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Did you used to play the piano? Would you like to play again? Aimed at returning players who have spent some time away from the keyboard, Play It Again: Piano by Melanie Spanswick gives you the confidence to revisit this fulfilling pastime and go beyond what you previously thought you could achieve. This book is designed to get your fingers speeding comfortably across the keys once again.
Continue reading ‘Play It Again: A New Piano Book Aimed at Returning Players’
Who is Frédéric Chopin?
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) was a Polish French composer and pianist of the Romantic period, who was best known for his solo pieces for piano and his piano concerti. Although he wrote little else but piano works, he ranks as one of music’s greatest tone poets. It was clear that his love for music developed from a very young age. Young Chopin studied piano with Wojciech Zywny and gave his first concert when he was 8, and rather quickly outdistanced his teachers. By the age of 16, he had composed several piano pieces in different styles, and his parents enrolled him in the Warsaw Conservatory of Music. Chopin only gave 30 public performances in 30 years of concertizing. While seriously ill with tuberculosis, he managed to complete the 24 Preludes, Op.28. He has composed 20 nocturnes, 25 preludes, 17 waltzes, 15 polonaises, 58 mazurkas and 27 etudes.
What is the Chopin National Edition?
Continue reading ‘Frédéric Chopin and the Chopin National Edition’
“At the Piano” is a new series perfect for piano students and those returning to the piano from renowned Urtext sheet music publisher, G. Henle. Each volume in “At the Piano” features original pieces by one composer, including Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy and many more! The works in each volume are organized in progressive order of difficulty and contain fingerings and practical tips on technique and interpretation. Click the link below for more information on this exciting new series!
Source: “At the Piano” – lends colour to the Henle catalogue!
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The Jazz Piano Solos Series has proven wildly popular among pianists. Each volume features a collection of 20-24 exciting new piano solo arrangements with chord symbols of the songs, which helped define a particular jazz style. The difficulty of the arrangements varies somewhat, and though they can be quite challenging at times, they are always eminently playable. Pianists possessing an intermediate ability or better will find the majority of the selections well within their reach. For the more challenging arrangements a little extra practice may be needed, but it’s time well spent. The series, which is published by Hal Leonard, currently has 47 volumes, including jazzy arrangements of Disney tunes, pop standards and Gospel music, with more in production!
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We asked Jeff Schroedl, Hal Leonard’s Executive Vice President, about the inspiration behind the series: Continue reading ‘Series Spotlight: Jazz Piano Solos’
Contributed by Steve Shorney, Vice President – Hope Publishing
Hope is proud to celebrate its 125th anniversary this year! We were founded in 1892 in Chicago, Illinois. The company was formed in an effort to provide songbooks for hymn singing at Methodist evangelical meetings. The founders of the company christened the name Hope Publishing Company from their motto, “all we have is hope” which defined their feelings when starting the fledgling business. The Shorney family has been running Hope Publishing from its beginning and the current owners, John, Scott and Steve Shorney, are the fourth generation of family management.
Hymns and hymnals are still an important part of Hope’s product mix but in the sixties we aggressively branched out into other products to serve the church market. Now a large part of our publishing is committed to choral, handbell, piano, organ and instrumental products. We remain committed to the sacred market. Continue reading ‘Publisher Spotlight: Hope Publishing’
