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£40.00Carnival of the Animals
Saint-Saens composed The Carnival of the Animals in 1886. He regarded the work as a piece of fun and was adamant that the work would not be published in his lifetime. It was published in the year following the composer's death and the first public performance was given on 25th February 1922. It was well-received and has since become one of Saint-Saens's best-known works.This brass band transcription contains six of the original fourteen movements and opens with Introduction and The March of the Royal Lion a brief, dramatic beginning is followed by a stately march for the 'King of Beasts' that is interrupted from time to time by the lions' formidable roar, depicted by ferocious, low chromatic scales. In The Elephant, a solo B flat Bass sings a doleful song made from melodies 'borrowed' from Mendelssohn and Berlioz without apology. Next comes the relentless descending third of A Cuckoo in The Deep Woods. Fossils are clearly not animals, but some of them undoubtedly were at some point, so Saint-Saens has some fun with the xylophone rattling around like a box of old prehistorix bones. Among some little musical quotes you can listen out for 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and some references to his own 'Dance Macabre' whilst opera buffs may recognise Rossini's
Estimated dispatch 5-7 working days
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£30.00Ave Maria - Franz Schubert arr. Phillip Littlemore
Franz Schubert wrote his Ave Maria in 1825. It is the third of three song settings from Sir Walter Scott's poem The Lady of the Lake, itself written in 1810. It's proper title is Ellen's Song, named after the heroine of Scott's poem, Ellen Douglas.It has been suggested that the opening two words of the original song may have led to the idea of it being arranged for the full text of the Roman Catholic Prayer. It is now most often performed in this latter adaptation, thus leading to the misconception that it was originally set with the prayer in mind.Even in Schubert's own brief lifetime, he was only thirty-one when he died, this song was considered a masterpiece. It acquired greater popularity when it was used in the 1940 Walt Disney film Fantasia where its beauty and simplicity offered calm and respite following the tempestuous strains of Mussorgsky's A Night on Bare Mountain .Duration: 3'40"Difficulty: Suitable for all
Estimated dispatch 5-7 working days
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The Crown of Roses - Tchaikovsky - Len Jenkins
Tchaikovsky wrote this in his 'Songs for Young People' in Moscow in 1883 to words by Pletchtcheev. The story it tells is about Jesus Christ when he was a young child, having a small wild garden in which roses grew. Passing children saw the roses and plucking them mockingly asked if he wove rose garlands in his hair. Christ says to take the roses, but to leave the thorns. Instead, they make a crown of these and forced it onto his head so that it bleeds, symbolic of what was going to happen later in his lifetime. The melody contains all the passion that we associate with Russian church music and is equally suitable for a contemplative Christmas or Passiontide. This arrangement is faithful to the four verses of the original lyrics, but with an optional ending half-way if preferred.