Harp - Level 3 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.797493

Composed by Carol Wood. Celtic,Halloween,Holiday,New Age,Spiritual. Score. 22 pages. Afghan Press Music for the Harp #4886961. Published by Afghan Press Music for the Harp (A0.797493).

 While all eight of these Celtic holidays may not be truly ancient, several of them certainly are; some, like Samhain, have had Christianizing veils cast over them but have kept many of the pre-Christian customs associated with their celebration. Interested harpists will find a wealth of available information about these holidays, their names, and their customs. 

Imbolc, February 1st or 2nd, is also the Feast of St. Bridget or Brigid and is associated with the ancient goddess of that name in Celtic mythology.

Ostara is the name sometimes given to the neo-Celtic celebration of the Spring Equinox. This piece depicts the dawn of the day and of the year.

Beltaine, the joyous celebration of spring’s warmth and wealth of flowers and new greenery, occurs on the first day of May. 

The longest day of the year and the shortest night mark the Summer Solstice-Midsummer. Since long before Shakespeare’s funny and lyrical play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the Summer Solstice has been associated with magic.

Lughnasadh, on August 1st, is the festival of the first harvest. A version of the name of this festival survives in Manx and Scots Gaelic as well as in Irish Gaelic, and the name itself derives from Lugh, one of the most important Celtic gods

Mabon marks the Autumn Equinox and the end of summer; for me, it is a wistful moment of the year-extremely beautiful yet transitory.
Samhain is one of the most significant celebrations in the Celtic year- the word itself means the end of summer, the beginning of the dark part of the year. It survives even in non-Celtic countries as Halloween, thanks to its adoption into the Christian calendar as All Hallows’ Eve. It is said to be the  time when the veils between this world and the next are at their most thin.

The Winter Solstice is marked in many European cultures as a time for celebrating the birth of the new light and a time for decorating with evergreens like holly. For The Holly King, modal and traditional versions of the carol The Holly and the Ivy, were used because of the lyrics’ references to the rising of the sun, and the running of the deer.

Concert Band - Level 4 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.742978

Composed by Ian Deterling. 20th Century,Children,Contemporary. 137 pages. Ian Deterling #3860753. Published by Ian Deterling (A0.742978).

Dwarves is a concert piece specifically for ensembles that frequently have to deal with unbalanced or incomplete instrumentation. This work makes use of low melodies and various percussion instruments as dwarves are commonly associated with smithing and mining. The contrasting sections in this piece are inspired by different descriptions/interpretations of dwarves - from traditional Norse mythology to more recent depictions that frequently appear in pop culture.

Mixed Percussion B-Flat Tuba,B-Flat trombone,Baritone Horn TC/Euphonium,Bass Trombone,E-Flat Cornet,E-Flat Tenor Horn,E-Flat Tuba TC,Flugelhorn,Percussion 1,Percussion 2,Tenor Trombone - Level 4 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.977642

Composed by Steven Reineke. Arranged by Benjamin (Benthoven) Lau. Contemporary. Brass Band. 133 pages. BenthovenMusic Publications #4727033. Published by BenthovenMusic Publications (A0.977642).

Fate of the Gods for Brass Band
Originally Composed by Steven Reineke, Arranged by Benjamin Lau

Steven Reineke has done it again! This riveting overture is full of the intriguing writing you've come to expect in Steven's compositions!  A programmatic work, the music portrays tales from Nordic mythology.  Elements of dark foreboding are masterfully balanced with more vibrant sections. The intensity of the work will keep your interest from the first note through the last!

This is originally a piece composed for concert band and Benjamin Lau has created a fitting adaptation for brass band. The upper woodwinds have been replaced by the cornet section and the saxes replaced by the horn section. Finally, the lower woodwinds replaced by the baritones, euphoniums and basses. Percussion parts have been reduced to fit the standard amount for a brass band as well as giving an opportunity to showcase the brass players more.

This would be a perfect addition to a contest repertoire and to showcase the technical and musical prowess of your intermediate level band. Dur. 9'00

Live Recording: https://soundcloud.com/user-738520189/fate-of-the-gods-for-brass-band-steven-reinekearr-benjamin-lau

Concert Band - Level 4 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.934110

Composed by Michael Young. Contemporary. Score and parts. 53 pages. Michael Young #6082967. Published by Michael Young (A0.934110).

Boat Symphony is my second symphony for concert band. Initially inspired by a maritime festival, I decided to write some music that would seem best suited for such an event. After initially writing the Seafarers March and Maiden Voyage, I decided to expand the idea out to a full symphony based loosely on maritime mythology and themes.

 Boat Symphony comprises of four movements:
- I. Seafarers March
- II. Maiden Voyage
- III. Bermuda Triangle
- IV. Final Voyage.

Piano - Digital Download

SKU: BQ.979-0-50179-711-0

Composed by John Mitchell. This edition: softcover. Bisel New Classics. Score. With Text Language: English / German. Opus 105. 32 pages. Published by Bisel Classics - Digital (BQ.979-0-50179-711-0).

ISBN 9790501797110.

The Sonata No. 4 Op. 105, composed in 2001, presents itself as another work of the series of sonatas that was created by the Californian composer John Mitchell following programmatic principles. The composition with two contrasting movements tells the story of the star Alcyone, the brightest star of the open star cluster of the Pleiades. In Greek mythology Alcyone is remembered as the leader of her sisters, the nymphs and daughters of Atlas and Pleione, and similarly the Arabic etymology of the name (''queen, who defies the evil storm'') tells a tale of might and sovereignty. Astrologically the constellation is assigned to Taurus. Contrasting and opposing both in mood and metrics, Mitchell gave a musical shape to this mighty stellar energy, with a soaring and joyous first movement followed by a second movement that is slow and even reverent with a subdued ending. Please visit the website www.abm-enterprises.net for extensive and updated information on the composer and his works.

Concert Band - Digital Download

SKU: AX.00-PC-0017387_TN1

1st Trombone. Composed by Roland Barrett. Instructional. Part. 1 pages. Alfred Music - Digital Sheet Music #00-PC-0017387_TN1. Published by Alfred Music - Digital Sheet Music (AX.00-PC-0017387_TN1).

UPC: 038081516097.

As the title implies, this stunning overture opens with an ominous initial statement and erupts to a driving musical force to the end. Inspired by an Antarctic mountain, the story is based on the Norse mythology story about a monstrous wolf. Engaging and charismatic, this composition sounds more difficult than it plays and will serve equally well on concerts or contest programs. (1:45)
Concert/Contest; Festival.

Clarinet Solo - Level 5 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.1018929

Composed by Benjamin Harry Sajo. 20th Century,Contemporary. Individual part. 5 pages. Benjamin Sajo #6072959. Published by Benjamin Sajo (A0.1018929).

Fugue: Wear Pearls and Smile is, on the outset, a fast, rambunctious adventure for many voices playing at the same time. It was conceived as a pairing for the equally vivacious second symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven–his 250th birthday is this year–but can stand on its own as one of my hardest, most challenging works to cook up.

This piece is dedicated to those forced to appear positive when internally they’re falling apart. The title is inspired by a quote that’s been with me for a while, Why is it that men can be bastards and women must wear pearls and smile? by Lynn Hecht Schafren, the celebrated American jurist famous for campaigning for gender equity in courts. I’m taking the quote out of its initial context, but the power of that quote, for me, exemplifies how hard it is to maintain a sense of emotional decorum and dignity when you’re authentically a hot mess. And what’s more of a musical hot mess than a fugue?

There are two realities to this piece. I’ll quote Dmitri Shostakovich, from his autobiography: The rejoicing is forced, created under threat, […] It’s as if someone were beating you with a stick and saying, ‘Your business is rejoicing, your business is rejoicing,’ and you rise, shaky, and go marching off, muttering ‘Our business is rejoicing, our business is rejoicing.’ On the one hand, it is insincere happiness, cloying perhaps. But the other truth, I’ll quote Oscar Hammerstein II, from The King and I: While shivering in my shoes / I strike a careless pose / And whistle a happy tune / And no one ever knows, / I'm afraid. I forced myself, against all impulses of my current being, to forge happiness. This piece, with its origin being a mental puzzle (fugues are puzzles), it became a construct where I could lift myself up and regain a sense of purpose. Therefore, it is invented–out of a literal need to survive–pure, genuine happiness.

Future Performances: If you are interested in performing this work, please e-mail me.

ABOUT THE COMPOSER:

Benjamin Sajo (b. 1988) is a Canadian composer of contemporary classical music, as well as an educator. Since developing a fiercely independent creative voice upon the completion of his studies at Western (2010) and McGill Universities (2013), he continues to find inspiration from the intersection of mythology, art, and nature upon the contemporary human experience. In 2019, he released his premiere album of original music, The Great War Sextet: Canadian War Poetry with Trombone & Strings , with support from the Ontario Arts Council. He is a member of SOCAN and the League of Canadian Composers.

Clarinet Solo - Level 4 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.1018946

Composed by Benjamin Harry Sajo. 20th Century,Contemporary. Individual part. 1 pages. Benjamin Sajo #6078675. Published by Benjamin Sajo (A0.1018946).

Programme Notes:

 This composition was written to be considered for pairing alongside Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony #3, the Eroica, but can stand on its own virtues as an intense and slow meditation on heroism. The music is like a boiling pot on the stove that’s just began to overflow its bubbles.

 The first part of the title, kommos, is a Classical Greek term from Attic dramaturgy, literally meaning striking but specifically referring to beating oneself up during lamentation--ripping at the hair, gouging out the eyes--like Oedipus--slapping the forehead, and other acts amid moments of extreme emotional turmoil. For example, from Aeschylus's play Agamemnon, a character bewails: Apollo, Apollo! God of the Ways, my destroyer! For you have destroyed me-and utterly [...]What is this fresh woe [...]what monstrous, monstrous horror, beyond love's enduring, beyond all remedy? And help stands far away! We can easily imagine physical accompaniment to the script; rather than bottling up the pain, the hero lets it all explosively come out.  

 The second part of the title, When the world moved on, is an epigraph taken from American author Stephen King’s The Dark Tower epic. The primary setting of the novel, a world similar in many ways to our own, is experiencing a dark age where the glorious past is all but a distant memory and all good things are referred to wistfully as occurring, When the world moved on. Yet, the main protagonist, Roland, the last gunslinger, emphasizes that it is not just a figure of speech, but the literal distances between destinations have increased, the positions of the stars have changed, as well as the occurrence of other unnatural phenomena. The world has become a gulf of isolation from all corners.

 Taken together, this piece is a lamentation for when the world moved on. Truly completed on Yom Kippur during the Covid-19 Pandemic, being unable to fast or go to synagogue, this is my atonement.

About the Composer:

 Benjamin Sajo (b. 1988) is a Canadian composer of contemporary classical music, as well as an educator. Since developing a fiercely independent creative voice upon the completion of his studies at Western (2010) and McGill Universities (2013), he continues to find inspiration from the intersection of mythology, art, and nature upon the contemporary human experience. In 2019, he released his premiere album of original music, The Great War Sextet: Canadian War Poetry with Trombone & Strings, with support from the Ontario Arts Council. He is a member of SOCAN and the League of Canadian Composers.