This collection will benefit all of you who have called wanting ensemble music for a unique group of instrumentation. Here are a few examples of how this music can work – the possibilities really are almost endless:
If your musical family consists of a harp player, viola player, clarinet player, flute player, guitar and accordion player – Simple Pleasures will work for you!
If your church ensemble consists of 3 flutes, 1 harp, a clarinet, 2 guitars and a cello, this will work for you!
If your community ensemble consists of 2 flutes, 2 violins, 4 clarinets, 1 viola, 2 Bb saxaphones, a cello, a tuba, and a harp player, this music will work for you.
If you’re having a party at your house and most guests have brought an instrument, you can pass out the pages and have a ball!
I (Mary) have been at the arranger’s home and brought my soprano recorder and melodica and have played my choice of lines from the pages and had a great time. You can just pass around the music and just about everybody will have something to play!
Regarding the harp part: technically accessible yet full-sounding. Each one-page, musically satisfying harp arrangement can be played as a solo or mixed and matched with the three treble/cello/viola parts (melody, descant, and harmony). The same arrangement is also given one step higher (useful for Bb clarinet). Guitar chords are included, as well as harp fingerings and placing brackets.
Each title has 8 handout pages. Each handout page can stand alone as a trio, or mix and match with the other 7 handouts. You are welcome to make 3 copies of each page for your ensemble players. The pages are not bound in any way, so that you can arrange them the best way for your group: 3-ring, comb binding, folders; whatever works best for you. Volume 2 titles are:After the Battle of Aughrim, Amethyst, Crow’s Nest, A Friend in Need, Girl with the Blue Dress On, Lubec, Oyster Girl, Quadriglia, Soling Anders, Two and Two, Waiting for Rain, Waltz from Norway.
Treble original key (any melody instrument in C; stands alone as a trio or can be played with the harp [or piano])
1-Melody line
2-Descant line (harmony played generally within or higher than the melody)
3-Harmony line, played generally within or lower than the melody
Treble transposed key (one step higher or lower; suitable for Bb transposing instruments; stands alone as a trio as above)
1-Melody line
2-Descant line (harmony played generally within or higher than the melody)
3-Harmony line, played generally within or lower than the melody
Viola original key (will work only for viola clef instruments)
1-Melody line
2-Descant line (harmony played generally within or higher than the melody)
3-Harmony line, played generally within or lower than the melody
Viola transposed key (will work only for viola clef instruments)
1-Melody line
2-Descant line (harmony played generally within or higher than the melody)
3-Harmony line, played generally within or lower than the melody
Cello original key (for all bass clef instruments)
1-Melody line
2-Descant line (harmony played generally within or higher than the melody)
3-Harmony line, played generally within or lower than the melody
Cello transposed key (for all bass clef instruments and suitable for Bb transposing instruments.)
1-Melody line
2-Descant line (harmony played generally within or higher than the melody)
3-Harmony line, played generally within or lower than the melody
7-Harp solo or accompaniment in original key
8-Harp solo or accompaniment in transposed key
I started backpacking with my parents when I was a teenager and now it is a favorite activity that my husband, Dave, and I love to do in the summertime. Being in the solitude of the mountains surrounded by the beauty of the flowers, trees, rivers, creeks, and the snowcapped peaks and canyons is an astoundingly spiritual experience. The tunes in this book are a reflection of the many places we have been over the years. They are: Alpenglow, Lilacs & Lavendar, Moon Over the Mountain, Misty Meadow, Redwood Waltz, The Bride’s Bouquet, Out of the Clouds, Van Gogh Canyon, Sweeten Creek and The Night Sky. No lever changes. The book is set up in the order of keys from 1 flat (F) to 2 sharps (D). There is also a bonus duet of Alpenglow at the end of the book for flute and harp although the flute part can certainly be played on a harp or other melody instrument.
