An important characteristic of contemporary art music has been the use of conventional instruments in unconventional ways, achieving effects undreamed of or thought impossible in the early twentieth century. This compendium codifies these techniques, explains their production and effects, cites representative scores, and provides numerous example from an international selection of composers. Part One considers techniques and procedures that apply to all instruments; Part Two takes up idiomatic techniques with specific instruments in all orchestral categories. This monumental survey is essential for any music library or serious musician.

An important characteristic of contemporary art music has been the use of conventional instruments in unconventional ways, achieving effects undreamed of or thought impossible in the early twentieth century. Yet many of these techniques remain poorly understood with respect to both the physical procedures involved and the results in sound output. This compendium codifies these techniques, explains their production in terms of idiomatic peculiarity and limitations, and cites representative scores in which the new devices form an integral part of the composer's sonoric concepts. Citations and numerous printed examples are taken from an international selection of works by the most advanced and significant composers. Part One considers techniques and procedures that, with only slight modification, apply to all instruments: extended ranges, muting, glissandi, harmonics, percussive effects, microtones, amplification, and extramusical devices. Part Two is devoted to idiomatic techniques with specific instruments in the categories of woodwinds and brasses, percussion, harp and other plucked instruments, keyboard instruments, and strings. While demonstrating recent and radical innovations, references are made to historical beginnings of such devices in our classical music heritage.

An earlier version of this volume, Contemporary Instrumental Techniques (1976), was widely acclaimed by musicians and educators, recognized as a significant achievement in cataloging and organization and as an invaluable reference tool. Now extensively expanded, with additional techniques, new and revised explanations, and hundreds of recent citations and examples, this monumental survey is essential for any music library or serious musician. An indispensable guide for composers and orchestrators, it will also be valuable as a sourcebook for performers and teachers and as a textbook for courses in composition.

(Book). Far from being "the quiet one," George Harrison was a writer and arranger of terrific power and beauty, and his guitar playing was fundamental to the Beatles' sound and success. Now fully revised and expanded, this new edition of While My Guitar Gently Weeps: The Music of George Harrison is the most comprehensive evaluation of George Harrison's musical career ever published. Treating each of Harrison's songs with unprecedented analysis, author Simon Leng reveals Harrison's eclectic approach from teenage Nashville twang through Indian raga, psychedelia, gospel, soul, and pure pop and thoroughly defines Harrison's role in the Beatles. First-hand accounts of the Concert for Bangladesh and the making of All Things Must Pass take the reader deep into the most fertile and controversial periods of Harrison's long solo career that culminated with Brainwashed . Enhanced with insights from key figures who worked closely with Harrison throughout his extraordinary career, While My Guitar Gently Weeps is a remarkably stirring study and portrait of a great artist whose musical and spiritual quest changed the lives of millions of people around the world while redefining popular music and rock 'n' roll.

Music from all three films arranged for wind instruments. Desirable and collectible, these instrumental folios are loaded with full-color photos of scenes from all three films. They are printed on top-quality antique paper stock, and the covers showcase the new "trilogy" artwork. The wind instrument books are completely compatible with each other and can be played together or as solos. Each book contains a carefully edited part that is appropriate for the Level 2-3 player and a fully orchestrated accompaniment CD. Each theme on the CD is presented as a "demo" track (which features that particular instrument) and as a "play-along" track without the solo instrument. New icons are used in the books to guide the players through the accompaniment options. A separate piano accompaniment book with CD is available for the wind series. The instrumental solo part, in concert pitch, is added above the piano part. The CD features live demonstration performances of various instrument tracks from the series. Titles are the twelve major themes from the blockbuster trilogy: from The Fellowship of the Ring: The Prophecy * In Dreams * Concerning Hobbits * Many Meetings * The Black Rider; from The Two Towers: Gollum's Song * Rohan * Evenstar * Forth Eorlingas; from The Return of the King: Into the West * The Steward of Gondor * Minas Tirith. This title is available in SmartMusic.

Perspectives on the Performance of French Piano Music offers a range of approaches central to the performance of French piano music of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The contributors include scholars and active performers who see performance not as an independent activity but as a practice enriched by a wealth of historical and analytical approaches. To underline the usefulness of contextual understanding for performance, each author highlights the choices performers must confront with examples drawn from particular repertoires and composers. Topics explored include editorial practice, the use of early recordings, emergent disciplines such as analysis-and-performance, and traditions passed down from teacher to student. Themes that emerge demonstrate the importance of editions as a form of communication, the challenges of notation, the significance of detail and of deeper continuity, the importance of performing and teaching traditions, and the influence of cross disciplinary frameworks. A link to a set of performed examples on the frenchpianomusic.com website allows readers to hear and compare performances and interpretations of the music discussed. The volume will appeal to musicologists and analysts interested in performance, performers, students, and piano teachers.

For those who prefer a compact book here's a solution from the bestselling music learning author Jake Jackson. 20 chords per key, organised as a chord per page, this is a simple, direct solution for anyone learning the guitar or needing a quick reminder. Great for beginners, and for those playing with others needing a straightforward reference.

Cello and piano reduction of Walton's Cello Concerto, based on the edition published in the Walton Edition Violin and Cello Concertos volume. Dating from 1956, the work was commissioned by Gregor Piatigorsky and premiered by him the following year. Walton regarded this work as the best of his three solo concertos. Orchestral material is available on hire.

The Step by Step series is a collection of exercise books/CDs for violin based on the Mother-Tongue approach. From the very beginning, it will provide a solid foundation in instrumental technique for Suzuki and traditional approaches in private lessons or group settings. The focus is on teaching correct, child-appropriate practice habits that range from listening, singing, and dancing to playing music. The ideas presented, including information for parent and practice tips should stimulate daily practice and also make it more effective. Includes new piano arrangements by David Andruss. This volume is the Complete Version based on Suzuki Violin School, Volume 2, and includes the Violin Exercise Book in English with the CD. Pages: 60

(Amadeus). This first, authorized biography of one of the 20th century's greatest violinists chronicles the life of Michael Rabin from his young boyhood to his premature death at the age of 35. By his teen years in the 1950s, he had already joined the ranks of violin greats and he was being compared to Heifetz, Milstein, Stern, and Francescatti. Lovingly detailed, rich in music history and drama, this biography documents the many forces that shaped Rabin's extraordinary life and career, from his meteoric rise to his surprising decline. Feinstein charts Rabin's many artistic successes, as well as his struggles to make the transition from wunderkind to adult virtuoso, and sheds light on the true reasons for his fall from grace, debunking the many rumors that surrounded him during that time. Feinstein also clarifies the facts relating to Rabin's sudden death. What emerges is a unique profile of a prodiginous talent and a tragic life.

The Two pieces for violin and piano, 'Canzonetta' and 'Scherzetto', were written in the late 1940s. The melody of the first is from a 13th-century troubadour song. This edition is based on the score published in the Walton Edition Chamber Music volume.

The Passacaglia for solo Cello, one of Walton's last works, was commissioned by Mstislav Rostropovich and first performed in 1982. The short Tema, published for the first time, was written in 1970 as part of a collective composition for the Prince of Wales.

Despite having been composed in the years 1938-43 when Europe was ravaged by war, this work radiates peace and serenity. It marks the peak of the lyrical modalism of works such as the Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (1910), Flos Campi (1925), and Job (1931). Although it is not a programme symphony, it draws heavily on John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress for inspiration, featuring several themes that were sketched for (and eventually used in) Vaughan Williamsas 1951 opera. In addition, Bunyan's words 'He hath given me rest by his sorrow and life by his death' were originally inscribed over the third movement. This idea of strength drawn from religion must have been especially potent when Vaughan Williams conducted the premiere of the work at the Proms in 1943, during the dark days of the Second World War. The ending in particular has a sense of rising above all worldly concerns into a higher spiritual plane. This edition contains a preface on the history of the work by Michael Kennedy. Orchestral parts are available on hire.

Stringtastic Beginners is a fun new series designed to teach through playing in an engaging exploration of musical styles. A fully integrated series, violin, viola, cello and double bass can all learn and play together in any combination. Each book contains over 40 imaginative pieces to steadily establish a secure playing technique and build confidence, one step at a time, taking the student from complete beginner (open strings) to playing the notes of the D major scale. The first 20 pieces comprise two independent tunes that can be played as duets - one for open strings and a more advanced part using the left-hand fingers, which students can revisit as they progress. Ideal for individual and group tuition as well as flexible ensemble and classroom settings. Every piece is supported by an exciting backing track plus a piano-only track for practice, all available to download. Plus, the teacher's book provides the complete piano accompaniments which work with any combination of instrumental parts.

The Faber Music Contemporary Piano Anthology is an exciting collection of best-loved neoclassical music for solo piano. The book includes well-known pieces from Max Richter, Ludovico Einaudi, Enya and Philip Glass alongside stunning works from the likes of Agnes Obel, Imogen Heap and Anne Lovett, all arranged for the intermediate pianist and many in print for the first time. "Faber Music have surely struck gold with The Contemporary Piano Anthology. Here we have a top-drawer sourcebook for some of the best music in this genre. This beautifully presented collection is another winner...and can be recommended without reservation!" Andrew Eales, pianodao.com, March 2021

for solo violin, upper-voice choir (women's and/or advanced children's choir), with harp, and strings or organ This four-movement work is inspired by the idea of 'Jerusalem' both as a Holy City and a utopian ideal of heavenly peace and seraphic bliss. The composer has selected four biblical texts, in English and Latin, that express different aspects of this vision. The harp part is identical for both full and reduced instrumentations.

Pianoworks Collection 2 is a fabulous anthology compiled especially for the older beginner pianist. The collection is packed full of favourite pieces from a variety of genres, including 'Jupiter' from Holst's The Planets, jazz standard Take Five, and a beautiful new arrangement of 'Scarborough Fair'. The pieces are ideal both for concert performance and to reinforce the techniques introduced in Pianoworks Book 2.

Conducting is not simply the act of marking beats; it is the much more rich art of communicating emotion, character, and mood through movement to a large group of performers in order to inspire them to create music together. Baton Basics is based on the premise that the most effective and musical forms of conducting are about conveying energy, and that doing so is a fundamentally physical activity. In Baton Basics, conductor Diane Wittry offers a unique approach to teaching conducting through familiar gestures: weight, resistance, and energy, combined with size, beat placement. The end goal is the ability to communicate a better concept of musical sound to the musicians. Wittry demonstrates how conductors can communicate through gestures, by training the muscles of their fingers, hands, wrists, forearms, and full arms. She also provides techniques for releasing body tension, improving posture, and developing a deeper sense of calm on the podium through overall body and breathing exercises. Additionally, she guides the reader on an exploration of the concepts and diagrams of the Musin and Saito conducting methods, and providing innovative suggestions on how to best incorporate these other styles into his or her own technique.
Featuring many detailed drawings and access to over 60 video examples on the companion website, Baton Basics guides conductors away from simply marking beat patterns, and towards a nuanced and phrased musicality that can be communicated to a group of musicians. Baton Basics is a key foundational text for the student and experienced conductor alike, and is must for anyone interested in improving and expanding their vocabulary of conducting gestures.

The life and works of one of the most difficult yet rewarding composers of modern time. Jean Barraque is increasingly being recognized as one of the great composers of the second half of the 20th century. Though he left only seven works, his voice in each of them is unmistakeable, and powerful. He had no doubt of hisresponsibility, as a creator, to take his listeners on challenging adventures that could not but leave them changed. After the collapse of morality he had witnessed as a child growing up during the Second World War, and having taken notice of so much disarray in the culture around him, he set himself to make music that would, out of chaos, speak. Three others were crucial to him. One was Pierre Boulez, who, three years older, provided him with keysto a new musical language -- a language more dramatic, driving and passionate than Boulez's. Another was Michel Foucault, to whom he was close personally for a while, and with whom he had a dialogue that was determinative for bothof them. Finally, in the writings of Hermann Broch-and especially in the novel The Death of Virgil-he found the myth he needed to realize musically. He played for high stakes, and he took risks with himself as well as in hisart. Intemperate and difficult, even with his closest friends, he died in 1973 at the age of forty-five. Paul Griffiths was chief music critic for the London Times (1982-92) and The New Yorker (1992-96) and since 1996 has written regularly for the New York Times. He has written books on Boulez, Cage, Messiaen, Ligeti, Davies, Bartok and Stravinsky, as well as several librettos, among them The Jewel Box (Mozart, 1991), Marco Polo (Tan Dun, 1996) and What Next? (Elliott Carter, 1999).