Par VAN DER ROOST JAN. Singapura Suite was commissioned by Singapore's Ministry of Education Extracurricular Activities Branch to serve as a compulsory piece for the 1999 Singapore Youth Festival. 'Singapura' is the original name of Singapore in Malay, the native language there. Because Singapore is one of the most important harbors in the world, this two-piece work opens with a seaman's dance. An…

Suk, Josef Meditation on the Old Czech Hymn St Wenceslas for String Quartet op. 35a Josef Suk played second violin in the Bohemian String Quartet. Since 1914 the ensemble was obliged to perform the Austrian national anthem at the opening of every concert. Suk decided to supplement this obligatory piece with a work inspired by the ancient sacred Bohemian 'St. Wenceslas' hymn. The hymn's message ' …

Par CURNOW JAMES. The suite format and descriptive nature of snapshots allows Grade 2. 5 bands to handle a relatively large sized piece and have the fun of exploring myriad moods and styles. There are valuable geographical and historical considerations for cross-curricular teaching, and the sheer “enjoyability” of this one is undeniable. In Movement 1, early explorers witness the grandeur and expa…

The Concerto No. 1 in A minor by Jean Baptiste Accolay (1833-1900) is one of the most popular concertos for pupils and a rewarding performance piece with its combination of great musical expressiveness and brilliant virtuosity which is suitable for concerts and competitions.This piece requires good position playing up to the fifth position, mastery of passage work and simple double stops, as well …

for String Quartet op. 35a. Par SUK JOSEF. Josef Suk played second violin in the Bohemian String Quartet. Since 1914 the ensemble was obliged to perform the Austrian national anthem at the opening of every concert. Suk decided to supplement this obligatory piece with a work inspired by the ancient sacred Bohemian 'St. Wenceslas” hymn. The hymn's message - a plea for the well-being of the Czech peo…

Par SCHWEITZER BENJAMIN. The chiaroscuro-technique developed by painters of the Italian renaissance served to intensify contrasts and effects of optical depth. In Klar/Obskur, I tried to transfer the general idea of this technique on the rather unusual instrumentation of two double-reed woodwinds and piano. On the one hand, a clear, well articulated playing is characteristic for these instruments,…

Par VAN DER ROOST JAN. Singapura Suite was commissioned by Singapore's Ministry of Education Extracurricular Activities Branch to serve as a compulsory piece for the 1999 Singapore Youth Festival. 'Singapura' is the original name of Singapore in Malay, the native language there. Because Singapore is one of the most important harbors in the world, this two-piece work opens with a seaman's dance. An…

edited by Kenneth Sillito. Par RACHMANINOV SERGEI. Sergei Rachmaninov, is regarded as one of the most formidable pianists of all time and the last truly great composer in the Russian Romantic tradition. Vocalise op. 34 no. 14 is a beautiful melody. It is an all-time favourite orchestral piece that flows above the lush chords that begin this work, and weaves in and out with additional themes. This …

Par MASSENET JULES. The instantly recognisable and ever-popular Meditation, from the opera Thaï s by Jules Massenet (1842-1912), remains a strong favourite in the classical repertoire, superbly arranged for Flute and Piano by French flautist, Paul Taffanel. Massenet first studied music with his mother before entering the Paris Conservatoire. He is best known for his operas, of which he composed ov…

Par SCHUMANN ROBERT. 'Andante and Variations op. 46 Anh. for 2 pianos, 2 celli and horn': even in Schumann's collected works, one finds such an unusual scoring only once. No wonder the piece was initially left unprinted and only first released as a posthumous work. Schumann's widow Clara and Johannes Brahms apparently fervently believed in the piece and organized a posthumous world premiere with f…

Par CURNOW JAMES. The suite format and descriptive nature of snapshots allows Grade 2. 5 bands to handle a relatively large sized piece and have the fun of exploring myriad moods and styles. There are valuable geographical and historical considerations for cross-curricular teaching, and the sheer “enjoyability” of this one is undeniable. In Movement 1, early explorers witness the grandeur and expa…

Par HUMMEL BERTOLD. As an educational and recital piece, Bertold Hummel's Sonatina Op. 35, composed in 1969, has accompanied many a young musician following his or her own path. Having sold a thousand times all over the world, it is one of the composer's best-known works and has been included in the repertoire list for the 'Jugend musiziert' competition by the German Music Council. The three movem…