Samuel Gelfer

Audio Available

Component

Delivery

Editors Choice Year

Eprint Folders

Format

Grade

Instrument

Item Sequence

Large Print Edition

Marketed Status

Minimum Sell Quantity

MINTS Data Available

Product Line

Prop65

Score Available

Video Available

The spirit of the California gold rush is alive in this fun and upbeat composition! Students will use their knowledge of the D major scale while being introduced to skips and non-stepwise motion. A wonderful choice your beginning students will want to play over and over again!

Gold Rush

String Orchestra Score & Parts

Journey through a dark forest with haunting harmonies, pizzicato, and col legno techniques that will create a soundscape not often experienced by most audiences. Directors and ensembles are encouraged to explore their creativity; subdividing is essential while performing this piece.

The Whisper Wood

Lightning Riders offers students the opportunity to work with 16th notes and accents. Syncopated rhythms and melodic figures are shared between all sections while the accompaniment and harmony passages keep players engaged. Ensembles, directors, and audiences will thoroughly enjoy the ride!

Lightning Riders

Here it is, a Canon arrangement that has a Cello part that is more than the same 8 notes, a Viola part that doesn't go into third position or treble clef an actual Bass part, and easy to read notation and bowings. Perfect for intermediate orchestras, advanced ensembles, and gigs in your school or community.

Pachelbel's Canon

Perfect for the first concert. Featuring all pizzicato, basic harmony, minimal rhythmic variations and piano accompaniment, Dance of the Strings will be perfect for the beginning orchestra's first performance. This piece is set in the key of D and explores multiple strings on each instrument. A special thank you to the Farmingdale High School Symphony Orchestra of 2019 for putting this recording together.

Dance of the Strings

Introduce your students to program music! This piece depicts a climber's journey through an exciting mountain climb. Starting from the bottom and working their way up with both triumphs and challenges alike. Students will learn about fermatas, caesuras, and how to play tremolo. Perfect for a second or third-year orchestra.

Deep in the Mountains

Stomp like a gator, play like a gator. The Gator Stomp Blues introduces the 12 bar blues, blue notes, and pentatonic lines to the developing string orchestra. Although it is not swung, the piece invokes jazz, blues, and even a little bit of rock and roll. Sections will take turns accompanying, playing melodies, trading fours, and of course stomping.

The Gator Stomp Blues

The first tune in this set was written by David Richardson of the 1970's Irish band "The Boys of the Lough." These two tunes were famously paired by Scottish fiddler Alasdair Frasier on his 1989 album with Paul Machlis.  This arrangement borrows from these two sources and expands upon the two themes.  Directors are encouraged to utilize the acoustic guitar part as it provides a great rhythmic drive and adds to the Celtic genre.

Calliope House/Cowboy Jig

This original work features sweeping melodies and rhythmic challenges for
  every section. Directors are encouraged to focus on their ensemble playing
  with a strong pulse as there are "three against two" areas that
  will prove to be tricky. With catchy themes and colorful harmonies, Keepers
  of the wind will fit perfectly into your spring concert or competition
  program.

Keepers of the wind

This piece seeks to musically explore the phrase "It is always darkest before the dawn," or, as it was first recorded, "It is always darkest just before the Day dawneth." According to The Yale Book of Quotations, the earliest known version of the saying appears in Thomas Fuller's A Pisgah Sight of Palestine (1650). The book is a detailed account of the history of Palestine and the surrounding areas, focusing on the biblical events that occurred there. The title refers to Mount Pisgah, which is mentioned in the Bible as the place where Moses was able to see the Promised Land. The piece begins solemnly, in the key of B minor, developing themes and passing the melody among the different sections of the orchestra. The final section modulates to D major, providing the lift that the dawn of a new day brings.

Fade into Dawn

In the months of autumn over the great lakes, fierce storms can occur. These storms are often referred to as "November Gales" or, according to the sailors who navigate them, "Witch Storms." The Witch of November is mentioned in Canadian folk singer Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" which memorializes the sinking of the bulk carrier SS Edmund Fitzgerald in Lake Superior on November 10, 1975. The lyrics "The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound and a wave broke over the railing/And every man knew, as the captain did too, t'was the Witch of November come stealin'" paint an ominous portrait of the life-threatening dangers of the lakes. This piece will challenge ensembles to play with the ferocity of a storm while paying close attention to the tight rhythmic intricacies demanded by the odd time signature.

The Witch of November

Score & Parts

Parts

This timeless melody from Alexander Borodin's Polovtsian Dances has been lifted from the original score, arranged for strings and transposed into a friendly key. A challenge suitable for an advanced middle school orchestra or a good exercise in melodic shaping  for an intermediate high school one.

Polovtsian Dances

String Orchestra Part

Introduce your beginning group to the style of American fiddling. The guitar accompaniment will not only help your group play in tune but also keep them on top of the beat. A very special thank you to the Farmingdale Symphony Orchestra of 20-21 for recording this piece.

Down in the Dale

There was once a super continent known as "Pangea," over time
  it moved and changed leaving us with the land masses we have today. This
  piece captures that energy with odd time signatures, mode mixture, timpani,
  and an optional drum set part. Every section is challenged rhythmically and
  melodically leaving the director, the players, and the audience excited and
  energized.

Tectonic Shift

In 1984 a bluegrass festival was held on the Rothvoss Farm in Ancramdale, Columbia County, New York. This would later become known as the Greyfox Bluegrass festival when it moved to Oak Hill New York in 2008. This piece, in the style of Ashokan Farewell, gives every section the opportunity to play the melody and hear a pentatonic scale used to its full effect.

Oak Hill

In the tradition of the celtic style with a little bit of American bluegrass, Emerald Melodies offers a medley of 4 fiddle tunes.  Each section is kept busy enough while still being accessible for a medium level High School ensemble.  While the drum part is not necessary it  adds a different dimension to the performance and keeps the orchestra's rhythm solid.

Emerald Melodies

Arctic Sunrise paints a haunting yet beautiful picture of a frozen landscape. Each section is invited to explore melodic passages, colorful harmonies, and dynamic playing. Perfect for an intermediate group hoping to push beyond their level of 
expressive playing.

Arctic Sunrise

Ascension for beginning orchestra features rhythmic unisons, comfortable
  melodies, and exciting harmonies. Each section is paired with another to help
  build the confidence that developing string players need in the early years
  of their musical journey. Special thanks to the Farmingdale Symphony
  Orchestra of 20-21 for recording this piece.

Ascension

Im balldenton or "Ballad" comes from Grieg's collection of
  lyric pieces for Piano, specifically the eighth volume. The traditional
  fiddle tunes were arranged by Grieg for piano and have been paired together
  to finish this slightly advanced yet accessible arrangement. Directors and
  ensembles will enjoy the exploration of C minor in the beginning and the
  lively finish with the Nordic melodies at the end.

Im Balldenton and two Norwegion fiddle tunes

Christopher Columbus is generally credited with having "discovered" America in 1492. However, a Spanish report from 1521 provides evidence that there were, in fact, Irish settlers in America prior to Columbus' journey. Legend tells us that a sixth-century monk named Saint Brendan sailed to North America on a small wood-framed boat. His alleged journey is detailed in the ancient annals of Ireland. This set of original fiddle tunes maps out the transformation of fiddle music. Starting with a jig in the traditional Irish style, transitioning into a reel with some Americana influence, and then launching into a final section that borrows heavily from Appalachian fiddling tradition. Each section is given the opportunity to fiddle, implementing techniques, rhythms, and articulations typical of the style.

Fiddling Across the Atlantic

Global Sections - CORE [DO NOT TOUCH]*

Favicon

Need Help? Contact Us or call 1-800-345-6296    Live Chat

Header

Don't have a business account? Create one

Products