Alto Saxophone,Piano - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.549383 Composed by George Frideric Handel. Arranged by James M. Guthrie, ASCAP. Baroque,Sacred,Standards,Wedding. Score and part. 9 pages. Jmsgu3 #3492297. Published by jmsgu3 (A0.549383). Duration: 4:55, Score: 6 pages, Solo part: 1 page, piano part: 2 pages. A very famous aria (Ombra mai fu) from XerxesSuitable for any venue requiring meditative music. Excellent choice for a recital encore. Xerxes Xerxes is, in fact, an opera seria in three acts by Handel. Moreover, Handel conducted the premiere performance in London in 1738. Handel casts the opera in Persia in 470 BC. The part of Xerxes was indeed originally sung by a soprano castrato. Nowadays, the part is generally sung by a mezzo-soprano or conversely a counter-tenor. In the first place, Xerxes sings an opening aria, Ombra mai fu to a plane tree. Handel sets this aria to one of his most truly famous melodies. Although many refer to it traditionally as Handel’s Largo, Handel has, on the contrary, clearly marked Larghetto in the score. Handel Background George Frideric Handel (1685 - 1759) was born in Germany but eventually became a British citizen. Nonetheless, he was a famous Baroque composer. In fact, he became famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems, and organ concertos. Handel studied music and, by and large, worked as a composer in Germany and Italy before moving to London. On the whole, Handel was very familiar with the contemporary music of Italy and Germany. Career in England It is essential to realize that Italian opera was all the rage in England at the time. Moreover, Handel was really good at writing them. Therefore, he started not one but three opera companies in England. Alexander's Feast was a huge success in 1736, but Handel began composing English choral works. After success with the Messiah in 1742) he certainly never again wrote an Italian opera. Consequently, he died in 1759, a treasured genius. Accordingly, the English government gave him full state honors at his funeral. Hence, he is buried in Westminster Abbey in London. Legacy Music historians agree that Handel was in general one of the greatest composers of the Baroque era.  To demonstrate, his works such as the Messiah, Water Music, and Music for the Royal Fireworks remain consistently popular up to the present time. He especially composed the coronation anthem, Zadok the Priest for the coronation of George II. Nevertheless, it has specifically been performed at every succeeding British coronation since. His oratorio Solomon has by all means also continued to be prevalent. As a matter of fact, Sinfonia from act 3 was featured in the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony. Handel was particularly prolific. To enumerate, he wrote over forty operas.  Since the late 1960s, we have expressly experienced a revival of baroque music. Similarly, we have especially seen a pique of interest in historically informed musical performances. Since his death in 1779, interest in Handel's music has all in all, expanded.  

Alto Saxophone,Piano - Level 5 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1259267 Composed by Alexander Liebermann. 21st Century,Chamber,Classical,Contemporary. Score and part. 19 pages. Abundant Silence #852539. Published by Abundant Silence (A0.1259267). SONATA FOR ALTO SAXOPHONE AND PIANO, BY ALEXANDER LIEBERMANNFOR ALTO SAXOPHONE AND PIANO, ADVANCED, 12 PAGES“The Saxophone Sonata by Alexander Liebermann is a good example for subtle storytelling in contemporary music. In a unique style that, to my ears, perfectly reflects his Paris, Berlin, and New York background, Alexander gives the performers the opportunity to unfold their full potential by letting them express a broad variety of moods and colors. Thus, the listeners are taken into an eclectic ‘short story’ – a story that is remembered for a long time.�─ Johannes Ernst, Saxophonist“Alexander Liebermann’s Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano is a great new addition to the saxophone’s recital repertoire. Idiomatically written – both in terms of style and technique – it is kept in a concise rhapsodic one-movement form and offers a well-balanced and contrasting display of drama, lyricism, and virtuosity. In the best sense of the word, it is a cool piece with big city flair. It is modern, but accessible. It has hints of jazz, but explores such colors with class and refinement. It is fun to play and thrilling to listen to.�─ Henning Schröder, Saxophonist.

Alto Saxophone,Piano - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.549467 Composed by Alexander Scriabin. Arranged by James M. Guthrie, ASCAP. Concert,Instructional,Romantic Period,Sacred,Standards. Score and part. 12 pages. Jmsgu3 #3499755. Published by jmsgu3 (A0.549467). Score: 8 pages, solo part: 2 pages, piano part: 2 pages. Duration: 3:10. An introspective and meditative work with a lot of dynamic and phrasing nuance.  Works well for church meditations or recital encores.Background Op.11/2 Alto Clarinet version. First of all, Scriabin composed mostly for the solo piano and also the orchestra. This is probably because he was a gifted pianist and therefore certainly appreciated the piano. Scriabin grew up in the late Romantic period, consequently, he was fond of the great piano masters of the time. As a result, he wrote his first noteworthy compositions in the manner of Chopin and Liszt. Forms Likewise, Scriabin used many of the same forms as Chopin. These certainly include the étude, prelude, nocturne, and even the mazurka. In contrast, as he developed his own sense of style his music became more and more unusual. So, the last five of his Piano Sonatas do not have a key signature and therefore lean towards atonality. Philosophy Scriabin also developed a keen interest in philosophy and likewise poetry. He was above all particularly fascinated by Nietzsche, Delville, and Blavatsky. Consequently, he finally established his own ideas about metaphysics and certainly mysticism. Scriabin consequently advanced theories about the relationship between color and musical keys. Synesthesia He also may have experienced a condition called synesthesia where he could probably sense a response created from a different stimulus. Therefore, it was almost as if he could see music and hear colors. Scriabin, therefore, arranged the colors in a circle similar to the circle-of-fifths and assigned each key area a color. Finally, he assigned the key of C to the color red, while the key of G was orange. Similarly, he assigned D to yellow, A to green, and so forth. Strangely, he did not differentiate between major and minor key colors.  Multimedia Hence, his ability to translate colors into music certainly gave Scriabin a most noteworthy interest in creating multimedia events. Furthermore, He designed his biggest work, the Mysterium, to last an entire week. Even more, Scriabin made plans not only for music, but also colored lights, incense, and dancing. He designed the performance to occur in the foothills of the Himalaya mountains. The Mysterium was never performed, and only sketches of the work remain. Modern Performances In modern times, we often experience performances of Scriabin’s most famous completed works accompanied by colored laser lights and incense. These are the Poem of Ecstasy (completed in 1908) and the Poem of Fire (completed in 1910). The lighting effects for these early performances were accomplished by the clavier à lumiéres. It was a keyboard instrument that projected colored light onto a screen.