Suite for Solo Snare Drum

SKU: CF.CPS17

ISBN 9780825843686. UPC: 798408043681. 9 X 12 inches. Key: F major.

Music from Bizet's immortal opera gets the Balent treatment in this sparkling arrangement of three excerpts from the Carmen Suite No. 1. Leading off with the bustling Les Toreadors from the Overture, Mr. Balent has also included the seductive Habanera (featuring Clarinets on the tune) and the swaggering Toreador Song with a solo Trumpet on the famous melody. This is music everyone knows and loves in a first-rate arrangement for medium level band. Duration: 4' 20.

SKU: CF.CPS234

ISBN 9781491156346. UPC: 680160914883. 9 x 12 inches.

Mercury - the Roman god of financial gain, commerce, travelers, boundaries, luck, trickery, merchants, and thieves. A popular deity in Roman culture, he was instantly recognized by his unique winged shoes (talaria) and hat (petasos). With its close proximity to the sun and faster orbit than all other planets, the Romans named this small celestial body after the swift-winged messenger of their culture. It is not surprising that in Holst's major orchestral suite The Planets that Mercury utilizes such light and swift themes. There is some duality to the title of the work. Part of it involves my impression of what a playful chase of the winged messenger sounds like. The other part is the opening motif chasing two themes of Holst around the rest of the work. It was only after developing the first few ideas that I recognized some of the commonalities with some of those same themes from Holst's orchestral work. There are several quotations from that famous piece by Holst (notably as both are stated successively at mm. 13-20). The idea of someone having to chase the Winged Messenger struck me as a unique title around which to craft a work. One of my core beliefs about music is that it can be imbued with meaning by a composer, and as the sonic story unfolds an ensemble, director, and audience members can draw out their own meaning from the experience. Who exactly is chasing Mercury? I leave that up to the wonderfully creative minds of the young ladies and gentlemen who have the opportunity to bring this work to life. The opportunity to compose music and allow student musicians to give this piece new life and draw out different meanings is a humbling experience. Rehearsal Notes and Suggestions As stated earlier, the opening motif (a range of a seventh) comes back frequently in the work in a variety of settings and textures. Throughout the work, it is important for students to recognize the two themes from Holst when they are present in the sound canvas. If the solos (clarinet and alto saxophone) are utilized, the supporting parts around and underneath those lines must be sensitive and play in such a way to properly balance those parts. There are number of muted sections for the trumpet section, and I would advocate for all trumpets acquiring the same mute to contribute to unity in timbre. The bold fanfare sections (the first occurs at m. 37) must be presented with a unified articulation style. As the texture intensifies prior to m. 169, it is crucial for the ensemble to play within themselves and exercise musical courtesy to allow all voices to be heard as they arrive at m. 181. My thanks in advance for your support of this music, and I wish you well as you and your ensemble begin Chasing Mercury!.
Mercury – the Roman god of financial gain, commerce, travelers, boundaries, luck, trickery, merchants, and thieves. A popular deity in Roman culture, he was instantly recognized by his unique winged shoes (talaria) and hat (petasos). With its close proximity to the sun and faster orbit than all other planets, the Romans named this small celestial body after the swift-winged messenger of their culture. It is not surprising that in Holst’s major orchestral suite The Planets that Mercury utilizes such light and swift themes.There is some duality to the title of the work. Part of it involves my impression of what a playful chase of the winged messenger sounds like. The other part is the opening motif chasing two themes of Holst around the rest of the work. It was only after developing the first few ideas that I recognized some of the commonalities with some of those same themes from Holst’s orchestral work. There are several quotations from that famous piece by Holst (notably as both are stated successively at mm. 13–20). The idea of someone having to chase the Winged Messenger struck me as a unique title around which to craft a work.One of my core beliefs about music is that it can be imbued with meaning by a composer, and as the sonic story unfolds an ensemble, director, and audience members can draw out their own meaning from the experience. Who exactly is chasing Mercury? I leave that up to the wonderfully creative minds of the young ladies and gentlemen who have the opportunity to bring this work to life. The opportunity to compose music and allow student musicians to give this piece new life and draw out different meanings is a humbling experience.Rehearsal Notes and SuggestionsAs stated earlier, the opening motif (a range of a seventh) comes back frequently in the work in a variety of settings and textures. Throughout the work, it is important for students to recognize the two themes from Holst when they are present in the sound canvas. If the solos (clarinet and alto saxophone) are utilized, the supporting parts around and underneath those lines must be sensitive and play in such a way to properly balance those parts. There are number of muted sections for the trumpet section, and I would advocate for all trumpets acquiring the same mute to contribute to unity in timbre. The bold fanfare sections (the first occurs at m. 37) must be presented with a unified articulation style. As the texture intensifies prior to m. 169, it is crucial for the ensemble to play within themselves and exercise musical courtesy to allow all voices to be heard as they arrive at m. 181. My thanks in advance for your support of this music, and I wish you well as you and your ensemble begin Chasing Mercury!

SKU: MH.0-931329-53-1

ISBN 9780931329531.

Journey back to ancient Greece and view a place of long-gone legend. Follow the trail to the Kingdom of Ithaca, from the heroic palace, to a place of tranquility, to a reckless dance of abandon, to the return of Odysseus. The melodic material used in 200 B.C. is from a two thousand year old Greek hymn to Apollo. The legendary adventures of Odysseus as described by Homer in the Odyssey (ca. 700 B.C.) provide the programmatic material. The music is freely based upon the First Delphic Hymn (or Paen to Apollo), composed ca. 200 B.C. The source is a transcription appearing on pages 363 - 367 of Ancient and Oriental Music, Edited by Egon Wellesz (Oxford University Press: London, 1957). Each movement of the work depicts a key event in the epic Homeric poem, as described below. Movement I: Intrada - The first four notes of this movement, C - Bb - G - Bb, are the melodic and harmonic foundation for the entire work. These pitches, introduced in a simple and direct manner, are subsequently developed in more complex fashions throughout the suite. Following this stately introduction is a militaristic fanfare that introduces the dotted-eighth and sixteenth-note figure later reprised in the second and fourth movements. Indeed, all the musical ideas which will be central to the remaining movements first appear in the Intrada. This movement depicts the grandeur of Odysseus and his kingdom in Ithaca, and establishes the heroic mood of the entire work. Movement II: Ballad - After a brief restatement of the opening dotted-eighth-and-sixteenth fanfare, the second movement extracts the falling third (Bb to G) from the C - Bb - G - Bb motif and extends it and expands it into a haunting solo for alto saxophone. The C - Bb - G - Bb motif appears again (see measures 23 - 33 in trumpets) as counterpoint to this melody, now pulsing through the thick texture of the band. Many performers have come to view the Ballad as the emotional epicenter of the entire suite; my conception of the Ballad is to achieve a union of pathos and strength. Programmatically, this movement depicts Odysseus's son, Telemachos, as he both longs for Odysseus's return and stoically defends his father's kingdom. Movement III: Dance - It will take Odysseus twenty years to return to Ithaca. During his absence, noblemen besiege his palace, violating the sanctity of the household and seeking the hand of his wife, Penelope. This movement depicts the wanton revelries that result. The original four-note motif is chromatically altered and the meter is made irregular. The rapid tempo, driving percussion, and angular meter and melodies combine in an explosion of reckless abandon. Movement IV: March Building from a delicate woodwind ensemble accompanied by finger cymbals to a fully orchestrated statement replete with thundering percussion, this is a resounding march of victory. Odysseus has returned in triumph to restore dignity to his household and to reclaim the throne of the Kingdom of Ithaca. Ensemble instrumentation: 1 Piccolo, 8 Flute 1 - 2, 2 Oboe 1 - 2, 4 Bb Clarinet 1, 4 Bb Clarinet 2, 4 Bb Clarinet 3, 1 Eb Alto Clarinet, 3 Bb Bass Clarinet, 2 Bassoon 1 - 2, 3 Eb Alto Saxophone 1, 3 Eb Alto Saxophone 2, 2 Bb Tenor Saxophone, 1 Eb Baritone Saxophone, 3 Bb Trumpet 1, 3 Bb Trumpet 2, 3 Bb Trumpet 3, 2 F Horn 1-2, 2 F Horn 3-4, 2 Trombone 1, 2 Trombone 2, 2 Trombone 3, 3 Euphonium (B.C.), 2 Euphonium T.C., 4 Tuba, 1 Timpani, 2 Mallet Percussion: Bells, Xylophone, 2 Percussion 1: Snare Drum, Tambourine, 2 Percussion 2: Crash Cymbals, Suspended Cymbal, Tom-Tom, Finger Cymbals, 1 Percussion 3: Bass Drum.