Full Orchestra - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.955621 Composed by Caleb Liu. 20th Century,Contemporary,Film/TV,Romantic Period. Score and parts. 82 pages. Caleb Liu #6683167. Published by Caleb Liu (A0.955621). Main Titles of America was composed during shelter-in-place in July 2020. The piece was premiered in Winter of 2020 and was selected as a finalist in the 2021 National Young Composers Challenge. The composition was largely inspired by film music. In a film score, there is often a piece called Main Titles that plays during the opening scenes of the film. Typically, this piece encaptures all the major musical motifs present in the score of the movie. As the name suggests, Main Titles of America portrays the major themes of America in musical form. The three themes the piece highlights are opportunity, freedom, and love.The main musical motif appears early in the piece and is supported with eight notes and triplets from the harp and violas. The overall feel is adventurous and hopeful with energy building. The main motif is prominent throughout the piece, and almost every instrument plays the motif at some point. Each instrument represents a unique person who has the opportunity to flourish in America. The second motif represents freedom, and it is primarily played by the woodwinds. In particular, the flutes with their light, feathery sound help to express this idea. This motif is more playful and adds a touch of cheerfulness and lightness to the piece. It reflects the happiness of being free. The main motif and the second motif are intertwined just like opportunity and freedom. The third motif represents love and is prominent in the second half of the piece. The same eighth notes and triplets provide seamless energy and flow. While still maintaining a dream-like feel, this motif is meant to sound more grandiose and emotional. The sweeping themes and romantic harmonies are intended to portray the feeling of an ideal relationship. The piece ends with a triumphant brass chorale (the same motif from the beginning) followed by a tutti chord. It’s the musical representation of look how far we’ve come! The piece highlights the infamous American Dream - that anyone in America has the opportunity to pursue their dreams, find love, and create their own destiny.

Full Orchestra - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1236780 By Kumiko. By Joe Hisaishi. Arranged by Tom Maher. 21st Century,Classical,Film/TV. Score and Parts. 92 pages. Tom Maher #832309. Published by Tom Maher (A0.1236780). Merry Go Round of Life is a beautiful instrumental piece composed by Joe Hisaishi, a Japanese composer known for his work on various Studio Ghibli films. The song is featured in the soundtrack of the 2004 animated film Howl's Moving Castle, directed by legendary Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki.The piece opens with a delicate piano melody, heard in our arrangement on the vibraphone, gradually building in intensity as the rest of the orchestra joins in. The music captures a sense of whimsy and nostalgia, evoking images of a carousel or a child's music box.In Howl's Moving Castle, the song is used as a recurring theme throughout the film. It is played during several key moments, including the opening credits and the final scene. The music perfectly captures the film's themes of love, magic, and the passing of time.The title Merry Go Round of Life is fitting, as it suggests the cyclical nature of life and the idea that we are all constantly moving in circles. The music also conveys a sense of hope and joy, encouraging listeners to embrace the ups and downs of life and enjoy the ride.This arrangement is meant for intermediate to advanced high school symphonic orchestra. Most instruments play some version of the melody, and many of the figures from the original film version are present, yet written with younger players in mind. The strings should take extra care to play under the vibraphone solos, or the director may choose to double this part on another mallet percussion or piano.Instrumentation: 2 Flutes, 2 Clarinets, Bass Clarinet, Alto Sax, 2 Horns, 3 Trumpets, 2 Trombones, Mallet Percussion, Snare Drum/Crash Cymbal, Bass Drum, Timpani, Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, Cello, Double Bass.

Full Orchestra - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.869355 Composed by Thomas Oboe Lee. 20th Century,Classical,Contemporary,Jazz,Romantic Period. Score and parts. 73 pages. Thomas Oboe Lee #15875. Published by Thomas Oboe Lee (A0.869355). Instrumentation: solo alto saxophone & 2222-4231-perc-drumset-strings. Program note. Maestro Max Hobart called me in the spring of 2009 and told me to check out this young jazz phenom on the saxophone named Grace Kelly. I said OK, that’s cool. That summer we went to the Regatta Bar in Harvard Square to hear her play with her band, and I was duly impressed by her musicality, soulfulness and chops. Max asked if I would be interested in writing a concerto for her and the Wellesley Symphony. I said, Sure. It sounds like a great idea. One of the most cherished jazz records in my vast collection is the collaboration between Stan Getz and Eddie Sauter entitled Focus. Eddie, who used to be an arranger for the Benny Goodman Band in the forties, went on to create the Sauter Finegan Band in the early fifties. The band was one of the first to include the piccolo, oboe, bassoon, harp, celesta, French horn, tuba, xylophone, glockenspiel, chimes, timpani, and other unusual symphonic instruments in the standard big band format of trumpets, trombones, saxophones and rhythm section of piano, bass and drum set. On the album Focus Eddie Sauter composed seven tracks of music for string orchestra and rhythm section. Stan Getz did not have a written part - he just improvised over the written music. If you are not familiar with this recording, then you will do yourself a huge favor if you go find it and add it to your own CD collection. The music is phenomenal and Stan is on top of his game, soaring above the strings with endless melodic inventions, flights of imagination and whimsy! It is one of those desert island CDs one should not be without. When I emailed Grace about this project and mentioned Stan Getz’s Focus, she said, It’s one of my favorite albums. So, we got off on a positive note immediately. My work, Focus on Grace … Concerto for Jazz Saxophone and Orchestra, is very much inspired both by the Stan Getz album and by the performances I heard of Grace and her band. The first movement is based on a funk groove in D minor: Grace’s part is initially written-out but she improvises freely in the coda. The second movement is a boss nova: as in the Stan Getz album, Grace does not have a written part but improvises over a set of chord changes provided by the orchestra. The third and last movement is an Afro-Cuban groove in six-eight: Grace has a written melody at first but soon launches into improvisation on a 12-bar blues in F. She ends the concerto in a free cadenza to show off her virtuosity and saxophone chops. ENJOY!!!