SKU: A0.861937

Harmony (score – violin and string orchestra) MO168A

Score (parts available)

Music by Mark O’Connor

35 pages - 12:00 minutes in length

Harmony Musicians For Harmony, an organization founded in response to the tragic events of 9/11, asked me to compose a chamber orchestra piece for their September 11, 2006 concert in New York City . I have composed Harmony for this remembrance concert. What I wished to do in composing this music was to reveal a more Middle Eastern tonality to my style which is derived from American folk fiddle music. As I become more and more familiar with American music in my own musical journey, I also learn that the music I like so much has many layers. It exposes mystery in its origins when one cares to peel back these layers. It is likely these Middle Eastern cultures play more of a role in American fiddling (and American music in general) than previously thought.

In Harmony I use descriptive phrases printed in the score to indicate the temperament and journey of the music. Reaching Out begins the piece with its inviting and inquisitive drones. Throughout the piece there are several interpretations of the material with canonic and fugal writing. The music of Harmony is based on the same material constructed in a slow tempo in the beginning, a moderate tempo in the middle of the piece, and a fast fiddling tempo near the end. With hope in heart and music, I contribute Harmony on this painful day of remembrance.

Original music printed from the composer’s manuscripts.

Music editing, copying and engraving by Mark O’Connor

using Finale on Apple Macintosh 2006

Composed by Mark O’Connor

Commissioned by Musicians For Harmony

For the 5th Anniversary Concert for Peace 2006

Merkin Hall, New York, NY – September 11th, 2006

Catalogue Number MO168A

Copyright © 2006 by Mark O’Connor Music International

For more information on violinist and composer Mark O'Connor, O’Connor String Camps, Touring Ensembles, Discography, Bio, Repertoire and more, please visit

www.markoconnor.com

For information on the O’Connor Method – instructional book series for violin, viola, cello and school string orchestra programs:

www.oconnormethod.com

SKU: A0.1158189

The majority of the composition is boisterous, upbeat, exciting, and western! Though perhaps overly romanticized, those thrilling impressions are brought to the modern observer in the monuments and tributes all along the Lewis and Clark Trail. Indeed, from the Gateway Arch in Saint Louis to Floyd’s obelisk; from numerous visitors’ centers to historic markers throughout the more than 7000 miles traversed, Lewis and Clark and the others are kept in grateful memory for their inspiring work of opening the gateway to the west. Many working brass quintets throughout the nation joined a consortium of performances for the fall of 2019—particularly near September 23, as that was the date the expedition ended in Saint Louis, Missouri, where it also began. With the images of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in mind, the compositional process occurred quickly, and a draft of the full-length work was printed for a reading with Offutt Brass one week after it was begun. A final product was to be delivered to the consortium members by the end of April for enough time to bring the work to life in the fall. Within the music itself are several hidden meanings which, though imperceptible upon listening, are significant nonetheless. It will be noted that there is little rest for the players. For the span of 4’40�, out of nearly 1000 measures of collective music, there is a total of 99 complete measures of rest shared between the performers. Throughout the expedition 33 key personnel participated, three of whom famously ring in the ears of all Americans: Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and the well-known Shoshone guide, Sacagawea. To acknowledge the arduous nature of this enormous undertaking, what little rest there is in this composition multiplies the number of explorers with the three most famous names.

SKU: A0.1398542

Psalm 118 is the 118th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in the English of the King James Version: O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever. The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and a book of the Christian Old Testament. In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 117. In Latin, it is known as Confitemini Domino quoniam bonus quoniam in saeculum misericordia eius. Its themes are thanksgiving to God and reliance on God rather than on human strength.

The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies.

Here is your brass quartet version thereof to enjoy and praise.

SKU: A0.1302129

The Little Drummer Boy plays a duombeck and produces rhythms that are decidedly more Middle Eastern in this arrangement of the popular classic.  Arranged for two part treble choir and chamber orchestra (2222.000 harp or kbd, perc and strings), the melody and harmony are the same, but the setting references Levantine scales and even quotes Arabian Dance from Nutcracker and Scheherazade.

SKU: A0.773330

These six songs have become icons of remembrance of the six million Jews who died in the Holocaust. They are traditionally played on Holocaust Day, which is on the 28th day of the Hebrew month of Nissan in Israel, or January 27th in the rest of the world.

Unter Dyne Vyse Shteren (Under the Starry Sky) was written by Avraham Sutskover, a leading Yiddish poet, while trapped in the ghetto of Vilna, in July 1943. Days before the ghetto was destroyed and all the Jews murdered, Sutskover escaped to the forest with his wife. He reached Russia, and in 1947 moved to Palestine. He died in Israel in 2010 at the age of 96. The poem was set to music by Avraham Brodna, a simple laborer in the Vilna ghetto who died in a concentration camp.

Ani Maamin (I Believe): The words to this simple song are of the Jewish prayer I believe with perfect faith in the coming of the Messiah. The tune is attributed to Azriel David Festig, a leading Warsaw hazzan (cantor) who died in the Holocaust. The song was performed after the war by Rabbi Shaul Yedidia Eliezer Taub, the Admor (Rabbinical leader) of the Modzitz Hassidic sect, and has become the iconic song of the remembrance in the Hassidic community.

Shtiller Shtiller (Hush Hush) was written by Alexander Volkovitzky, then a 12-year-old boy, in the Vilna Ghetto in the spring of 1943. Volkovitzky, who wrote the melody for a song contest organized to encourage the cultural life of the ghetto, eventually came to Israel where he (under the name Alexander Tamir) became a leading pianist and music educator. The words are by Shmerke Kacserginsky, a leading poet of Vilna, who later escaped the Holocaust and migrated to South America.

Papirossen (Cigarettes) actually predates the Holocaust by 15 years. It was written by Yiddish actor and composer Herman Yablokoff in 1922 in Grodno, Poland. Yablokoff later immigrated to America, where he produced a musical Papirossen that incorporated the song. It was later made famous by the Barry Sisters, a Yiddish popular music group.

Donna Donna was written by Shalom Secunda, with words by Aaron Zeitlin for the Yiddish musical Esterke in 1940. Though the song originally related to the 600-year-old legend of a Polish king who married a Jewess, it quickly became associated with the Holocaust because of its haunting message. The song has entered the popular folk repertoire, with canonical renditions by Joan Baez, Theodore Bikel, and many others.

 Hatikva (the Hope) is Israel's national anthem. The words are by Naftali Zvi Imber, and the tune is a traditional eastern European tune.

 You are welcome to try some of my other arrangements. In addition to the songs offered on this site (you can see them at http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/search?Ntt=Yoel+Epstein ), I have arranged three songs from the Holocaust, which I arranged and distribute for free on IMSLP. You can find them at http://imslp.org/wiki/Category:Ravpapa. If you need arrangements of any of these songs for special combinations of instruments, feel free to contact me, and I will try to accommodate. Write me at yoelepst@gmail.com. Hope you enjoy.

SKU: A0.549818

Duration: 6:12, Score: 29 pages, Solo part: 6 pages, Piano part: 12 pages. This is the grand finale of the Nutcracker Suite.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Tchaikovsky is probably the most popular of the great composers in America. His music certainly appeals to musicians. Likewise, it appeals even to folks who don’t normally listen to serious music. This is probably because of his most noteworthy melodies. Above all, he writes with great emotion. This certainly makes a most noteworthy if not an unforgettable impact.

Education

First of all, He attended classes at the Russian Musical Society. Even more, He also attended the St. Petersburg Conservatory. There he studied music theory with Nikolai Zaremba. He also consequently studied composition with Anton Rubenstein. It seems like Rubenstein came under criticism from a group of Russian composers known as the Five.

The Five

The Five certainly rejected Western musical influences. They rather sought to use elements from Russian music. They furthermore wanted to use more exotic musical materials.

Western Techniques

More than other Russian composers, Tchaikovsky studied modern Western music. He certainly develops his music like the European masters. So, rather than repeating a motive, he moves to a new key. He then introduces a different theme in the new key. Hence, he maintained his independence from the Five. Even more, he became the first Russian composer of international stature.

Influences

Tchaikovsky was probably influenced in his ballet scoring by Léo Delibes. Richard Wagner influenced his symphonic writing. Tchaikovsky’s most famous works include the 1812 Overture, The Nutcracker Suite, and Swan Lake. Also famous are the Violin Concerto in D and the six symphonies. The greatest of the six symphonies may be No. 6, the Pathétique.

Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a

The Nutcracker Suite is a ballet that was performed for the first time in December 1892 in St. Petersburg. To begin with, the original ballet failed to attract a positive reception. However, the ballet suite became probably one of the most popular of all of Tchaikovsky’s works. The ballet suite became even more famous in the 1960s. It is now performed all over the world, particularly during the Christmas season.