 It's Oscars Time!Yes, it's that time of year again, when our darkest days are brightened by the wonderful oratory of our finest actors.
One thing that cannot be denied is the sheer quality of music written for the movies over the past hundred years or so. The work of John Williams, John Barry, James Horner, Elmer Bernstein, Ennio Morricone et al stands comparison with many so-called classical composers, and is almost always melodic and attractive, making it extremely rewarding to play.
So why not while away these dark winter evenings with a selection from our growing range of music from film and television.
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 *NEW* from Oxford - Cello Time ScalesFollowing the success of its counterpart for violin, Cello Time Scales covers the finger patterns used in Cello Time Joggers and Runners, and includes all the scales and arpeggios for ABRSM Grades 1 and 2.
It sets out each form with a fingering chart, a 'telephone helpline' to reinforce the arpeggio fingering, and a rhythm game to practise the scale.
Includes a variety of fun pieces for each key, and a range of puzzles and compositional games. |
 Keyboard music's 'equivalent to the Dead Sea Scrolls'New editions of the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book are now available, carefully graded for the delevoping keyboard player. Editor Mark Tanner writes,
"It has often struck me as intriguing that The Fitzwilliam Virginal Book (a collection of keyboard music spanning the period c.1562-1612) occupies a virtually non-existent place in the literature considered viable by pianists.
Needless to say, harpsichordists continue to hold the music in the highest esteem, while a number of transcriptions for instruments and ensembles have been made available in more recent times. How can it be that this ancient heritage - which in keyboard music terms might be regarded as the equivalent to the Dead Sea Scrolls - has hitherto seemed a no-go area for pianists? It is as if the first 'proper' keyboard music tumbled miraculously out of some parallel universe around Bach's time, i.e. the first half of the 18th century."
Available in four volumes at £9.99 each, A Renaissance Anthology is a wonderful addition to the keyboard player's library. |