string quartet
J. W. Bratton - Teddy Bears’ Picnic
FE 1008
Arranged by Annette Isserlis. Bratton (1867-1947) originally called his tune ‘The Teddy Bear March and Two-Step’ and it was published in 1907 for concert band. It wasn’t until 1930 that it acquired the name ‘Teddy Bears’ Picnic’ when Jimmy Kennedy (1902-1984) added the lyrics.
Miniature score: £5
Set of parts: £10
QUARTET ARRANGEMENTS BY BILL THORP
Bill studied at Clare College, Cambridge, and in a varied career since then has played with a folk group, an opera company, a string quartet and a symphony orchestra; in theatres, pop recording studios (including a no.1 hit in Slovenia!) and on film sets; and is nowadays mostly appearing with early music ensembles. He started arranging whilst in the folk group, and it really took off when he started playing string quartets, especially during the period of a residency at Pizza on the Park (sadly no more). As word got around he started to be published, with Quartet Cabaret (Boosey and Hawkes), Classic String Quartet Collection (Broadbent and Dunn) and Play Piano Trios! (Bosworth) to his credit (and now, of course, Fountayne Pops).
When working on an arrangement my main aim is to make a valid transcription of a piece of music from one form to another, by which I mean being true not only to the composer's basic nuts and bolts, i.e. melody, harmony, part-writing etc., but also (and this is harder to define) to the spirit of the original. I also aim to make it eminently playable (being a violin/viola player married to a cellist helps); to sound well in its new form (which may occasionally mean a change of key); and to be interesting for the players, mainly by being democratic with the musical material: I'm not a fan of arrangements where the first violin (like the devil?) has all the (best) tunes.
With lighter music, particularly in popular song arrangements (and there may be some on the way for Fountayne), I feel that there is rather more licence to play around with the original, for instance by references to other music prompted by the song title or lyrics, or even by the song-tune itself: all in the cause of creating fun for players and listeners alike!
Corelli - Christmas Concerto
FE 1003
Arranged by Bill Thorp. Corelli’s ever popular concerto is for life – not just for Christmas!
Miniature score: £4
Set of parts: £6
Faure - Sicilienne
FE 1001
Arranged by Bill Thorp. Such a beautiful tune with a perfect arrangement to match.
Miniature score: £4
Set of parts: £6
Ravel - Pavane pour un Infante Défunte
FE 1002
Arranged by Bill Thorp.
Miniature score: £5
Set of parts: £10
Telemann - The Unshrinking Viola
FE 1004
Give your Viola player the limelight they deserve! This excellent arrangement, by Bill Thorp, of the Telemann Viola Concerto is just what they need.
Miniature score: £5
Set of parts: £8
A. Isserlis - Haydn-Seek
FE 1007
Here you have quotes from 25 Haydn quartets for the listener and player to spot, all wrapped up in a really fun piece.
Miniature score: £5
Set of parts: £5
A Birthday Ramble
FE 1005
Some years ago, Annette Isserlis was invited by the Endellion Quartet to come up with something to mark their 5th Anniversary. It happened to be (the late) Lord Denning’s 90th birthday and BBC Radio 4’s “Midweek” celebrated both events with the first performance of “A Birthday Ramble”.As well as the musical references, the alert player may spot a few in-jokes (eg the “seaside” reference for David Waterman, cellist of the Endellion Quartet) as well as a couple of tricky viola moments to prevent Garfield Jackson getting bored...
Miniature score: £5
Set of parts: £5
Saint-Saens - Danse Macabre
FE 1016
Arranged by Timothy Kraemer. This spine-chilling piece given a suitably spine-chilling arrangement. There is also an arrangement for string orchestra.
Miniature score: £5
Set of parts: £10
Bach/Richter - Fugues for Quartet
FE 1022
Mozart arranged 5 of J. S. Bach’s fugues from the Well-tempered Clavier for String Quartet and half-finished another which was completed by Süssmayr. Rodolfo Richter has set BWV 885, 886 & 892 thus completing all the 4 part fugues for String Quartet.
Miniature score: £5
Set of parts: £10
Adolf von Henselt (1814-1889)
Ave Maria Op. 5 No. 4
Ave Maria Op. 5 No. 4
FE 1038
Arranged for string quartet by Annette Isserlis
Adolf von Henselt was the last in line of the great 19th Century composer-pianists; Mendelssohn, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Thalberg and Henselt himself. Apart from being a virtuoso performer, he was also a prodigious composer, arranger and editor. In 1838 he went to St. Petersburg and stayed there for the rest of his life apart from vacations in Western Europe. The Ave Maria is originally from his set of ‘Douze Etudes de Salon’ Op. 5 for piano in the key of E major. It is transposed into G major for this delightful arrangement. Henselt's Protestantism did not preclude this gentle obtrusion into the fringes of the Catholic Church. The seraphic peace is achieved by a flowing four-part chorale, artfully spaced, which transfers perfectly to the medium of the string quartet.
Duration 3 mins
Score: £5
Set of parts: £10