Clarinet and Piano. Par JOLLIFFE EDMUND. The composer has written extensively for film and television, and his gift for musical characterisation illuminates every bar of My Family and Other Animals. Here is a delightful human menagerie, a family circle with its typical variety of awkward and amiable relatives, beautifully portrayed in music of beguiling simplicity by Edmund Jolliffe. Technically, …

This three-minute piece for string quartet unites the typical features of Elena Kats-Chernin's compositions: blues harmony, a motor-like rhythm driven by syncopes, bittersweet melodies and austere-poetic sonority. Silver Eucalypt was written in 2006 and recorded in 2012 by the Acacia Quartet on their CD 'Blue Silence' released by Vexations840. Now there is finally a printed edition which may be a …

A Dictionary of Opera Characters
Revised Edition
Joyce Bourne
The Oxford Reference Collection
A unique reference guide containing A-Z entries on more than 2,500 operatic characters, with information on the creator of the role and notable performances
Synopses of over 200 operas and operettas
Feature articles written by well-known personalities from t…

Scored for large orchestra The Keening was only the second of MacMillan's orchestral works, written between 1985-87 when he was a student of John Casken at the University of Durham. The composer explains that 'keening' is a form of vocal lament associated with mourning, found in folk traditions of Ireland, northern Scotland and other cultures. Much of this work is based on the Gaelic lament tune '…

The Novello Book Of Hymns is a collection of 50 favourite hymns, inspiringly and engagingly written for SATB Choirs. Edited by David Hill, all the arrangements in this book are designed to be singable by congregations without music, and can be used in any church or school service.As well as providing uplifting versions of hymns, these arrangements also work well as easy anthems, enabling church an…

Par AAGAARD-NILSEN TORSTEIN. 'Pang' is an onimatopoeia that discribes the brutal forces unleashed from the very first bar. The stream of energy contiunes throughout the piece. The piece was comissioned by Bispehaugen Ungdomskorps (Bispehaugen Concert Band) in 1998. A version for brass band was written for Manger Musikklag and recorded by them on 'Grafitti', Bjørn Sagstad conducting. / Date paruti…

Par CURNOW JAMES. This two-movement work has an overall rich and dark quality, brought about by the modal tonal centers. The broad, flowing 'Chorale' is based on an original tune by James Curnow and is written with wonderful variety in texture. The 'Caprice' creates an interesting contrast with its more lively, aggressive feel. / Niveau : 1 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Concert Band

orchestra version. Par SAARIAHO KAIJA. The original version of Kaija Saariaho’s Saarikoski-laulut for voice and piano (CH88086) was written for the soprano Anu Komsi, to whom the songs are dedicated. The song cycle is based on a collection of poems by Pentti Saarikoski, Alue (The District, 1973). This orchestral version was commissioned by the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and Boston Symphony Orche…

Born to an Italian father and a French mother, Eugène Bozza (1905-1991) divided his music studies between the Academia Santa Cecilia in Rome and the Conservatoire de Paris, where he was taught by Henri Büsser and Henri Rabaud. His chamber music compositions reveal a marked predilection for wind instruments, as reflected in Fantaisie pastorale for oboe and piano (1939) and New-Orléans for bass saxh…

Although Schumann's first attempts at composing for this supreme form of chamber music in 1838/39 were only fragments, the three String Quartets op. 41 in a minor, F major and A major were written in one go in June/July 1842. At the first private performances the audience was enthusiastic and it was Mendelssohn's praise in particular that occasioned Schumann to dedicate the new works to him. The c…

Capture the thrill and excitement of soaring high above in this dramatic work! Written in the keys of B minor and E minor, in 4/4 time, with a steady driving tempo throughout, key elements are rich chordal textures, pleasing melody lines, and the use of arpeggios and divisi. Each player's part contributes equally to the power and energy of this piece, creating a musically satisfying experience for…

Anton Bruckner (1824-1896). Par BRUCKNER ANTON / DOSS THOMAS (Arr.). Anton Bruckner (b. 4.9.1824, Ansfelden, d. 11.10.1896, Vienna) didn?t have it easy. Throughout his life, the Austrian composer was plagued by self-doubt. Anton Bruckner came from a simple, rural background. After the death of his father, he was accepted as a choirboy at the monastery of Sankt Florian in 1837. After several years …

St. Michael. Par BOURGEOIS LOUIS. The French composer Louis Bourgeois lived from c. 1510 to 1560. Bourgeois was cantor in Geneva and, commissioned by John Calvin, he composed melodies for metrical (rhyming) versions of the psalms. After completing about a hundred one-part psalms, he made some four-part arrangements, which were denounced and even resulted in his imprisonment for a day. Later, Bourg…

Par HUMPERDINCK ENGELBERT. This volume presents the probably most beautiful and most popular children's opera that has ever been written, in an easy arrangement for piano, with all excerpts being in the respective original key. Among the seven operas composed by Humperdinck, 'Hänsel und Gretel' is his first and best masterpiece. The magical mood of this fairy-tale and the brilliant music explain w…

Arrangeur: Denise A. Gendron. Complete your Christmas Celebration with these timeless songs and carols, published by Santorella, that have been cherished through the ages. These beautifully rich arrangements for Violin can be played as a solo, duet or group performance and each edition includes a piano accompaniment CD. Traditional Christmas Duets for Violin by Denise Gendron, a nationally recogni…