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  • Bauer - Sonata - Alto Flute

    bauer op.22 nsmSonata, Op.22, by Marion Bauer

    Transcribed for Alto Flute by Peter H. Bloom (originally for viola)

    Alto Flute Part, PDF $11.79

    The following notes are excerpted, with permission, from the complete copyrighted foreword written by Peter H. Bloom for the Noteworthy Sheet Music edition of his transcription:

    "The career of Marion Eugenie Bauer (1882-1955) as a composer, editor, writer, teacher, supportive colleague and mentor continues to assert a significant impact on the trajectory of American Music.  It's mysterious that her legacy has been so rarely recalled and her music so infrequently performed in the six decades following her death.  ...  In 1906 she was the first of generations of American composers to study in Paris with the redoubtable Nadia Boulanger.  ...  We're fortunate that the composer crafted her own superb transcription of this sonata for clarinet and piano.  In order to achieve the equivalent musical impact, her viola and clarinet versions differ in some places.  The piano part, nevertheless, remains unchanged.  Sometimes we've opted for the clarinet version, sometimes the viola version, and sometimes a conflation of the two.  We have also made a few adaptive changes in tessitura, articulation, phrasing and dynamics to highlight the unique voice of the alto flute.  Though execution may occasionally differ, the rhetorical and emotional shape of the work remains essentially the same."

    P. H. Bloom, © January 7, 2014

    We provide our alto flute transcription; the piano part is readily available as a free pdf download of the score from sources such as imslp.org/.   

    Alto Flute part, 9 pages of music; Total, 12 pages.

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  • Bauer – Sonata, Op.22 – Alto Saxophone

    BauerOp22 sax nsmSonata, Op.22, by Marion Bauer

    Transcribed for Alto Saxophone (and piano) by Paul Cohen (originally for viola and piano)

    Alto Saxophone Part, PDF $11.79

    Paul Cohen is one of America's most sought-after saxophonists for orchestral and chamber concerts and solo recitals.  In addition to being a renowned performer and recording artist, he is also a talented arranger, lecturer, and collector of rare and historical instruments.  Dr. Cohen holds MM and DMA degrees from the Manhattan School of Music; he currently serves on the faculties of the Manhattan School of Music and Rutgers University.  We at NSM were pleased for the opportunity to collaborate with him on this publication of his transcription of Marion Bauer’s Sonata for alto saxophone.

    from Dr. Paul Cohen’s preface to the NSM edition © April 7, 2021: 

    “Bauer composed this sonata in 1932 or 1935.  It originally was written for viola, and dedicated to the memory of her friend and colleague, Albert Stoessel who was a distinguished American violinist, conductor, author, composer, and educator in the 20th century.  Bauer soon after created her own idiomatic transcription for clarinet and piano, and the sonata was published as a work for viola or clarinet in 1951.  It is revealing to see the differences in the viola and clarinet versions.  The piano part remains unchanged in both.

    PC photo cropped 100 webThere is a history of music for viola successfully adapted for saxophone by the composers.  Fernande Decruck’s Sonata (1943) for saxophone and piano (or orchestra) was originally written for viola, as was Ross Lee Finney’s Sonata in A Minor from 1937 (viola and piano), adapted for saxophone in the early 1970s.  Several works for alto saxophone and orchestra written for the American saxophonist Elise Hall were originally written for viola, including Florent Schmitt’s Legende (1918) and Choral Variee´ (1903) by Vincent D’Indy. Adolph Busch composed his Suite for violin and either viola or alto saxophone in 1926, while in 1923 Darius Milhaud replaced the viola with the saxophone in La Creation du Monde literally positioning the saxophone in the viola chair in the string section.  My saxophone adaptation of Bauer’s Sonata combines elements of the clarinet and viola versions, creating a version appropriate for the alto saxophone.  This includes changes in range, articulation, phrasing and dynamics to create an idiomatic (though challenging) version for the alto saxophone faithful to the musical intent of the composer.”

    For additional information about Marion Bauer, please see the text excerpted from Peter H. Bloom’s preface to NSM’s 2014 publication of his transcription of the Sonata for alto flute.

    We provide only the transcribed alto saxophone part in our edition; a pdf of the piano score is available from imslp.org.

    Alto Saxophone Part, 11 pages; Total, 14 pages

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  • Beach - 3 Compositions - Alto Flute & Piano

    beach op40 nsm 245px3 Compositions, Op.40, by Amy Beach

    Transcribed for Alto Flute and Piano by C.A.Vater

    Piano Score and Alto Flute Part, PDF $10.50

    Amy Marcy Cheney was born in Henniker, New Hampshire in 1867 and began composing music at the age of four.  Initially home-schooled as a pianist, she continued her music studies in Boston and made her professional debut as a pianist at age 16.   She later became a soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.  At 18, she married the prominent Boston physician Dr. Henry Harris Aubrey Beach and began using "Mrs. H. H. A. Beach" as her professional name.  She continued to perform occasionally as a pianist, but for many years she focused her musical skills primarily on composing.   After her husband's death in 1910, Mrs. Beach resumed her performing career, beginning with a three year tour of Europe, while also continuing to write music.   Her works were received with great acclaim, and Amy Beach became one of America's leading composers and the first American woman composer to achieve widespread recognition in the United States and abroad.   During her lifetime, she wrote more than 150 numbered works, spanning a variety of genres that included piano pieces, chamber music, orchestral works, sacred choral music, and a great many songs.

    Amy Beach's 3 Compositions for Violin and Piano, Op.40, were first published in 1898.   Written in the romantic style, the three pieces are (1) the beautiful but sombre La Captive, (2) a lovely, lyrical Berceuse, and (3) a lively but still tender Mazurka.  In addition to alto flute transcriptions of all three pieces, we include in our edition a version of the Mazurka transcribed for flute and piano (score and part), for those wishing to give this option a try as well.

    Alto Flute part, 4 pages; Piano/Alto Flute Score, 10 pages;

    Alternate "Mazurka" Flute part, 2 pages; "Mazurka" Piano/Flute Score, 5 pages;

    Total, 29 pages.

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  • Beach - Ecstasy - Voice (or Afl), Alto Flute (or Cl), and Piano

    Beach Ecstasy nsmEcstasy, Op.19 No.2, by Mrs. H. H. A. Beach


    Two versions, for "Low voice (in Db)" or "High voice (in Eb)", with Alto Flute Obbligato (transcribed) and Piano.
    Alternative parts for Alto Flute Solo and Bb Clarinet Obbligato.
    Program Notes by Peter H. Bloom.


    Piano Scores, Voice Parts, Alto Flute Obbligato Parts, and alternative Alto Flute Solo Parts and Clarinet Obbligato Parts; PDF $8.99

    Noteworthy Sheet Music is thrilled to publish our edition of Amy Marcy Cheney Beach's song Ecstasy in 2017, in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the composer's birth. The idea to make Ecstasy available to a broader combination of players and singers came from flutist Peter H. Bloom, who proposed that the piece would be an excellent vehicle with which instructors might inform students (early and advanced alike) about interpretation of the highly romantic late 19th century idiom. To that end, we have packaged together in a single edition Mrs. H. H. A. Beach's two versions of Ecstasy, for "low voice (in Db)" and "high voice (in Eb)", with each version including transcriptions of the obbligato (originally for violin) for either alto flute in G or clarinet in Bb, and an alternative solo part in the form of an alto flute transcription of the voice line. Thus, multiple performance variations are possible, including high or low voice and piano with either alto flute or clarinet obbligato, or fully instrumental versions for alto flute and piano, or two alto flutes and piano, or alto flute, clarinet, and piano. 

    Scores, 8 pages (4 pages each version); Voice parts, 2 pages (1 page each version); Alto Flute Obbligatos, 2 pages (1 page each version); Clarinet Obbligatos, 2 pages (1 page each version); Alto Flute solo parts, 2 pages (1 page each version); Total, 20 pages.

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  • Bloom - Ablaze She Came in the Dream - Flute, Cello, and Guitar

    Bloom Ablaze-Fl-Vc-Guit nsmAblaze She Came in the Dream, by Peter H. Bloom

    Contemporary Composition for Flute, Cello, and Guitar (or Electric Guitar)

    Flute, Cello, & Guitar Parts, and Score, PDF $22.97

    Ablaze She Came in the Dream by flutist Peter H. Bloom was scored in its original version for flute, viola, and guitar.  This intriguing piece comprises eleven brief episodes, which may be repeated any number of times.  It is intended to serve as an interpretive vehicle for the performers and thus should be executed freely and expressively.  Ablaze received its premier performance in November, 2014, in Boston as part of the Church of the Advent Library Concert Series and featured Mr. Bloom on flute, Frank Grimes on viola, and Anastasiya Dumma on electric guitar.

    In the spring of 2016, NSM received a request for a cello version of Ablaze; we complied by creating, in collaboration with the composer, an adaptation for flute, cello, and guitar.  Ablaze is not only an exciting piece to hear, it's fun to play as well.  Both the viola and cello editions are suitable for adventurous, advanced players.  Those wishing to purchase one of our Ablaze editions and then order an additional alternative viola or cello part for a small charge should use the Contact Us form to let us know; we'll make arrangements to accommodate your request.

    Score, 23 pages; Flute Part, 11 pages; Guitar Part, 12 pages; Cello Part, 12 pages; Total, 66 pages.

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  • Bloom - Ablaze She Came in the Dream - Flute, Viola, and Guitar

    Bloom Ablaze nsm245rAblaze She Came in the Dream, by Peter H. Bloom

    Contemporary Composition for Flute, Viola, and Guitar (or Electric Guitar)

    Flute, Viola, & Guitar Parts and Score, PDF $22.97

    Flutist Peter H. Bloom is no stranger to Noteworthy Sheet Music or to our customers, as he has contributed several popular arrangements and transcriptions to our catalog and he also serves as an editorial consultant for NSM.

    Now we are very pleased to offer this newly published (2014) and highly intriguing original composition by Mr. Bloom entitled Ablaze She Came in the Dream.  The piece comprises eleven brief episodes written for the unusual trio combination of flute, viola, and guitar (or electric guitar).   Ablaze is intended to serve as an interpretive vehicle for the performers and thus should be executed freely and expressively.   The work is suitable for advanced players.

    Click to access a recording of the premier performance of Ablaze which took place on November 21, 2014 in Boston, MA, as part of the Church of the Advent Library Concert Series.  The performance features Peter H. Bloom on flute, Frank Grimes on viola, and Anastasiya Dumma on electric guitar.

    Score, 23 pages; Flute Part, 11 pages; Guitar Part, 12 pages; Viola Part, 12 pages; Total, 66 pages.

    Preview

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    We also offer a professionally-printed hard copy edition of Ablaze She Came in the Dream for $45.88 plus a $5.95 shipping and handling fee. Due to prohibitively high international shipping rates, we ship print editions only to addresses in the USA. Please use the Contact Us form to let us know which hard copy publication(s) you would like to purchase, along with your email contact information and USPS mailing address. We will then send you a PayPal invoice for the sale and, once we receive notice from PayPal that you have paid for the item(s), we will ship your music to the address provided for delivery in 7-10 business days.

  • Bloom - From the Drawer - Tenor or Soprano and Saxophone Quartet

    Bloom From-the-Drawer Voice-Saxophones nsmFrom the Drawer, for Voice and Saxophones, by Peter H. Bloom

    Contemporary Composition for Tenor or Soprano, with Saxophone Quartet

    Score and Parts, PDF $13.99

    Boston-based flutist Peter H. Bloom created two versions of his composition From the Drawer, the edition listed here for Tenor or Soprano with Saxophone Quartet (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, and baritone saxophone) and a second edition for Tenor or Soprano with Flute (doubling Piccolo), Clarinet, Bassoon, and Horn; both editions have been published by Noteworthy Sheet Music. The score provides a musical setting for the intensely emotional poem by Constantine Cavafy. The composer suggests that the vocalist (depending on his or her performance style/background/aesthetic judgment) should free to employ amplification at his/her discretion. 

     

    Here are Mr. Bloom's comments about From the Drawer, taken from his preface (Copyright © 2015) to the edition:

    "Constantine Cavafy’s 1923 poem, From the Drawer, captures the acerbic condition of longing, the impossibly private nature of affection, and the occultation of time. Its poignancy is universal; transcending gender, age, era, place, and even translation. Rather than rely on one particular translation of Cavafy’s text, I’ve drawn on a number of versions to arrive at a paraphrase that both informs and is shaped by the musical score.

    The musical setting is a sonic image of the intensely emotional response to a flood of memory that informs the poet’s narrative: now pensive, now anxious, now wistful, now joyous, now fraught, now resigned, and ever mercurial."  P. H. Bloom, September 19, 2015

    Score, 14 pages; Tenor or Soprano part, 2 pages; Soprano Saxophone part, 4 pages; Alto Saxophone part, 3 pages; Tenor Saxophone part, 3 pages; Baritone Saxophone part, 3 pages; Total, 29 pages.

    Preview

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    We also offer a professionally-printed hard copy edition of From the Drawer for $23.78 plus a $5.95 shipping and handling fee. Due to prohibitively high international shipping rates, we ship print editions only to addresses in the USA. Please use the Contact Us form to let us know which hard copy publication(s) you would like to purchase, along with your email contact information and USPS mailing address. We will then send you a PayPal invoice for the sale and, once we receive notice from PayPal that you have paid for the item(s), we will ship your music to the address provided.

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  • Bloom - From the Drawer - Tenor or Soprano, Flute, Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn

    Bloom FTD nsmFrom the Drawer, by Peter H. Bloom

    Contemporary Composition for Tenor or Soprano, with Flute (doubling Piccolo), Clarinet in B-flat, Bassoon, and Horn in F

    Score and Parts, PDF $13.99

    Peter H. Bloom is a Boston-based flutist, whose original compositions and arrangements are published by Noteworthy Sheet Music.  From the Drawer was written for Tenor or Soprano, with Flute (doubling Piccolo), Clarinet, Bassoon, and Horn, and provides a musical setting for the intensely emotional poem by Constantine Cavafy.

    Here are Peter Bloom's comments about From the Drawer from the composer's preface (Copyright © 2015) to the edition:

    "Constantine Cavafy’s 1923 poem, From the Drawer, captures the acerbic condition of longing, the impossibly private nature of affection, and the occultation of time. Its poignancy is universal; transcending gender, age, era, place, and even translation. Rather than rely on one particular translation of Cavafy’s text, I’ve drawn on a number of versions to arrive at a paraphrase that both informs and is shaped by the musical score.

    The musical setting is a sonic image of the intensely emotional response to a flood of memory that informs the poet’s narrative: now pensive, now anxious, now wistful, now joyous, now fraught, now resigned, and ever mercurial."  P. H. Bloom, September 19, 2015

    Our sheet music edition of From the Drawer was featured on the New Products page of the Summer 2016 edition of "The Flutist Quarterly", journal of The National Flute Association.

    Score, 14 pages; Tenor or Soprano part, 2 pages; Flute part, 4 pages; Clarinet part, 3 pages; Bassoon part, 3 pages; Horn part, 3 pages; Total, 29 pages.

    Preview
     

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    We also offer a professionally-printed hard copy edition of From the Drawer for $23.78 plus a $5.95 shipping and handling fee. Due to prohibitively high international shipping rates, we ship print editions only to addresses in the USA. Please use the Contact Us form to let us know which hard copy publication(s) you would like to purchase, along with your email contact information and USPS mailing address. We will then send you a PayPal invoice for the sale and, once we receive notice from PayPal that you have paid for the item(s), we will ship your music to the address provided.

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  • Burleigh - Southland Sketches, Nos. I, III, IV - Alto Flute or Flute (& piano)

    Burleigh Sketches AflFl nsmSouthland Sketches, Nos. I, III, IV, by H. T. Burleigh

    Transcribed for Alto Flute or Flute (and piano) by C. A. Vater

    Alto Flute part and Flute part, PDF $9.96

    Harry Thacker Burleigh was an acclaimed African-American singer, music editor, and composer whose adaptations of African-American spirituals became famous. His Southland Sketches, which were composed for violin and piano and published by G. Ricordi in 1916, are a fine example of Burleigh’s quintessential American style. The original composition included 4 movements. Our edition excludes the second movement, but adapts three of the original four miniatures for either alto flute or flute. We provide only the transcribed alto flute and flute parts, as they have been designed to work well with the piano part in the original score for violin and piano which is available as a good quality, free pdf download from imslp.org. Performers may choose to play all three of these pieces on either flute or alto flute, or switch instruments between sketches, depending on personal preference.

    Alto Flute part, 6 pages; alternate Flute part, 6 pages; Total,18 pages. (pdf of piano accompaniment is freely available at imslp.org)

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  • Densmore - The Voice and The Flute - Sop, Fl, Pf

    Densmore.CoverThe Voice and The Flute, by John H. Densmore

    Aria for Soprano and Flute

    Facsimile Edition by Noteworthy Sheet Music

    Piano Score and Part, $8.99

    The Voice and The Flute is a work composed by John H. Densmore for soprano, flute, and piano, with lyrics written by Mary Gardenia.  Densmore was a native of Somerville, Massachusetts; he graduated from Harvard '04 and is perhaps best known for having composed the Harvard fight song "Veritas".  Our edition of Densmore's Aria for Soprano and Flute is a facsimile reproduction of the original 1922 edition published by the composer, and contains both the piano score and the part for the voice and the flute.  

    Piano, Flute, & Voice score, 12 pages; Flute & Voice part, 6 pages; Total, 21 pages.

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  • Detlor - Song for Eric Dolphy - Flute (or Alto Flute) Alone

    Detlor-Cover-image-web-rSong for Eric Dolphy, by Len Detlor

    Edited and with a Preface by Peter H. Bloom

    Contemporary Composition for Flute (or Alto Flute) Alone, $14.15

    Mr. Bloom, in his Preface to Song for Eric Dolphy, writes: "Len Detlor (1941-2008) was anLen_Detlor_with_captionextraordinary artist whose creative vision, masterful technique, and depth of humanity transcended medium and category. As a composer, saxophonist and flutist, arranger, and music director, he was devoted to musical expression that was both elegantly structured and unconstrained." Len Detlor composed this evocative piece as a tribute to the legendary saxophonist, clarinetist, and flutist Eric Dolphy (1928-1964), whose recordings remain highly influential across musical genres and generations.

    Flute part, 7 pages; Total, 10 pages.

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  • Dieter - The Golden “Reade” Flute - Flute & Piano

    dieter the golden reade flute nsmThe Golden "Reade" Flute, by Eugene A. Dieter

    Flute Part and Piano Score ― PDF $7.99

    Elmer Reade (1898-1986), to whom The Golden "Reade" Flute is dedicated, served a long and distinguished career, first as a flutist with the U.S. Army Band and then as a conductor and music director of the Air Force Band at Mitchell Field, New York.  Eugene A. Dieter graduated from the first class of the US Army Music School in 1941 and was appointed a bandmaster.  Following the Second World War, Dieter accepted a bandmaster position with the Air Force Band and remained active until his retirement in 1966.  Likely, it was as an Air Force band colleague of Elmer Reade's that Dieter was inspired to compose The Golden "Reade" Flute. (excerpted from the foreword © by P. H. Bloom)

    Not at all militaristic in character, The Golden "Reade" Flute is more a lovely barcarole, a single Andante moderato movement in 6/8 time.  It offers interesting writing for both parts, so flutist and pianist will be equally pleased.  The title refers to the gold flute by William S. Haynes upon which Reade regularly performed.

    Piano score, 4 pages; Flute part, 2 pages. 

    Preview
  • Finlayson - 3 Pagan Dances - Percussion Ensemble

    3 Pagan Dances, by Walter A. Finlayson


    Finlayson 3PaganDances-II nsmContemporary Compositions for Percussion Ensemble
    I. Goddess of the Earth: Score and Parts, PDF $8.99
    II. Rain Forest: Score and Parts, PDF $6.99
    III. Temple of the Sun: Score and Parts, PDF $13.99


    Noteworthy Sheet Music's chief editorial consultant Peter H. Bloom received Walter Finlayson's previously-unpublished score for 3 Pagan Dances from the composer's daughter, and we were delighted for the opportunity to become acquainted with this rousing, intoxicating work.  For our publications, we've opted to create separate editions for the three pieces, giving players the choice of acquiring only one or two of the 3 Pagan Dances at a time, depending on their level of interest and performance needs.  In each case we have maintained the composer's allocation of instruments per player. Pagan Dance I. Goddess of the Earth is scored for (1) snare drum/suspension cymbal/gong, (2) tom-toms, (3) temple blocks/xylophone/cowbell, (4) bells, (5) chimes, and (6) timpani.  Pagan Dance II. Rain Forest is scored for (1) bongos/claves, (2) finger cymbals/suspension cymbal, (3) maracas/gong/wind chimes, (4) bells/tom-toms/gourd, (5) xylophone/timpani, and (6) vibraphone.  Pagan Dance III. Temple of the Sun is scored for (1) xylophone, (2) tom-toms, (3) temple blocks, (4) gong/suspension cymbal, (5) chimes/crash cymbal, and (6) timpani. Our editions of the 3 Pagan Dances include both scores and parts.
    Click on the MP3 icons below to listen to audio samples from a 1964 performance of the work:
    I. Goddess of the Earth audio  mp3 icon
    mp3 iconII. Rain Forest
    mp3 iconIII. Temple of the Sun
    We at NSM are pleased to aid in the re-discovery of some of Walter Finlayson's compositions; for additional biographical information about this remarkable composer, please visit the Our Composers page.

     

    Finlayson 3PaganDances-I nsmI. Goddess of the Earth: Score, 8 pages; Parts for (1) snare drum/suspension cymbal/gong, (2) tom-toms, (3) temple blocks/xylophone/cowbell, (4) bells, (5) chimes, and (6) timpani, 1 page each; Total, 16 pages
    Preview I

     
    Finlayson 3PaganDances-II nsmII. Rain Forest: Score, 6 pages; Parts for (1) bongos/claves, (2) finger cymbals/suspension cymbal, (3) maracas/gong/wind chimes, (4) bells/tom-toms/gourd, (5) xylophone/timpani, and (6) vibraphone, 1 page each; Total, 14 pages.
    Preview II

    Finlayson 3PaganDances-III nsmIII. Temple of the Sun: Score, 13 pages; Parts for (1) xylophone, 2 pages, (2) tom-toms, 2 pages, (3) temple blocks, 2 pages, (4) gong/suspension cymbal, 1 page, (5) chimes/crash cymbal, 1 page, and (6) timpani, 2 pages; Total, 26 pages.
    Preview III

     


    Add To Cart Product Name Price
    Finlayson - 3 Pagan Dances, I.Goddess of the Earth - Percussion Ensemble
    $8.99
    Finlayson - 3 Pagan Dances, II.Rain Forest - Percussion Ensemble
    $6.99
    Finlayson - 3 Pagan Dances, III.Temple of the Sun - Percussion Ensemble
    $13.99

  • Finlayson - Moon Shadows - Winds and Percussion

    Finlayson Moon-Shadows nsmMoon Shadows, by Walter A. Finlayson

    Contemporary Composition for 2 Flutes, 2 Clarinets, Bass Clarinet, and 9 Percussion Instruments

    Score and Parts, PDF $14.25

    Walter Finlayson (1919-2000) was an American composer, musician, educator, and music innovator, with nearly twenty original compositions and some forty arrangements to his credit.  While serving in the navy, he played saxophone and clarinet in the US Naval Reserve dance band, seated next to the great Artie Shaw.  Finlayson's ASCAP output includes music for band, dance band, orchestra, voice, and chorus.  His compositions and arrangements have been published by Boosey & Hawkes, EB Marks, Boston Music, and Mercury Music, and performed by major college marching band programs.  One of his best-known compositions is I Had a Premonition, which was written for voice and piano, but which was later arranged for the Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra, one of the preeminent bands of the swing era.  A recording of the tune can be heard on The Jimmie Lunceford Collection: 1930-47 compact disc released in 2014 on the Fabulous label, and on YouTube.

    Noteworthy Sheet Music's chief editorial consultant Peter H. Bloom received Finlayson's previously-unpublished score for Moon Shadows from the composer's daughter, and we were impressed with its quality and sophistication.  For a piece written in the late 1930's or early 1940's, as Gale Finlayson recollects (the score is not dated), Moon Shadows seems remarkably ahead of its time.  The work is scored for two flutes, two clarinets, bass clarinet, bells, vibraphone, xylophone, finger cymbals, maracas, bongos, roll cymbals, temple blocks, and tympani.  We notated our modern edition of the piece as faithfully as possible based on the hand-written Finlayson score; our edition of Moon Shadows includes both score and parts.  We at NSM are pleased to aid in the re-discovery of some of Walter Finlayson's works; for additional information about this interesting composer, please visit the Our Composers page under About Us.

    Score, 19 pages; Parts for Flute-1, Flute-2, Clarinet-1, Clarinet-2, Bass Clarinet, Bells, Vibraphone, Xylophone, Finger Cymbals and Maracas, Bongos and Roll Cymbals, Temple Blocks, and Tympani, 1 page each; Total, 34 pages. 

    Preview
  • Foster - Old Folks; Oh! Susanna - Vo/Pf/Fl/Vc

    Foster - Old Folks; Oh! Susanna - Vo/Pf/Fl/VcOld Folks at Home and Oh! Susanna, by Stephen Foster

    Arranged with Flute and Cello ad lib by John W. Pratt

    Flute Parts, Cello Parts, Voice Parts, and Piano Scores ― PDF $7.99

    The following excerpts are taken from John W. Pratt's foreword to the edition:

     

    When a Golden Oldie comes to mind, Doo-dah! Doo-dah!

    Comic, sad, or any kind, Oh!  Doo-dah-day!

    Jeanie, Swanee, Kentucky, Joe,  Doo-dah!  Doo-dah!

    Beautiful, dreamy, fast, or slow, Oh!  Doo-dah-day!

    I'll bet I know who wrote it, he wrote them night and day,

    Stephen Foster wrote it, he'll never go away.

     

    Stephen Foster was born in Lawrenceville, Pa., on July 4, 1826...He wrote over 200 songs, including 135 parlor songs, 28 minstrel songs, and 21 hymns and Sunday school songs. A remarkable number are memorable, as the ditty above will attest to anyone with anything like my background. One wonders why. The harmonies and rhythms are basic, as are the forms and rhyme schemes (see above), the music is repetitious, and the vocal range rarely goes outside an octave (a great benefit for community singing). Yet the fit is so natural and the pacing so well judged that the songs are ideally effective and diabolically catchy. Foster is perhaps, though on a different plane, the Mozart of his field...

    For a pianist playing several stanzas at a sing-along, Foster's songs do become a little dull. But their very simplicity, repetitiousness, and familiarity abet variation as, again on a different plane, chorales serve Bach chorale preludes. Like chorale preludes, the piano parts here always incorporate the melody, so they can be played solo or to accompany amateur singers. It struck me that they could be enhanced by optional flute parts. After writing them, I discovered that, according to his brother Morrison, Foster himself "delighted in playing accompaniments on the flute...As the song went on he would improvise...the most beautiful variations upon its musical theme." If Foster's improvisations were like the one his brother published, however, they just varied the melody itself in the manner of the period. My game is more ambitious, as you will easily see. I added optional cello parts, mostly for color, as in the Haydn trios but superficially more interesting for the cellist. (Again we are on a different plane, of course.)

    "Oh! Susanna," one of the best-known American songs by anybody, is Foster's "Erlkönig." (Speak of different planes!) With its nonsensical lyrics and polka beat, it is clearly comical, and I treated it accordingly. It was written in Cincinnati, possibly for a social club, first performed at an ice cream saloon in Pittsburgh in 1847, and published in 1848. When no American song had sold over 5,000 copies, it sold over 100,000. It earned Foster only $100, but its popularity led to a publisher's offer, convincing him to become a professional songwriter, America's first.

    "Old Folks at Home" established Foster as a truly American composer. It was written in 1851 for a blackface troupe whose leader paid Foster about $15 to be credited for it. When almost finished, Foster asked his brother for "a good name of two syllables for a Southern river." He rejected Yazoo and Pedee, but was delighted with Swanee, a shortening of Suwanee, a small river in Florida which his brother found in an atlas. Though about a slave's nostalgia for home, I find its theme universal and melancholy and I resisted the temptation to jazz it up. Please try, at least, a slowish tempo.

    ― John W. Pratt, May 27, 2013 ©

    Flute parts, 2 pages; Cello parts, 2 pages; Voice parts, 2 pages; Scores, 7 pages; Total, 18 pages.

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  • Gifford - The Pied Piper of Hamelin - An Operetta

    Gifford PiedPiper nsmThe Pied Piper of Hamelin, by Marjorie Otis Gifford

    An Operetta, from the Poem by Robert Browning
    Facsimile Edition by Noteworthy Sheet Music, LLC, PDF $24.99

    Marjorie Otis Gifford (1909-2003) was a composer, choirmaster, and long-time music and piano teacher in CT and NY.  At age 24, she put music to Robert Browning's classic poem The Pied Piper of Hamelin, creating a children's operetta for her students.  In her preface to the operetta, Mrs. Gifford states that perhaps the best performance of The Pied Piper was at the Lenox School in NYC, where she was teaching in 1938; that production was directed by Antoinette Perry, who later became known as 'Tony' of the Tony Awards.  Indeed, there are additional famous personalities and much fascinating history associated with the remarkable life of Marjorie Otis Gifford.

    The Pied Piper of Hamelin operetta was brought to NSM's attention by Gale Finlayson, daughter of composer and music educator Walter Finlayson, and we created our facsimile edition of the operetta at Gale's request.  Marjorie Otis Gifford and Walter Finlayson were great friends, and in her preface Mrs. Gifford credits Mr. Finlayson with putting her operetta down on paper.  NSM has received permission to publish the operetta from both the executor of Mrs. Gifford's estate and from Deborah O'Connor, the artist who created the charming illustrations that grace the internal pages of the operetta.  We hope that, in publishing our facsimile edition, we can contribute to sustaining the legacy of Marjorie Otis Gifford and enabling future generations of young music students to perform and enjoy her work.

    Marjorie Otis Gifford's The Pied Piper of Hamelin operetta was performed by the Rutland Youth Theatre of Rutland, VT, on March 2, 2018; click the link to visit YouTube and watch clips of this performance videotaped and posted by Ms. Finlayson.

    Score with music and lyrics for voices and piano accompaniment, 67 pages; text of the Robert Browning poem addendum, 7 pages; Total, 78 pages.

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    Please use the Contact Us link to order The Pied Piper of Hamelin operetta PDF.  Upon receiving your request, we will send you an invoice via PayPal and, once PayPal acknowledges receiving your payment, we will email a copy of the PDF to you directly.

  • Lane - Danzas Mecánicas - Wind Quintet

    lane.danzasmecnicas imageDanzas Mecánicas, by Peter Van Zandt Lane

    Contemporary Composition for Wind Quintet, PDF $30.00

    Peter Van Zandt Lane is a Boston-based composer and bassoonist.  His compositions have been performed across the United States, as well as in Europe and South America, by acclaimed musicians and ensembles such as The Cleveland Orchestra, SIGNAL, International Contemporary Ensemble, Dinosaur Annex, New York Virtuoso Singers, Triton Brass, Xanthos Ensemble, East Coast Composers Ensemble, EAR Duo, Quux Collective, and NotaRiotous.  He has written for chamber ensemble, wind ensemble, orchestra, and choir, and often employs the use of electronics in his works.

    Lane's Danzas Mecánicas - for woodwind quintet (2011) is an exciting 3-movement, 10-minute piece of fairly high difficulty scored for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, and bassoon.  A recording of the piece performed by the Solar Winds Quintet at Slosberg Hall, Brandeis University, in October, 2013 can be heard on YouTube.

    Score, 26 pages; Parts, 49 pages; Total, 78 pages.

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  • Lane - Seven Rants - Wind Quintet & Piano

    lane.sevenrants nsmSeven Rants, by Peter Van Zandt Lane

    Contemporary Composition for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn, Bassoon, and Piano, PDF $0.00

    Peter Van Zandt Lane was commissioned to compose this piece for the 67th Composers Conference and Chamber Music Workshop at Wellesley College, which took place in the summer of 2011.   The annual Conference is a wonderful two-week event, which brings together prominent young composers, superb professional musicians, dedicated amateur chamber musicians, and enthusiastic listeners.   The professional musicians premiere the composers' new works and also coach the amateur musicians in chamber ensembles. Concerts are free and open to the public.  For more information on the program, please visit the Composers Conference website.

    After the Conference each year, one of the composer fellows is selected to create a new work for the next year's chamber music workshop participants.   That composer returns the following summer to coach two groups of players on the new composition, in preparation for performances in the Saturday evening concerts of Week I and Week II.   Peter Van Zandt Lane's Seven Rants was an enormous success in 2011, absolutely loved by the players and received exceptionally well by the audience.   Written for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon, and piano, Seven Rants is a series of seven delightful and diverse movements.  The first and last movements are strict palindromes.  The five middle movements or "rants" are "mini-concertos", each highlighting a different wind instrument.   Great fun to play, and highly accessible.

    With permission from both the composer and the Wellesley Composers Conference and Chamber Music Center, Noteworthy Sheet Music is thrilled to offer our customers a free PDF download of Seven Rants by Peter Van Zandt Lane.   And please check out more of this terrific young composer's work, including two other listings in the NSM catalog, Danzas Mecánicas and Transverse Fractures.

    Score, 37 pages: Flute part, 10 pages; Oboe part, 9 pages; Clarinet part, 10 pages; Horn part, 9 pages; Bassoon part, 9 pages; Piano part, 15 pages; Total, 103 pages.

  • Lane - Transverse Fractures - Flute & Piano

    lane.transverse fractures.imageTransverse Fractures, by Peter Van Zandt Lane

    Contemporary Composition for Flute and Piano, PDF $20.00

    Peter Van Zandt Lane's compositions have been featured on various festivals and conferences such as the New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival, Spark Festival, FEASt Fest, SEAMUS National Conferences, Forecast Music, Festival Miami, and LIPM/IEMS at the world renowned Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires.  He has received awards in several competitions including the CRS Young Composers competition, the Forecast Music International Composers Competition, The Greater Miami Youth Symphony Composition Competition, and the Cleveland Orchestra Miami Residency Call for Scores.  He has been a finalist twice for the ASCAP/SEAMUS Student Commission, and is an active member of the Composers in Red Sneakers, one of the country's longest-running composer consortiums.

    Transverse Fractures (2009) is a short, virtuosic, high-energy duet for flute and piano.  The piece was derived from a larger, longer chamber work entitled Partial Fractures, which the composer wrote for NotaRiotous Ensemble.  Transverse Fractures, approximately 5 minutes long, is a piece of considerable difficulty for both the flutist and the pianist.  

    Piano Score, 13 pages; Flute Part, 7 pages; Total, 23 pages.  

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  • Li Qi - Fog - Flute Alone

    LiQi Fog nsmFog, by Li Qi


    Contemporary Composition for Solo Flute, PDF $5.99

    Fog was written in 2012 by the up-and-coming young composer Li Qi.  In addition to receiving other projects and awards, Li Qi was selected by the Wellesley Chamber Music Workshop to compose the program's commissioned piece for 2016, An Autumn Dusk in the Mountains for flute1, flute2/alto flute, cello, and piano.


    Short, interesting, and challenging, Fog will appeal to advanced flutists and their audiences. Inspired by the poem "Stray Birds" by Rabindranath Tagore, the piece strives to capture in a musical way the recurring interplay between fog and sunlight, as a representation of the circle of life with all its sorrow, joy, and continuously-unfolding beauty.  A recording of a 2012 performance of Fog by Heath White at the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University, has been posted on YouTube; please click the link to listen.

    Our front cover image is from Wikimedia Commons: "The Mount Emei" by pookieevans (CC BY-SA 2.0).


    Flute part, 3 pages; Total, 7 pages.

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