Weekend Bossa / Tohru Kanayama [Clarinet Quartet]
Moonlight Serenade / Glenn Miller (arr. Tohru Kanayama) [Clarinet Quartet]
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This is my first blog in 2024.
You may have thought something like this.
"Why don't Japanese sheet music publishers promote their products in the international market unlike publishers in other countries?"
To such a question, some "know-it-all" Japanese will say. "Japanese publishers cannot use English, so they can only promote in Japanese."
To some extent, this may be a correct view. However, I suspect that most of them are not from the publishing industry, and that they speak as if they know everything about "Japanese publishers".
Certainly some Japanese publishers do not seem to be actively promoting to the international market. However, there are some publishers that have developed stores for outside Japan. Each company is different in size and human resources. The situation varies.
For example, there are publishers who sell a lot of sheet music outside of Japan via our store. They do not have their own store outside of Japan, and their promotion may be limited to You Tube, etc. But you can buy their sheet music from this store. Isn't that one way for Japanese publishers? I do not believe they are disrespecting the international market.
Some Japanese people have an "oppositional" attitude about Japanese publishers. They may want to feel that their "international selves" are "better" than "certain non-international Japanese publishers". You could call it a Western complex.
Japanese publishers are by no means disrespecting you. Many publishers and many composers and arrangers want their scores to be performed not only in Japan but also outside of Japan.
Please know that. Please do not misunderstand about Japanese publishers. I am hoping to sign contracts with new publishers to increase the number of works available to you, and I am sure that the publishers are thinking of ways to get their music to you.
Please keep your fingers crossed for us.
Shuhei Umemoto
Golden Hearts Publications Global Store / ONSA
Today, Cosimo Bombardieri's concert band work "Al Duca della Vittoria (To the Duke of Victory)" is on sale!
The work describes the exploits of an Italian army general Armando Diaz (Naples, December 5, 1861 - Rome, February 29, 1928), nicknamed Duke of Victory, for his great feat: during World War I (1915-1918) he led the Italian army to victory against Austria.
You can read detailed program notes on the product page, listen to reference sound files, and view scores.
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Today I would like to talk a little briefly about the Concert March in Japan.
The history of wind bands in Japan began in 1869 when the Satsuma Domain formed the Satsuma Band (Satsuma Domain Military Band) under the leadership of Englishman John William Fenton. Hisamitsu Shimazu, the lord of the Satsuma domain, who wanted to westernize the military, followed the example of the British military band. Its members became the core of the military bands established in the army and navy after the abolition of the domain. It is said that the first time the sound of a military band was heard was when Matthew Perry visited Uraga in 1853.
In the Taisho era (1912-1926), wind bands were introduced into school music, and in addition, children's bands were formed in department stores and amusement parks, and private wind bands were organized to spread their music to the general public.
In 1935, the All Japan Band Competition was held annually and many concerts were held
After World War II, the wind bands lost the opportunity to perform, but were once again adopted in schools as the significance of music for youth education was reevaluated, and their numbers increased and performance techniques improved as new school music education shifted from shoka (chorus) to instrumental music education. In November 1961, the French Garde Republiquaine band visited Japan for the first time and gave a concert that greatly influenced the audience of the time.
Currently, the wind band market in Japan is centered on the All Japan Band Competition, which is held for amateur wind bands (including school bands), of which there are estimated to be 10,000 in Japan. The All Japan Band Competition has selected a "march" as its set piece almost every year (although there have been times when a non-march piece was selected depending on the year of the competition, the system is now such that one or two marches are selected almost every year). One of these pieces is selected as the first prize winner of the Asahi Composition Award, a composition award that began in 1990, and has since become a gateway to success for young wind band composers.
Because of these circumstances, Japan has developed its own concert march, which was used in the repertoire of military bands in the old days, and from the 1980s and 1990s onward, mainly as a set piece for the All Japan Brass Band Competition. It can be said that parade marches have not developed to that extent.
The Japanese concert march is different from that of the U.S., the U.K., or Europe. There is something uniquely cliche about it. If you have heard original works by Japanese composers, you might recognize a few of them. Many of them might have a melodious and romantic sound, influenced by game music or Joe Hisaishi. Excellent marches are not so easy to come by, but the unique atmosphere may captivate you.
Of course, a concert march created by a good composer has nothing to do with game music or Joe Hisaishi, but has its own unique voice. At present, it can be said that it is a mixture of stones and stones. In such a situation, there are many good concert marches that are published by publishers and not assigned for the All Japan Symphonic Band Competition.
The Japanese concert march works available at our store are listed in the link below. Please take a listen.
https://global.goldenheartspublications.com/collections/concert-band-march
Program notes :
This is my first piece for bassoon and it was written in 2016 upon request by Maurizio Barigione, teacher of the Conservatorio di Musica of Trapani, who recorded the piece for the first time. It was first performed in public by me and Massimo Ferretti during LowBb Bassoon Cluster’s Masterclass in Trapani in 2017.
The form is a reimagining of the baroque suite: the overall form and order of the dances is respected but they act more like containers for more modern musical contents.
The notation for this suite is also meant to replicate the baroque notation in which many of the articulations and dynamics are omitted: this doesn’t mean that there are no dynamics or articulations but only that the performer is asked to deduce them and create his own interpretation.
(Ippolito Parrinello)
Instrumentation (Parts included in the set):
Bassoon
Piano
We look forward to receiving your order!
(Shuhei Umemoto, Golden Hearts Publications)
Congratulations to Cosimo Bombardieri!
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Today we started selling four types of "Mozart Memories" sheet music for quartets arranged by Picarband of Italy!
There are four different sets: "Brass Quartet," "Clarinet Quartet," "Saxophone Quartet," and "Mixed Quartet."
You can use any instrument in combination with any other instrument, not just the ones for which parts are included.
Duration:2'50"
Click here for the product page of each set.
MOZART MEMORIES / W. A. Mozart (arr. Picarband) [Brass Quartet]
https://global.goldenheartspublications.com/products/ghpc-04
Trumpet Bb1 or Trombone 1
Trumpet Bb2 or Trombone 2
Euph.1 or Horn F 1
Euph. 2 or Bass Trombone or Tuba
MOZART MEMORIES / W. A. Mozart (arr. Picarband) [Clarinet Quartet]
https://global.goldenheartspublications.com/products/ghpc-05
Cl Bb 1
Cl Bb 2
Cl Bb 3 or Alto Cl
Bass Clarinet Bb
MOZART MEMORIES / W. A. Mozart (arr. Picarband) [Saxophone Quartet]
https://global.goldenheartspublications.com/products/ghpc-06
Soprano Sax or Alto Sax 1 Eb
Alto Sax 2 Eb
Tenor Sax Bb
Baritone Sax. Eb
MOZART MEMORIES / W. A. Mozart (arr. Picarband) [Mix Quartet]
https://global.goldenheartspublications.com/products/ghpc-07
Flute or Oboe
Clarinet in Bb
Horn F
Bassoon
We look forward to receiving your orders!