for String Quartet op. 35a. Par SUK JOSEF. Josef Suk played second violin in the Bohemian String Quartet. Since 1914 the ensemble was obliged to perform the Austrian national anthem at the opening of every concert. Suk decided to supplement this obligatory piece with a work inspired by the ancient sacred Bohemian 'St. Wenceslas” hymn. The hymn's message - a plea for the well-being of the Czech peo…

Josef Suk played second violin in the Bohemian String Quartet. Since 1914 the ensemble was obliged to perform the Austrian national anthem at the opening of every concert.Suk decided to supplement this obligatory piece with a work inspired by the ancient sacred Bohemian 'St. Wenceslas? hymn. The hymn's message - a plea for the well-being of the Czech people, directed at their patron saint - was im…

This is a high quality collection of Easy Pieces for Mandolin. If you play the mandolin, this is a must have book/cd collection. These medieval pieces sound great on the mandolin. They also lay right under the fingers. There is both notation and TAB and no page turns for any of the pieces in this book. The reason? This book is made for musicians, by musicians. The book comes with a CD and the guit…

Chinesische Lieder. Par PENDERECKI KRZYSZTOF. The history of the symphony is full of curiosities, ranging from works that are extremely long or scored for extensive instrumental forces to those of dubious authorship. There are also famous symphonies labelled as No. 0, works with alternate or multiple opus numbers, and a wealth of ‘unfinished’ symphonies. Krzysztof Penderecki’s 6. Sinfonie can also…

Par L'ESTRANGE ALEXANDER. Written to mark the Grand Départ of the Tour de France 2014, this lively choral work on the theme of cycling is the next big cantata from composer Alexander L'Estrange. Scored for mixed voices and jazz quintet, it has everything that made Zimbe! and Ahoy! such triumphs: a medley of new and existing tunes from an array of styles including folk, music hall, barbershop, musi…

Par BACH JOHANN SEBASTIAN. On the great feast days, the Magnificat was given at the evening service in Leipzig, following the sermon. Bach twice set this poem (Luke I, 46-55). One of these compositions, for solo soprano, has been lost. Of the other Magnificat, Bach composed his first version, In E-flat, with four inserted Christmas pieces, prepared for the evening service that holiday, 1723. His r…

Für Klavier. Par SMETANA BEDRICH. Smetana's piano sketch Macbeth, also known as Macbeth and the Witches, after William Shakespeare's tragedy, originated in 1859 while the composer was living in Sweden. Some scholars believe that it was meant to be scored for full orchestra. The work's dark and gloomy mood is connected with the death of Smetana's wife Katharina on 19 April 1859. Macbeth only appea…