C.F. Peters String Music Catalog - Peters Edition Ltd

From the Vault
If you’re looking for something a little off the beaten track of standard repertory, or something that may
have been popular in the past but has been forgotten, or maybe something that never got the attention
it deserved -- look no further. Presented here are some worthy works or collections that we’re dusting off
and presenting for your consideration and enjoyment.
Lumsden, Caroline
• Witches’ Brew (with CD)
• Wizard’s Potion (with CD)
These pieces are for beginner violinists (EP 7676 & 7678) and cellists
(EP 7677 & 7679): Witches’ Brew is for open strings and 1 st
position, and Wizard’s Potion is for 1 st and 2 nd position. Children will
be charmed by the illustrations, jazzy accompaniments, fun lyrics (for
whispering or singing), finger snapping, clapping, tapping on the
violin--and in “Stinkbomb Surprise” it even asks for cauldron stirring
motions with the bowing arm.
The CDs include performances with piano so you can hear what it
should sound like, and performances of just the piano so you can
play along. The piano parts, which include teaching points, require
someone with intermediate piano skills. Half of the violin works are
in the same key as the cello versions so mixed string groups can play
together.
Stevens, Halsey
• Five Duos for 2 Cellos (EP 6028)
Halsey Stevens’ work has been described as “functional,”
underlying his belief that “theory that comes before practice stands
on shaky ground.”
These cello duos have been characterized as easy, and though the
notes themselves are not hard this music poses some challenges: it
only hovers around traditional tonality, and has some tricky rhythms,
chromaticism and dissonances. A good introduction to 20 th Century
music for student cellists ready to expand their horizons.
Chaplin, Charlie
• Oh! That Cello!
(GM 1250 A, -B, -C, -D, -E and -F)
Charlie Chaplin is still remembered widely for his films, but he was
also a versatile entertainer and businessman. Chaplin not only wrote
music to accompany his silent films but started a publishing company
to sell his music; the business failed after a few years, but his cello
arrangements titled “Oh! That Cello!” have been resurrected by
Edition Kunzelmann with editor Thomas Beckmann.
Chaplin’s music is very tuneful, and you won’t find anything
particularly surprising in terms of harmony or rhythm in the 6
volumes. The piano often doubles the cello, and both players need
at least intermediate skills to tackle this music. Each volume has
3-5 songs in it, with titles like “Park Avenue Waltz,” “Tango
Natascha” and “A Countess From Hongkong.”
Beach, Mrs. H.H.A.
• Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op. 34 (EP 66847)
Born in 1867, Amy Marcy Cheney Beach was the most successful
American woman composer of her time. After marriage, she
changed her focus (at her husband’s request) from her career in
performance to composition, and later also served as leader of the
MTNA and MENC.
This sonata, originally for violin, is full of the lush harmonies and
chromaticisms of the late Romantic era, and demonstrates the
expressiveness her vocal music is known for. Not surprisingly,
since she debuted this work along with Franz Kneisel (who was
concertmaster of the Boston SO at age 20), the piano part is as
challenging as the viola part.
Josquin Des Pres
• La Spagna (arr. string quintet) (EP 67437)
This fantasia by Josquin is based on the basse-danse melody “Il re
di Spagna,” and though it was meant for a five-part wind-band it
is edited agreeably here for strings, and may be played by string
quintet (2 violins, viola and 2 cellos), viol consort or string
orchestra. In its history is a less than agreeable version as a motet,
with words that didn’t quite fit, and little place for the singers to
breathe, especially the tenor (melody).
The ranges are small but the rhythms have all the characteristics
of early music, so an ensemble of intermediate players should
tackle this without much difficulty.