SKU: A0.1261681

On April 19, 2019, I started writing my first composition, His Memory, on my first album, Show Your Pride. The Show Your Pride album was influenced by my best friend, Nigel Shelby, who tragically passed away by suicide after experiencing bullying for being outed as gay. It has been a few years since his death turned a national spotlight on the issue of LGBTQIA+ mental health and bullying. He was 15 years old at the time of his passing. I feel like I've been stabbed in the heart when I found he was gone. It was the first time I had lost anybody that I was close to. I was in a lot of pain at the time. Losing my best friend is one of the most difficult and heartbreaking experiences I have had in my life. This album is telling a coming-out story about a bisexual musician going on a self-discovery journey to find his true authentic self.

I first met Nigel in mid-2018 when I was nervous, struggling with depression, and coming out as bisexual, so I gathered enough strength and confidence to come out to him. He's very kind and supportive of me. He was brave enough to come out to me as well. He has been a really good friend and my spirit guide as long as I've known him. He was understanding, thoughtful, and had a maturity about him that I admired. I feel happy and honored to have known him and had the best friends with him. I truly believe he is watching over me every day.

In this inspirational, heartbreaking piece, His Memory, I will share a coming-out story about two boys who came out to each other, spending their friendship together until one of them passes away. This piece is based on a true story of how I coped with grief, dealing with depression about my best friend's passing, and how I found happiness within myself after his memorial service. It drew inspiration from many compositions and soundtracks, including Where The Sky Has No Stars by Katahj Copley, Lose You Now by Lindsey Stirling (feat. Mako), You Will Be Found from Dear Evan Hansen by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul, April Sky by Lin Chin Cheng, and Avatar The Last Airbender by Jeremy Zuckerman. These compositions I mentioned express hope and spark memories of lost loved ones. This piece is in 3 Acts: Friendship, I Lost You. and His Memory Lives On. Each one was inspired by actual events.

Act I: Friendship
Act II: I Lost You
Act III: His Memory Lives On

While you are listening to this piece, I want you to think about someone you love who is no longer with you. If you're one of those people who lost someone special to you, I am so sorry for your loss. Just know that you are not alone. Don't try to run and hide from your grief. Whatever your grief experience, it's important to be patient with yourself and allow the process to naturally unfold. You will grieve for as long as you need to, but you are a strong person and will find your way through this. Life is so precious. Cherish every moment with your loved ones.

Coming out is one of the most difficult things a person can do, but if you are having difficulty or are unsure about it, just know that there are people out there who do love you for who you are. Learn to embrace your authentic self. Don't let your sexual orientation define who you are. The right people will accept you and those are the only people who matter. Be yourself, be happy, and do what you feel. Don't care so much about what others think and enjoy your life! Keep following your heart and don't be afraid to stand out!

SKU: A0.912632

This tune was premiered at the funeral of the first Prime Minister of Singapore Mr Lee Kuan Yew.
This tune pays tribute to the people who have made contributions to this world. Their sacrifice and generosity have enriched us. Their love and spirit is passed on to the future and their example for us to follow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lJP6M6klPk

Remarks from my friend Samantha Tang:

I like the first half and very last part. Last Part is like a link back to the beginning, like a you went round a full circle, depicting life cycle.

Beginning Part is is soothing and gradual; Somewhat like a child starting his life. It builds up and peak like a peak of one's life or career. There is one part I like, sounded like a mix of regrets and acceptance.   When I listen to this piece of music, the word reflections comes to my mind.

The second half that sounded bold reminds me of part of one's life where he was leading at his best.

Its a peaceful Song with a lot of emotions that developed progressively.

Samantha showed this video to a boy with Autism and he calmed down. I was told that the usual Mozart music does not calm him down anymore and he paid no interest.

I like the first half and very last part. Last Part is like a link back to the beginning, like a you went round a full circle, depicting life cycle.

Beginning Part is is soothing and gradual; Somewhat like a child starting his life. It builds up and peak like a peak of one's life or career. There is one part I like, sounded like a mix of regrets and acceptance.   When I listen to this piece of music, the word reflections comes to my mind.

The second half that sounded bold reminds me of part of one's life where he was leading at his best.

Its a peaceful Song with a lot of emotions that developed progressively.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lJP6M6klPk

Remarks from my friend Samantha Tang:

I like the first half and very last part. Last Part is like a link back to the beginning, like a you went round a full circle, depicting life cycle.

Beginning Part is is soothing and gradual; Somewhat like a child starting his life. It builds up and peak like a peak of one's life or career. There is one part I like, sounded like a mix of regrets and acceptance.   When I listen to this piece of music, the word reflections comes to my mind.

The second half that sounded bold reminds me of part of one's life where he was leading at his best.

Its a peaceful Song with a lot of emotions that developed progressively.

Samantha showed this video to a boy with Autism and he calmed down. I was told that the usual Mozart music does not calm him down anymore and he paid no interest.

SKU: A0.1185473

The first of its kind, this is a genuinely playable and slightly-to-moderately simplified piano/vocal reduction of Arrière! Je réchauffe les bons, the Fire Aria from Ravel's L'enfant et les sortilèges (1925)​. Sopranos who love this aria no longer need to fear bringing it in for auditions, last-minute performing engagements, or other situations in which the pianist may have to sight-read from the often chaotic vocal score, particularly if the murmuring section after the standard audition cut, which is very poorly rendered in the standard reduction, is also being included. Pianists may now enjoy playing this aria comfortably, without risking strain/injury or audition-room chaos.

This Accessible Accompaniment is more generous than standard audition cuts, ending just before L'enfant re-enters with j'ai peur. It is 91 measures in total and ideal for recitals as well.

All Accessible Accompaniments, including this one, boast several unique features:

1. No reduction ever requires stretches of over an octave, not including bass notes meant to be held or “fudged� with the pedal (though octaves may also contain chord tones within them). This reduces the amount of rearranging that smaller-handed pianists must already do. Obviously, further reworkings are to be expected and pianists should feel free to add to or modify what I’ve provided.

2. I’ve included less essential, but potentially desirable additional voices/passages in cue-size noteheads so that pianists can easily see them, but know that they are not necessary in a “sink or swim� accompanying situation. Presenting less essential material in cue-size noteheads also reduces visual clutter on the page.
 
3. In addition to the composer’s markings, when needed, I have included hints on particular notes to bring out when the singer is likely to need them as a pitch anchor or when it is not obvious which line should be brought out within the texture.

4. All page turns have been carefully selected so as to result in the least possible disruption to the pianist when possible. 

5. When known, I’ve noted alternate cuts that singers might like to take within certain arias.
 
6. In some cases I’ve modernized spelling conventions for easier readability (for example, by replacing “ß� with “ss� in German arias) and occasionally I've enharmonically respelled brief passages for greater clarity. I’ve also replaced some text “cresc.� and “dim.� markings with hairpins, which are easier to see in high-pressure sight-reading situations.

About the Arranger:

Praised as a sensitive pianist and outstanding accompanist who delivers powerful interpretations, Nicole Elyse DiPaolo enjoys a multifaceted career as a sought-after collaborative pianist, educational composer, arranger, coach, private teacher, and adjunct music professor. Currently based in the Cleveland area, Ms. DiPaolo has appeared as a concerto soloist with the Ambassador Chamber Players on multiple occasions and as a recitalist, collaborator, and presenter worldwide. Currently, Ms. DiPaolo is an online Adjunct Lecturer in Music at Indiana University; the Principal Theory Teacher at Liberty Park Music, an online-only video subscription-based music school; an invited blog contributor and guest instructor at Tonebase; and a sought-after online instructor of piano, music theory, and composition who includes partimento and historical improvisation in her curricula. 
For more information, please visit http://ndipaolo.musicaneo.com .

SKU: A0.1012700

Music and song composed by me

♫ *'¨` * • .¸¸. ♫ ♫ * Addiction'¨` * • .¸¸. ♫

I seem you  Free

Instead I’m  chained ….

He approaches smiling

I dislike him  already

there are few  people on the subway

but he  sits  right here.

I ugly, a bit 'rickety

conscious of my limitations

I’m  lost in the clouds

and I do my own business

He looks at me and is insistent

but to me what he will wants?

It 'a handsome man and elegant

maybe he's short-sighted, who knows?

From his piercing gaze

I feel pierce

and I'm already tired

and in the face I want to shout

Do you look like free

but I’m  in love

Give me a piano, a guitar

and I spend all day

I become hysterical

when they bring  me on vacation

because the seventh and turned just do not know do not

chronically  ill

and I’m  hopeless

But I do not want drugs

for this my addiction ..

You should come and bursts into the veins

with your chains

hold me more

I feel the boundless energy

flows between the fingers

and only you can

and you ease

my sorrows

You are my mate  in the darkest moments

You will protect me

by my excesses

in this fake world

spark  you will be

At the end   decide his self

and apostrophizes me so

You're my new neighbor,

my house is right there,

and at evening  you enchanted me and  would listen to you for hours

while you  playing the piano

with you I can fly

and I know that maybe it's late

But I would like to try

I know that to children  you   give  lesson

and also I want to learn

But that smart  man!

I like him already

I tell him the story of the slap that he risked a little while ago

He tells me he has a mate who loves him  sweetly

I'd take kicks

diffident damn !!

 We free fly

on our agreements in dissonance

forgetting every problem,

big trouble or task

chronically ill

of my own addiction

which infects, spreads

and  enters into his life

only souls

and I bare his  essence

while  listening  him  solmizate

enters heaven in this room ..

                                                                                  . Monica Bergo

SKU: A0.1262362

On the morning of 2 March 2020, I finished writing the first draft of this song. It was the same morning that the New South Wales Rural Fire Service announced that for the first time since July 2019, the state was free of active bush and grass fires.

At the time it felt quite euphoric. We’d been through a lot. Little did we know what was coming just a few days from then, when the Covid19 global pandemic reached our shores. It’s a virus that would kill millions across the world, and disable millions more, long term. It forced us, globally, into a kind of reckoning the like of which we had never experienced before. Non pharmaceutical controls like lockdowns, mask mandates, social distancing and ventilation standards were employed to keep us safe from this airborne virus, whilst scientists worked round clock to develop vaccines and treatments.

Technically, the declaration of a pandemic is still active, but governments and people have somehow decided for themselves that it is all over. No one takes any precautions any more. Governments have stopped reporting statistics. People who know they are infected are going about their business with no thought for others. Meanwhile, many of the immune-compromised, the disabled, the vulnerable, are unable to safely leave their homes and engage in activities out in the world. I know this, because I am a carer for a vulnerable person.

What this whole exercise has taught me is that people in the world are actually much less kind than I thought they were. Humans do not really care for each other. People attack me for wearing a mask, tell me that I’m virtue signalling and that I look ridiculous (as if I care how I look). I’ve asked questions about workplace Covid safety and been informed that it’s “a bit rich� that I’m asking at all, when everything is now safe. A friend’s diagnosed Long Covid symptoms were cruelly minimised or completely dismissed “Oh, it’s not Covid. How old are you? In your forties? It’s your hormones, it’s the menopause.� The fatal combination of sheer selfishness, rampant misinformation and DISinformation continues, whilst people waltz around spreading a deadly virus with no thought for the grief that will undoubtedly ensue.

It boils down to this: if we want to continue as a species and to have a planet on which to reside, we have to stop with the Self Care and start with the Community Care. A choir is the perfect instrument for expressing these notions, through the unique power of the massed first person plural. My wish for this piece is that it spurs performer and listener alike into some kind of action. Please consider the effect your actions have on others, and on the planet, and make any changes necessary, however inconvenient or difficult they are. Otherwise, there’s really no point.

Sally Whitwell 11 July 2023.

SKU: A0.1162887

Key: F minor.

No, it's not really for three hands; it just feels and (at times) sounds like it. This etude was supposed to be an R&B tune. When I first came up with the melody (1992), I tried to write lyrics. But nothing worked. I then tried to make it a band instrumental, with electric guitar taking the lead. Nah, too corny sounding. But I liked the tune. So I persisted and tried it as a solo piano piece. The thing is this: it retains its provenance as a piece for band because the two hands are basically acting as the band. Nothing unusual about that with regard to solo piano: it's always kind of a band or orchestra. What's different here is the left hand is usually playing both the tune and bass line. The right hand, when it joins the party at measure nine, acts like the backup singer (or maybe the guitar that was supposed to take the lead.) Remember that the bottom staff, as indicated, is always 8vb, except for the last measure. And should you take up the challenge to learn this, it is fatiguing but worth the effort.

SKU: A0.861939

Harmony (string parts – violin and string orchestra) MO168C-G

String Parts (score and parts available)

Music by Mark O’Connor

39 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 MO168C-G

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: A0.861938

Harmony (violin solo part – violin and string orchestra) MO168B

Violin Solo Part (score and parts available)

Music by Mark O’Connor

6 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 MO168B

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