Make the silence talk'La Muette knew how to make the silence talk like no one', writes Djavann in his book (La Muette, © Flammarion 2008). Those words deeply touched me for they express one of the most beautiful metaphors in music. Through the lines of discourse, beyond words, I was listening to the silence of 'La Muette'. A rare and intense listening which joins the same internal listening I use …

Par BOSVELD JAN. Shortly after the Second World War, a combative movement of Danish, Belgian and Dutch artists chose the cobra snake - extremely dangerous yet considered sacred - as a symbol of their resistance to strict guideliness of form. The name 'Cobra' also happens to contain the first letters of the cities Copenhagen, Brussels ans Amsterdam, from where most of the movement's members came. T…

Par MARTIN MATTHEW. This powerful work takes a well-known hymn tune from the Mainz Gesangbuch of 1661 (Stabat Mater) as its musical starting point, interweaving it through different textures and variations alongside the plainsong solemn tone Salve Regina. The work, which was written specially for The Sixteen, is through-composed but divided into three sections: Silence, Love; Grief, Patience; Pass…

Par HAHN REYNALDO. Reynaldo Hahn 's Songs And Madrigals for three- and four-part choir. The time machine has no secrets for Reynaldo Hahn (1874-1947). After plunging his contemporaries into the delights of Renaissance revelry with the ‘ Bal De Beatrice D'Este', the composer continued to explore the past with a tribute, in 1907, to Rameau (in the final drumroll of the ‘ Sonatine' for Pi…

A powerful concert work featuring a strong piano accompaniment and driving, repetitive rhythms. Features an 'echo' section, and a closing soprano/tenor descant. Uncomplicated voice-writing with much repetition makes for easy learning, a Jay Althouse trademark. Effective dynamic changes. Original, English text has no sacred references and is well-suited for school concerts. / Choeur Mixte (SATB)

Par BOCOOK JAY. Ostenaco was a celebrated Cherokee chief in the 18th century, and became a leading advocate for peace with the British colonies. Paying homage to this great man, Spirit of Ostenaco opens with a melancholy solo flute followed by a chorale statement of rich textures and harmonies. The pace quickens with the theme stated by low voices, thundering percussion, and finally a triumphant a…

Par MATHIAS WILLIAM. Written for the choirs of Chichester, Winchester and Salisbury Cathedrals, An Admonition to Rulers Op. 43 was composed shortly before Mathias's choral masterpiece, This Worlde's Joie, but has remained unpublished until now. Its powerful text from Wisdom 6 and 7, clothed in the composer's colouful, dramatic music, make it an ideal choice of anthem for Remembrance Sunday, or any…

During their golden years of 1977 to 1982, The Jam's frontman Paul Weller was their outspoken leader, but it was drummer Rick Buckler who was the beating heart of the band, and it is his fascinating story that is told in his autobiography, That's Entertainment: My Life In The Jam, replete with insights into his life and music.From his childhood in the 1950s to his musical growth to becoming the ba…

Par LAURIDSEN MORTEN. Morten Lauridsen's setting of Lux Aeterna , a five movement, non-liturgical requiem for choir and chamber orchestra/organ is a rich and intensely moving work. Choral textures are fully explored, from the sonorous, slow unfolding of the Introitus and the intricate counterpoint and paired voices of In Te, Domine, Speravi , to the cappella motet O Nata Lux and spirited canticle …

By Various. The Little Black Songbook. Pop. Softcover. Published by Hal Leonard

Spice Up Your Uke Repertoire with These Timeless Chestnuts. Ukulele. Instruction. Softcover Video Online. 32 pages. Published by Hal Leonard