Arr. Philip Sparke. Par HENRY VIII. The English king, Henry VIII (1491-1547), is mainly remembered for disposing of his wives on a regular basis and breaking with the Catholic Church when the Pope Clement VII refused to grant him a divorce so he could marry Anne Boleyn. He was, however, a gifted athlete, dancer and composer, writing many songs, poems and consort pieces (though not Greensleeves, as…

Fantasias and Selected Works. Par BYRD WILLIAM. William Byrd is one of the great English composers of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Today this creative Catholic at the Anglican court of Elisabeth I is known primarily for his masses, motets and madrigals. However, in addition to vocal music he also composed an impressive number of keyboard pieces that brook comparison in quality with thos…

Par NODA. Japanese born Ryo Noda (b. 1948) has been hailed for his forward-looking, avant-garde compositions and innovative playing techniques. Improvisation 1 is no exception. Noda 's compositional achievements were significantly recognised in 1973 when he was awarded the SACEM Composition Prize. Improvisation 1 was published a year later, at the height of his career. Exploiting extended techniqu…

Arr. Wil Van Der Beek. Par DVORAK ANTONIN. The year 2004 marked the 100th anniversary ofthe death of Antonin Dvorák. In 1879 Dvorákwrote this Polonaise as a commission for thecommittee organising the festivities for theirfamous national dance festival. Many famousCzech composers wrote dances specially for thisevent. This Polonaise in three movements, with itsfine melody lines, deserves to be more …

For many, the title will awaken memories of the demonstrations against the clearance of the Flörsheim Forest to allow for a new runway at the Frankfurt Airport. Both the poem, which extends beyond this local incident to remind us of the seriousness of our global situation, and the music join together to form an expressive, universally valid call for the conservation of our core values, our future …

'His present pieces must convince both connoisseurs and others alike of the unbiased opinion that Beethoven will in time become one of the greatest composers in Europe?, thus wrote Joseph Haydn, when informing the Elector in Bonn on the progress of his pupil in 1793. However, the elector replied that he was already familiar with parts of the Parthia op. 103 that had been sent as evidence of the co…

Par GREEN FRED PRATT. With his move to a Methodist Home for the Aged, Fred believed his writing days to be over. 'I knew that old age does nothing for the inspiration'. However, he was wrong, and this modest 'sequence in verse on the theme of old age' brings smiles and tears as Fred takes us into his new home and shares his, and the community's, hopes and fears, joys and sorrows in 53 'verses'; on…

Par BEETHOVEN LUDWIG VAN. 'His present pieces must convince both connoisseurs and others alike of the unbiased opinion that Beethoven will in time become one of the greatest composers in Europe”, thus wrote Joseph Haydn, when informing the Elector in Bonn on the progress of his pupil in 1793. However, the elector replied that he was already familiar with parts of the Parthia op. 103 that had been …

Edition de Reinhard Goebel
Nearly all of the music from the seventeenth-century court at Dresden was unfortunately lost when Frederick II of Prussia bombarded the city in 1756. Fragments of the repertoire, however, have been preserved in the libraries of the courts of Protestant northern Europe, which were connected to Dresden by friendship or familial ties. Some of these works are presented …

Arr. Menno Haantjes. Par DE HAAN JACOB. This playful three-part suite is largely based on symmetry. This of course is largely due to the relations of the arrangement of the themes; however, on the other hand, to the larger structures in form. The first part, (Prelude et Scherzo) has a solemn opening. Followed by it a related scherzo with many changes in time, this too is composed in a symmetrical …

Piano Works. Par LANGGAARD RUED. Rued Langgaard (1893-1952) is one of the most important Danish composers of the 20th century. Langgaard's piano compositions are evenly spread out over his 50 productive years from 1902 to 1951. Generally speaking his piano music represents the entire broad spectrum of expression and the stylistic diversity one finds in his music. Some of the most personal works he…

Arrangement: Goodall Howard. Par GOODALL HOWARD. The latest edition to the best-selling new piano tutor series 'It's Never Too Late. . ' featuring brand new jazzy pieces from Pam Wedgwood, one of the UK's foremost composers of educational and recreational music and creator of key series such as Jazzin' About, After Hours and Up-Grade!The pieces in this book are suitable for players who have been l…