George Frideric Handel: O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion Messiah Part I Context George Frideric Handel’s Messiah has remained one of the composer’s most beloved works. Incredibly, Handel completed this 260-page oratorio in just 24 days during the summer of 1741. The scriptural text was compiled by Charles Read more…
Carl Orff: O Fortuna Context Carl Heinrich Maria Orff was born in Munich on July 10th, 1895. After starting to study music at a young age, some of Orff’s music was published from when he was sixteen onwards. His early style was mainly focused on settings of German poetry, which likened Read more…
Nadia Boulanger: 3 Pieces for Cello & Piano Context Nadia Boulanger (1887-1979) is fondly remembered as being a leading French composer, conductor and pedagogue of the 20th century. Her pupil list over her teaching years include the likes of Daniel Barenboim, Aaron Copland, Philip Glass, Quincy Jones and Astor Piazzolla. Read more…
Scott Joplin: Weeping Willow Context Scott Joplin is remembered for being one of the most memorable ragtime composers of the turn-of-the-century during his lifetime (1868-1917). After Joplin’s death in 1917, ragtime music came out of the ‘mainstream’ line and started to form into the likes of jazz, big band swing Read more…
Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.3 Context Johannes Brahms completed his 21 Hungarian Dances by 1879, and they still remain one his most popular collections of music. All of the dances are based on traditional Hungarian folk tunes and range from c.1 minute to 6 minutes in duration. Some of the Read more…
Barrington Pheloung: Lewis Main Titles Context Australian composer Barrington Pheloung (1954-2019) is now best remembered for his music for Inspector Morse, Lewis, and Endeavour. Running from 2006-2015, Lewis was a sequel series to the much-beloved Inspector Morse series. Lewis sees D.I. Robert Lewis and his partner D.S. James Hathaway unfold Read more…
George Frideric Handel: Behold, A Virgin Shall Conceive Messiah Part I Context George Frideric Handel’s Messiah has remained one of the composer’s most beloved works. Incredibly, Handel completed this 260-page oratorio in just 24 days during the summer of 1741. The scriptural text was compiled by Charles Jennens, with the Read more…
Peter Meechan: Fragile Oasis Context Peter Meechan’s Fragile Oasis for brass band was commissioned by Leyland band and Michael Bach. The work was first performed at the 2013 European Brass Band Championships, which were held in Oslo that year. The title of the work refers to: “A collective who Read more…
Scott Joplin: Maple Leaf Rag Context Scott Joplin is remembered for being one of the most memorable ragtime composers of the turn-of-the-century during his lifetime (1868-1917). After Joplin’s death in 1917, ragtime music came out of the ‘mainstream’ line and started to form into the likes of jazz, big band Read more…
Toru Takemitsu: Requiem for String Orchestra Context Toru Takemitsu was born in 1930 in Tokyo. At a very young age, Takemitsu was called into military service. However, during his time in the military, Takemitsu became aware of Western classical music. During the post-war U.S. occupation of Japan, Takemistu was taken ill for a long Read more…