Piano,Violin - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1315952 Composed by Pietro Mascagni. Arranged by Rob Bushnell. Classical,Easter,Film/TV,Opera,Romantic Period. 8 pages. RBMusic #904730. Published by RBMusic (A0.1315952). In 1889, a struggling composer called Pietro Mascagni heard about a sponsored competition for one-act operas, specifically for young Italian composers who had not yet had an opera performed, only two months before the deadline. With little time, he selected the subject for his opera and asked his childhood friend, Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti (who was helped by Guido Menasci), to write a libretto for him. Mascagni selected a story that he had seen as a play in Milan in early 1884 by realist writer Giovanni Verga, “Rustic Chivalry�, or Cavalleria rusticana. A passionate love tragedy featuring seduction, adultery, revenge and murder, it is surprising set on Easter morning.Mascagni received only a few verses at a time from his librettists, but he was not worried because he had the opera clear in his mind: “I identified with the drama to such an extent that I felt it within myself in terms of music.� After two months’ of work, the music for Cavalleria rusticana was finished but he feared the opera would fail and put the music in a draw. Fortunately, his wife sent it off, he unanimously won the competition and was soon the talk of Europe. (At the premiere in May 1890 in Rome, Mascagni received no fewer than 60 curtain calls.) Unfortunately, it was a one-hit wonder with Mascagni unable to repeat its success, saying towards the end of his life that “it is a pity I wrote Cavalleria first for I was crowned before I became king.� He died, penniless, in 1945.Today, few people have heard of Mascagni’s name, and, if they have, it is rarely in relation to anything but one piece from Cavalleria rusticana, the Intermezzo. A short piece of purely orchestral music that is uses to denote the passage of time, the orchestration is very simple but it is such an indulgently beautiful melody (based on a hymn heard earlier in the short opera) that perfectly captures the peace of country living in Sicily against the intense feelings of the main characters and the looming tragedy to come.The piece is so popular that (along with the “Easter Hymn� from the same opera), it is the only reason Mascagni features in the Classic FM’s Hall of Fame.The piece was used in the 1980 film Raging Bull and the 1990 film The Godfather Part III.A recording of the original song can be found on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kgr-I1y1_2M.Other searchable terms: Italy, Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty, Nicholas Colasanto, Theresa Saldana, Frank Vincent, Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Andy García, Eli Wallach, Joe Mantegna, Bridget Fonda, George Hamilton, Sofia Coppola.

Piano,Violin - Interactive Download SKU: HX.428525 This edition: Interactive Download,scorch. Broadway,Musical/Show,Wedding. 6 pages. Hal Leonard - Digital #11995. Published by Hal Leonard - Digital (HX.428525).

Piano,Violin - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1444309 Composed by J. Francis Ball, Mercedes M Yardley. Arranged by J.Francis Ball. Classical,Contemporary. 30 pages. J.Francis Ball #1024223. Published by J.Francis Ball (A0.1444309). Program Notes   Mercedes M. Yardley      is a dark fantasist who wears poisonous flowers in her hair. She is a two-time Bram Stoker Award winner for Little Dead Red and “Fracture.” She is the author of Darling, the Stabby Award-winning Apocalyptic Montessa and Nuclear Lulu: A Tale of Atomic Love, Pretty Little Dead Girls, and Love is a Crematorium. Mercedes lives in Las Vegas and can be found at mercedesmyardley.com.   J. Francis Ball Is a composer, violinist, and guitarist who has performed in multiple bands, in collaborations, in orchestras, and solo projects. He has recorded and released ten studio albums with The Unwieldies and The Psyatics. His classical, jazz, romantic, and punk musical influences can be heard in all his contemporary compositions. J. Francis Ball was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, and currently lives and performs in Las Vegas.    His Words This collaboration began with a powerful name. I asked Mercedes to listen to and name an early piano composition I wrote. Her reply was “Beyond Her Only Dreaming.” The original composition was ultimately scrapped, but the name stuck with me. It inspired the muses whispering in my haunted ear. I wrote five musical tone poems that were loosely based on a woman’s dream. During the creative process, I asked Mercedes to listen to the tones and use her imagination to create sketches for each section. Her spoken poetry powerfully frames a woman’s dreams, fears, desires, and hope for love. They blend seamlessly with the music and are so masterfully written that they create a picture frame to use as structure but leave the canvas blank. This allows the listener to also take part in this collaboration and paint their own visions of how they experience the music. J.F.B.Her Words   I’m a dreamer and writer of words, but I love music. When John asked me to name his original musical piece, I was delighted. I had recently written a story based on Robert Chamber’s famed The King in Yellow collection and, due to the sound and feel of John’s piece, loosely named the composition after my short story. John took this title and created a brilliant new musical composition. After listening to it, I was influenced to create spoken- word pieces that match the emotion of the music while also hearkening back to the original short story.   The piece you’ll hear contains poetry influenced by original music inspired by a short story based on a collection written in 1895. Time is a flat circle. This is how art moves and breathes, and I’m truly honored to take part. MMY.

Piano,Violin - Level 2 - Digital Download SKU: A0.550914 Composed by J. S. Bach - Gounod. Arranged by James M. Guthrie, ASCAP. Christmas,Contemporary,Easter,Wedding. 12 pages. Jmsgu3 #4888241. Published by jmsgu3 (A0.550914). This arrangement features the controversial Schwencke measure (ms. 27) that was originally introduced in 1783 by Christian Friedrich Gottlieb Schwencke. The convenient 1st & 2nd endings provide an option for extended performance. Duration with repeat - 4:50. Score: 6 pages. Solo part: 2 pages, piano part: 4 pages. Based on Prelude #1 in C Major from the Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1. Well suited for church meditations or school programs or recital encores.  Ave Maria Ave Maria is a Catholic prayer that consequently asks for the mother of Jesus (Mary) to intercede. Charles Gounod composed a famous version of the Ave Maria. He was a French Romantic composer who overlaid a new melody on an existing Bach chord progression. The progression is from Bach’s Prelude No. 1 from Well-Tempered Clavier I. This version, as well as Schubert’s version, have become essential items at weddings, masses, and funerals. Bach Overview First of all, Johann Sebastian Bach is maybe the greatest composer in music history. Certainly, he was prolific. As a result, everyone has heard of his works. Furthermore, these works number well over a thousand. It seems like people are probably most familiar with instrumental works such as the Brandenburg Concertos, and the Goldberg Variations. But, similarly famous are such noteworthy works as the Well-Tempered Clavier, the Musical Offering, and the Art of Fugue. Seems like his most famous vocal works include the most noteworthy Mass in B Minor. Also, most noteworthy, though, are the St. John Passion, and certainly the Christmas Oratorio.  History Bach came from a long line of musicians and above all, composers. Consequently, he, first of all, pursued a career as a church organist. So as a result, he gained employment in various Protestant churches in Germany. For a while, he worked as a court musician in Weimar and Köthen. Here he probably developed his organ style and likewise his chamber music style. Eventually, he, therefore, gained an appointment as Cantor of St. Thomas in Leipzig. Here he worked until difficulties with his employer ultimately drove him away. The King of Poland finally appointed him as a court composer.  Style It seems like Bach created an engaging new international style. He synthesized elements of the most noteworthy European music ideas into his new style. Even more, this new style was probably his synthesis of European musical rhythm and form. Furthermore, he demonstrated a complete mastery of counterpoint and motivic development. His sense of harmonic organization probably propelled him to the top. Revival               Mendelssohn conducted a Bach revival in the nineteenth century. His effort probably helped to re-familiarize the public with the magnitude of Bach’s works. During this period, scholars published many noteworthy Bach biographies. Moreover, Wolfgang Schmieder published the BWV (Bach Werke Verzeichnis). As a result, this is now the official catalog of his entire artistic output. The BWV number allows us to locate a work in the catalog. Sometimes scholars will simply use an S (Schmieder) as an abbreviation for BWV.  

Instrumental Duet Instrumental Duet,Piano,Violin - Digital Download SKU: A0.915679 Composed by Traditional. Arranged by Richard Joseph Barber. Christian,Contemporary,Sacred. Score and parts. 11 pages. Barber Music Company #3556955. Published by Barber Music Company (A0.915679).    I started this piece back in the 80's for flute with piano accompaniment. My youngest daughter recently asked me to write some more things she could play in church, and being too busy to do something from scratch, it occurred to me that this piece would work fine for violin. It is about six minutes long with some nice mood changes. It would make a fine prelude, offertory or special. It would also be a good concert or recital piece.    It is challenging -- not a good selection for anyone less than advanced intermediate. The piano accompaniment also has its challenges. However, people who have heard this piece have found it quite enjoyable and have said so.   I wish a had a recording of a live performance to share with you, but this Finale version is really not to bad, especially when you consider that I am not very good yet at using the human playback feature that Finale offers. Some people really no how to make it sound fantastic. Not me.   If you have any comments or questions about this piece, please contact me at aspiringtunerrjb@sbcglobal.net. I would be delighted to hear from you.

Piano,Violin - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.791184 By Lady Gaga. By Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Natalie Hemby, Stefani (Lady Gaga) Germanotta, and Stefani Germanotta. Arranged by Kevin P Holdgate. Pop. 7 pages. Kevin P Holdgate #5354895. Published by Kevin P Holdgate (A0.791184). KPHMS Solo CollectionLady Gaga - for Brass?!! Really??This is a great song and works really well as an instrumental solo for brass instruments. It comes from the 2018 remake of the film 'A Star is Born' and is sung originally by Lady Gaga.I was asked to do an arrangement of the song for a young lady to sing with Boobs & Brass. I was struck by the quality of the words and the music and immediately thought of it as a great addition to the solo repertoire.In terms of standard, I would judge this to be around Grades 5 to 6 ABRSM/Trinity and makes for an interesting challenge away from the grading syllabus.

By Adele. Arranged by James M. Guthrie, ASCAP. Score, Set of Parts. 16 pages. Published by jmsgu3 (H0.203883-269293). - Score,Set of Parts - - jmsgu3

Violin & piano - Digital Download SKU: IZ.IMF1818 Composed by Kenneth Piotrowski. Score and Parts. 9 pages. Imagine Music - Digital #IMF1818. Published by Imagine Music - Digital (IZ.IMF1818). 9 x 12 in inches.This composition is for both intermediate and advanced players. Although initially conceived as a duet for violin and piano, I was asked if it were possible to write an optional cello part. What grew out of that request was not simply a ground bass or 'let's fill in the chord structure,' it was a part of equal responsibility in every sense of the way to that of the violin. Therefore, this piece works equally well as either a piano duet or a piano trio.

Violin and string orchestra - difficult - Digital Download SKU: S9.Q16384 Fantasy for Violin and String Orchestra. Composed by Peteris Vasks. This edition: piano reduction with solo part. Violin Library. Downloadable, Piano reduction with solo part. Duration 24 minutes. Schott Music - Digital #Q16384. Published by Schott Music - Digital (S9.Q16384). 'Vox amoris', apart from 'Tala gaisma' (Distant Light), is Vasks' second violin concerto with string orchestra accompaniment. The world premiere of this Fantasia per violino ed archi, as Vasks calls this one-movement work, took place in Sydney. The composer says about his piece: 'It is about the greatest power in the whole world - love. Love is, was and will be as long as we will be. I believe that solo violin and string orchestra is the best combination for a ‘love story’.' For study purposes, Schott has now published the piano reduction of the concerto with solo part.

Violin & piano - Digital Download SKU: IZ.IMF1821 Composed by Kenneth Piotrowski. Score and Parts. 14 pages. Imagine Music - Digital #IMF1821. Published by Imagine Music - Digital (IZ.IMF1821). 9 x 12 in inches.I was recently asked to compose a set of pieces for the violin in first position that would be fun for the students to play. After much deliberation I decided these compositions would serve a dual purpose. First, they would be a progression from easy to difficult beginning with Evensong and ending with Theme & Variations; their purpose, to help solidify the student's first position thereby creating a firmer foundation on which to build all remaining positions. Second, they would be 'parlor room' music; entertaining and challenging enough yet readily playable thereby enticing gifted amateurs to get together and run through them merely for fun.