Sequence in A Minor

SKU: HL.49017563

ISBN 9790001148443. UPC: 196288026532. 9.0x12.0x0.083 inches.

Christoph Graupner (1683-1760), a pupil of Schelle and Kuhnau among others, is considered to be a typical composer of his time. Following the gallant, yet still being committed to the scholarly style, he created works of substance which were open to all new trends. Delicate motivic work, sequencing and imitation are characteristic of his compositional style.This new edition of the Trio Sonata in B minor for flauto traverso, violin and basso continuo is based on the fair autograph copy kept at the Universitaets- und Landesbibliothek of Darmstadt.

SKU: CF.YPS217

ISBN 9781491156544. UPC: 680160915088. 9 x 12 inches.

Hope Remains Within was commissioned by and composed for the Mount Nittany Middle School 7th and 8th Grade Concert Bands. Having heard the students of Mount Nittany perform another work of mine, I was very excited when their director, Johanna Steinbacher, approached me about writing a piece specifically for them. I knew right away that I wanted to write something that would tie in with their non-music curriculum in some way, but I wasn't exactly sure how, or what. Johanna talked to some of her students and learned that, in 7th grade, the students spend a good deal of time studying mythology in their English class. In particular, two clarinet students mentioned how much they enjoyed the story of Pandora. As such, I decided to use that story as the basis of this composition. Hope Remains Within doesn't attempt to re-tell the story, event by event, in musical terms. Instead, my goal was to address what seems to be one of the central issues of the Pandora myth. Though there are some variations, we probably all know the basics as told by the ancient Greek poet Hesiod. Zeus decides to punish Prometheus for stealing fire from heaven and giving it to humans. He and the other gods create Pandora, a beautiful and deceitful woman, and they give her to Prometheus's brother Epimetheus as a bride. Pandora is herself given a jar (according to many sources, jar seems to be a more accurate translation for what we commonly call Pandora's box) which contained numerous evils, diseases, and other pains. Out of curiosity, Pandora opens the jar and releases all of these evils into the world. But one thing remains in the jar: hope. The issue of hope seems to be one of the big interpretive questions of the Pandora myth. Why does hope remain within the jar? Why doesn't it come out of the jar to help humanity? Is hope being held on a pedestal of some sort? Is hope deliberately withheld from humanity? Why was hope in the jar with all those evils in the first place? I'm not enough of a mythological scholar to claim to have definitive answers to those questions, but these are the questions that I've tried to engage from a musical perspective in Hope Remains Within. I encourage the students and listeners to consider their own ideas of what hope is, and where you can find your own hope when needed. Musically, Hope Remains Within draws one of its main themes from the Prometheus Symphony by Alexander Skryabin (Scriabin). The note sequence F-D-Gb -F, heard near Hope's beginning played by alto saxophones and chimes, comes from the opening measures of Skyrabin's work. Given the important role that Prometheus plays in the Pandora myth, this seemed like an appropriate musical gesture to quote. This Prometheus motive is varied throughout the course of the piece, and even provides closure at the end, recast in a major key. Additionally, I have tried to involve a manageable amount of chromaticism in this piece. I have worked from the key of Bb major, no doubt familiar to every student who has ever played an instrument in a band. But I have added three extra notes: Db, Gb, and Ab, which are drawn from the key of Bb minor. During the piece's slow opening, I have allowed these minor key pitches to mingle freely within the Bb major tonality, adding extra color and (I hope!) beauty. As the piece progresses, though, the tempo increases, and we lose sense of the Bb major key entirely, and these extra notes play a more important role. But finally, Bb major returns triumphantly and all the extra notes are gone, except for a brief memory near the very end. (Ok, there are a couple of E-naturals that sneak in there along the way. I couldn't resist.).
Hope Remains Within was commissioned by and composed for the Mount Nittany Middle School 7th and 8th Grade Concert Bands. Having heard the students of Mount Nittany perform another work of mine, I was very excited when their director, Johanna Steinbacher, approached me about writing a piece specifically for them. I knew right away that I wanted to write something that would tie in with their non-music curriculum in some way, but I wasn’t exactly sure how, or what. Johanna talked to some of her students and learned that, in 7th grade, the students spend a good deal of time studying mythology in their English class. In particular, two clarinet students mentioned how much they enjoyed the story of Pandora.As such, I decided to use that story as the basis of this composition. Hope Remains Within doesn’t attempt to re-tell the story, event by event, in musical terms. Instead, my goal was to address what seems to be one of the central issues of the Pandora myth. Though there are some variations, we probably all know the basics as told by the ancient Greek poet Hesiod. Zeus decides to punish Prometheus for stealing fire from heaven and giving it to humans. He and the other gods create Pandora, a beautiful and deceitful woman, and they give her to Prometheus’s brother Epimetheus as a bride. Pandora is herself given a jar (according to many sources, “jar” seems to be a more accurate translation for what we commonly call “Pandora’s box”) which contained numerous evils, diseases, and other pains. Out of curiosity, Pandora opens the jar and releases all of these evils into the world. But one thing remains in the jar: hope.The issue of hope seems to be one of the big interpretive questions of the Pandora myth. Why does hope remain within the jar? Why doesn’t it come out of the jar to help humanity? Is hope being held on a pedestal of some sort? Is hope deliberately withheld from humanity? Why was hope in the jar with all those evils in the first place?I’m not enough of a mythological scholar to claim to have definitive answers to those questions, but these are the questions that I’ve tried to engage from a musical perspective in Hope Remains Within. I encourage the students and listeners to consider their own ideas of what hope is, and where you can find your own hope when needed.Musically, Hope Remains Within draws one of its main themes from the Prometheus Symphony by Alexander Skryabin (Scriabin). The note sequence F-D-Gb -F, heard near Hope’s beginning played by alto saxophones and chimes, comes from the opening measures of Skyrabin’s work. Given the important role that Prometheus plays in the Pandora myth, this seemed like an appropriate musical gesture to quote. This Prometheus motive is varied throughout the course of the piece, and even provides closure at the end, recast in a major key.Additionally, I have tried to involve a manageable amount of chromaticism in this piece. I have worked from the key of Bb major, no doubt familiar to every student who has ever played an instrument in a band. But I have added three extra notes: Db, Gb, and Ab, which are drawn from the key of Bb minor. During the piece’s slow opening, I have allowed these minor key pitches to mingle freely within the Bb major tonality, adding extra color and (I hope!) beauty. As the piece progresses, though, the tempo increases, and we lose sense of the Bb major key entirely, and these extra notes play a more important role. But finally, Bb major returns triumphantly and all the extra notes are gone, except for a brief memory near the very end. (Ok, there are a couple of E-naturals that sneak in there along the way. I couldn’t resist.).

SKU: CF.CM9716

ISBN 9781491160954. UPC: 680160919550. Key: D minor. Latin. Early Latin Text.

This text is taken from the Dies Irae Sequence from the Requiem Mass. It is a contemplation of the arrival of judgment day. The A-sections, mm. 1-29 & mm. 43-end, are a manic depiction of the fierce wrath of judgment day. They should be sung with fire, crisp consonants while always enunciating the accents in order to realize the full effect of this powerful text. The entire demeanor of the tone and facial expressions should change for the B-section, mm. 30-42 as it is a plea for mercy. The audience should realize the change in this contrasting section. Translation Dies irae, dies illa: Day of wrath, that day Solvet saeclum in favilla: shall dissolve the world into embers Teste David cum Sibylla: As David prophesied with the Sibyl. Voca me cum benedictis :Call me to be with the blessed. Salva me fons pietatis : Save me, fount of pity. The Sibyl is a reference from a Greek word, which means Prophetess. In this context, the word appears in plural, referring to many prophetesses. David, or King David, has long been considered prophetic among biblical scholars. About the Arranger D. Farrell Smith is the Director of Choirs at Hilldale Middle School, and Hilldale High School in Muskogee, Oklahoma. He holds a B.A. in Music Education and the M.A. in Theological Studies. Currently the Minister of Music at Eastern Heights Baptist Church, he has been a Music educator and Minister for 20 years. Mr. Smith studied with Dr. Gary Foster and Dr. Donald Studebaker and has performed under such notables as R. Evan Copley, Daniel Pinkham, Lloyd Pfautsch, and Bev Henson.
This text is taken from the Dies Irae Sequence from the Requiem Mass. It is a contemplation of the arrival of judgment day. The A-sections, mm. 1-29 & mm. 43-end, are a manic depiction of the fierce wrath of judgment day. They should be sung with fire, crisp consonants while always enunciating the accents in order to realize the full effect of this powerful text. The entire demeanor of the tone and facial expressions should change for the B-section, mm. 30-42 as it is a plea for mercy. The audience should realize the change in this contrasting section.TranslationDies irae, dies illa: Day of wrath, that daySolvet saeclum in favilla: shall dissolve the world into embersTeste David cum Sibylla: As David prophesied with the Sibyl.Voca me cum benedictis :Call me to be with the blessed.Salva me fons pietatis : Save me, fount of pity.The “Sibyl” is a reference from a Greek word, which means Prophetess. In this context, the word appears in plural, referring to many prophetesses. David, or King David, has long been considered prophetic among biblical scholars.About the ArrangerD. Farrell Smith is the Director of Choirs at Hilldale Middle School,  and Hilldale High School in Muskogee, Oklahoma.   He holds a B.A. in Music Education and the M.A. in Theological Studies. Currently the  Minister of Music at Eastern Heights Baptist Church, he has been a Music educator and Minister for 20 years. Mr. Smith studied with Dr. Gary Foster and Dr. Donald Studebaker and has performed under such notables as R. Evan Copley, Daniel Pinkham, Lloyd Pfautsch, and Bev Henson.

SKU: CF.O5368

ISBN 9780825836190. UPC: 798408036195. 9 X 14 inches.

Fábulas (Fables), the first work of Carlos Rodriguez to be published by Pembroke Music (a division of Carl Fischer), was commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association. It was premiered by the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the direction of Esa-Pekka Salonen on April 10, 1996. The piece, an extended one-movement structure involving a large orchestra with a very full percussion section, is concerned with narrative forms in purely symphonic terms, ie. - without an actual program. The musical sequence of the piece, in three continuously evolving sections lasting about 15 minutes overall, is derived from the very opening 12-note string chord arrayed in a pattern of perfect 5ths and minor seconds extending over four octaves. The central core of the piece, subtitled Six Anagrams, involves a highly unusual and original application of the 12-note concept. Each pitch in the row is assigned a letter so that the row spells out the phrase voice leading. The six anagrams are re-orderings of this sequence into six new rows, which are then subjected to canonic development. The resulting sophisticated game provides Fábulas, with a rare degree of musical coherence. A fascinating work that rewards detailed analysis, Fábulas, is so brilliantly scored that it dazzles on its own terms, as sound, even without detailed examination of its elaborate underpinnings.

SKU: GI.G-10115

SKU: GI.G-9944

SKU: GI.G-10116

SKU: GI.G-9941