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PIANO-DUET Please click image to enlarge and to view excerpts |
WENDY HISCOCKS
COMPOSER
WENDY HISCOCKS PIANIST SHORT BIOGRAPHY CREATIVITY & MUSIC EVENTS PAGE SCORE CATALOGUE: Piano Song Chamber Choral Orchestral Recordings |
| FOUR RUSTIC DANCES (1990 ) Folk dance arrangements.
Duration: 3½ minutes
East Ukranian Dance Tune; Kolo; Tarantella; Kruhove
Tance.
Creativity & Music deluxe edition on special quality paper. Also available in Currency Press edition Australian Piano Music Vols 2, 3 & 4 from AMC. Programme notes These are arrangements of traditional folk dances from various parts of Europe and were dedicated to my mother with the ulterior motive of getting her to practice the piano! The pieces are specifically designed, however, with children in mind, and avoid large stretches or heavy chords. Suggested tempi are indicated in the edition, but all the pieces are playable in a fairly wide range of tempi, making them accessible to near-beginners as well as providing lively showpieces for more advanced young players. So far they have been taken up by children up to the age of 92 years old. |
Four Rustic Dances |
| A DANCE FOR DAVID (1998 )
Duration: 1½ minutes
Programme notes My musical colleague and friend Helen Kasztelan
requested a piano duet that she could eventually play with her recently-born
son David. She also asked if some Latvian folksong could be woven
into the musical tapestry, reflecting the rich Latvian culture passed to
them both through Helen’s mother.
Most duets for adult and child have the child playing the prima part. Musically it suited me to reverse this, especially as I’ve noticed that children rarely enjoy practising a high isolated prima part. Here they can enjoy the most resonant part of the piano. The piece centres on the life of young David. To the opening rhythm of the heart is added the first prima part entry, the dancing of the blood. David’s heritage is reflected by two Latvian folk melodies. The first, at bar 31, is a variation on a christening song; the second, at bar 56, is a cradle song whose accompaniment suggests the stars and David’s celestial origins. Finally the child falls asleep, peaceful and reassured. |
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| DANSE MACABRE (2003)
Duration: 5 minutes
Saint-Saëns’ original arranged for piano duet by Wendy Hiscocks.
Published by Edition Peters EP 7955, ISMN M-57708-637-8
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Danse Macabre |
| TWO JAMAICAN STREET SONGS (2002-3)
Duration: 4 minutes
Mattie Rag; Cookie
Original by Arthur Benjamin arranged for piano duet by Wendy Hiscocks. Not for sale. |
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| INSECT ODDITIES (2004)
Duration: 8½ minutes
Wedding of an Ant; Ladybird Lullaby; Praying Mantis;
Beetle
in the Bottle
Original by Billy Mayerl arranged for piano duet by Wendy Hiscocks. Not for sale. |
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| FOUR PORTUGUESE SONGS (2004)
Duration: 10½ minutes
Children’s choir (or unison voice) & piano duet
Folk song settings with text in Portuguese or Spanish O Grilo (The Cricket); Na Primavera (Spring); Tres Pintainhos (Three Little Chicks); Pastorinha (Shepherdess) Commissioned for performance at the Fifth International Piano Festival in Aviero, Portugal. Premiered by the Coro Infantil de Santa Joana and Roy Howat and Wendy Hiscocks (piano duet) in the Teatro Estaleiro, Aveiro on 26th June 2004.
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Four Portuguese Songs |