Northern Lights

SKU: HL.14021025

ISBN 9780711986138. 5.5x7.5x0.164 inches.

Miniature Score. This work was commissioned by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It was first performed on 13th May 1998 London. This piece is based on a genuine old tune 'Maxwell's Strathspey' which the composer found in an 1824 collection of Scottish melodies, and which unfolds at the start of the piece on solo cello. Variations and a bold up-tempo to the quick dance we know as a reel ultimately yield to the magic that has been promised right at the start: the northern lights take over at the end of the piece. Its inspiration comes from a walk to a community event in Hoy Hall, during which Davies saw the lights in the sky pulsing in and out of time with the sounds coming from the hall. Duration 12 minutes. Conductor's score and orchestral parts are available on hire.

SKU: CF.FPS60F

ISBN 9780825864445. UPC: 798408064440. 9 X 12 inches. Key: C minor.

Featuring a lovely and appropriate use of mallet percussion instruments, especially bells and other delicate members of the percussion section, Northern Lights is evocative, melodically distinguished and cleverly scored to help a young band sound its best. The contrast between the natural minor of the woodwind melody at the beginning and the grander, major mode brass theme introduced later is nicely maintained throughout this very effective piece.

SKU: FG.55011-484-5

ISBN 9790550114845.

In January 1999, Nieminen worked with his oboe piece Elegy for Agatha. The work kept running through his mind. Its musically intimate and intriguing setting seemed to include sufficient elements for explicating a bigger whole. The poem by Hannele Huovi was the inspiration of the sequel: Kuulen virtaavaa valoa ja se on pimeys (I can here streaming light and it is darkness).
In his work, Nieminen also looks back on his days in military service. The mental pictures created decades ago on guard during winter frost amid silence combined with Huovi's poem took a musical shape. I Hear Streaming Light (1999) for the String Quartet was created out of these ideas, which together with Elegy for Agatha constitute a whole called I Can Hear Northern Lights. All musical material and melodic themes of the string quartet piece originate from Elegy for Agatha but they do not appear in their original forms.

SKU: HL.268915

Sadie Harrison is known primarily as a composer and lecturer, her music performed and broadcast across the globe, with works released to critical acclaim on Naxos, NMC, Cadenza, Sargasso, BML, Divine Art/Metier, and Clarinet Classics. For several years, she also pursued a secondary career as an archaeologist, specialising initially in the Irish Neolithic, and latterly in the prestige pottery of the Continental Bronze Age (also appearing on Channel 4's Time Team). Reflecting her interest in the past, many of Sadie's compositions have been inspired by the traditional music of old and extant cultures with cycles of pieces based on the folkmusic of Afghanistan, Lithuania, the Isle of Skye, the Northern Caucasus and the UK.

SKU: GI.WW1764

UPC: 785147020165. Latin. Text source: Song of Solomon. From Song of Solomon.

Using the Latin Pulchra es amica mea text from Song of Solomon, this composition is a great selection for high school men’s choruses and above. With music inspired by the aurora borealis atmospheric lights, this song will render a most impressive performance.

SKU: CL.011-4649-01

This entrancing work musically captures the dazzling dancing northern lights which have fascinated mankind for centuries. The opening theme is presented in varying styles, characterizing the many forms in which the lights appear, from patchy clouds to streaming arches. Trills and rolls symbolize the rippling formations, and the chromatic rising musical lines reflect the soaring rays which light the sky with an eerie glow. Bright brass fanfares depict the magnificent shades of green and pink. Exciting music for both audiences and performers, Aurora Borealis is a surefire winner!

About C.L. Barnhouse Command Series

The Barnhouse Command Series includes works at grade levels 2, 2.5, and 3. This series is designed for middle school and junior high school bands, as well as high school bands of smaller instrumentation or limited experience. Command Series publications have a slightly larger instrumentation than the Rising Band Series, and are typically of larger scope, duration, and musical content.