American Beauty

Amazon.com
Maybe it just seems as if the Nashville Bluegrass Band has more fun than most other bluegrass ensembles. No matter what they add to the repertoire, they always dig in with both feet. Here, they tackle everyone from Flatt and Scruggs, Ralph Stanley, and Vassar Clements to Gillian Welch, Kate Campbell, and Bob Dylan. As usual, Stuart Duncan's blues-drenched fiddle takes center stage along with the quintet's soulful vocal harmonies. While they might be progressive in terms of song selection, a traditionalist spirit and an endearing looseness shine through as do sheer joy and enthusiasm. --Marc Greilsamer

No Depression
...[On] American Beauty, they give [Gillian] Welch's live staple Red Clay Halo opening privileges. It's a delightful, rolling, infectious performance. And for most of the album they maintain that interpretive excellence...

American Beauty

Tracks:

Box Of Rain
Friend Of The Devil
Sugar Magnolia
Operator
Candyman
Ripple
Brokedown Palace
Till The Morning Comes
Attics Of My Life
Truckin'
Truckin' (Single Version)
Friend Of The Devil (Live)
Candyman (Live)
Till The Morning Comes (Live)
Attics Of My Life (Live)
Truckin' (Live)
Bonus Track 1
Bonus Track 2

Amazon.com

Who says discipline is a bad thing? No one who's heard American Beauty, the Dead's greatest studio achievement. Showcasing 10 concise, country-rooted gems that sound equally good whether you're hanging on the front porch in the afternoon or nursing a bottle after hours, this one could win over many an anti-Jerry. Bewildered by loss both personal and social--the hippie dream was quickly crashing by Beauty's 1970 release date--the band put its querulousness ("Box of Rain") and wry humor ("Truckin'") into the service of a masterwork. The most impressive cut of all may be "Ripple," Garcia's spiritual credo. --Rickey Wright

Album Description

Expanded & remastered (HDCD) version of the band's 1970 classic featuring many of the Dead's best-known songs plus 6 bonus tracks 'Truckin' (single version) & 5 live tracks 'Friend of the Devil', 'Candyman', 'Till The Morning Comes', 'Attics of My Life' & 'Truckin'. Digipak. Warner/Rhino. 2003.

Customer Reviews:

"What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been".......2007-06-18

This isn't in the same league as the previous Workingman's Dead. But like that album, American Beauty is a must, even if you're not a Deadhead, and I'm not one. The bad news is that they stretch a couple of these songs to the breaking point (Attics of My Life; Candyman), something they wisely avoided on Workingman's, and while I can't say I hate Till the Morning Comes, it doesn't really impact me all that much.
Now for the rest of the album, which is excellent. The back-porch folk Friend of the Devil is my favorite Dead song ever. The philisophical Ripple, pleasant opener Box of Rain, fine country-rocker Operator, groupie ode Sugar Magnolia, the oddly eerie Brokedown Palace, and the self-mythologizing rocker Truckin' (you know, the one with the famous double entendre "What a long, strange trip it's been!") make up the rest of my favorites. You'll note that's the rest of the album, which basically means "this is a very good album!" Because it is. Far better than the "classic" Live/Dead. This and its predecessor are two essential albums.

True beauty...........2007-04-20

Many love to talk about the Grateful Dead and their marathon concerts. Having seen them 12 times (including the last 2 shows Jerry Garcia did), I can attest to their great live prowess. But they were just as good in the studio, and this album proves that beyond any doubt. This is my favorite Dead album, a country pop masterpiece. The songs here have surprising depth and substance. Robert Hunter's lyrics are the best he ever wrote, and the tunes are absolutely beautiful. This album sounds more countryish than anything (especially on the ballads), perhaps because the Dead were listening heavily to Merle Haggard and country radio at this time. This has that "Bakersfield" sound (as an amazon friend told me), and that's why it resonates so deeply with me, because I love that sound. This album has more depth than current country music. It's a lovely album, arguably the Grateful Dead's best....

a rock masterpiece........2007-03-22

this is the grateful dead's masterpiece. can't be touched. robert hunter's finest batch of lyrics; songs populated by outsiders and misfits doing their thing. divine melodies and harmonies, loads of toe-tapping feel good music. a couple of breathlessly beautiful slow numbers to boot. "truckin'" is as catchy a number as you'll find anywhere, with its propulsive bass rhythms carrying along robert hunter's great lyrics about a drug bust. the song also sports stinging electric guitar licks by garcia, and a chorus that enters your head and stays there long passed what a reasonable leaving time should be. this is great american music. a masterpiece. a classic. not to be missed.

CLASSIC.......2007-03-21

This is by far the best of the dead, no doubt about it. Even if you are not a deadhead or you dont like them that much, get it anyway because some of the best music of the century is on here.

An arrangement of some of the Dead's best songs........2007-03-20

There is no doubt that these songs are among the best in American musical history. If you have never heard the Dead before or want to try to get into them, this might be a good place to start.

But you can't review Dead albums the way you review other bands. 4 stars, because these are good but not the best performances of these songs.

Other bands release their "material" in "albums". Other bands have their songs all written out. The Dead do not just have "songs". They have versions upon versions and arrangments upon arrangements of all their songs...so that their individual songs are more like a framework for the band to build up into a unique artwork at every concert.

If you like the tunes on this CD, I recommend you next get the live album "Reckoning". [...]. There is a whole universe of excellent music out there, once you get into the Grateful Dead.

American Beauty: Original Motion Picture Score

Average customer rating:

It was just what my husband wanted
Film scores rarely stand on their own; Thomas Newman has written one that can.
?
Newman's acclaimed score is worth all the praise it recieved
Brilliant

American Beauty: Original Motion Picture Score
Thomas Newman
Manufacturer: Dreamworks
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Shawshank Redemption: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Road to Perdition (Score)
Angels in America
The Horse Whisperer: Original Score
Meet Joe Black: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

ASIN: B00003XACV
Release Date: 2000-01-11

Tracks:

Dead Already
Arose
Power Of Denial
Lunch W/ The King
Mental Boy
Mr. Smarty-Man
Root Beer
American Beauty
Bloodless Freak
Choking The Bishop
Weirdest Home Videos
Structure & Discipline
Spartanette
Angela Undress
Marine
Walk Home
Blood Red
Any Other Name
Still Dead

Amazon.com

We knew Thomas Newman was versatile (he's created gripping soundtracks for everything from The Shawshank Redemption to Desperately Seeking Susan), but his score for American Beauty is simply gorgeous and one of his best. Filled with inventive instrumentation--tablas, bird calls, dulcimer, banjo, ukulele, detuned mandolin, and more--the score varies between highly rhythmic, world-music influenced passages ("Dead Already," "Lunch with the King") and the more subdued ("Mr. Smarty-Man," "American Beauty"). Throughout, Newman's score is inventive and a great complement to the dark comedy's numerous mood swings. The movie's other soundtrack--a collection of memorable alt-rock tracks--gave us just a sampling of this score. Here's the rest. It's short (37 minutes) but sweet. --Jason Verlinde

Customer Reviews:

It was just what my husband wanted.......2007-06-02

I purchased ths item for my husband because he loves the score of this movie. The CD arrived in adequate packaging, and the product was un-damaged and played perfectly. The haunting sounds of this CD are ideal for sleeping with. Sounds crazy and some of the tracks are sporadic and not good for restful sleep, but with modern technology you can pick the tracks you want to listen to over and over.

Film scores rarely stand on their own; Thomas Newman has written one that can........2007-04-14

I enjoyed reading D. Mok's review, but I am compelled to disagree about the invisibility of the score due to intricacy with the action, mood, and so on of the film. The first time I watched American Beauty I noticed the score. It's so gentle, patient, and gorgeous - I don't know how anyone can miss it.

When I go to watch this movie again - and I have more than once - I am always waiting for the music to move me into the world of the characters. I cannot imagine the film beginning with a better tune than "Dead Already." I cannot imagine the plastic bag dancing without its music. I cannot imagine Lester ogling Angela without his music (and her dancing). And that is one of the secrets of great art - if one's work is so complete that the audience is incapable of imagining a better brush stroke or better placement of music, the artist is viewed as great and an authority.

To pretend that I don't notice the greatness of Thomas Newman's score every time I watch the movie is not only dishonest, but an insult to Newman. I don't think D. Mok intended dishonesty or insult. I believe that the score stands on its own, although in a different way than it stands with the movie. With the movie, it flows easily and naturally. Without the movie, pieces of the film and strong emotions filter into your mind; it's a different experience, indeed, and it's one I recommend to everyone.

?.......2006-12-31

I can't find a song, which is playing when the two cheerleader-girls are danceing infront of they parents and Lester got crush on Angela at the first time?

Newman's acclaimed score is worth all the praise it recieved.......2005-11-24

American Beauty - a great movie with an equally great score. Directed by Sam Mendes, who went on to equally great heights with "Road to Perdition", it is mainly a comedy-drama, though begins to focus more on drama later on. Newman's score perfectly suits the surroundings. It was largely an experimental score, compared to the style of his previous works before this film. However, he delivered quite well and the soundtrack added immensely to the film. This is probably what influenced Sam Mendes to use music so respectfully in "Road to Perdition" - who knows what he would have done had he hired another composer for American Beauty, and recieved a score of lesser brilliance.

American Beauty is characterized by three main motifs. First is the excited vibes and marimbas, second is the gentle piano wanderings, and third is the bearing string pads. The vibe sound is used often throughout the score. It is used to full effect to open the score, then continues to create a dreamlike trance in "Arose" and an upbeat atmosphere in "Lunch with the King". "Bloodless Freak" is repetitive - and that is most likely intentional, to represent the repitition of the character's actions on screen. The first piano theme is introduced in "Mental Boy", admist weird noises which leave abruptly to let it sink in.

If there is one thing that is remarkable about this score, it's that Newman uses themes to denote atmosphere and idea, rather than something blunt, like to denote a character. For instance, the theme in "Mental Boy" is first used to describe the character Ricky filming the family from their window. Later, it is used when Lester is nearing his fantasy about his daughter's best friend. The connection between the two isn't obvious, but it is present, as something, to put it bluntly "weird". Slightly surreal, "wrong" in many ways, dark. In a more positive tone, the theme from "American Beauty", rather than representing a scene or character, it represents beauty itself, and is played at two moments where we catch glimpses of beauty as explained through the characters.

The downside to this score is that some may find it gets repetitive on a constant listen. Many of the motifs are repeated almost exactly as they were previously, and not developed much as one would expect in other scores. For instance, the theme from "American Beauty" repeats in "Any Other Name" in an almost identical way, although with slightly varying string patterns and an extra piano motif near the end. Similarly, "Dead Already" and "Still Dead" do not differ greatly in their presentation.

Thomas Newman has established himself as a diverse and original composer with a unique tone in his music. What astounds me is that he is great with minimalistic instrumentation and odd sounds, but can also strike a chord easily when it comes to emotional, heartfelt music. If you liked American Beauty, I reccomend you check out "Road to Perdition" for more Tom Newman magic.

Brilliant.......2005-10-19

The American Beauty Score is larger than life. Thomas Newman's masterpiece simply kills me with the heart earning everlasting impact of the sound on this score. The Plastic Bag Theme is something that makes my brain wave a million invisible white flags to it's tremendous simple melody. As corny as I might sound, I celebrate most of life's ironic moments by playing this very melody either on my PC or on my mind. American Beauty is my favourite film of all time and it wouldnt have been possible if this magical score was to be left out. The coordination with the story line and the melody is super and quite award winning. This was probably the first score I truly noticed besides Road To Perdition (Another outstanding composition) If you like this try out "The Village" by James Newton Howard. However if you want something better,keep looking. The music contained is creative and refreshes one's own existance like a blood purification process. I think I have said enough so let's just play "dead already" and enjoy our charades. [ Pardon my overdramatic self]

Average customer rating:

Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!
Beginner or Expert
Very Informative and Enjoyable
Frank's view
Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra

Instruments of the Orchestra
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00006O0NT
Release Date: 2002-12-03

Tracks:

Overture To 'Tannhauser'
Domna, Pos Vos Ay Chausida
We Don't Merely Use Instruments, We Play On Them. And They Play On Us.
Hungarian Dance No.7
The Violin Is One Of The Most Tender And Beautiful Instruments Ever Invented.
Violin Concerto In D Major (Adagio)
But For A Long Time It Was Seen As The Instrument Of The Devil.
The Soldier's Tale: Triumphal March Of The Devil
The Manipulative Seductiveness Of The Gypsy Violin.
Csardas Music
The Violin And The Initiation Of Nature
The Four Seasons (Spring, Mvt 1)
Birds Are Again Evoked In The Second Concerto, Especially Music's Natural Favourite.
The Four Seasons (Summer, Mvt 1)
Like The Devil, The Violin Is A Master Of Disguise.
Old Viennese Dance No.3 'Schon Rosmarin'
The Menacing Sensuality Of Ravel's Tzigane: A Very Different Side Of The Violin:
Tzigane
Do We Now Have The True Measure Of This Instrument? Not Just Yet.
Caprice No.24
The Many Effects Of The String Tremolando: Brandenburg Concerto No.4 (Last Mvt)/From Joy To Fright/Quartettsatz In C Minor/The String Tremolo Practically Spells The World Agitato.
Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No.7)
Prokofiev's Tremolo In Romeo And Juliet Should Not Be Heard Just Before Bedtime.
Romeo And Juliet: Act IV
Vivaldi Use It To Illustrate The Shivering Of Travellers Crossing The Ice.
The Four Seasons (Winter, Mvt 1)
The Violin Muted
Clair De Lune
The Gentleness Of Muted Strings Persists Even When A Whole Orchestra Plays.
Piano Concerto No.21 In C Major, K.467 (Slow Mvt)
The Pizzicato Violin
Pizzicato Polka
In Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto, The Accompaniment Is Pizzicato.
Violin Concerto No.2 In G Minor (Slow Mvt)
Varieties Of Pizzicato: Colas Breugnon (The People's Feast)/Now A Drier, Leaner, Hungrier Pizzicato. There's Not A Lot Of Comfort Here./Capriol Suite (Tordion)/The Use Of Pizzicato As 'Percussion'/Romeo And Juliet (Act I)/Mahler Used Pizzicato...
The Planets (Mars - The Bringer Of War)
The Technique Of Double-Stopping Enables The Violin To Play Duets With Itself./Sonata No.3 In C Major For Unaccompanied Violin (Fugue)/Now A Later Example Of The Same Technique
Hungarian Dance No.4
Double-Stopping Is A Standard Feature Of A Lot Of Folk Music.
The Four Seasons (Autumn, Mvt 1)
Now The Same Technique, But The Sound Might Have Come From Another World.
Bolero
Double-Stopping Can Only Approximate The Sound Of A Real Violin Duet.
Cadenza To The Violin Concerto By Brahms
Now Compare That With A Real Violin Duet.
Forty-Four Duos (No. 1: Teasing Song)
Another Duo By Bartok, Demonstrating The Violin's Rich Lower Register
Forty-Four Duos (No.2: Maypole Dance)
And Now What May Be The Most Beautiful Accompanied Violin Duet In History
Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
The Soul Of The Violin Is In Song; But What About This Weird Passage?
Violin Concerto No.1 In D Major (Mvt 2)
The Use Of Harmonies In The Orchestra Can Be Both Magical And Unsettling.
Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 1, Opening)
Tchaikovsky's Use Of Harmonics In The Sleeping Beauty Is Both Strange And Darling.
The Sleeping Beauty (Act II, No.15: Entr'Acte)
Ravel's Harmonics In Mother Goose Effect A Magical Transformation.
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
Stravinsky's Harmonics In The Firebird Transport Us Almost Into Another World./The Firebird (Introduction)
The Natural Upper Notes Of The Violins Have A Unique Emotional 'Grab'.
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Of The Afterworldsmen)
Still In Their Upper Register, The Violins Unleash The Energy Of A Young Colt.
Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No. 4)
Elsewhere, Britten Uses The Same High Register To Create A Very Different Mood.
Four Sea Interludes (Dawn) From 'Peter Grimes'
To End This Outing With The Violins, A Charming Little Elfin Dance
Elfenreigen

Tracks:

Introduction To The Viola
Viola Concerto (Mvt 1)
Khatchaturian Gets A Very Different Sound From It: Fuller, Fruitier, More Exotic.
Gayane Suite No.1 (Armen's Solo)
Very Nearly The Whole Of The Violin's Upper Register Is Also Available To The Viola.
Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'
The Viola Can Bring A Special, Rich Twanginess To Pizzicato That The Violins Lack./Don Quixote/Berlioz Drew Sounds From It That Retain Their Metallic Strangeness Even Today.
Harold In Italy (Mvt 4)
The Muted Viola: Intimate, Gentle, Poignant In Dvork
Cypresses (No.9)
The Massed Violas Of The Modern Symphony Orchestra In Mahler
Symphony No.4 (Mvt 3)
The 'Period' Viola In Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No.6 (Last Mvt)
The Cello: A Voice Of Unique Nobility
Suite No.1 For Unaccompanied Cello (Prelude)
Brahms And The 'Soul' Of The Cello
Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat Major (Mvt 3)
Most Orchestral Composers Tend To Emphasize The Cello's Lower Register.
Cantata 'Herz Und Mund Und Tat Und Leben', BWV 147 (Soprana Aria: Bereite Dir, Jesu)
In The Time Of Beethoven The Cello Remained As Fundamental As Ever.
Symphony No.3 'Eroica' (Finale)
But The Cello Is Not Condemned To Spend Its Life In The Basement.
Elfentanz, Op.39
Not Only In Recital Showpieces Like That Is The Cello Is Used In Its Highest Register.
The Protecting Veil (Opening)
A Cello With An Identity-Crisis: The Pizzicato Flamencan
Flamenco
Double-Stopping In The Lower Reaches Of The Cello's Range
Solo Suiet For Cello And Piano (Sardana)
It's In The Middle Register That The Cello Really Comes Into Its Own.
Oriental Dance, Op.2 No.2
It Was To The Cellos That Beethoven Gave Two Of His Most Famous Themes./Symphony No.5 (Mvt 2)/Still More Famous Than That Theme Is This One From The Ninth Symphony.
Symphony No.9 (Finale)
Introduction To The Double-Bass
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Elephant)
But The Double-Bass Can Be Intensely Expressive And Graceful.
Elegy No.1 In D Major
The Range Of The Double-Bass Is The Greatest Of All The String Instruments/Allegro Di Concerto, 'Alla Mendelssohn'/And It's Also Capable Of Very Considerable Virtuosity.
Capriccio Di Bravura
Double-Bass Solos In Orchestral Scores Are Rare But Often Memorable./Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 3)/In His Third Symphony Mahler Makes A Very Different Use Of The Instrument./Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1)
The Double-Bass Muted In Prokofiev/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Kije's Wedding)/In Another Work Prokofiev Uses The Double-Bass To Enhance The Winds./Romeo And Juliet (Act III)/And He Combines The Bass Clarinet With A Shivering Tremolo From The Double-Basses....
Symphony No.5 (Mvt 3)/So Much For The Strings/On Now To The Winds

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The Antiquity And Magic Of The Flute
Prelude A L'Apres-Midi D'Un Faune
The Versatility And Agility Of The Flute
Orchestral Suite No.2 In B Minor (Badinerie)
The Flute In Fifteenth-Century Spain
Sa'Dawi
Other Flutes: The Bass And Alto
Chamber Music No.II
The Piccolo - Aptly Named
La Naissance D'Osiris (Mvt 6)
From A Piccolo Of The Eighteenth Century To One Of Its Descendants In The Twentieth
Suite No.1 For Small Orchestra (Valse)
A Variety Of Techniques
Chamber Music No.II
Flutter-Tonguing. But Tchaikovsky Got There Eighty Years Before.
The Nutcracker (Act II, No.2: Scene)
From The Transverse To The Vertical: The Baroque Recorder
Recorded Suite In A Minor (Menuet II)
An Unfamiliar, Early Vision Of The Instrument
Naelden, Naelden
The Bachian Oboe
Cantata 'Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott', BWV 80 (No.7: Duetto)
Introduction To The Cor Anglais Or 'English Born'
Symphony No.9 'From The New World' (Mvt 2)
The Loneliness Of The Cor Anglais
The Swan Of Tuonela
The Cor Anglais Joins The French Horn In Haydn.
Symphony No.22 'The Philosopher' (Opening)
Introduction To The Oboe D'Amore, Beloved Of Bach - But Also Of Ravel
Bolero
The Clarinet Family: Boxing The Compass, From The Depths Of The Bass Clarinet.../The Egyptian (Violence)/...To The Raucous And Squealy.../Taras Bulba (The Death Of Ostap)/...To The Shrill And Complaining...
Petrushka (No.8: Peasant With Bear)/...To The High Sprits Of A Playful Puppy./Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)/And To The Downright Jazzy/Romeo And Juliet (Act II)
As The High Clarinets Tend To Be Loud, So The Bass Tends To Be Soft:
Gayane Suite No. 1 (Mvt 5)
The Bass Clarinet Is Used By Most Composers Mainly As A Colouring Agent.../Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/...But It Does Occasionally Get A Whole Tune To Itself./Iberia (Almeria).
The Range Of The Normal Clarinet Parts Goes Quite High...
The Snow Maiden (Scene 5: Melodrama)
...And Quite Low.
Peter And The Wolf (The Cat)
The Clarinet As Concerto Soloist
Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
But That's Not The Instrument Mozart Wrote It For; This Is:
Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
Introduction To The Saxophone
Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 4)
The Soprano Saxophone Has Quite A Different Feel To It.
L'Arlesienne Suite No.1 (Minuet)
The Little Sopranino Sax Goes Even Higher.
Bolero
The Most Famous Use Of The Saxophone Is In An Orchestration By Ravel.
Pictures At An Exhibition (The Old Castle)
The Saxophone Can Be Quite Contagiously Good-Humoured.
Sax-O-Phun
The Puffa-Puffa Image Of The Bassoon
Peter And The Wolf (Grandfather)
The Bachian Bassoon, In Accompanimental Mode
Cantata 'Weichet Nur, Betrubte Schatten' ('Wedding Cantata'), BWV 202 (Aria No.1)
Bizet Leaves The Puffa-Puffa Image Out, Allowing The Bassoon To Sing./Carmen Suite No.1 (Les Dragons D'Alcala)
And Ravel, Also In Spanish Mode, Does Likewise.
Bolero
The Bassoon As A Voice Of High Seriousness, Indeed Desolate Loneliness
Symphony No.3 (Opening)
The Eerie Bassoon In Its Highest Register
The Rite Of Spring (Opening)
Stravinsky Now Draws On Its Lowest Register, Lonely And Melancholy.
The Firebird Suite (1919, Berceuse)
The Bassoon As Concerto Soloist, Avoiding All Exaggeration
Bassoon Concerto In G Minor (Finale)
The Deep-Voiced Contra-Bassoon, As A Fairy-Tale Beast
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
The French Horn Under Its Woodwind Hat
Wind Quintet, Op.43 (Last Mvt)
Now A More Prominent Role, In A Woodwind Quintet From An Earlier Era
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Mvt 2)
The Horn In Harmonious Blend With Strings In Another Quintet
Horn Quintet, K.407 (Finale)

Tracks:

The Trumpet As Virtuoso Soloist
Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Last Mvt)
The Special Brillance Of Paired Trumpets
Concerto In C For Two Trumpets, RV537 (Mvt 1)
The Ceremonial Trumpet
Fanfare For The Common Man
Trumpets And Drums - An Incomparable Alliance
Messiah (The Trumpet Shall Sound)
The Versatility Of The Trumpet, From The Most Public To The Most Lonely
Piano Concerto In F (Slow Mvt)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of The City/An American In Paris/The Trumpet As Recruitment Officer/The Soldier's Tale (The March)/The Trumpet As Swaggerer
Carmen Suite No.2 (Habanera)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of Strength And Courage
Carmet Suite No.2 (Toreador's Song)
The Trumpet Muted/Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Opening)/The Trumpet As The Voice Of Weariness
Billy The Kid
The Trumpet As Character Actor
Pictures At An Exhibition (No.6)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of God
Mass In B Minor ('Et Exspecto')
The Birth Of The Trombone
Aenmerckt Nu Hier
The Birth Of The Brass As A Family
Canzon 12 In Double Echo
The Trombone In The Eighteenth Century
Trombone Concerto In B Flat Major (Finale)
The Tone Of The Tenor Trombone/Romance For Trombone And Organ/The Memorable Voice Of The Bass Trombone/Requiem (Mvt 2)/But The Bass Trombone Is More Than An Instrumental Bullfrog.
Hosannah
The Trombones Become Part Of The Orchestra.
Symphony No.5 (Finale)
The Wagnerian Trombone:/Overture To 'Tannhauser'
The Trombone As Caricaturist
Pulcinella (No.19: Vivo)
The Trombone As Raspberry/Concerto For Orchestra (Intermezzo)
The Horn And The Hunt
Horn Concerto No.4 In E Flat, K.495 (Finale)
The Challenging Horn Of The Baroque
Abaris Ou Les Boreades (Menuet)
The Scarcity Of First-Rate Players In Handel's Time
Walter Music (Minuet 1)
The Horn As Magician/The Firebird Suite (1919, Finale)
Horns And The Sound Of Nobility
Overture To 'Tannhauser' (Opening)
The Special Sound Of The Horn In Its Higher Register
Mass In B Minor ('Quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus')
The Trumpet-Like Sound Of Massed Horns
Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1, Opening)
The Tuba - Unfairly Maligned?
Symphony No.6 (Mvt 3)
The Tuba Perfectly Cast By Ravel
Pictures At An Exhibition (Bydlo)

Tracks:

Introduction. And We Begin With A Bang.
Fanfare For The Common Man/The Bass Drum On The Battlefields/Wellington's Victory, Op.91 (Opening)
At The Opposite Extreme Is The Triangle.
Piano Concerto No.1 In E Flat (Scherzo)
Categories Of Percussion: Tuned And Untuned. The Side Drum
Overture To 'La Gazza Ladra' - The Thieving Magpie (Opening)
The Side Drum In An Effective But Unexpected Role/Clarinet Concerto (Mvt 1)
The Tambourine. One Of The Oldest Instruments In The World
Den Hoboecken Dans
Even Older Is The Originally Oriental Gong.
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
No Single Instrument Can Match The Gong In Evoking The Breaking Of Waves./Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'/But Gongs Don't Have To Be Struck To Be Effective.
Gymnopedie No.2
The Cymbals Are Generally Discovered Early In Life./The Sanguine Fan/And They Do More Than Clash Together Loudly. They Can Be Clashed Together Softly./Studio Example: But They Needn't Be Clashed Together At All/Studio Example: They Can Be Lightly...
Other Untuned Percussion Instruments Include The Whip.: Piano Concerto In G Major (Opening)/And Here Are No Fewer Than Twenty, Cracked By Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (Act I, Scene 5)
More Versatile Than The Whip Are The Wood Blocks.../Studio Example/...Which Crop Up All Over The Place In Twentieth-Century American Music.
Rodeo (Hoe-Down)
Related To The Wood Blocks, By Sound, Are The Castanets./Jota Aragonesa/But The Castanets Were Also Used By Monteverdi Back In The Seventeenth Century.
Scherzi Musicali (Damigella Tutta Belle)
A Still Earlier Example From Fifteenth-Century Spain
Yo M'Enamori D'Un Aire
The Birth Of The Bongo
Symphonic Dances From 'West Side Story'
From The Streets Of New York To The Blacksmith's Shop/Il Trovatore ('Anvil Chorus')
Desert-Island Decibels: Grand Canyon Suite (On The Trail)/Arcana
From One Vegetable To Another: The Humble Squash, Or Marrow/Huapango
Onwards To The Tuned Percussion. First, The Timpani
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Introduction)
But The Drum Roll Can Be More Effectively Frightening Than The Big Bang.: Symphony No.2 'Resurrection' (Mvt 3)
Not One Drum Roll, But Many/Grand Canyon Suite (Sunrise)/Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)
Taking Advantage Of Tunability
Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Mvt 2)
The Russian Composer Rodion Shchedrin Takes A Downward Turn./Carmen Suite (Changing Of The Guard)/Tuned, Yes; But For The Truly Melodic We Must Look Elsewhere.
Introducing The Glockenspiel/Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
Saint-Saens And The Xylophone
The Carnival Of The Animals (Fossils)
Ravel And The Xylophone
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
Introducing The Marimba/Carmen Suite (First Intermezzo)
Introducing The Vibraphone
The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Narange Dolce)
The Vibraphone Goes Russian.../Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)/...And Is Joined By The Marimba./Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
Introducing The Hungarian Cimbalom
Folk Dances
The Cimbalom And The Symphony Orchestra
Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 3)
Introducing The Tubular Bells
Hary Janos Suite (Viennese Musical Clock)
A More 'Up-Front' Approach From Rodion Shchedrin
Carmen Suite (Introduction)
But The Bells Can Also Make The Sinister Even More Sinister./Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
Introducing The Celeste
The Nutcracker (Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy)
Magic, In The Use Of Collective Percussion
Miroirs (La Vallee Des Cloches)
Plucked Instruments: The 'Undercover Percussion'/Carmen Suite (Scene)
A Prime Case In Point Is The Harp, Irresistible To The Romantics./The Nutcracker (Act II, No.1: Scene)/The Non-Solo Harp As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Hungarian Rhapsody No.1
The Traditionally Subservient Role Of The Harpsichord In The Baroque Orchestra
Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Slow Mvt)
The Piano: King Of The Tuned Percussion/Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Mvt 3)/And A Quarter Of A Century After That:
Petrushka (Russian Dance)
The Anti-Romantic Piano As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra
Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Last Mvt)

Tracks:

Keyboard Instruments In The Orchestra - The Most Powerful Of Them All:
Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Finale)
But Things In Handel's Day Were Very Different.
Organ Concerto In B Flat, Op.4 No.3 (Last Mvt)
The Organ Is Difficult To Classify.
An Unexpected, Organ-related Guest
Concerto Pour Zampogna (Last Mvt)
Peasant-Fancying... And A Touch Of The Roaming Cowboy
Les Miserables (Drink With Me)
Outside Artefacts And The Power Of Association
Mahler's Sleighbells
Symphony No.4 (Opening)
A Roll-Call Of Some Unusual Guests/The Typewriter/Parade
Chains, And More/Integrales/An American In Paris/Sandpaper Ballet
Purpose-Built Oddities: Wind Machines/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Opening)
Don Quixote (Variation VIII)
National Calling Cards: The Guitar For Spain/Concierto De Aranjuez (Finale)
And The Guitar's Poor American Relative, The Banjo/Washington Breakdown
And Poorer Still, The Mouth Organ/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Packing Up)
The Balalaika For Russia/Romeo And Juliet (Act II: No.14)
The Maracas For Mexico/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (El Desayuno)
The Bongos And Congas And A Whole Wealth Of Other Drums For Africa And Central America/Studio Example
The Sitar Of India/Evening Raga: Bhapoli
The Accordion For France (Especially Paris)/Paris Canaille
The Zither For Vienna/The Third Man (Theme)
The Cimbalom For Hungary/Folk Dances
The Guitar As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Rondena
There Are Whole Orchestras Of Balalaikas./Sveit Mesiats
The Effect Of The Wordless Human Voice, Used Purely As An Instrument/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
Nocturnes
Instruments And the Imitation Of Nature. The Clarinet As Cuckoo
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Cuckoo)
The Flute As An All-purpose Aviary
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aviary)
The Oboe As Duck
Peter And The Wolf (The Duck)
The Recording Of Reality. Does It Work As Well?
The Pines Of Rome (The Pines Of The Janiculum)
The Recording Of Reality Electronically Reborn In New Guises
Cantus Articus - Concerto For Birds And Orchesra (Mvt 2)
Beethoven Turns Avian: Cuckoo, Nightingale, And Quail
Symphony No.6 'Pastoral' (Andante Molto Mosso)
Some Improbable Casting: The Violin As Braying Donkey
The Carnival Of The Animals (Persons With Long Ears)
A Truly Orchestral Hee-haw To Be Reckoned With
Overture To 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
A Thunderstorm In A Million
Symphony No.6 'Pastoral (Allegro-Allegretto)
the Instrumental Depiction Of A Silent World
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aquarium)
Saint-Saens' Menagerie Takes A Curtain Call.
The Carnival Of The Animals (Finale)

Tracks:

The Grouping Of Instrumental Families. An Additive Approach. First, Two Violins
Forty-Four Duos (No.4)
A Great Contrast, Of Both Pitch And Character: Violin And Viola
Duo For Violin And Viola In B Flat Major, K.424 (Finale, Vars 1 & 2)/Studio Example
Arrival Of The Standard String Trio: Violin, Viola, And Cello
String Trio In B Flat (Menuetto)
The String Quartet: Two Violins, Viola, And Cello
String Quartet In F, Op.18 No.1 (Mvt 3)
The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Viola
String Quartet No.5 In D, K.593 (Adagio)
The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Cello
String Quintet In C (Mvt 3)
The String Sextet: Two Violins, Two Violas, And Two Cellos
String Sextet In B Flat (Mvt 2)
The String Octet: The Standard String Quaret Times Two
Octet In E Flat, Op.20 (Mvt 1)
Double The String Octet: A Fully Fledged String Orchestra
String Symphony No.2 (Finale)
The Massed Strings Of A Symphony Orchestra
Fantasia On A Theme Of Thomas Tallis
Contrasts Of Pitch And Instrumental 'Colour' In The Woodwind Section
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Theme)
In The First Variation It's The Horn That Gets The Lion's Share.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 1
In Variation Two The Torch Is Handed To The Bassoon.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 2
In Variation Three The Oboe Leads.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 3
Variation Four: Conversation Before Returning To A Solo-dominated Texture
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 4
And Variation Five is Dominated By The Clarinet.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 5
The Next To Be Featured Is The Virtuoso Flute.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 6
Individual Farewells And A Closing Chorus
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 7
A Mixed Group: Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, String Quartet, And Double-Bass
Octet In F (Mvt 3)
The Early Classical Symphony Orchestra Of Haydn And Mozart
Symphony No.29 In A, K.201 (Finale)
Strings, Wind, But No Brass. What Haydn And Mozart Never Knew
Canzon 28
Beethoven's Fifth: Two Horns, Two Trumpets, And Three Trombones Join The Team.
Symphony No.5 (Finale)
From Beethoven To The Massive Orchestras Of Berlioz, Wagner, And Mahler
Beethoven Changed The Face Of The Symphony And The Orchestra Forever
Symphoy No.6 'Tragic' (Mvt 1)
The Cult Of Orchestral Elephantiasis Reaches Its Peak.
Symphony No.1 'Gothic' (VI: Te Ergo Quaesumus)
When Large Doesn't Necessarily Mean Loud: Debussy
Images (Gigues)
A Crisis Of Confidence; The Orchestra's Survival Hangs In The Balance, But It Still Develops. The Ondes Martenot:
Turangalila Symphony (Chant D'amour 1)
The Advent Of The 'Early Music' Movement Brings A New Vitality And Freshness.
Balle De Xerxes (Gavotte En Rondeau)
Computer And Synthesiser: Friends Or Foes?
Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
A Speculative Look Ahead/Mass In B Minor ('Dona Nobis Pacem')

Customer Reviews:

Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!.......2007-04-04

This set lends itself to greatly enhancing one's knowledge of the orchestra, instruments in it, and their usage. I am a huge music buff, and I still picked up a great deal I previously did not know. I highly recommend this for all who wish to understand the origin of music, as well as the processes that are employed to create music!

Beginner or Expert.......2007-03-12

This CD is excellent for the beginner or expert! To be able to haear the instrumets separately and then together really provides a good education. and/or refresher. The book thaty comes with the CD is alomost worth the price by itself!

Very Informative and Enjoyable.......2006-11-20

Whether you're a music novice or pro, "The instruments of the Orchestra" is a very worthwhile purchase. The 7 CDs, with a total of 8 hours, are expertly narrated by Jeremy Siepmann. He's a great speaker, very much like the late Leonard Bernstein was. Mr. Siepmann takes you on an unforgetable musical journey covering the origins and use of the various orchestral instruments throughout musical history. The balance between his narration and a wealth of musical examples, which range from snippets to entire movements, is superb. The comprehensive enclosed booklet is excellent and faithfully follows the 7 CDs in content. Even with my 40+ years of music training I still learned new things from this wonderful collection. Considering the excellence of the content, and a cost that translates to about $5 per disc, this collection is a great value. Grab it, you won't regret that you did. Five solid stars!

Frank's view.......2006-08-19

This boxed set of CD's with booklet achieved all I had hoped that it would. There are good samples of individual instruments and well done commentary on each. The only drawback was that some of the samples were too brief and could have been longer, hoiwever I guess this fits in with time constraints of the medium. It has given me a lot of clues as to future purchases of CD's for listening to individual instruments. Altogeth a satisfactory purchase and a welcome addition to my collection.

Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra.......2003-11-08

I've listened to classical music for years and am interested in composition. I bought this CD set to learn how an orchestra and its instruments work. I thought the CDs would be a nice but boring lecture. They aren't! Not only are they FUN but they are informative as well. I learned a huge amount from each CD and couldn't wait to listen to the next one.

The narrator and writer is a great speaker and holds your attention well. He is definitely knowledgeable. He provides musical examples for each point he makes, so you get to "hear" what he just talked about. I'd say the CDs are about 65% music and 35% narration. You'll learn about the range of instruments, some history, different ways to play them, how they sound, and how they are used in the orchestra. This CD set was a great learning experience and is sold at such a low price!

I recommend this CD for those who want to learn about classical music and those who know about it but are interested in learning more about the inner workings of an orchestra. You'll learn much useful information. For instance, the Rite of Spring (with that eerie start) is written for bassoon! I never knew a bassoon could sound like that but now I do.

Tracks:

For the Beauty of the Earth
O Holy Jesus
Morning Has Broken
As the Bridegroom to His Chosen
I Sing the Mighty Power of God
He Shall Freed His Flock
My Shepherd Will Supply My Need
Lord Bless You and Keep You
I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus
Rejoice the Lord Is King!
Jesu, The Very Thought Is Sweet
Pilgrim's Hymn
I Believe in Christ
God So Loved the World
This Is the Christ
For I Am Called Thy Name
Consider the Lillies

Customer Reviews:

Absolutely the BEST !.......2006-05-31

Our church choir sang a few of these songs which I loved, so I decided to order it. It is a very sweet, gentle, inspiring collection of music. Many times when you get a CD, you are fortunate to find 2-4 on there that you really like enough to play regularly. But on this one, every song is wonderful. This music is so spiritually uplifting and peaceful that you will want to play it regularly. Some if may bring some tears it is so beautiful. John Rutter has a way with this type of music. You will probably want to be giving some of these cd's away to those you love.

Great for bringing a child into this world.......2005-12-22

I had this CD on while in labor with my last child. We had a wonderful homebirth and what better then to have the spirit in our home with this music as we welcomed a brand new baby. It helped me relax and helped the birth be peaceful, calm, and spiritual.

CD like new.......2005-10-02

This CD was advertised as "like new" and it was -- in fact, it was still in the plastic wrapper. I couldn't have found a better deal or quicker service. Everything was great!

The Sweetest Music.......2004-06-07

I love this CD. My family and I listened to it over and over and over again, during the last few weeks of my mother's life. It has been a comfort to me in time of sorrow. Now it brings tears every time I listen to it. This music is like loving arms around me. It touches my soul. I've given so many away, I should have bought a case of them.

This is my new all-time-favorite CD!.......2004-04-22

I bought this CD because I had heard "My Shepherd Will Supply My Need" once and loved it. But it's just one of the many beautiful songs on this CD. I'm at a loss to describe what joy this music brings to me each time I listen to it. I carry it from house to car and back again so I can enjoy it wherever I am. I've given away several "Consider the Lilies" CD's to friends and relatives, something I've never done before. Anyone who is facing a serious challenge in life will be uplifted and comforted by this ethereal music.

Average customer rating:

not to great
Not so bad, 100 tunes for 4$
You get what you pay for.
Now I know why there were no song samples to listen to ...

100 Favorite Patriotic Songs

Manufacturer: Bci / Eclipse Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Hymns | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Psalms | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

America's Favorite Patriotic Songs
United We Stand: Songs for America
American Pride: Sixteen Stirring Patriotic Themes
America's Bugle Calls
Patriotic Country

ASIN: B0000A1HT8
Release Date: 2003-08-12

Tracks:

America the Beautiful
All Quiet on the Potomac Tonight
Ballad of the Green Berets
On Top of Old Smokey
Coyote Warrior
Semper Fidelis
Breeze from Alabama
Onward Christian Soldiers
Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming
Patriot
Sweet Betsy from Pike
Marines' Hymn
America Is
When Johnny Comes Marchin' Home
Happy the Soldier
American Trilogy
Home Sweet Home
Washington Post March
Enraptured I Gaze
Jeannie With the Light Brown Hair
Yellow Rose of Texas
Over There
Simple Gifts
Liberty Bell
Star Spangled Banner

Tracks:

God Bless the USA
Yankee Doodle Dandy
Katy Cruel
I Vow to Thee My Country
King Cotton
Beautiful Dreamer
America
American Patrol
Mine Eyes Have Seen the Beauty
Mohican Dream
Red, White and Blue
Some Folks
Liberty Song
Pomp and Circumstance
Hail to the Chief
Bennington Rifles
Peace on the Battlefield
I've Been Working on the Railroad
Under the Double Eagle
Red River Valley
My Country 'Tis of Thee
Camptown Races
Wild Blue Yonder
Hands Across the Sea
Fanfare for the Common Man

Tracks:

Stars and Stripes Forever
Living in America
Home on the Range
Old Colony Times
Clementine
Invincible Eagle
Ring Ring de Banjo
Yankee Doodle
Largo from "The New World"
To a Wild Rose
Hail Columbia
Alexander's Ragtime Band
Gettysburg
Carry Me Back to Old Virginny
Capitan
Prairie Daughter
Little Brown Jug
Marching Through Georgia
Entertainer
Steamboat Around the Bend
Revolutionary Tea
Cassions Keep Rollin' Along
Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier
Amazing Grace
Grand Old Flag

Tracks:

God Bless America
National Emblem
Soldier, Soldier Won't You Marry Me
Anchors Away
Oh, Susannah
Tramp, Tramp, Tramp
Toast
Dixie
St. Louis Blues
Appalachian Spring
Bonnie Blue Flag
Old Hundreth
Swanee River
Battle Cry of Freedom
U. S Field Artillery
Sidewalks of New York
Chester
Auld Lang Syne
Kingdom Come
My Old Kentucky Home
Hail to the Spirit of Liberty
Battle Hymn of the Republic
Shenandoah
Abraham's Daughter
This Land Is Your Land

Customer Reviews:

not to great.......2007-04-04

We were disappointed with this CD, but for the price I guess we can't expect much. I didn't care for the new style presentation of the songs. I like a more traditional rendering.

Not so bad, 100 tunes for 4$.......2005-06-22

I red the comments of two other people who have bought this 4 CD BOX SET and it is not really so bad. I will even add that there are some excellent tunes. However, I must agree with the fact that few tunes seem to have been recorded 40 or 50 years ago, mainly when you hear the scratches of an old turntable but it is just 2 or 3 tunes. Furthermore, if you do not know American music, it is a good BOX SET to buy if you consider that you received 4 CD for 4$ including 100 tunes. On these 4 CD, I have heard some orchestration that I have never heard before and I consider that they are different but interesting. Any way, after hearing these 100 tunes, you will say to yourself that you like this tune, this other tune, this other tune and so on and you will be able to buy a more expensive CD with the tunes that you like. However, I have bought many CDs in the last few weeks and as you know, there are always some tunes that you like and some tunes that you do not like on every CD that you will buy. So, don't buy it at 25$ but at 4 or 5$ dollars, it is a very good choice for 100 tunes.

You get what you pay for........2004-07-04

You get what you pay for. The singers put their own spin on the singing of each song. If you didn't hear the words you would not recognize some of them. Even some of the music sounds like a bad recording of music played on a turntable. Definitely not worth the price.

Now I know why there were no song samples to listen to ..........2004-07-04

I wish this review had been here when I was thinking of purchasing it. I guess you get what you pay for. If you are thinking of buying this, you are better off recording your own CDs (or at least buying one that you can listen to a sampling of the songs). This album includes songs that were mere recordings of the songs playing on an old record player. It's almost so unbelievable that it is funny.

Average customer rating:

The Better of the two
Not as good as version 1 in this series
Same as 'Goostly Psalmes: Anglo-American Psalmody 1550-1800'

Early American Choral Music, Vol. 2

Manufacturer: Hmf Classical Exp.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Psalms | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music

$6.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Early American Choral Music, Vol. 1
Rivers of Delight (American Folk Hymns From the Sacred Harp Tradition)
Wake Ev'ry Breath - Music of William Billings
The Shapenote Album
Lost Music of Early America: Music of the Moravians

ASIN: B00005UVPB
Release Date: 2002-04-09

Customer Reviews:

The Better of the two.......2006-06-03

I have both disc in the series. I liked the music on this disc much more than the first. The selections seem more focused and the sounds are much clearer. Also, the particular pieces fit better together. I love the sound of this group and hope they make more in the future.

Not as good as version 1 in this series.......2004-09-03

This is by the same group who did the wonderful & engaging Early American Choral Music 1. Somehow this CD did not live up to its predecessor in some ways. The performance is still top notch, but somehow the CD as a whole isn't quite as engaging to listen to as the first. Perhaps version 2's strength is also its weakness. Its diversity of composers allows you to pear past the shadow of William Billings and sample other notable early American hymn writers. That exposure is valuable & appreciated. I just couldn't get into it as much.

A final note: many of the texts are beautiful (and available from the publisher's web site). However, I would criticize "Who is this that cometh from Edom?" as dwelling just a bit too much on the Jews' rejection of Jesus. Among other reasons & issues, Christianity says that we are all sinners & there is no cause to single a particular group out negatively.

Same as 'Goostly Psalmes: Anglo-American Psalmody 1550-1800'.......2004-02-21

Please note this CD is a duplicate of His Majestie's Clerkes's "Goostly Psalmes: Anglo-American Psalmody 1550-1800" -- identical contents but a different name and cover. I ordered both and was irritated to discover this. This CD is cheaper, so I recommend this one. It is a lovely choral work from a little-known period of sacred music.

Average customer rating:

Six Decades of Film Music
Excellent collection with fine performances
"essential film scores from 1939 to 2004 ~ Incredible Music"

The Incredible Film Music Box

Manufacturer: Silva America
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Star Wars | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

The Essential Elmer Bernstein Film Music Collection
Paramount 90th Anniversary Collection: Scores
Epics: The History of the World According to Hollywood
The Ultimate Movie Music Collection
Jerry Goldsmith: 40 Years of Film Music

ASIN: B0007S687Y
Release Date: 2005-05-10

Tracks:

Gone With The Wind: Overture
Citizen Kane: Overture
Casablanca: As Time Goes By
It's A Wonderful Life: It's A Wonderful Life
The Third Man: The Harry Lime Theme
The Searchers: Suite
The Bridge On The River Kwai: Colonel Bogey March
Vertigo: Prelude
Touch Of Evil: Main Title
Ben-Hur: Parade Of The Charioteers
North By Northwest: Prelude
Psycho: Suite
The Magnificent Seven: The Magnificent Seven
Lawrence Of Arabia: Overture

Tracks:

To Kill A Mockingbird: Suite
The Great Escape: Main Title
Doctor Zhivago: Main Title & Lara's Theme
The Good, The Bad And The Ugly: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly
Once Upon A Time In The West: Jill's Theme
2001: A Space Odyssey: Also Sprach Zarathustra
Midnight Cowboy: Midnight Cowboy
Get Carter: Main Title
A Clockwork Orange: Ode To Joy
The Godfather: Waltz & Love Theme
Jaws: Jaws
Rocky: Gonna Fly Now
Taxi Driver: Suite
Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope

Tracks:

Superman: Main Theme
Alien: End Title
Raging Bull: Intermezzo From Cavalleria Rusticana
Raiders Of The Lost Ark: Raiders March
Blade Runner: End Titles
E.T.: The Extraterrestrial: Adventures On Earth
Once Upon A Time In America: Deborah's Theme
Back To The Future: Main Theme
Witness: Building The Barn
Aliens: Main Title
Cinema Paradiso: Cinema Paradiso
Glory: Charging Frot Wagner
Dances With Wolves: The John Dunbar Theme
Unforgiven: Claudia's Theme

Tracks:

The Piano: The Heart Asks Pleasure First
Schindler's List: Main Theme
Braveheart: End Credits
Titanic: My Heart Will Go On
Saving Private Ryan: Hymn To The Fallen
American Beauty: Any Other Name
Gladiator: Now We Are Free
Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring: The Fellowship
The Girl With The Pearl Earring: Griet's Theme
Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl: Suite
Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban: Suite
Lemony Snicket's A Series Of Unfortunate Events: The Letter That Never Came
Finding Neverland: Impossible Opening
The Incredibles: Overture

Customer Reviews:

Six Decades of Film Music.......2007-05-13

This is film music for the classical music lover. The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra presents excellent arrangements of a number of classic film themes (although several pieces of the 56 film classics selected for this 4 CD set are not orchestral arrangements, but rather specialty arrangements). Besides great film composers such as John Williams, Elmer Bernstein, Ennio Morricone, and James Horner, classical composers such as Richard Strauss and Pietro Mascagni make an appearance. On several of the numbers the Crouch End Festival Chorus adds the human voice to the power of the full symphonic orchestra to create true movie magic. If you like the sound of a full symphony orchestra playing some of the most recognized themes ever written, you'll love these CDs.

Excellent collection with fine performances.......2007-03-28

Silva Screen Records, based in England, has been issuing some fine collections of film scores, more in one box than we have the right to expect. This four-CD box contains scores by many of the best writers, including Max Steiner, Bernard Herrmann, Dimitri Tomkin, Kenneth J. Alford (The Bridge on the River Kwai), Elmer Bernstein, Maurice Jarre, Ennio Marricone, John Barry, Nino Rota, John Williams, James Horner, and more. We can all think of additional film scores we wished were included, but then there's no way this collection could be all-inclusive. The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, supplemented by Crouch End Festival Chorus on some numbers, does a very competent job...The liner notes give the basic information without any commentary, and as far as I can see, contain only one error. Am I wrong or are tracks 9 and 10 on the fourth CD mislabeled? Track 9, which runs 7:33, seems to have the excitement of "Pirates of the Caribbean" (which I did not see) and track 10, which runs 4:22, the more sedate "The Girl with the Pearl Earring (which I also did not see). Listings seem to have them reversed.

"essential film scores from 1939 to 2004 ~ Incredible Music".......2005-05-16

When I think of the "Golden Age" of Hollywood, many composers come to mind...you gave the usher your ticket in the theater and sat down, knowingly you were going to get your moneys worth...when the curtain opened and you heard those first few notes...you sat back, watched and listened as the film score and orchestra worked their magic...now we have the ultimate from Silva Screen Classics "The Incredible Film Music Box", featuring a four disc set of the essential film scores of the past 60 years...covering several decades from 1939 through and up to the present 2004

There are compilations and then there are "Compilations" beginning with a classic that even the youngsters today recognize "GONE WITH THE WIND" (1939) (Max Steiner), sweeping score that captures the tragic history of the South during the Civil War, one great cue after another, it doesn't get any better than this, nominated by the Academy for Best Original Score...and closing on Disc 4 with "THE INCREDIBLES" (2004) (Michael Giacchino), the big hit in computer animation from Walt Disney & Pixar that once again pit Super-Heroes against the forces of evil...our family of five Supers prove crime doesn't pay, but box-office receipts do...gotta love it!

Silva Screen Classics as usual, has put quality into this 4-CD-Set featuring The City Of Prague Philarmonic Orchestra and the Crouch End Festival Chorus conducted by Kenneth Alwyn, Bill Ashton, Paul Bateman, James Fitzpatrick, Mario Klemens, Derek Wadsworth, and Nic Raine. Recorded in "Dolby Surround" with the new technology of "HDCD", this is a "film-score-buffs" dream, one to treasure now and years to come.

Some selections are missing, but when you think of what Silva has included, it is impossible to please everyone...was happy to see "TOUCH OF EVIL" (1958) from composer Henry Mancini, as I feel this composer deserves all the recognition that has been overlooked recently in the music world...This collection is aimed directly at the "Serious Film Score" music fans and collectors...Silva is as always, perfect in every way...just the way we like 'em!

Total Time: 4-CD-Set ~ Silva America 1181 ~ (5/10/2005)

Reel Chill: The Cinematic Chillout Album

Average customer rating:

"cinema's main stay themes prevail ~ City of Prague"

Reel Chill: The Cinematic Chillout Album

Manufacturer: Silva America
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

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Reel Love: The Cinematic Romance Album
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ASIN: B0002IQGT4
Release Date: 2004-08-10

Tracks:

Sarabande [From Barry Lyndon]
Main Theme [From Midnight Cowboy]
Promenade Sentimentale [From Dive] - Mark Ayres
May It Be [From the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the]
Women of Ireland [From Barry Lyndon]
Adagio for Strings & Organ [From Gallipoli [
Romeo/Love Theme [From Romeo & Juliet)
Balcony Scene [From Romeo + Juliet]
Main Theme [From Chariots of Fire] - Mark Ayres
Main Theme [From Bilitis] - Mark Ayres
Main Theme [From Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence] - Mark Ayres
Main Theme [From Cinema Paradiso]
Main Theme [From Once Upon A Time in the West]
Deborah's Theme [From Once Upon A Time in America]
Suite: The Mission/Gabriel's Oboe/On Earth as It Is in Heaven ... - City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Crouch End Festival Chorus

Tracks:

Suite: Mountains and Sunsets/The Wedding/You Only Live Twice [From You
Heart Asks Pleasure First [From The Piano]
Agnus Dei [From Platoon] - Crouch End Festival Chorus
Vide Cor Meum [From Hannibal]
Adagietto from Symphony No. 5 [From DeAth in Venice]
Any Other Name/Dead Already [from American Beauty] - Rick Clark,
Into the West [From the Lord of the Rings: Return of the King]
Where Dreams Are Made [From Artificial Intelligence]
Main Theme [From Somewhere in Time]
We Have All the Time in the World [From on Her Majesty's Secret ...]
Electronic Battlefield [From Patriot Games]
Now We Are Free [From Gladiator]
Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana [From Raging Bull]
Cavatina [From the DeErhunter]
Main Theme [From Out of Africa]

Customer Reviews:

"cinema's main stay themes prevail ~ City of Prague".......2004-08-15

What a crowning achievement to bring "Reel Chill:Cinematic Chillout Album", released by Silva America and featuring The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and the Crouch End Festival Chorus ~ conductors are Mark Ayres, Paul Bateman, Rick Clark, James Fitzpatrick, Nic Raine and David Temple director of the chorus ~ one can only expect the highest quality of performances and quench the thirst of all "film-score-buffs".

Sit back and unleash the first disc with composers ~ Albinoni, Craig Armstrong, John Barry, Vladimir Cosma, Enya & Nicky Ryan, Handel, Francis Lai, Ennio Morricone, Sean O'Riorda, Nino Rota, Ryvichi Sakamoto and Vangelis ~ taking each film score cue "BILITIS", "CHARIOTS OF FIRE", "CINEMA PARADISO", "DIVA", "GALLIPOLI", "THE LORD OF THE RINGS:THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING", "BARRY LYNDON", "MERRY CHRISTMAS MR. LAWRENCE", "MIDNIGHT COWBOY", "THE MISSION", "ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA", "ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST", "ROMEO & JULIET" and "ROMEO + JULIET", with arrangements that soar and then simmer into pure meditation of grandeur ~ classic film music prevails, as orchestration comes to the surface with pure originality ~ one masterpiece after another is long last presented as it should have been, is cause for celebration ~ each cue is a distinctive gift for striking modernism, touching on the transition of the period in this planets history.

Second disc is waiting in the wings are composers ~ Samuel Barber, John Barry, Patrick Cassidy, James Horner, Mahler, Mascagni, Stanley Myers, Thomas Newman, Michael Nyman, Howard Shore, John Williams and Hans Zimmer/Lisa Gerrard ~ take a musical ride with "AMERICAN BEAUTY", "A.I. ARTIFICAL INTELLIGENCE", "DEATH IN VENICE", "DEER HUNTER", "GLADIATOR", "HANNIBAL", "THE LORD OF THE RINGS:RETURN OF THE KING", "ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE", "OUT OF AFRICA", "PATRIOT GAMES", "THE PIANO", "PLATOON", "RAGING BULL", "SOMEWHERE IN TIME" and "YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE" ~ our composers with passion and skill for exploring human emotions, coupled with a unique gift for striking exotic orchestral colors, make this with all it's splendor unforgettable ~ themes that ring with familiarity as each film comes to mind through music.

Silva America gives the collector a treasure of thirty film cues that any "film-score-buff" would die for ~ in the past James Fitzpatrick (producer), Reynold da Silva (executive producer), mastered by Rick Clark and David Stoner (release co-ordinator) have given us compilation with such expertise and this one is no exception ~ keep up the outstanding limited editions and deluxe package releases, with your signature tidbits for all film music fans that's in all of us...gotta love it!

Total Time: 2-CD-Set ~ Silva America 1161 ~ (8/10/2004)

Average customer rating:

Great sound for a studio album....
Let Their be Songs To Fill the Air
The Classic.
Classic Studio Dead
always wonderful

American Beauty
Grateful Dead
Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

Workingman's Dead
In the Dark
Shakedown Street
What A Long Strange Trip It's Been: The Best Of The Grateful Dead
Live/Dead

ASIN: B000002KBH
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Box Of Rain
Friend Of The Devil
Sugar Magnolia
Operator
Candyman
Ripple
Breakdown Place
Till The Morning Comes
Attics Of My Life
Truckin

Amazon.com essential recording

Customer Reviews:

Great sound for a studio album...........2006-07-08

For a studio release this was great.... Having only seen the Dead in the post Brent days, I can only image the energy in the pig-pen, Wavy Gravy, Good Rev. days.......

If you've never listened to the dead...... what are you waiting for? It's not a social stigma to like good music.....

Let Their be Songs To Fill the Air.......2005-12-02

Now that the Dead are no more (at least the Jerry Garcia version of the Dead), I don't know how often new people are getting turned on to the music. The fun of it, of course, was always to go to a live show, where you had a one in three chance of seeing phenomenal group improvisational musicianship. Even on the off nights, you would listen to a lot of lazy, mediocre jamming but would still probably experience one of those unique transcendental moments at some point, probably late in the second set.

Like most young people, my biases towards bands and music scenes was the product of who I was hanging out with at that point in my life. In High School, I made fun of deadheads. But when I got to college, many of my good friends were into the music or getting into it. With my first shows coming up, I wanted to appreciate the experience. My hirsute, stoner dorm-neighbor Brad (17 years old like the rest of us but he had been growing a beard for several years and was able to buy 3.2 beer at the 7-11) handed me this CD and told me this was the best starter Dead. I listened and liked it. Once I had been to several shows and really appreciated the magic of the scene, I felt that studio Grateful Dead was missing the point. The beauty of the band was that these guys had jammed together so much that they communicated together through their music and had a real chemistry. I've enjoyed many of the newer jambands, but with many of them, Phish being an obvious example, while they can engage in hard-core energetic jamming, the musicians are often stepping on each other's toes. It's often Four-Guys-Jamming, not One-Band-Jamming.

But for someone of the next generation, someone who will only know the Grateful Dead through bootlegs, I don't know how accessible the magic of the live shows will ever be. I know the surviving band members still tour, and from what I've heard it's actually really good. But still, with no disrespect to the remains, there was only one Jerry Garcia and when he was on, there was nothing better.

The studio music is probably the best introduction to the band, and American Beauty is by far the best studio album. With one glaring blemish (the passive-aggressively bland "Operator") the album is flawless. Box of Rain, Friend of the Devil, Sugar Magnolia, Ripple, and Truckin' in particular are the Grateful Dead's stickiest, most contagious music. This album is a snapshot of the Dead during a wonderful moment in their creativity, both musically and lyrically. It captures them at their studio best just the way Europe '72 captures them at their live best.

They weren't always great. But when they were, they were among the best. Buy this album. Play it often. And, please, no need to thank me, just hip somebody else and pass down the favor.

The Classic........2005-08-18

In my opinion, this is the best album they did...Working man is really good though ...and though I am a Dead newby with only 23 shows under my belt...I feel qualified to review the Dead and I feel my review may be the only one you will need since I mainly got into the dead because of Greg Ginn. I'll never forget Anaheim with Dylan and all the Long Beach Arena shows and whatnot...oh how I got drunk and danced to those shows...Lots of happy guys n gals hugging and though I had no gal , I had my Dead...this album has it all; Box of Rain, Friend of the Devil, etc...ITS A CLASSIC , I'm sick of Truckin...but everytime I hear it, I listen nonetheless..Attics of my life ..a beautful song and ofcourse there is the awesome Sugar Magnolia,...I am one of the rare people who thinks Dead studio albums are all really good...and I don't mean "in the Dark'....The shows at the Forum were awesome...I got close enough to almost grab the drums sticks and rock with Mickey Hart ...but I just didn't quite have the courage...nor the talent ; BUY THIS ALBUM...AND TELL A FRIEND...AND CHECK OUT THEIR STUFF ON PBS RIGHT NOW TOO...SHOWS FROM WINTERLAND IN THE 70'S...ITS EXCELLENT. --CLARK HAGINS.

Classic Studio Dead.......2004-05-12

This is their best studio album. What more can I say? Brokedown Palace may be the most beautiful rock song of all time. A must.

always wonderful.......2004-04-07

I'm now 21, and this has been my favorite album since I was 13. Definitly something worth having.

The Movie Album Classical Pictures; John Bayless

Average customer rating:

Wonderful, sensitive playing....
John Bayless is awesome
The One CD in My Collection I Never Tire of Listening To
Gorgeous arrangements. Very dramatic and melodic.

The Movie Album Classical Pictures; John Bayless
John Bayless , Luis Enrique Bacalov , Giacomo Puccini , Michel Legrand , Joaquin Rodrigo , Nino Rota , John Williams , James Horner , Sergey Rachmaninov , and Harold Arlen
Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music
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Romantica
The Puccini Album: Arias for Piano
Christmas Rhapsody
Bach Meets the Beatles: Revisited
Puccini Without Words

ASIN: B000002SLY
Release Date: 1996-11-19

Tracks:

Il Postino, From The Postman - Visi d'Arte, From Tosca
El Canto de Ensarria - The Summer Knows, From Summer Of '42 - Concierto de Aranjuez, 2nd Movement
A Time For Us, Love Theme From Romeo And Juliet- Adagio In G Minor
Theme From Schindler's List - Prelude In C-Sharp Minor - Hatikva (Interlude)
Somewhere Out There, From An American Tail - Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini Variations No.18
When I fall In Love, From Sleepless In Seattle - Liebestraume
Moon River, From Breakfast At Tiffany's - Piano Concerto No.2, 1st Movement
Beauty And The Beast, From Beauty And The Beast - Prayer From Hansel And Gretel
Over The Rainbow, From The Wizard Of Oz - Legends

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful, sensitive playing...........2003-11-02

Ah, reader, consider this album. I have been listening to Bayless music for years, from Bach Meets the Beatles to his crazy happy birthday album in a dozen styles (Stravinsky's Rite of Birthday, a favorite), but this one has something special going on. The playing is so beautifully, and sensitively played that one is really swept away by the original movie tune, interwound with a classical piece, so seamless and amazing. One of my all-time favorite albums.

John Bayless is awesome.......2003-10-13

He's such a great talent, I was lucky enough to meet him almost 2 years ago. I got this CD autographed! :) He was such a nice person and performed so well on the stage. Buy this album, it's really awesome!

The One CD in My Collection I Never Tire of Listening To.......2001-03-24

John Bayless had a vision for this album---to combine the most beautiful classical pieces along with the most romantic and engaging movie themes of all time. The arrangements and the way in which he weaves the varous pieces together, sometimes playing both themes simultaneously, are incredible. They lift you up and carry you away. The various instrumental additions (such as the guitar in track 2, drums in track 6, strings in track 5, the sound of the wind in track 4) add just the right touch---lightly sprinkled in when needed. As a professional pianist myself, I also appreciate his considerable technique and the emotion with which he infuses his music. Anyone who likes classical music and movies should own this CD. Anyone who has friends who like classical music and movies should purchase this CD for them. They will love you for it. It is my favorite CD. I never tire of listening to it.

Gorgeous arrangements. Very dramatic and melodic........1999-11-16

Don't be scared off by the "clown-like" picture on the cover. This album, by a true piano virtuoso/arranger, blends familiar movie and light classical melodies together into unique arrangements. Every time it's been on while I have guests, someone always asks "What's that beautiful music?"

Music Album:

Music Album