SKU: A0.1257229

Three selections based on Christ lag in Todesbanden (Christ lay in death's bonds) (from Cantata No.   4, BMV   4) - Johann Sebastian Bach - String Quintet (3 Violins, 1 Viola, 1 Violoncello) - Advanced/Intermediate - Digital Download.

Cantata No.   4, BMV   4, Christ lag in Todesbanden (also spelled Todes Banden) (Christ lay in death's bonds) is a cantata for Easter written by Johann Sebastian Bach and is his earliest surviving Church Cantata. It was probably written in 1707 when he was 22 years old. It is a Chorale Cantata, a style in which both the text and music are based on a hymn. In this instance, the source was Martin Luther's hymn of the same name which became a main Easter hymn in German Lutheranism.
Regis Bookshar has transcribed and arranged three selections based on this hymn tune, two from Bach's Cantata No.   4, BMV   4, and also his Chorale Prelude, BMV 625. They may be played individually or as a trilogy and each movement gets more complex than the previous one. The first selection in this trilogy is the Chorale Christ lag in Todesbanden, the final chorus from his Cantata No.   4, a straightforward four-part chorale setting of the hymn (Regis has also added a fifth part). This is followed by Bach's Chorale Prelude, BMV 625, a piece from his Orgelbuchlein (Little Organ Book), a collection of 46 Preludes for organ, written almost exclusively during the 1708-1717 period, while Bach was court oganist at Weimar. For the final selection, Regis has placed the polyphonic and imitative chorus, Es war ein wunderlicher Krieg, da Tod und Leben rungen) (It was a strange battle that death and life waged), which Bach had placed in the middle of his Cantata No.   4.
This arrangement is for a String Quintet, consisting of 3 Violins, 1 Viola and 1 Violoncello. Included are a score and a complete set of parts (29 pages).
I hope you will enjoy playing these selections and please search for other arrangements by Regis Bookshar. There are numerous selections in a variety of  styles, also available for purchase. I think you will be pleased with what you may find.

SKU: A0.784347

1 Octave Scale Studies in 15+ keys for 4-part ensembles of like or mixed instruments

If this is your first exposure to these scale studies, you are in for a treat! Donuts, if you make a mistake!

The initial incarnation of these studies were written for trombone quartet and we would play them in the Tennessee Tech Trombone Choir with the challenge that whomever made the first mistake had to buy donuts for the rest of the ensemble. Since then I have brought that version to several clinics and warm up sessions. One time before I got to explain the title, a fellow trombone professor said, Oh, I get it! Don’t step in the holes!

I only wish I had thought of that myself... Since we have one of the best donut shops in TN here in Cookeville, treating the studio to sugar coated goodies was always my intent.

As with those initial exercises, you can vary these as much as you’d like.

·     Choose a tempo.

·     Choose a dynamic.

·     Choose an articulation/style.

One way I like to play these is to have one person be the model, playing the entire scale over and over while everyone else plays the fragmented versions. That helps everyone to keep on track and stay in time. Double or triple up the parts for ensemble cohesion with a larger group.

Practice one key, gradually speeding it up to improve fluidity, or choose a variation and take it through all keys, playing version A, B, C, or D then skipping to play the same set in a new key.

If you want an additional challenge, play them in different octaves or change the key. Play the F Major set in f minor (all forms), different modes, etc. Players really have to be on their toes to remember if they are playing melodic minor in the ascending or descending form! For jazz players, try swinging them in dorian or mixolydian modes.

The variations are endless!

If you are using these with transposing instruments, 1) is F Major in Concert Pitch, 2) is Bb Major in Concert pitch, and so on. When you reach a scale that is enharmonic for another key (Db/C#, Gb/F#, or Cb/B), they are presented in both keys for each instrument so Trumpets can play in Eb while the Flutes are playing in C# with similar examples for all keys.

All Donut Etudes with the same volume number are compatible so you can play them in mixed quartets or large ensembles with one or more instruments/people on part 1 and a different instrument on part 2, etc. Since the quartets are all identical, conductors/coaches can use any of the scores to tell which part should be playing at what time. Once you have played a scale with one set of parts, everyone can rotate to a different part and play the same scales again!

Enjoy!

SKU: A0.784349

1 Octave Scale Studies in 15+ keys for 4-part ensembles of like or mixed instruments

If this is your first exposure to these scale studies, you are in for a treat! Donuts, if you make a mistake!

The initial incarnation of these studies were written for trombone quartet and we would play them in the Tennessee Tech Trombone Choir with the challenge that whomever made the first mistake had to buy donuts for the rest of the ensemble. Since then I have brought that version to several clinics and warm up sessions. One time before I got to explain the title, a fellow trombone professor said, Oh, I get it! Don’t step in the holes!

I only wish I had thought of that myself... Since we have one of the best donut shops in TN here in Cookeville, treating the studio to sugar coated goodies was always my intent.

As with those initial exercises, you can vary these as much as you’d like.

·     Choose a tempo.

·     Choose a dynamic.

·     Choose an articulation/style.

One way I like to play these is to have one person be the model, playing the entire scale over and over while everyone else plays the fragmented versions. That helps everyone to keep on track and stay in time. Double or triple up the parts for ensemble cohesion with a larger group.

Practice one key, gradually speeding it up to improve fluidity, or choose a variation and take it through all keys, playing version A, B, C, or D then skipping to play the same set in a new key.

If you want an additional challenge, play them in different octaves or change the key. Play the F Major set in f minor (all forms), different modes, etc. Players really have to be on their toes to remember if they are playing melodic minor in the ascending or descending form! For jazz players, try swinging them in dorian or mixolydian modes.

The variations are endless!

If you are using these with transposing instruments, 1) is F Major in Concert Pitch, 2) is Bb Major in Concert pitch, and so on. When you reach a scale that is enharmonic for another key (Db/C#, Gb/F#, or Cb/B), they are presented in both keys for each instrument so Trumpets can play in Eb while the Flutes are playing in C# with similar examples for all keys.

All Donut Etudes with the same volume number are compatible so you can play them in mixed quartets or large ensembles with one or more instruments/people on part 1 and a different instrument on part 2, etc. Since the quartets are all identical, conductors/coaches can use any of the scores to tell which part should be playing at what time. Once you have played a scale with one set of parts, everyone can rotate to a different part and play the same scales again!

Enjoy!

Combine these with the set for Band when used for Full or Chamber Orchestra.

SKU: A0.550016

The Hebrides Overture, also known as Fingal's Cave, is a concert overture composed by Felix Mendelssohn in 1830, revised in 1832, and published the following year as Mendelssohn's Op. 26. It is a standalone composition in a form familiar to the Romantic period and is not drawn from a stage work or opera. The overture consists of two primary themes, with the opening notes stating the theme Mendelssohn wrote while visiting Fingal's Cave and the second theme depicting movement at sea and rolling waves.

Mendelssohn was inspired to compose this piece after visiting the Scottish island of Staffa and its famous Fingal’s Cave, which made a deep impression on him due to its echoing acoustics and the sound of waves crashing against rocks. The intense and rolling melodies within the music perfectly capture the sense of drama and awe of the Scottish landscape.
 
The Hebrides Overture, also known as Fingal's Cave, has been used in popular culture in various ways. It has been performed by orchestras worldwide and has become part of the standard orchestral repertoire, retaining its position to the present day. The overture has also inspired literary works like Virginia Woolf's novel. Additionally, Mendelssohn's visit to the Hebrides and the composition of the overture have contributed to the popularity of Fingal's Cave as a tourist destination. Furthermore, the overture has been featured in recordings and concerts, contributing to its enduring presence in the musical landscape.

SKU: A0.590373

15 Favourite Hymns for Thanksgiving and Harvest for Descant Recorder and Piano is a beautiful collection of well-known traditional Thanksgiving and Harvest hymns, carefully chosen to help you celebrate this special time of year with music. Each hymn is arranged for solo Descant Recorder and Piano. The file contains both the piano score and a separate part for the solo instrument.

15 Favourite Hymns for Thanksgiving and Harvest are simply arranged in easy keys and are fun to play for musicians with a year or two’s experience and above. Teachers and students alike will find 15 Favourite Hymns for Thanksgiving and Harvest useful for building reading, rhythmic and expressive skills.

The hymns are in alphabetical order and are as follows…

·     All Things Bright and Beautiful, (The 29thMay)

·     Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, (Nettleton)

·     Come, Ye Thankful People Come, (St George’s, Windsor)

·     Count Your Blessings, (Blessings)

·     For All the Blessings of the Year, (Oldbridge)

·     For the Beauty of the Earth, (Dix)

·     Now Thank We All Our God, (Nun Danket)

·     O Store Gud, (Trad. Swedish, also used for How Great Thou Art)

·     Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow, (Old Hundredth)

·     Praise My Soul, the King of Heaven, (Laude Anima)

·     Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, (Lobe den Herren)

.    Rejoice Today with One Accord, (Ein Feste Burg)

·     We Gather Together, (Kremser)

·     We Plough the Fields and Scatter, (Wir Pflügen)

·     When Morning Gilds the Skies, (Laudes Domini)

There are many more top quality arrangements and compositions by David McKeown for you to browse at http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/publishers/david-mckeown/6203