This fascinating new study by Mark Asquith offers an original approach to Hardy's art as a novelist and entirely new readings of certain musical scenes in Hardy's works. Asquith utilizes a rich seam of original archival research (both scientific and musicological), which will be of use to all Hardy scholars, and discusses a range of Hardy's major works in relation to musical metaphors - from early fiction The Poor Man and the Lady to later major works Jude the Obscure, Far From the Madding Crowd, the Mayor of Casterbridge .

The Sarah Quartel Songbook brings together a selection of the composer's best-loved pieces for upper voices, including favourites such as The Birds' Lullaby, I remember, and All the way home. This is an invaluable resource both for choirs looking to explore the work of this fine choral composer for the first time and for admirers of Quartel's style hoping to find staple repertoire conveniently gathered together in one volume.

for SATB and piano (with opt bass and drums) Optional parts for bass and drum set enliven this joyous arrangement for choir and piano of a traditional spiritual. Propelled by a light swing tempo, the mood grows more and more euphoric with each succeeding stanza of text, and the uplifting music surges towards an opulent conclusion.

for SSSA unaccompanied. Palestrina's setting of the Marian motet Alma Redemptoris Mater seamlessly interweaves each of the four independent voices based on the solemn tone of the corresponding chant. Offprinted from The Oxford Book of Upper-Voice Polyphony.

for SSA unaccompanied Clemens composed two settings of the Marian text Ego flos campi, one scored for mixed choir of seven voices and this other, more intimate, setting for three voices. Here the voices weave beautiful counterpoint with attractive independent melodies.

for SSA unaccompanied. This motet in two parts is devotional in character, with each section opening with homophonic writing before elaborating on close imitative polyphonic lines. The motet demonstrates a mature writing style that would be expected of a composer years beyond the age of the young Monteverdi. The text is based on the first two stanzas of a prayer attributed to Pope Gregory I that contemplates the Passion of Our Lord. Offprinted from The Oxford Book of Upper-Voice Polyphony.

for SA unaccompanied This simple, charming two-part motet features long melismatic phrases that reflect the text (1 Corinthians 2: 9), such as the rising melodic line over three bars on the word 'ascended' (ascendit).

John Philip Sousa's The Washington Post March was written in 1889 for the newspaper's essay-writing competition award ceremony, and very swiftly gained the wide popularity it has retained to this day. Robert Gower's well-crafted and playable arrangement will work well on pretty much any size of instrument, and will make a welcome addition to the organist's repertoire of ceremonial voluntaries for grand occasions.

for soprano solo and SATB (with divisions) unaccompanied In this gentle lullaby, poet Charles Bennett reflects upon the promise held in the dreams of a sleeping child, a life that has just begun. The choir opens and closes the carol, providing a rich cushion of harmony on which the soprano soloist sits as they narrate the central section through an arching, soaring melody.

for SSAA unaccompanied Setting the modernized words of an Anglo-Saxon metrical charm, this thrilling piece is unusual, dramatic, and beguiling. Featuring a whispered list of potion ingredients for the intro and outro, it also includes whistling, modal touches, and some very funky riffs-to be performed with freedom, energy, and imagination!

This inventive work, composed in 2019, owes its title to that year's two great anniversaries connected to manned flight: the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing and the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci. A wide range of highly effective textures and atmospheric harmonies draws the player and the listener through a journey that eventually reaches D major for the gloriously affirmative ending.

for SATB and piano Written for the BBC Last night of the Proms, this sensitive setting of the well-known Irish folk song does justice to the beauty of the original melody. Chilcott's harmonic subtleties add to the poignancy of the lyrics, expressing and elevating the sentiments of loss and longing.

for SATB and piano (with opt bass and drums) Optional parts for bass and drum set enliven this joyous arrangement for choir and piano of a traditional spiritual. Propelled by a light swing tempo, the mood grows more and more euphoric with each succeeding stanza of text, and the uplifting music surges towards an opulent conclusion.

for SATB and piano or orchestra Pulsating rhythms in the piano part underpin this energetic arrangement of a traditional spiritual. The voice parts progress from a forthright rendition of the famous tune at the beginning to bold and exciting harmonies by the end. The arrangement would provide a high-spirited and rousing climax for any Christmas concert.

for SATB and piano or orchestra This arrangement for choir and piano of a traditional American spiritual conjures a deep fervency, belying its simple appearance. The opening instruction is 'With hushed awe', and that encapsulates perfectly the gentle radiance of the tender lyrics and the music's highly singable lines.

The tercentenary of Marc-Antoine Charpentier's death in 2004 stimulated a surge of activity on the part of performers and scholars, confirming the modern assessment of Charpentier (1643-1704) as one of the most important and inventive composers of the French Baroque. The present book provides a snapshot of Charpentier scholarship in the early years of the new century. Its 13 chapters illustrate not only the sheer variety of strands currently pursued, but also the way in which these strands frequently intertwine and generate the potential for future research. Between them, they examine facets of the composer's compositional language and process, aspects of his performance practice and notation, the contexts within which he worked, and the nature of his legacy. The appendix contains a transcription of the inventory of Charpentier's manuscripts prepared when their sale to the Royal Library was negotiated in 1726 - an invaluable research tool, as numerous chapters in the book demonstrate. The wide variety of topics covered here will appeal both to readers interested in Charpentier's music and to those with a broader interest in the music and culture of the French Baroque, including aspects of patronage, church and theatre. Far from treating his output in isolation, this book places it in the wider context alongside such composers as Lully, Lalande, Marais, FranAois Couperin and Rameau; it also views the composer in relation to his Italian training. In the process, the under-examined question of influence - who influenced Charpentier? whom did he influence? - repeatedly comes to the fore. The book's Foreword was written by H. Wiley Hitchcock shortly before he died. Hitchcock's own part in raising the profile of Charpentier and his music to the level of recognition which it now enjoys cannot be emphasized enough. Appropriately the volume is dedicated to his memory.

for SSAA, piano, and cello This bright, sparkling celebration of nature is inspired by the snowy and icy winters of the composer's native Canada. The text, by Lucy Maud Montgomery, is brought to life through vibrant melodies, a rippling piano part, and a rich, poignant line for solo cello. This piece was originally published in a version for SATB, solo cello, and piano as part of the five-movement work A Winter Day.

for solo viola Conceived as a set, these eight songs are drawn from several Chinese regions (Shaanbei, Shaanxi, Yunnan, Jiangsu, Sichuan, Hunan, and Shanxi) and represent the three main genres of mountain song, work song, and the more structured performance song aimed at professional singers. In this new arrangement for solo viola the music has been carefully refashioned for Western instruments, with writing that includes stylistic bowing and fingering to match the original style. Suitable for students at early to intermediate level, these compelling short pieces are accompanied by illuminating programme notes with a synoposis of each song.

for SATB unaccompanied The Parting Glass is a traditional Scottish song, often sung as a farewell at the end of a get-together. Sarah Quartel's arrangement features close harmonies, idiomatic Scotch snap rhythms, and effective interjectory moments in what is a largely homophonic setting. The arrangement was made for the composer's friend Matt Jones, who served with the Canadian Military in Afghanistan in 2010-11; his deployment and eventual safe return inspired the setting of the piece. With its valedictory message, The Parting Glass would make a fitting end to a performance, perhaps as an encore item.

for SATB (with divisions) and piano or orchestra This is a beautiful, sensitive arrangement of the African-American spiritual and folk hymn Oh, watch the stars. The text reflects on the beauty of creation, and alternative verses by David Warner celebrating Christ's birth have been included for performance during the Christmas season. Wilberg artfully retains the understated feel and simplicity of the original spiritual while demonstrating hallmarks of his unique style, such as rich harmonies, contrasting keys and textures, and effective obbligato instrumental fills.

Think of the Renaissance and you might only picture the work of fine artists such as Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo and Van Eyck. Or architecture could spring to mind and you might think of St Peter's in Rome and the Doge's Palace in Venice. Or you might consider scientists like Galileo and Copernicus. But then let's not forget the contribution of thinkers like Machiavelli, Thomas More or Erasmus. Someone else, though, might plump for music or poets and dramatists - after all, there was Dante and Shakespeare. Because when it comes to the Renaissance, there's an embarrassment of riches to choose from. From art to architecture, music to literature, science to medicine, political thought to religion, The Renaissance expertly guides the reader through the cultural and intellectual flowering that Europe witnessed from the 14th to the 17th centuries. Ranging from the origins of the Renaissance in medieval Florence to the Counter- Reformation, the book explains how a revival in the study in Antiquity was able to flourish across the Italian states, before spreading to Iberia and north across Europe. Nimbly moving from perspective in paintings to Copernicus's understanding of the Universe, from Martin Luther's challenge to the Roman Catholic Church to the foundations of modern school education, The Renaissance is a highly accessible and colourful journey along the cultural contours of Europe from the Late Middle Ages to the early modern period.

for solo violin Conceived as a set, these eight songs are drawn from several Chinese regions (Shaanbei, Shaanxi, Yunnan, Jiangsu, Sichuan, Hunan, and Shanxi) and represent the three main genres of mountain song, work song, and the more structured performance song aimed at professional singers. In this new arrangement for solo violin the music has been carefully refashioned for Western instruments, with writing that includes stylistic bowing and fingering to match the original style. Suitable for students at early to intermediate level, these compelling short pieces are accompanied by illuminating programme notes with a synoposis of each song.

Franz Liszt: A Research and Information Guide is an annotated bibliography concerning both the nature of primary sources related to the composer and the scope and significance of the secondary sources which deal with him, his compositions, and his influence as a composer and performer. The second edition includes research published since the publication of the first edition and provide electronic resources. Franz Liszt was born on 22 October 1811 at Raiding, today located in Austria's Burgenland. He received his first piano lessons from his father, Adam Liszt, an employee of the celebrated Eszterhazy family. Young Franz was quickly acclaimed a prodigy, and in 1820 a group of Hungarian magnates offered to underwrite his musical education. Shortly thereafter the Liszts moved to Vienna, where Franz studied piano and composition with Carl Czerny and Anton Salieri. Performances there earned Liszt local fame; even Beethoven expressed interest in him.