SKU: A0.845954

Commissioned by Julia Carey and Juventas Ensemble, this duet was premiered in early July of 2021 by Kelley Hollis, soprano, James Dargan, baritone, and Julia Carey, piano as a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King. The title of the concert was Yearning to Breathe Free. Julia conceived of the idea of combining Dr. King's I've been to the mountaintop speech with Julia Ward Howe's Battle Hymn of the Republic, however, the rights to Dr. King's speech weren't made available in time. As a result, the composer wrote a poem based on the portion of Exodus to which King alluded in his famous speech, in which Moses is giving a final speech to the Israelites from Mount Nebo. He knows he won't be allowed to cross over, and so he urges his people to be courageous as they continue on without him. 

The opening is very dissonant, because the images of a terrible swift sword unleashing fateful lightning struck me as terrifying. After commanding the heavens to let him speak, Moses also acknowledges his fear, as well. As the piece progresses, the familiar Battle Hymn Melody appears, as does Go Down Moses.

James Dargan, for whom the piece was written, has an unusual range. Alternate notes are provided, as a result. 

The piece starts at about 1:18:10 of the concert, which can be found on the Juventas website.

SKU: A0.562145

This is a piano/vocal/guitar arrangement of Jolly Old St. Nicholas - Change Your Ways as heard on The Dr. Demento Show.  It explores the many problems caused by freely giving children lots of sugar and gifts such as video games that promote sedentary activities.  How dare he?  Learn more about Samuel Stokes at https://www.SamuelStokesMusic.com.

SKU: A0.940350

Quips, Quotes, and Quibbles is a set of eighteen very brief compositions for medium voice and piano, based on humorous quotes about music or musicians, or by musicians themselves. Each selection utilizes compositional styles to represent the composer quoted or referenced. They can be performed in their entirety as a set (16 minutes), or can be extracted and performed in smaller sets. They invariably induce laughter in the audience when performed live. Though copyright permission was not necessary for use of the texts, the composer secured permission to use them from two publishers, who simply requested that there publications be referenced in the score. These are also excellent pieces for composers and music theory students to analyze in order to study compositional techniques used. Dr. Weber is a member of ASCAP and has his own YouTube channel, at which you can see some of his original compositions performed, or him performing his works in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. .

SKU: A0.940353

The Unofficial Guide to Above-Average Singing is for medium voice and piano and includes four pieces in the set, a Preamble, The Don'ts of Singing, an Interlude, and the Do's of Singing. They are designed to be instructional and concert pieces. The Do's and Don'ts require the singer to perform vocal technique correctly and incorrectly. The piano part is integral to the pieces and quite challenging for the pianist. This is a most amusing set of pieces; if you enjoy keeping your audience amused, these pieces may be what you're looking for. The entire set is less than 7 minutes. Dr. Stephen Weber is a member of ASCAP and has his own YouTube channel, at which you can see some of his compositions and performances in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. He currently serves as Professor of Music and Chair of the Arts and Humanities Division at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.

SKU: LV.16090

If 'Tis Joy To Wound A Lover. Dr. Arnold. Published [n.d.] by A. Reinagle in Philadelphia. Composition of da capo with piano and voice instrumentation. Subject headings for this piece include Courtship & love, Lust. First line reads If 'tis Joy to wound a lover how much more to give him ease..

About The Lester S. Levy Collection

The Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music consists of over 29,000 pieces of American popular music. Donated to Johns Hopkins University Sheridan Libraries, the collection's strength is its thorough documentation of nineteenth-century American through popular music. This sheet music has been provided by Project Gado, a San Francisco Bay Area startup whose mission is to digitize and share the world's visual history.

WARNING: These titles are provided as historical documents. Language and concepts within reflect the opinions and values of the time and may be offensive to some.