SKU: A0.813977

Violin Quintet - Intermediate - Digital Download. This arrangement of Silent Night, or in German, Stille Nacht, would be a wonderful addition to any music library and could be performed for Christmas concerts, recitals, and, especially, church services. It is equally suitable for junior and senior high school students and even older musicians. Depending on their ability, younger musicians would also enjoy playing this selection. Included are a score and a complete set of parts (7 pages). This selection is one of the many arrangements from The Regis Bookshar Trumpet Ensemble's extensive music library which are being made available for the first time.

Silent Night is probably the most popular Christmas carol ever written. It was composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr and was first performed on Christmas Eve at St. Nicholas parish church in Oberndorf, a small village in present-day Austria. A young Catholic priest, Father Joseph Mohr, had written the poem, Stille Nacht, in 1816 and had gone to Oberndorf in 1817. The melody was composed by Franz Xaver Gruber, schoolmaster and organist in the nearby village of Arnsdorf. On Christmas Eve, 1818, Mohr brought the words to Gruber and asked him to compose a melody and guitar accompaniment for that night's mass, after river flooding had possibly damaged the church organ. The church was eventually destroyed by repeated flooding and has since been replaced with the Silent-Night-Chapel.

According to Gruber, Karl Mauracher, an organ builder who serviced the instrument at the Oberndorf church, was enamored with the song, and took the composition home with him to the Ziller Valley in Tyrol, Austria. From there, two traveling families of folk singers, the Strassers and the Rainers, included the tune in their shows. The Rainers were already singing it around Christmas, 1819, and once performed it for an audience that included Franz I of Austria and Alexander I of Russia. They also gave the first performance of the song in the United States in New York City in 1839. By the 1840's, the song was well known and was reported to be a favorite of Frederick William IV of Prussia. During this period, the melody changed slightly to become the version that is commonly heard today. The version of the melody that is generally used today is a slow, meditative lullaby, or pastoral, differing slightly from Gruber's original which has a moderate tempo. The song has been translated into about 140 languages and has been recorded by many singers across many music genres. The version sung by Bing Crosby in 1935, has sold over 10 million copies as a single.

In this arrangement of Silent Night, Regis Bookshar has kept the basic form of this familiar Christmas carol, but has also included a descant during the third verse. Also, in addition to this version for a Violin Quintet, there are other arrangements of Silent Night available for a variety of instrumental ensembles. There are Quintets and Octets readily available for purchase. Please take the time to look for other versions of this composition. You may find something else that might also suit your needs.

I would also encourage you to search for other arrangements by Regis Bookshar, as well, as there are numerous arrangements in a wide variety of styles, also available for purchase. You may find something else which might interest you. Please continue to check periodically because new arrangements are being added as often as possible. I'm certain that this wonderful arrangement of Silent Night will continue to entertain both performers and audiences alike for years to come.

SKU: A0.813867

Violin Quintet - Advanced/Intermediate - Digital Download. This marvelous arrangement of the March from Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's extremely popular, The Nutcracker Suite, would be a fabulous addition to any music library and could be performed for concerts and recitals but would be most appropriate during the Holiday season. This selection has been arranged to keep all of the intensity and excitement of the original composition and is suitable for high school and college students but professional musicians would also enjoy playing this selection. Included are a score and a complete set of parts (24 pages). This selection is one of the many arrangements from The Regis Bookshar Trumpet Ensemble's extensive music library which are being made available for the first time.

The Nutcracker is an 1892 two-act ballet with a score by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It has enjoyed enormous popularity since the late 1960's and is performed by countless ballet companies, primarily during the Christmas season, especially in North America. Tchaikovsky's score has become one of his most famous compositions. Some critics have called it astonishingly rich in detailed inspiration and from beginning to end, beautiful, melodious, original and characteristic. The ballet's first complete performance outside Russia took place in England in 1934. The first complete United States performance was on December 24, 1944, by the San Francisco Ballet. It was such an enormous success that the San Francisco Ballet has presented The Nutcracker every Christmas Eve and throughout the winter season, debuting new productions in 1944, 1954, 1967 and 2004. In Salt Lake City, it has been performed every year since 1963. The New York City Ballet gave its first annual performance in 1954. In addition to annual live stagings of the work, many productions have also been televised or released on home video.

The Nutcracker continues to be one of Tchaikovsky's most popular compositions and contains some of his most memorable works. Tchaikovsky made a selection of eight of the numbers from the ballet before the ballet's December 1892 premiere, forming The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a, and is intended for concert performance. The suite was first performed, under the composer's direction, on March 19, 1892. The suite became instantly popular with almost every number encored at its premiere.

Regis Bookshar thought that it would be wonderful if other instrumentalists could also have the opportunity to play some of these wonderful compositions, originally scored for a full orchestra, and has arranged two of the selections, the popular March and the Russian Dance for a wide variety of instrumental ensembles. So, in addition to this version of the March for a Violin Quintet, he has made quite a few other arrangements of this selection for various Quintets and Octets and are readily available. If you should decide to purchase this arrangement of the March, I would highly encourage you to also consider purchasing the arrangement of the Russian Dance as well. Scheduling the March followed by the Russian Dance would be a very satisfying addition to any concert or recital. Please take the time to look for other versions of these compositions. You may find something else that might also suit your needs.

I would also encourage you to search for other arrangements by Regis Bookshar, as there are numerous selections in a variety of styles, also available for purchase. You may find something else which might interest you. Please continue to check periodically because new arrangements are being added as often as possible. I'm certain that this wonderful arrangement of the March from Tchaikovsky's marvelous holiday favorite, The Nutcracker Suite, will continue to entertain both performers and audiences alike for years to come.

SKU: A0.1083853

Coronation March, TH 50, CW 47 by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Violin Quintet - Advanced/Intermediate - Digital Download. This marvelous arrangement of Peter Tchaikovsky's Coronation March, sometimes called Festival March or Festival Coronation March, would be a fabulous addition to any music library and could be performed for concerts, recitals and other festive occasions. This arrangement keeps all of the intensity and excitement of the original composition and is suitable for high school and college students. Professional musicians would also enjoy playing this selection. Included are a score and a complete set of parts (16 pages). This selection is one of the many arrangements from The Regis Bookshar Trumpet Ensemble's extensive music library which are being made available to the public for the first time. The Coronation March was ordered by the city of Moscow for the coronation of Tsar Alexander III in 1883. It was written during March of 1883 and was performed for the first time on June 4, 1883 in Sokolniky Park in Moscow, conducted by Sergei Taneyev. The music then included excerpts of the anthem, God Save the Tsar. The American premiere was on May 5, 1891, for the opening concert of Carnegie Hall in New York City, conducted by Tchaikovsky himself. During the Soviet Era, Russian performances and recordings of the music were revised to omit the excerpts from the Czarist national anthem, replacing it with thematic material used earlier in the march, due to an official Soviet ban on the anthem. Starting with Dmitri Medvedev's inauguration in 2008, an abbreviated version of this piece is played during the Russian presidential inauguration accompanying the entrance of the incoming president, and ends well before the playing in this piece of the Tsarist anthem God Save the Tsar. Unlike Tchaikovsky's other major compositions, the Coronation March does not have an opus number. It has been given alternative catalogue designations TH 50 and CW 47. Tchaikovsky's Coronation March was originally scored for a full orchestra and written in the key of D Major. Regis Bookshar has now created an abbreviated version, written in Db Major, and has arranged it for a Violin Quintet. In addition to this arrangement of Tchaikovsky's Coronation March for a Violin Quintet, other arrangements of this festive composition for various instrumental ensembles are also available. Please feel free to search for other arrangements by Regis Bookshar as there are many more arrangements in a variety of styles, also available for purchase. You may find something else which might interest you as well, and please continue to check periodically because new arrangements are being added as often as possible. I'm certain that this wonderful arrangement of Tchaikovsky's Coronation March will continue to entertain both audiences and performers alike for years to come.