160918904. Key: F major. English. Robert Frost.
About the work ... Few American poems are as well known as The Road Not Taken. Robert Frost, the author, is an international icon, not unlike Pablo Picasso, Winston Churchill or Mark Twain in their own disciplines.The poem is full of contradictions and quirks of form and structure. Perhaps that illusiveness is part of the poem's intrigue. But beyond all of the literary devices that only a few scholars may fully appreciate, this poem has taken on a sort of fanfare for the common person credo - a challenge to individualism, stepping out on one's own, and breaking the mold out of sheer determination if nothing else. Frost connects to the core of the human spirit in just a few stanzas using the analogy of a fork in a road. The message super cedes geography, culture, race or creed. Rather, it is part of the DNA of most every person on the planet - the inner desire to feel empowered to create one's own destiny, to forge a road not taken, and ultimately in doing so, to make a difference. Rehearsal notes ... Research strongly suggests that there is a direct connection between the first rehearsal and the performance. First impressions last. I find it helpful to immediately lock three concepts into place - mechanics (notes/rhythms), text/phrasing (intent and motivation) and color (timbre). Performers need to think musically from the first reading forward (first impression). The cello is very much a collaborative instrument in this work, and should be located in front of the ensemble (not to side). Lastly, let the text speak. The simplest melodic lines are often the most exposed. Keep the voices clear and transparent, floating over the top in softer passages, and singing with vibrancy and forward focus throughout. Z. Randall Stroope A definitive recording was made by the New American Voices, with Randall conducting. This can be found on Spotify, YouTube, his website (www.zrstroope), and other social media. About the composer ... Z. Randall Stroope is an American composer and conductor. His composition teachers were Normand Lockwood and Cecil Effinger, both students of the Nadia Boulanger, the famous French teacher (and student of Gabriel Faure). He is the artistic director of two international summer music festivals, is an Honorary Member of the National Association of Italian Choral Directors, and has conducted in 25 countries. He has directed over 40 times at Carnegie Hall, and is a frequent conductor at other prestigious concert venues. Randall has 190 published works, and his music can be heard on Spotify, YouTube and other platforms, including his website (www.zrstroope.com).About the work ...Few American poems are as well known as The Road Not Taken. Robert Frost, the author, is an international icon, not unlike Pablo Picasso, Winston Churchill or Mark Twain in their own disciplines.The poem is full of contradictions and quirks of form and structure. Perhaps that illusiveness is part of the poem's intrigue. But beyond all of the literary devices that only a few scholars may fully appreciate, this poem has taken on a sort of fanfare for the common person credo - a challenge to individualism, stepping out on one's own, and breaking the mold out of sheer determination if nothing else. Frost connects to the core of the human spirit in just a few stanzas using the analogy of a fork in a road. The message super cedes geography, culture, race or creed. Rather, it is part of the DNA of most every person on the planet - the inner desire to feel empowered to create one's own destiny, to forge a road not taken, and ultimately in doing so, to make a difference.Rehearsal notes ...Research strongly suggests that there is a direct connection between the first rehearsal and the performance. First impressions last. I find it helpful to immediately lock three concepts into place - mechanics (notes/rhythms), text/phrasing (intent and motivation) and color (timbre). Performers need to think musically from the first reading forward (first impression). The cello is very much a collaborative instrument in this work, and should be located in front of the ensemble (not to side). Lastly, let the text speak. The simplest melodic lines are often the most exposed. Keep the voices clear and transparent, floating over the top in softer passages, and singing with vibrancy and forward focus throughout.Z. Randall StroopeA definitive recording was made by the New American Voices, with Randall conducting. This can be found on Spotify, YouTube, his website (www.zrstroope), and other social media.About the composer ...Z. Randall Stroope is an American composer and conductor. His composition teachers were Normand Lockwood and Cecil Effinger, both students of the Nadia Boulanger, the famous French teacher (and student of Gabriel Fauré). He is the artistic director of two international summer music festivals, is an Honorary Member of the National Association of Italian Choral Directors, and has conducted in 25 countries. He has directed over 40 times at Carnegie Hall, and is a frequent conductor at other prestigious concert venues. Randall has 190 published works, and his music can be heard on Spotify, YouTube and other platforms, including his website (www.zrstroope.com).
SKU: PR.362034230
ISBN 9781598069556. UPC: 680160624225. Letter inches. English.
When the Texas Choral Consort asked Welcher to write a short prologue to Haydn's The Creation, his first reaction was that Haydn already presents Chaos in his introductory movement. As he thought about it, Welcher began envisioning a truer void to precede Haydn's depiction of Chaos within the scope of 18th-century classical style - quoting some of Haydn's themes and showing human voices and inhuman sounds in a kind of pre-creation melange of color, mood, and atmosphere. Welcher accepted this challenge with the proviso that his prologue would lead directly into Haydn's masterpiece without stopping, and certainly without applause in between. Scored for mixed chorus and Haydn's instrumentation, Without Form and Void is a dramatically fresh yet pragmatic enhancement to deepen any performance of Haydn's The Creation. Orchestral score and parts are available on rental.When Brent Baldwin asked me to consider writing a short prologue to THE CREATION, my first response was “Why?” THE CREATION already contains a prologue; it’s called “Representation of Chaos”, and it’s Haydn’s way of showing the formless universe. How could a new piece do anything but get in the way? But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. The Age of Enlightenment’s idea of “Chaos” was just extended chromaticism, no more than Bach used (in fact, Bach went further).Perhaps there might be a way to use the full resources of the modern orchestra (or at least, a Haydn-sized orchestra) and the modern chorus to really present a cosmic soup of unborn musical atoms, just waiting for Haydn’s sure touch to animate them. Perhaps it could even quote some of Haydn’s themes before he knew them himself, and also show human voices and inhuman sounds in a kind of pre-creation mélange of color, mood, and atmosphere. So I accepted the challenge, with the proviso that my new piece not be treated as some kind of “overture”, but would instead be allowed to lead directly into Haydn’s masterpiece without stopping, and certainly without applause. I crafted this five minute piece to begin with a kind of “music of the spheres” universe-hum, created by tuned wine glasses and violin harmonics. The chorus enters very soon after, with the opening words of Genesis whispered simultaneously in as many languages as can be found in a chorus. The first two minutes of my work are all about unborn human voices and unfocused planetary sounds, gradually becoming more and more “coherent” until we finally hear actual pitches, melodies, and words. Three of Haydn’s melodies will be heard, to be specific, but not in the way he will present them an hour from now. It’s almost as if we are listening inside the womb of the universe, looking for a faint heartbeat of worlds, animals, and people to come. At the end of the piece, the chorus finally finds its voice with a single word: “God!”, and the orchestra finally finds its own pulse as well. The unstoppable desire for birth must now be answered, and it is----by Haydn’s marvelous oratorio. I am not a religious man in any traditional sense. Neither was Haydn, nor Mozart, nor Beethoven. But all of them, as well as I, share in what is now called a humanistic view of how things came to be, how life in its many forms developed on this planet, and how Man became the recorder of history. The gospel according to John begins with a parody of Genesis: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” I love that phrase, and it’s in that spirit that I offer my humble “opener” to the finest work of one of the greatest composers Western music has ever known. My piece is not supposed to sound like Haydn. It’s supposed to sound like a giant palette, on which a composer in 1798 might find more outrageous colors than his era would permit…but which, I hope, he would have been delighted to hear.
