Piano,Vocal,Voice - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1173897 Composed by Kevin G. Pace (ASCAP), Kathryn W. Hales. Christian,Folk,Pop,Religious,Spiritual. Score. 6 pages. Kevin G. Pace #774051. Published by Kevin G. Pace (A0.1173897). A beautiful song about coming to the Savior with music by Kevin G. Pace and text by Kathryn W. Hales.Text:I went in the Gold Rush like many a man,To search for some nuggets or a flash in the pan.But few were the findings from a grand mother lode,I went for the Gold Rush, but I didn’t find gold.I found what was there, growing right from the ground,The flora and fauna, with trees that abound.I found the beauty of nature’s own place,I found the beauty shown by God’s grace.Like those in the Gold Rush, I’ve oft followed man,To search for the shiny, a flash in the pan,But the glamour soon ended when the glitzy wore thin,I went for the sparkly but found grace for my sins.The world cannot offer the true value of souls,For they are more precious than nuggets of gold.I found true wealth, not deep in a mine,But in the pierced hands of a Savior divine.I might lose my way, when guided by man,So, look to the heavens and follow God’s plan.The glitter of Fool’s Gold has many deceived__A glimmer of hope, then deep tears of grief.I’ll look for the riches only He can bestow,I’ll avoid that ol’ Gold Rush but seek for true gold.By seeking a life, eternal and pure,Seeking for Jesus, who gives gold that endures.

Piano Solo - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.565406 By Sharon Wilson. By Grant Colfax Tullar. Arranged by Sharon Wilson. Easter,Praise & Worship,Romantic Period,Sacred. Score. 2 pages. Sharon Wilson #4320321. Published by Sharon Wilson (A0.565406). Designed for those times when a short, musical interlude is needed, here is a 2-page, LARGE PRINT piano solo arrangement of the beautiful hymn Face to Face by Grant Colfax Tullar. This gently flowing arrangement encourages worship and reverence and will be a valuable addition to your prelude and offertory repertoire.This arrangement is one of the 7 songs in the collection Hymns of Heaven. Each song in this collection was chosen because the lyrics talk about the joys of heaven. I especially like verse 3 of this hymn (see below):Visit Sharon Wilson's website: https://www.SharonWilsonMusic.com/Subscribe to her YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/@SharonWilsonMusicLyrics by Carrie Ellis Breck:Verse 1:Face to face with Christ my Savior,Face to face--what will it beWhen with rapture I behold Him,Jesus Christ who died for me?Chorus:Face to face I shall behold Him,Far beyond the starry sky;Face to face in all His glory,I shall see Him by and by!Verse 2:Only faintly now I see HimWith the darkened veil between,But a blessed day is comingWhen His glory shall be seen. Verse 3:What rejoicing in His presence,When are banished grief and pain;When the crooked ways are straightenedAnd the dark things shall be plain. Verse 4:Face to face--oh, blissful moment!Face to face--to see and know;Face to face with my Redeemer,Jesus Christ who loves me so.

Piano,Vocal,Voice - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1309904 By Cheryl Prazak. By Lyrics: Cheryl Prazak and Music: Jon Burr. Arranged by Jon Burr. Country,Folk,Traditional. Score. 17 pages. Cheryl Prazak #899036. Published by Cheryl Prazak (A0.1309904). Cotton-Eyed Texas is a celebration of all good things Texan.Lyrics by Cheryl Prazak, music by Jon Burr Arranging, production and video by Jon Burr (arrangerforhire.com)Lyric:Let me tell you ‘bout a place that’s stood the test of timeOnce it was a country, but now a State of MindTexas is the place I know, it’s special and it’s reallet me share some things it’s got you oughtta see and feelDo-si-do with fiddle and bow, Texas two-step and Cotton-Eyed Joe,heel and toe, do-si-do, Texas two-step and Cotton-Eyed Joe,We belt it out with Jennings, echo through the hills,rave with Buddy Holly, “ah-hah� with the great Bob Wills.We croon with Kenny Rogers, George Strait and young Clint Black.We dance the Texas two-step to Galveston and backDo-si-do with fiddle and bow, Texas two-step and Cotton-Eyed Joe,heel and toe, do-si-do, Texas two-step and Cotton-Eyed Joe,Texas has its mountains and plains, valleys and bayous.We had cottonfields once where legendary pickers grew,Like Lightnin’ Hopkins, T-Bone, Blind Lemon, Stevie Ray played the bluesBuddy Holly, and Willie Nelson sang their stories tooDo-si-do with fiddle and bow, Texas two-step and Cotton-Eyed Joe,heel and toe, do-si-do, Texas two-step and Cotton-Eyed Joe,Us Texans like to hunt and shoot, and what we shoot, we eat.When you smell the bar-b-cue, bring a dish ‘n grab a seat.Tex-Mex, tacos, fajitas, enchiladas and red wine!Avocado guacamole suits a Texan just fine!Do-si-do with fiddle and bow, Texas two-step and Cotton-Eyed Joe,heel and toe, do-si-do, Texas two-step and Cotton-Eyed Joe,Do-si-do with fiddle and bow, Texas two-step and Cotton-Eyed Joe,heel and toe, do-si-do, Texas two-step and Cotton-Eyed Joe,We have fought to live our way, and we can fight again.When the need presents itself, we only fight to win.We have fought to live our way, we can live no other.If you feel like coming this way, don’t mess with Texas, brother!Do-si-do with fiddle and bow, Texas two-step and Cotton-Eyed Joe,heel and toe, do-si-do, Texas two-step and Cotton-Eyed Joe,Texas has its music, Texas has its foodTexas has its history to put you in the moodThe very best way to visit is to travel far and wideone end to the other right through the countrysideDo-si-do with fiddle and bow, Texas two-step and Cotton-Eyed Joe,heel and toe, do-si-do, Texas two-step and Cotton-Eyed Joe,Do-si-do with fiddle and bow, Texas two-step and Cotton-Eyed Joe,heel and toe, do-si-do, Texas two-step and Cotton-Eyed Joe

Choral Choir (SATB divisi) - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.841250 Composed by Chris Gordon. Contemporary. Octavo. 18 pages. Cool Wind Music Digital #3029087. Published by Cool Wind Music Digital (A0.841250). A setting of a very powerful poem by English poet, Ted Hughes, about the onset of autumn in an English (Yorkshire) garden and the surrounding countryside.  It is full of pathos and passion, harmony and dissonance, chaos and peace - just like English weather!This is a very individual and innovative choral setting of Hughes' poem which is, itself, rich in 'meaty' metaphor and colour - and the composer is a vegetarian! It evokes a savage Nature within a savage landscape where humans and animals compete for space and for food. It is October, the fields and woods and gardens of rural Yorkshire are readying themselves for the cold and desolation (and despair) of winter which isn't far away in time. 'A glass, half-filled with wine, left out(side) To the dark heaven all night, by dawn Has dreamed a premonition of ice across its eye as if the ice-age had begun its heave.'   That is only two and a half stanzas but you see from these lines that there are veiled threats of (Nature's) violence in the heavy tread of the poet's slowly-building angst over what is happening in the surrounding countryside - and his fear grows, and his awe grows, with every line. There is even fear underlining the very last line: 'And now it is about to start.' Winter is creeping closer and closer towards the house and it will not be pleasant to experience!I have tried to instil a little of this in the music which keeps skidding from consonance to dissonance and back to consonance. Sometimes the dissonance piles up, like snow driven by the wind piles up into deep banks; sometimes the music relaxes into stillness and calm (painted in tonal music) like a crisp, mild late autumn or early winter's day when the sun warms the landscape and life appears bearable, tolerable. I hope this adds to the song's 'charm'. It wasn't easy to write: sometimes the right music was elusive. The music ends with the word 'October' repeated three times, with voices overlapping in a little canon. This conjures up the wistful feelings of the poet as he looks out onto a peaceful scene, soon to be filled with all manner of 'natural violence', while his inner peace will soon be shattered by the mayhem about to be unleashed around him.Setting Ted Hughes is no easy task. It is for choirs and choirmasters to judge if I have succeeded in conveying the 'sense and sensibility' of a classic 20th century English poem.The price is for one copy: please purchase a sufficient number of scores if you intend to perform this work. SMP Press offers discounts for multiple-copy purchases.

Piano Solo - Advanced Intermediate - Digital Download Composed by Claude Debussy/Robert Orledge. 20th Century, Impressionistic, Repertoire. Score. 76 pages. Published by Musik Fabrik Music Publishing

High Voice,Vocal Solo - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.893973 Composed by Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal. Contemporary,Holiday,Musical/Show. 14 pages. Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal #6331901. Published by Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal (A0.893973). Commissioned by Colleen Daly for the St. Louis Concert seriesText by Rabindranath TagoreWhere have I come from, where did you pick me up? the baby asked its mother.She answered, half crying, half laughing, and clasping the baby to her breast-You were hidden in my heart as its desire, my darling.You were in the dolls of my childhood's games; and when with clay I made the image of my god every morning, I made the unmade you then.You were enshrined with our household deity, in his worship I worshipped you.In all my hopes and my loves, in my life, in the life of my mother you have lived.In the lap of the deathless Spirit who rules our home you have been nursed for ages.When in girlhood my heart was opening its petals, you hovered as a fragrance about it.Your tender softness bloomed in my youthful limbs, like a glow in the sky before the sunrise.Heaven's first darling, twain-born with the morning light, you have floated down the stream of the world's life, and at last you have stranded on my heart.As I gaze on your face, mystery overwhelms me; you who belong to all have become mine.For fear of losing you I hold you tight to my breast. What magic has snared the world's treasure in these slender arms of mine? ​

Piano Solo - Advanced Intermediate - Digital Download Composed by Claude Debussy/Robert Orledge. 20th Century, Impressionistic, Repertoire, Recital. Score. 71 pages. Published by Musik Fabrik Music Publishing

Piano Solo - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.972635 Composed by James Siddons. 20th Century,Contemporary,Ragtime,Standards. Score. 10 pages. James Siddons Music and Writings #3022927. Published by James Siddons Music and Writings (A0.972635). These seven short pieces were composed in the early months of 1976 as imitations of some of the composers and musical styles of the early twentieth century. They were never performed or published at the time. They are useful as didactic studies for student pianists. The seven pieces areI. Intonatione In the Whole-Tone ScaleII. Prélude and Nocturne in ModesIII. An Impression of ImpressionismIV. An Imitation of Roy HarrisV. Adding Chord-Tones While Shifting MetersVI. Ragtime BitonalityVII. Diatonic Waltz Program Notes: The Intonatione In the Whole-Tone Scale recalls the Renaissance Italian musical form that evolved into the prèlude in later organ music, as well as the use of Italian forms in the atonal music of Arnold Schoenberg, and some neo-Baroque composers of the twentieth century. In contrast, the whole-tone scale is reminiscent of generally tonal composers, including Debussy. The Martial Prèlude and Nocturne in Modes recalls the many pre-twentieth century pairings of preludes with fugues and other forms. The pairing with a nocturne evokes an air of Romanticism. The Martial Prèlude is a march-like fanfare, in Lydian mode on C. The Chopinesque Nocturne is in Phrygian mode, on E flat. An Impression of Impressionism evokes some of Debussy’s Preludes pour Piano, including a suggestive title at the bottom of the page, as Debussy himself did. For the young pianist aiming to master the works of Debussy, the arpeggio patterns, block chords, and sequential motives will prove helpful as introductory exercises. An Imitation of Roy Harris was inspired by the occasion in 1976 when James Siddons heard Roy Harris speaking in person about his compositions. Siddons was impressed by Harris’ youth in Oklahoma, and how the solidity of American rural life shaped Harris’ symphonic music. When taking questions at the end of the lecture, a young composer asked Harris about his creative methods when composing music. Well, Harris responded, You don’t pull up a potato just to see if its growing. Adding Chord-Tones While Shifting Meters is a technical exercise that is nonetheless fun to listen to, and fun to play. A student pianist should be asked to analyze the harmony in this piece, and to describe what shifts are taking place when the musical meter (as well as phrasing and rhythm patterns) change. The echoes of Stravinsky and Bartók should be apparent to the listener and pianist. Ragtime was not regarded as art music of the same caliber as Stravinsky and Schoenberg, or even Copland and Gershwin, until the 1970s. The inclusion of ragtime in these seven pieces would not have been accepted by composers of the early twentieth century, Stravinsky excepted. Ragtime Bitonality explores how such piano music might have sounded had major composers of the 1900-1920 era taken an interest in its march-like vitality. There is even a touch of atonality! In contrast to the powerful rhythms and juxtaposed tonal relations in much early twentieth-century music, there were works by many composers that continued familiar melodic patterns and balanced forms, offering musical relief in a turbulent era in music history. The Diatonic Waltz is offered here as a quiet, peaceful conclusion to our tour of musical styles in classical music of a century ago. About the Composer: James Siddons is a composer and pianist as well as musicologist. His research guide to the music of Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu was published in 2001. For more information, see www.JamesSiddons.com

Choral Choir (SATB) - Level 2 - Digital Download SKU: A0.926665 Composed by Michael A. Morizio. A Cappella,Christian,Sacred. Octavo. 13 pages. M.A. Morizio #3588435. Published by M.A. Morizio (A0.926665). In the first chapter of Paul’s second letter to Timothy, verses 1-10, we observe the intimate relationship that exists, between a spiritual father and his son… I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. In Chapter two we also witness Paul’s commissioning Timothy to entrust to faithful men all that he was taught by the Apostle, that they then may be able to teach others in the same way also. While the elder Paul is now in prison and bound in chains, he is nonetheless empowered by the Holy Spirit to encourage and exhort Timothy to share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ, for the sake of the Gospel. Though Paul is bound in chains, he declares to Timothy the word of God is not bound! Endurance for Paul serves only one purpose, the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.In verse 11, Paul supports his statements by inserting another known 1st century Hymn to Christ, which brings us to our fifth anthem, For If We Died with Him. The text-or lyrics-of this hymn are even bracketed (or indented) in the NKJV Bible, suggesting the hymnic setting.   The proposition of the text is quite clear; if we died with Christ, then we shall also live eternally with Christ. If we endure in the faith, then we shall also reign eternally with Christ. However, there is an insertion of 'Law' here, with a dire warning that the opposite is also true: If we deny Christ, resist, and refuse His beckoning and free invitation to salvation, then He will also deny us. Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven… I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:31-23). Thus, the stage has been set for the fifth anthem. The piece is composed for SATB a cappella. The key is F Major. The opening phrase, This is a trustworthy saying, is in ¾ time, where a series of triplets are sung three times each (the Trinitarian opening motif). The meter then shifts to 2/4 with a lovely, distinctive unison melody for the opening phrase, For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him. Soon after, when the lyrics shift to the words, If we deny Him, He will also deny us, the song drops into the relative minor key (F minor). The melody in this passage is haunting, and sends a clear warning signal to the listener to pay heed to what is being sung. When the text then transitions from if we are faithless, He remains faithful, however, the key shifts back to F Major in a new (dance-like) rhythm for the final verse, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. A coda is inserted in the final phrase where the triplet pattern is recapitulated (This is a trustworthy saying) and the sopranos ascend to a high F singing the lyrics, we shall live, for He remains faithful! to triumphantly end the piece.  

Woodwind Ensemble,Woodwind Quintet Bass Clarinet,Bassoon,Flute,Horn,Oboe - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1497922 Composed by Traditional. Arranged by Mark A. Craig / Craig Music Publishers (ASCAP). Baroque,Christmas,Holiday,Multicultural,Traditional,World. 28 pages. Mark A. Craig #1074292. Published by Mark A. Craig (A0.1497922). This woodwind quintet arrangement turns the traditional French carol Patapan into a Patapan Fantasy, which also includes quotes from the carols God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen, Joy to the World, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, We Three Kings of Orient Are, and Good King Wenceslas, representing carols from England, France, the Czech Republic, and the United States. It is perfect for all holiday events, gatherings, recitals, or caroling gigs. The arrangement was written for most ensembles, from advanced high school quintets to college ensembles to professional quintets. What appealed to me most about this piece was that it's pitched in a minor key, making it slightly different from most Christmas carols. The lyrics are similar to The Little Drummer Boy: When you hear the fife and drum, dance and make the village hum. I have included an alternate bass clarinet part in lieu of a missing bassoon. Originally scored for piano, I hope you enjoy this unique setting for winds. If you like this arrangement, you might also like my woodwind quintet arrangement of the 16thC Spanish carol Riu Riu Chiu. Although not as well known as some American carols, it's a lively and dynamic arrangement that brings a taste of Europe to your holiday celebrations. It's available on:Sheet Music DirectSheet Music PlusFor more info about Mark A. Craig / Craig Music Publishers, visit my social media links below. Please like, follow, or subscribe, and feel free to leave questions or comments about my arrangements. Thanks for stopping by! See you soon.  FacebookInstagramLinkIn.BioYouTube

Brass Ensemble Trumpet - Level 1 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1079739 Composed by Eddie Lewis. Classical,Instructional,Sacred. Score and parts. 6 pages. Tiger Music #683926. Published by Tiger Music (A0.1079739). I have said this in the description for other pieces, but it’s worth mentioning again. I believe that trumpet students should begin performing from the start of their careers. The problem with this belief is that there isn’t much good music written for the beginners to perform. Most of what is published is “dumbed down� and doesn’t sound like real music. I have been trying to fill that cap by composing pieces for the beginners that I would be proud to perform in public. My objective with these compositions is to write music that sounds like real music, but functions within the limitations of the beginners’ trumpet skills. My first compositions of this nature were the three bird solos, Bird March, Feathered Friends and The Purple Parrot (which I let my then current students name). One of those students performed the Bird March solo at a school assembly only three or four months after she started playing the trumpet. That student eventually quit trumpet to pursue a busy performance career in theater (she was an elementary school student) but performing the Bird March for her fellow students is a memory she will always fondly look back on. That is part of why performing early in the learning process is so important. You don’t know when students will continue, and which ones will not. For those students whose trumpet careers end up being no longer than a year, the one or two performances they have in that year are all they will have to look back on. Unfortunately, those who do not perform at all will only ever remember the drudgery of pointless practice and rehearsals. But there’s more to my early performance philosophy than just that. For those students who do continue their trumpet careers for many years, the earlier performances have a mental benefit that cannot be replaced in any other way. Their future progress on the trumpet is greatly enhanced by each performance they present in the first two years of their trumpet careers.

Tenor Voice,Vocal Solo - Level 5 - Digital Download SKU: A0.533282 Composed by Gregory Sullivan Isaacs. Contemporary,Holiday,Love. 21 pages. Musik Fabrik Music Publishing #2331251. Published by Musik Fabrik Music Publishing (A0.533282). Whitman only published one book – Leaves of Grass – but it was always a work in progress. He added poems and revised others for each succeeding edition. Thus, the first edition (1819) was a small book with only 12 poems and the last, often refered to as the Deathbed Edition (1892), contained over 400. Some of these he wrote in “clusters� of related poems. Such is the case with the Calamus cluster. The title was chosen to alert the reader that these were poems about what he called “the love of comrades,� “manly love� or with the code word, “adhesiveness.� The concept of homosexuality, as we know it today, was very different in Whitman’s time, but violently socially taboo. Acorus calamus is a reed-like species of marsh grass. In Poetry and Prose, Whitman wrote that it s a … very large and aromatic grass, or root, spears three feet high—often called 'sweet flag'—grows all over the Northern and Middle States.� The phallic plant has always been a symbol of love and associated with the Greek myth of Kalamos, son of the river god who loved the youth Karpos. When Karpos died in a swimming accident, Kalamos transformed himself into a reed so he could always be near the spot where his beloved died, and the rustling of the reeds in the winds sounds like moans of mourning. The Calamus cluster, 39 poems in all, recount the story of a manly love found and lost from the perspective of some time later. They are bittersweet memories. I chose four poems for my own cluster. They represent the four stages of such a relationship: initial attraction, first coy interactions, full-blossomed love, and the bitterness of it’s ending. It is possible that these events actually happened or that they all occurred in the poets mind without ever revealing his thoughts to the intended. Some musical devices, such as the rustling of the leaves in the third song and the constant use of seconds as two people who are close but not yet together in the second one, are obvious. But, other than some indications of tempo, I hesitate to give out remarks about how to perform the songs, or even metronome markings, that might give the singer a preconceived notion. This situation has happened to everyone. So, I say to the singer: revive the memories of a similar event in your life: a particularly heartbreaking one is best. Bring the telling of that memory to the vivid present, and tell us that story as if it ending some time ago but the hurt remains strong, If, by some chance, the singer has not had this experience, he should wait to sing this cycle until he has. The composer

Baritone Horn TC,Vocal Solo,Voice - Digital Download SKU: A0.533384 Composed by Gregory Sullivan Isaacs. Contemporary,Holiday,Love. 20 pages. Musik Fabrik Music Publishing #2803929. Published by Musik Fabrik Music Publishing (A0.533384). Whitman only published one book – Leaves of Grass – but it was always a work in progress. He added poems and revised others for each succeeding edition. Thus, the first edition (1819) was a small book with only 12 poems and the last, often refered to as the Deathbed Edition (1892), contained over 400. Some of these he wrote in “clusters� of related poems. Such is the case with the Calamus cluster. The title was chosen to alert the reader that these were poems about what he called “the love of comrades,� “manly love� or with the code word, “adhesiveness.� The concept of homosexuality, as we know it today, was very different in Whitman’s time, but violently socially taboo. Acorus calamus is a reed-like species of marsh grass. In Poetry and Prose, Whitman wrote that it s a … very large and aromatic grass, or root, spears three feet high—often called 'sweet flag'—grows all over the Northern and Middle States.� The phallic plant has always been a symbol of love and associated with the Greek myth of Kalamos, son of the river god who loved the youth Karpos. When Karpos died in a swimming accident, Kalamos transformed himself into a reed so he could always be near the spot where his beloved died, and the rustling of the reeds in the winds sounds like moans of mourning. The Calamus cluster, 39 poems in all, recount the story of a manly love found and lost from the perspective of some time later. They are bittersweet memories. I chose four poems for my own cluster. They represent the four stages of such a relationship: initial attraction, first coy interactions, full-blossomed love, and the bitterness of it’s ending. It is possible that these events actually happened or that they all occurred in the poets mind without ever revealing his thoughts to the intended. Some musical devices, such as the rustling of the leaves in the third song and the constant use of seconds as two people who are close but not yet together in the second one, are obvious. But, other than some indications of tempo, I hesitate to give out remarks about how to perform the songs, or even metronome markings, that might give the singer a preconceived notion. This situation has happened to everyone. So, I say to the singer: revive the memories of a similar event in your life: a particularly heartbreaking one is best. Bring the telling of that memory to the vivid present, and tell us that story as if it ending some time ago but the hurt remains strong, If, by some chance, the singer has not had this experience, he should wait to sing this cycle until he has. The composer

Choral Choir (Unison) - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.727123 Composed by Carol Troutman Wiggins [ASCAP], Mary White Pustrom. Christmas,Contemporary,Holiday,Pop,Singer/Songwriter. Octavo. 11 pages. Carol Troutman Wiggins #2907289. Published by Carol Troutman Wiggins (A0.727123). The Christmas WishVocal Solo for AltoWould you like a different kind of Christmas wish this year? Here it is!This song is based on the poem Christmas Wishes written by contemporary author and poet Mary White Pustrom. Mary wrote many poems with the theme of Christmas, including what she thought people should wish for at Christmas. While so many adults wish for a new car, a sparkling diamond ring, or celebrating with a nice vacation in the tropics, she believes that Christmas wishes should be taken a step further by considering the wishes and needs of others more so than our own. In her poem Christmas Wishes, her desire for reaching out to others and granting them their wishes for the simple things in life take on great meaning: Christmas Wishes by Mary White Pustrom Now that Christmas is drawing near I cannot help but seeAll the poor and needy people who are reaching out to me. It seems that everywhere I look there is a need to fill; I feel so inadequate when their wishes I can't fill. Among the lights and decorations, there is hunger and despair, Faces filled with sadness while bright carols fill the air; Little children who are cold and hungry wait for Santa Claus, Wishing that he would bring them food, for that's a worthy cause.  Others laughing, smiling, singing - so completely unaware Of all the pain and suffering that's around them everywhere; They wish for generosity in our thoughts, time, and deeds, And wish that here at Christmas time, someone could fill their needs. My wish is that we reach out to our sisters and our brothers, Who depend on us for kindness from one to another; Fill our hearts with Christmas cheer, and teach us how to share, So that Christmas wishes will be fulfilled all throughout the year. It sounds like she might have the right idea. At this time of year, it is so easy to get caught up in buying and receiving presents, the lights, and the Christmas tree, without considering the simple needs of others. Maybe this year, these simple wishes will come true for some: ·        Sick little children to be healed ·        Homeless people and children to find a family ·        For the less fortunate to have enough food, clothing, shelter, and shoes on their feet ·        That no one spends Christmas lonely and alone, and spent the way it should be, with loving family and friends.  Most of all, wish that by caring for one another, Christmas wishes would come true all year long. ~ Carol Troutman Wiggins

Small Ensemble Cello,Oboe,Viola,Violin - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.576733 Composed by David Warin Solomons. 20th Century,Contemporary. Score and parts. 7 pages. David Warin Solomons #90581. Published by David Warin Solomons (A0.576733). Mysterious piece in octatonic mode, originally written for the short story The Door The pdf file contains score and parts. The sound sample is an electronic preview. High up on the grassy hill behind the town there is a door. It stands there in its frame with nothing before or behind it. It is locked shut. There is no key. We climb the hill each day. We play each side of the door, games of hide and seek. But we cannot go through the door. Each day we go there during this long sultry summer holiday. We are fascinated by the structure. Why would anyone put a door up there, in its frame, eternally locked, with nothing before or behind it? Maybe it is all that remains of an ancient house? We play, we wonder, we laugh and play, and we return regularly to our homes in time for tea. Then, one day, as we climb the hill for the umpteenth time, a lady dressed in white arrives before us. We watch her take the key out of her bag and insert it in the lock. We are too far downhill to catch up before she closes the door behind her. As we arrive, puffing and panting, Steve knocks on the door. No answer. Dave knocks on the door more forcefully. We hear a distant swish of robes. Gloria knocks, perhaps a little more timidly as the swishing sound approaches. Estelle begins to knock in her turn and the door suddenly opens wide. We all gasp as we see the lady standing there in glistening robes. Her face is hidden from view by a white shawl, but her piercing eyes still show. Children, she says, welcome all. Do come in, please, the kettle is on. You are just in time for tea. We hesitate, as well we might. How can we come in when there is nothing before or behind the door? But Estelle puts one foot inside and looks back at us with a curious expression of serenity on her face. We follow her. We look around at the new space beyond the door and at the parquet floor beneath our dew-soaked feet. As our eyes become accustomed to the brightness of the interior we catch sight of many signs of the world we have entered, but only fleetingly. They pass before our eyes in an instant and then flee beyond the range of sight. There is a staircase, a hat stand, a distant gleam of an ancient cooker, a faint whiff of scones and boiling jam. As we walk inside, our senses are overwhelmed with the new reality, we are rooted to the spot. Do please sit down, says the lady with a slight catch in her throat. We are seated on wooden chairs along one side of an oak table, although we cannot recall how we got there, some slip of the memory perhaps. We have no sense of foreboding, Estelle's serenity has passed to all of us. We can stay here eating scones and jam until the end of time. The lady removes her shawl and reveals a face as beautiful as anyone's mother's. Her deep black eyes glisten like obsidian. She beams a smile of welcome and pours the tea. I'm glad you have come. I've been expecting you, she begins. You must have a thousand questions, so do please ask away. Well, says Steve, what is this door that we passed through? Is this another world? There is no other world, the lady replies, this is the only one. But there is! There is! starts Dave excitedly, Look!. He gets up quickly from the chair, knocking it over in his haste and rushes to the door to open it. He pulls at it with all his force and reveals a black nothingness behind it. We were on the hill, where's it gone? he shouts, what have you done to it? There is no hill. But you climbed the hill in front of us says Gloria. There is no hill. Even Estelle of the serene demeanour is beginning to look worried. How did we get here then, how did you get here, she asks the lady nervously. We have all been here since the beginning of time, the catch in the lady's throat is becoming more evident. No, we have our families down there in the town cries Estelle You have no families,.