Baritone Horn TC,Vocal Solo,Voice - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.837497 Composed by Brett L. Wery. Concert,Contemporary. 7 pages. Sonata Grendel Publishing #5770249. Published by Sonata Grendel Publishing (A0.837497). Letters From Cohoes was originally conceived for Baritone, flute, harp and string Quartet. The first movement is set in Eva Tanguay’s voice and works well dramatically for mezzo-soprano. Eva Tanguay (1879-1947) was born in Canada and billed herself as the girl who made vaudeville famous. She was known for her suggestive songs and extravagant costumes. She has been likened to Madonna or Lady Gaga. Her one recording was I Don’t Care in 1922. Her parents moved to Holyoke, Massachusetts in the 1880’s and she began her career as a teenager at the Cohoes Music Hall. At the age of nineteen she made her debut in New York City. Tanguay was the highest paid woman of her day but was said to have lost more than two million dollars in the Wall Street crash of 1929. Tanguay had a reputation for outlandish behavior and was once fined $50 in Louisville, Kentucky for throwing a stagehand down a flight of stairs. She died, blind and nearly destitute, at the age of 68 in Hollywood. In 1953 Mitzi Gaynor portrayed Eva Tanguay in a fictionalized version of her life in the motion picture, The I Don’t Care Girl. Her ghost is said to still haunt Cohoes Music Hall in upstate New York. Letters from Cohoes is a highly fictionalized, musical portrayal of Eva Tanguay’s ghost. In its original form it was scored for flute (doubling on alto flute, contrabass flute and piccolo), harp, string quartet and solo baritone. It is in four movements, taking the form of letters. Letter 3. June 1974, Cohoes (duration – 2:15)                 Wish List Fundraising The new stage manager writes a letter to the producers asking for funds to equip the shop. All I need is some money for a hammer and nails, some duct tape, and a circular saw. That's all I need, and a C clamp, maybe two.

String Quartet String Quartet - Level 5 - Digital Download SKU: A0.845973 By Miley Cyrus. By Henry Walter, Lukasz Gottwald, Maureen McDonald, Sacha Skarbek, and Stephan Richard Moccio. Arranged by Kyle Pudenz. Contemporary,Pop. Score and parts. 34 pages. ViolinVagabond Music #5310843. Published by ViolinVagabond Music (A0.845973). Why settle for a bland transcription of Hannah Montana when you can have an action-packed, thrill-filled arrangement that's ALMOST as crazy as Miley Cyrus!? (almost)You've heard the song. You've seen the video. Whether or not you're a Miley super fan, you get the hype and that's why you're here. So take that hype to the next level with a chart that will make your audience go what on earth just happened? the same way Miley does on at least a bi-annual basis. By the way, I'll tell you what just happened: your quartet just came in like a wrecking ball, and smashed every archaic stereotype about classical string players to PIECES!!Gone are the days of strings not being able to feel the groove. Silenced are the cynics who once called us boring and one-dimensional. A new era is upon us, where violins, violas, & cellos can get up, get out, and rock the faces off of the proletariat right alongside our guitar slinging, drumstick twirling brethren! And this chart is just what you need to usher in this oh so bright future for all who rosin the bow:Right from the start, this arrangement takes a unique spin on Miley's pop smash, with a lopsided groove that will have your listeners searching frantically for a downbeat. Their urges will finally be satisfied when the melody takes us back to that oh-so-familiar feeling of 4/4 security... but don't get too comfortable, because when that chorus drops you'd better hold on to your hats. That's right, the train is leaving the station for double-time town! Along this musical journey, you may also encounter glimpses of reggae, jazz, & bluegrass, culminating in a race to the finish that will wre-e-eck any musician who didn't come ready to hang. Oh, and just for funsies I threw in that classic showbiz' moment where the cellist steals the melody, so feel free to ham that up as much as possible, cello players!This arrangement also makes use of modern extended string techniques in order to create rhythmic grooves without the need for additional instruments, including chopping and strum bowing. If you are unfamiliar with these concepts, various resources exist all over the internet to aid you in your quest towards having better time. I recommend this series, for example: https://youtu.be/kfX3kxjC93sPerformance time - 4:20... and if that doesn't make Miley Cyrus proud I don't know what will.Questions? Feel free to contact me via my website, www.kylepudenz.com/ or on the 'Insta @theviolinvagabond

Baritone Horn TC,Vocal Solo,Voice - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.837499 Composed by Brett L. Wery. Concert,Contemporary,Halloween. 13 pages. Sonata Grendel Publishing #5792331. Published by Sonata Grendel Publishing (A0.837499). Letters From Cohoes was originally conceived for Baritone, flute, harp and string Quartet. The first movement is set in Eva Tanguay’s voice and works well dramatically for mezzo-soprano. Eva Tanguay (1879-1947) was born in Canada and billed herself as the girl who made vaudeville famous. She was known for her suggestive songs and extravagant costumes. She has been likened to Madonna or Lady Gaga. Her one recording was I Don’t Care in 1922. Her parents moved to Holyoke, Massachusetts in the 1880’s and she began her career as a teenager at the Cohoes Music Hall. At the age of nineteen she made her debut in New York City. Tanguay was the highest paid woman of her day but was said to have lost more than two million dollars in the Wall Street crash of 1929. Tanguay had a reputation for outlandish behavior and was once fined $50 in Louisville, Kentucky for throwing a stagehand down a flight of stairs. She died, blind and nearly destitute, at the age of 68 in Hollywood. In 1953 Mitzi Gaynor portrayed Eva Tanguay in a fictionalized version of her life in the motion picture, The I Don’t Care Girl. Her ghost is said to still haunt Cohoes Music Hall in upstate New York. Letters from Cohoes is a highly fictionalized, musical portrayal of Eva Tanguay’s ghost. In its original form it was scored for flute (doubling on alto flute, contrabass flute and piccolo), harp, string quartet and solo baritone. It is in four movements, taking the form of letters. Letter 4. October 1974, Cohoes (duration – 4:56)                  Confrontation and Finale The stage manager finally confronts the ghost residing in the hall. Your innocence was stolen but your youth was yours to lose. The croaking raven doth bellow for revenge,And so I stand for sacrifice.

Bassoon - Level 1 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1474103 Composed by James Smith. Classical,Contest,Festival,Instructional,Multicultural,Traditional,World. Educational Method. 44 pages. Ensemble Llama Music #1051737. Published by Ensemble Llama Music (A0.1474103). I’m a bassoonist, and I don’t like the teaching materials for bassoon that are out there. There’s not enough depth and engagement in them, and nothing that supports the everyday music teacher. So I set out to create something that I would feel comfortable giving to my private students to help them grow as musicians. There are many types of music in the book: etudes, exercises, warm-ups, backwards and upside down duets (one person plays normally, the other person reads the music in an unusual way), improvised music, and composition. Musical styles range across a variety of cultures and genres such as classical, blues, fiddle tunes, marches, contemporary, musicals, and more.  Using carefully crafted etudes, exercises, and songs in a variety of styles, your bassoon students are going to to find immediate success. The bite-sized examples encourage students to focus on tone, as they extend their technique and range on this wonderful instrument. Examples from the book:1.1 - Memories1.2 - Can-Can1.3 - Baby-Back Blues1.4 - Somewhere Nice1.5 - Go Down, Moses1.6 - Magenta Sky (A Backwards Duet)1.7 - Cakewalk1.8 - Red River Valley1.9 - Symphony No. 6, Mvt. 2 (Tchaikovsky)1.10 - Arkansas Traveler1.11 - Give My Regards to Broadway (key of B Flat Major)1.12 - In The Hall of the Mountain King1.13 - Landlord Fill The Flowing Bowl1.14 - It Ain't Gonna Rain No Mo'1.15 - Shalom Chaverim1.16 - Londonderry Air1.17 - Theme & Variations, Für Elise1.18 - Ominous (A Backwards Duet)Create & Improvise: St. Louis Blues (W.C. Handy)1.19 - Interlude1.20 - L'Adieu Des Bergers1.21 - Washington Post March1.22 - The Sea Monster - A Short Improvised Piece1.23 - Give My Regards to Broadway (key of G Major)1.24 - Anna Lisle (The Alma Mater Song)Critical Hit - Bassoon Concert Piece2.1 - More Memories2.2 & 2.3 - Ten Little Indians2.4 - Parliament (An Upside-Down Duet)2.5 - Bassoon Warm-Up2.6 - F Major Studies2.7 - Airang2.8 - Arpeggio In Blue2.9 - C Major Studies2.10 - Mazurka in A-flat Major2.11 - Etudes With Flats2.12 - Take Me Out To The Ball Game2.13 - Arpeggios (Part 1)2.14 - Etudes With Arpeggios2.15 - The Sar Spangled Banner2.16 - Arpeggios (Part 2)2.17 - More Arpeggio Studies2.18 - Battle Hymn of the Republic2.19 - Arpeggios (Part 3)2.20 - Kolme Varista2.21 - Swallowtail Jig2.22 - Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring2.23 - St. Anne's Reel2.24 - Dear Old Stockholm2.25 - Esprit De CorpsSketch On a Theme From The Sorceror's Apprentice - Bassoon Concert Piece.

Guitar - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1177383 By Frederic Chopin. By Fre�de�ric Chopin. Arranged by Brian Streckfus. 19th Century,Classical,Contemporary,Instructional,Romantic Period. Guitar Tab. 6 pages. Brian Streckfus #776814. Published by Brian Streckfus (A0.1177383). Key: Changed from B minor to A minorCapo: 2 (If you want original key, but I wasn't a fan of capo 2; it felt like there was no bass notes.)1. Arranged for guitar. 2. Piano pedal markings removed 3. Phrase markings removed and opted for commas. 4. Re-harmonized 5. Key changed from B minor to A minor. 6. Slurs 7. Left hand fingers 8. Tablature9. Harmonics added when advantageous, but playing the regular note would work as well.10. Piano pedal markings removed and replaced with commas. It's a flaw of sheet music that slurs, ties, and phrase markings are all the same symbol, and having all three happening can clutter a score.Compromises This may sound obvious, but of course I had to make some alterations to make this flow properly on guitar. Many of the original chord inversions on the piano were not kept. However, many harmonies were kept intact as far as following the chord nomenclature name. Measure 50 was originally an A minor chord, the irony is that the F major suprise is an homage to Chopin anyways, suprised he didn't opt for it. To be honest, I don't like how there is a perfect authentic cadence in measure 50. I think modern audiences would want to clap too badly, so I believe that ending needs to be slightly messed up to propel the music forward, and give a sense that there is still a problem. The other chord that was changed was an E7b9 to a Ddim7 in measure 78. If you know your theory well, you'll realize these chords have the same exact function and nearly the same notes, it's just that Ddim7 flowed a bit better on guitar. I'd rather have guitarists play the rhythms correctly and with musicality, than have guitarist clunkily go though overly large chords in order to mantain historical accuracy.  Measure 15 was hard to keep the original chord intact. A Bb/D with a G in the melody as a suspension sounds more like a g minor chord. That is cliche Chopinesque neopolitan moment so the Bb is crucial to mantain. Having some rough sort of Bbmaj7 or G minor chord while mantaining the melody seemed to sound the best even though the name of the chord might have gotten a little off. I tried chord charts, but they seemed messier than what it was worth. I also could have the denser tablature in the sheet music, but that does make it look 10x more intimidating. So this version is unique in that the tablature is my denser arrangement, whereas the sheet music would allow someone to quickly make a new arrangement. I like this ethos because most guitarists are likely to be much better at playing chord quickly when they don't have to have an exact voicing. This makes this arrangement easier to further perfect since I am naming the harmonies, which often isn't done in classical music.BackstoryThis is one of my favorite pieces, and also my favorite composer. I feel classical guitar repertoire is lacking easily playable music in the romantic style. Often, if it is romantic guitar music, it is extemely difficult and therefore only a select few can enjoy performing it. Also, I sometimes get my hopes up to find a romantic guitar composer, but then after listening, there's nothing quite like Chopin. Obviously, you will have to have some chops to play this since it's one of the most ambitious undertakings a guitarist could take, but it's also not so hard that you have to be train for a decade because I changed the key.

Piano Solo - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.972647 Composed by James Siddons. Arranged by James Siddons Music and Writings. 20th Century,Blues,Concert,Jazz,Spiritual. Score. 12 pages. James Siddons Music and Writings #4350581. Published by James Siddons Music and Writings (A0.972647). About the Sonata Hymnica Series Program Note Composer James Siddons draws on the ethos of American rural hymns and spirituals to create evocations of the deeper, larger meaning of familiar church melodies. These sonatas for piano solo explore these deeper meanings in a variety of contemporary musical influences, while keeping in mind the acoustics of small rural churches of the late nineteenth century, with wooden floors and walls, high ceilings, and dimensions determined by local builders who knew how to shape a room for excellent acoustics in an age of no electricity and no microphones. These sonatas are but partly about the specific melodies and words, and mostly about their meaning in spiritual contemplation . . . and the piano, resonating, reverberant, sometimes whispering---as a sacred harp.             Although these sonatas have no specific titles, the first sonata may be thought of as the Prayer Sonata, the second as the Travel Sonata, as in a spiritual journey, and the third sonata is about our greatest fear, that of being alone and without God. Sonata Hymnica No. 3 draws on two melodies from the African-American experience. One, Were You There (When They Crucified My Lord)? was first published in 1899 in W. E. Barton’s Old Plantation Hymns but existed earlier as a folk hymn. It became the first spiritual to be included in a major hymnal, The Hymnal 1940 of the Episcopal Church in the U.S.A. Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child was sung by the Jubilee Singers of Fisk University from 1870 on, and was published in the Rev. Dr. Barton’s Old Plantation Hymns in 1899. Performance Note The pianist must keep in mind that these sonatas are about playing the piano as much as playing a composition. Musical effects characteristic of the piano and descriptive of the memory in American culture are the substances of these piano solos. Touch is important: in many places, several dynamics are called for on the same beat. Duration --- . Sonata Hymnica No. 3 --- 9 minutes. About the Composer Composer, musicologist, and pianist James Siddons studied composition with Dika Newlin, a protégé of Arnold Schoenberg, and electronic music with Merrill Ellis, founder of the electronic music program at the University of North Texas, where he also earned a PhD in musicology. After a year at the University of London, where he studied musical analysis at King’s College and electronic music at Goldsmiths’ College, Siddons spent two years in Japan as a research scholar at Tokyo University of Arts, participating in the Ethnomusicology Seminar of Fumio Koizumi. Siddons has also studied theology and liturgy at the Duke University Divinity School. In addition to books and articles on contemporary music and music in Japan, Siddons was written compositions in many genres. Recordings of his piano performances are available at online streaming services. His website is www.JamesSiddons.com His performing rights organization is ASCAP.

Piano Solo - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.761905 Composed by Louis Landon. Concert,Contemporary,Instructional,Standards. Score. 5 pages. Landon Creative, Inc. #6325629. Published by Landon Creative, Inc. (A0.761905). This is the sheet music for Silver Lining from the album Feel Good Piano and was released on October 30, 2020. Recorded at the Peace Palace, Sedona, AZ on a Steinway B in June of 2020. This song was inspired by the state of things today. We have a pandemic, lockdowns, layoffs, massive unemployment as well as serious political turmoil and division. With all that negativity, I try to focus on the positive. The idea with Silver Lining, is that something good will come out of all this darkness.Listen to the whole Feel Good Piano album on Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/album/6D6xNUp0LhqED9o5QL9Ffk?si=G9_rqPiOTbuiXk6jeWe1mA     Apple Music   http://itunes.apple.com/album/id/1527730358  Pandora  https://pandora.app.link/Loo8SSvx0abDownload the album on iTunes http://itunes.apple.com/album/id1527730358?ls=1&app=itunes    Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Feel-Good-Piano-Louis-Landon/dp/B08FYQ2YN9  Bandcamp https://louislandon.bandcamp.com/album/feel-good-piano

Piano,Violin - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.948808 Composed by Serghei Rachmaninov. Arranged by Adrian F. Pipas. 20th Century. 7 pages. Adrian F. Pipas #6642575. Published by Adrian F. Pipas (A0.948808). ЗдеÑ�ÑŒ хорошо (Zdes' khorosho, How nice is here) was written in April 1902, in a sweet moment in the composer's life: he had overcome a creative block and had just married his cousin Natalia Sarina. Zdes' khorosho is n. 7 from Twelve Romances, op. 21, a beautiful song that talks about the bond between man, nature and God. It’s also a love song; One of the things I like the most is the balance between contemplation and passion that Rachmaninov accomplishes. The poem, by the Countess Glafira Adolfovna Einerling, a contemporary writer of the composer who wrote under the pseudonym of Galina, simply describes a sunset. I don't know if the landscape portrayed is similar to what Rachmaninov could see from his home but no doubt he felt it part of his own; he even changed the beginning of the poem so he said that the nice place was here. Zdes' khorosho is a song full of lyricism, seemingly simple but demanding for the singer (please pay attention to the pianissimo at the last verse, which seems to arise from nowhere), with an exquisite accompaniment. Some scholars think that the true essence of Rachmaninov is found in songs like that, rather than in his athletic piano concerts.In 1963, the Russian composer Vladimir Michailovich Jurowski (father and grandfather of conductors) orchestrated ten songs by Rachmaninov, including Zdes' khorosho, and there is a later orchestration of this song by Michael Rot. You know that I usually find it difficult to renounce the original piano versions, especially when the composer didn't orchestrated them, but I recommend you to listen to Anna Netrebko singing this song with the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev.You might wonder why I don't share this version here, there are two reasons: first, I can’t do without that beautiful piano; two, I chose my version months ago (something that lately happens quite often). I said before that Zdes' khorosho is between contemplation and passion; Most of singers enhance the most contemplative perspective, that's the case of the lovely performance by Anna Netrebko. Others sing the most passionate version, like the one we’re listening today. Its tempo is faster than usual, it lasts about a minute and a half; maybe it would surprise you if you're used to slower versions. I hope you enjoy this song as much as me; I think this performance by Nicolai Gedda and Gerald Moore, recorded live in 1966, is wonderful.Source: Liederabend.cathttps://www.liederabend.cat/en/bloc/entrades/400-how-nice-it-is-here

Instrumental Duet Instrumental Duet,Medium Voice,Piano - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.837494 Composed by Brett L. Wery. Concert,Contemporary,Rock. Score and parts. 13 pages. Sonata Grendel Publishing #5731611. Published by Sonata Grendel Publishing (A0.837494). Letters From Cohoes was originally conceived for Baritone, flute, harp and string Quartet. The first movement is set in Eva Tanguay’s voice and works well dramatically for mezzo-soprano. Eva Tanguay (1879-1947) was born in Canada and billed herself as the girl who made vaudeville famous. She was known for her suggestive songs and extravagant costumes. She has been likened to Madonna or Lady Gaga. Her one recording was I Don’t Care in 1922. Her parents moved to Holyoke, Massachusetts in the 1880’s and she began her career as a teenager at the Cohoes Music Hall. At the age of nineteen she made her debut in New York City. Tanguay was the highest paid woman of her day but was said to have lost more than two million dollars in the Wall Street crash of 1929. Tanguay had a reputation for outlandish behavior and was once fined $50 in Louisville, Kentucky for throwing a stagehand down a flight of stairs. She died, blind and nearly destitute, at the age of 68 in Hollywood. In 1953 Mitzi Gaynor portrayed Eva Tanguay in a fictionalized version of her life in the motion picture, The I Don’t Care Girl. Her ghost is said to still haunt Cohoes Music Hall in upstate New York. Letters from Cohoes is a highly fictionalized, musical portrayal of Eva Tanguay’s ghost. In its original form it was scored for flute (doubling on alto flute, contrabass flute and piccolo), harp, string quartet and solo baritone. It is in four movements, taking the form of letters. Letter 2. May 1974, a Greyhound Bus (duration – 4:08)                  The Majik Bus to Cohoes  A young stage manager takes a long bus ride to a new job in Cohoes, NY only to be visited in a dream by the ghost of Eva.            There was a girl with wild eyes glaring from the house.            She looked so wounded!

C Instrument - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.912841 Composed by Thomas Groh. Jazz. Lead Sheet / Fake Book. 5 pages. Thomas Groh #519399. Published by Thomas Groh (A0.912841). I composed this song in 2007 on the occasion of the retirement of my former professor of penal law. Though I don't know whether he really enjoyed leaving his post, the song expresses the fun of having done what has to be done and to have lots of time and space for what you really want to do... The recording is a studio version of the song performed with my former band Staircase Club.

Guitar,Piano,Vocal,Voice - Level 2 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1504962 Composed by Bernard Webb and Paul James Mccartney. Arranged by Halfway House. 20th Century,Pop,Rock,Singer/Songwriter. Score. 4 pages. Halfway House #1080365. Published by Halfway House (A0.1504962). This is a PVG (piano, vocal, guitar) arrangement of a lesser-known Paul McCartney song from 1966, written for Peter and Gordon during the Beatles' peak.McCartney had penned three previous Peter and Gordon singles (“A World Without Love”, “Nobody I Know”, and “I Don't Want to See You Again”), and he wrote this song to test whether one of his compositions could be successful based on its own merits without being associated with the hit-making Lennon-McCartney songwriting team.

Euphonium,Trombone,Trumpet,Tuba - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1124482 By Jennifer Rush. By Ellen Shipley and Morrie Brown. Arranged by Marcel Handler. Disco,Pop,Rock. 53 pages. Marcel Handler #725229. Published by Marcel Handler (A0.1124482). Arrangement for Trumpets, Trombones, Baritones, Tuba and Drums.

Instrumental Duet Harp,Instrumental Duet,Voice - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.797553 Composed by Mary Lloyd. Arranged by Afghan Press Music for the Harp. Celtic,Concert,Folk,World. Score and parts. 61 pages. Afghan Press Music for the Harp #5778699. Published by Afghan Press Music for the Harp (A0.797553). A delightful book of mostly Celtic tunes and songs and a few poems, collected, interpreted, arranged, and in some cases, composed by Mary K. Lloyd. Many favorites are included, some as harp solo, some as harp with voice, some as both. For intermediate harp in C, G, or D with one optional Eb. The poems, melodies (even a Ugandan folk song), and lyrics are all lovely! Contains: My Heart, A Song (poem), Over the Water, Soft Mild Morning, The Dawning of the Day, 'Tis A Pity I Don't See My Love, Ned of the Hill, Hector the Hero, Sir Charles Coote, Hewlett, Blind Mary, The Great Song of MacLeod, Kilcash (Cill Chais), Dark Isle, Arran Boat Song, Loch Tay Boat Song, Skye Boat Song, Red Is the Rose, Kelvin Grove (in 4/4, aka The Shearin's No For You), The Shearin's No For You (words), Will Ye No' Come Back Again?, Londonderry Air, The Young Man's Dream, Song (poem), Deus Meus, Mwana Wange

Piano Solo - Level 5 - Digital Download SKU: A0.828227 Composed by John Hatton. Arranged by Paul Thurmond. 20th Century,Baroque,Christian,Sacred. Score. 7 pages. Paul Thurmond #4968929. Published by Paul Thurmond (A0.828227). Tune: DUKE STREETUse: Prelude, PostludeOne Sunday my church was singing Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the Sun as the opening hymn. It’s our tradition that the last stanza of a hymn is sung in unison, so that I as the organist can change the harmonization and keep things interesting. Sometimes I know ahead of time what I’m going to do, and sometimes I make it up on the spot.On this particular morning I planned on being spontaneous. (Can spontaneity be planned?) When we got to the final stanza, I threw on the 16′ pedal reed and went to town.I don’t know if this is the case for all musicians, but while I’m playing my brain is working on several different levels. Most of these are involved in actually playing the music, but there’s also a running commentary on how things are going. This commentary is usually really boring: It’s going okay. It’s going okay. It’s going okay. Sometimes the messages are more interesting: Uh-oh. She just dropped her mute. I missed that chord; remember to circle it when we’re done. My page turner appears to be on fire.So: We’re in the final stanza of Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the Sun. Big, majestic hymn. Over a hundred congregants and choir members are enthusiastically singing in unison. I’m leading them from the organ with an improvised accompaniment that involves all of my limbs. It’s fair to say that I was concentrating hard.Suddenly the commentary part of my brain breaks in: Dude, your feet are totally playing Canon in D. Cool!Canon in D is the most famous work of Johann Pachelbel, a German composer who preceded Bach by a few decades. It’s overused at weddings, but it’s actually a really good piece of music. The original is for three violins and a basso continuo part, which would usually have been played by harpsichord and cello. In this case, the basso continuo plays the same eight measures again and again throughout the piece. This technique of repetition is called a ground bass. While that’s going on, the violins play several different themes on top of it.When I was improvising that Sunday, my feet had accidentally wandered into that ground bass part, which happened to fit nicely with the melody we were singing. During the sermon (sorry Pastor!) I started going through the violin themes in my head, seeing if any of them could also match up with the hymn tune. Some of them worked and some didn’t. I decided to write a sort of theme and variations, where the hymn tune appears in various forms. Sometimes it’s played along with one of the violin themes, and sometimes a violin theme serves as an interlude on its own. And except for one passage, the left hand is always playing some version of the basso continuo theme. I also changed the meter from 4/4 to 3/4 to make it more interesting. It culminates in a climax worthy of a king. I hope you enjoy it.

By Tish Hinojosa. Pop; Spanish. Fakebook. 2 pages. Published by Hal Leonard - Digital Sheet Music