Guitar Arrangement: "Nu Te-ndoi Ci Crede" N. Moldoveanu, T. Dorz - Florentin Tise, Classical Guitar

"Nu Te-ndoi Ci Crede"

Lyrics: Traian Dorz

Music: Nicolae Moldoveanu

Traian Dorz was a lyricist and Nicolae Moldoveanu was a sacred composer, both from Romania, both from the underground church. They were both persecuted for their Christian faith. Many of their works were written while being persecuted. 

This song was written around the year 1964. The message of the song is one of hope and faith, in the midst of trials. Here is a partial translation of the text:

"Do not doubt, but believe that after every cloud

There's a sun, even more sweet, even more bright

It is not the cloud which lasts, but the sun will win

And he remains in the end"

Much like the words of apostle Paul in the book of Philippians, the song is a great testimony of enduring faith in the face of trials and persecution. 

The guitar arrangement is my own. 

 

Greensleeves - What Child Is This - Florentin Tise

 

This piece was written in the Renaissance by an anonymous author and it was called Greensleeves. It is a secular love song. Later, the text was adapted and transformed into a sacred song for Christmas. Here is one of my own arrangements of the piece. 

George Frederick Handel: The Messiah

 Messiah is one of the most celebrated sacred works of the last three centuries. Written by George Frederick Handel (1685-1759), it has been performed by ensembles of different formats, with the Hallelujah chorus being the most famous chorus of all time.

Written in 1741, it took Handel only 24 days to complete the entire oratorio. The libretto (text) was created by Charles Jennens and it was inspired by the King James version of the Bible. The entire work focuses on Christ's work in his birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension, with a great emphasis on Old Testament prophecies regarding Christ, and their fulfillment.

The musical score is immense and has proven to be not only great performance material, but alos great material for serious music study. At the end of the manuscript, Handel wrote the letters "SDG" which stand for "Soli Deo Gloria" ("To God Alone The Glory"). This is an inscription also used by the great J.S. Bach in his own manuscripts. It should be noted that the original score was much smaller than many versions we hear performed today. Later composers wanted to give the work a bigger sound, and many added instruments to the orchestration. Lately, there have been some acclaimed ensembles that returned to the original score, which is much smaller than what we are used to hear. Just as an example, the original arrangement called for thirty-two chorus members: sixteen men and sixteen boys, plus the four solos. Not the big sound we are used to hearing during the holidays on TV and Radio!

The first performance was give in Dublin and it raised a considerable amount of revenue, and Handel donated all of it to three charities:

• prisoner's debt relief
• local Mercer hospital
• local charitable infirmary

Besides helping the Mercer hospital and the local infirmary, Handel's contribution freed 142 indebted prisoners.

There were seven hundred people in the audience at the first performance on April 13. In order to allow as many people in the audience as possible, it is said that all men were asked to remove their swords, and all the ladies were asked not to wear hoops in their dresses... The local press praised the performance using these approximate words: "Words are wanting to express the exquisite delight in afforded to the admiring and crouded Audience" (Luckett, pp. 127-28).

A local clergyman, Rev. Delaney, was supposedly so overcome by the performance of "He Was Despised" (an alot solo) that he jumped to his feet and shouted: "Woman, for this be all thy sins forgiven thee!" (Hogwood, pp. 22-25).

Below is a drawing of the Great Music Hall in Dublin, where the Messiah was first performed. 

Many performances followed in the years and decades to follow, and especially after Handel's death, music performance venues always gathered large audiences eager to hear the Messiah. Today, the Hallelujah chorus and most of the oratorio Messiah is celebrated and performed around the world. 

Does Anyone Use A MUSIC Practice Log Anymore?

Does Anyone Use A Practice Log Anymore?

Many musicians will remember the old days when the weekly lesson would start with the instructor checking the practice log.

Even though practice logs come is so many different formats, they seem to convey the same message, or answer the same questions: what did the student accomplish in terms of technique, etudes, and repertoire?

With the technological advances today, when students use their smart phones to access YouTube videos or their iPads to find a new Pentatonic scale position, who cares for a practice log anymore?

There are numerous benefits from using a practice log, including assessment, planning, and motivation. Using one on a regular basis can only benefit both the student and the instructor.

As stated above, practice logs can come in different formats, and each individual could design their own log, according to their own needs. Also, some standard practice logs are available from reputable publishers.

I have also created a practice log for my students. It is a system that I used myself for many years, and especially during my classical guitar lessons while attending college. At that time, it was in a hand-written format, but the content was pretty similar.

I am providing this system here, in a weekly-log format. It is a chart that can be copied and used again and again, every week. The system can be used for music lessons with an instructor but also in the absence of an instructor.

I invite you to take a look at my Weekly Practice Log System.

Four Page Document:
• cover page
• benefits of using a practice log
• directions for use
• weekly practice-log chart (print multiple copies)

Purchase This Item On My Website (sent to you via email)

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Hymn Story: Silent Night

Silent Night is undoubtedly one of the most known and loved Christmas carols ever written. Translated in numerous languages and arranged for different vocal and instrumental combinations, the hymn has been sung and played around the world for many decades.

The composer was Franz Gruber of Austria, and he wrote the hymn a few days before Christmas, in the year 1818. Tradition reports that the pipe organ at the church was broken, and a day or two before Christmas Eve, the composer quickly re-wrote the arrangement for guitar and voices. 

The hymn later received a lot of attention due to an episode involving soldiers from opposing armies, during World War I. The year was 1914, on the battlefield of Flanders.

It is said that American soldiers and German soldiers were engaged in battle on Christmas Eve. Suddenly, in the middle of the fierce battle, a German soldier stood up, white flag on his rifle, and started singing: “Stille nacht, heilige nacht…” After a short while, others join in from both sides, and soon the entire battle scene was transformed into a place of worship where soldiers on both sides continued to sing this carol, each in their own language.

The story continues by saying that all soldiers laid down their arms and had a Christmas celebration that evening, and the following day on Christmas, where songs were sung, food was shared, and soccer games were played. The third day, they returned to battle…

Oh, Those Boomwhackers!

 Using a great variety of instruments  is always a good idea, and boomwhackers are certainly a great addition to any music classroom.

First, they are quite affordable. Buying instruments for one’s music classroom can be costly. Acquiring a set of Orff instruments can cost thousands. On the contrary, getting two or three sets of boomwhackers can be done with a little less than $100.

Second, they can be used with any song arrangement, and are quite easy to play on, no matter what age the student is. It is true that they are not very loud, and their sound can easily be covered by louder percussion instruments, but if the song is arranged properly, the boomwhacker part could be heard sufficiently.

Third, they are fun to play! All children, especially elementary school children, love to play the boomwhackers. It is an instrument where the teacher never has to ask the students to “play softer” or to even worry that the instrument is going to break.

Adding boomwhackers to live stage performances can not only improve the music, but it will also make for a more pleasant visual experience for the audience. The fact that boomwhackers come in different lengths and different colors allows for different arrangements on the stage which can create quite a pleasant image to the audience.

Oh, those boomwhackers!

Using The Guitar As A Teaching Tool

I use the acoustic guitar in my Music class on a regular basis, not just as part of teaching guitar material, but also as a General Music teaching tool.

Since I am primarily a classical guitarist, I end up using a nylon string most of the time. It is true that nylon string guitars are softer than steel string guitars, but I prefer nylon so I keep my fingers, and my right-hand fingernails in good shape.

I find the use of the instrument for the following activities quite beneficial:

           

            • accompanying class songs

            • accompanying recorder pieces

            • demonstrating chord construction

            • aiding students with small composition song-writing projects

The fact that the guitar is so affordable, so portable, so practical, and oh, so much fun to play, makes it an ideal choice for a classroom instrument.

An additional benefit is that one can practice small sections of repertoire pieces, short etudes, and short technique excerpts, while waiting for the next class to show up :O)

Of course, there is a full size piano in my room also, and I use it quite often. The guitar, however, is quite different, very personal, and it allows me to move freely around the room. 

Domenico Cimarosa (1749-1801)

Domenico Cimarosa (1749-1801)

Italian composer of the Classical Period.
Wrote more than 80 operas, and other works, instrumental and vocal.

Domenico came from a very poor family.
He attended a free school in Naples.
Impressed by the boy's intellect, his teachers kept him in school and
introduced him to the rudiments of music.

During the French Republic occupation, he was imprisoned and
given a death sentence. However, he was later freed.

He later died, due to health problems acquired during his imprisonment.


Cimarosa's best-known work is Il Matrimonio Segreto which was written in 1792.

Is This Becoming The New "Normal" School Scene?

Here's a shot of earlier this morning in Connecticut. What seemed like a normal Friday morning at a K-4 elementary school, turned into a nightmare for many children, parents, teachers, the entire country really.

A K-4 building? Shooting at defenseless children? How evil can someone get?



A very sad, sad day in America today. Here are two children, waiting in the forest to be reunited with their family.

Oh, the day when all evil will be done away with, once and for all!!!

Winter Concert 2012

Our Winter Concert 2012 went very well. Here is the repertoire:

Fourth Grade:
• I'll Be Home For Christmas
• Snow Day!
• Hanukah, Time For Joy

Fifth Grade:
• Warm & Fuzzy
• Rockin' The Classics
• Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow


Sixth Grade:
• Bad Day
• Battle Of Jericho
• Wind Of Change

Chorus:
• God Bless The U.S.A.
• Waka Waka
• Home

A wonderful performance by all students!

Hymn Story: Joy To The World

Hymn Story: "Joy To The World"

Music: George Frederick Handel, Lowell Mason

Text: Isaac Watts

Even though "Joy To The World" is one of the most famous hymns for Christmas, it was not originally written for Christmas. 

The lyricist was Isaac Watts (1674-1748), an English author of over 600 hymns. He was best known for his collection entitled "Psalms of David Imitated In The Language Of The New Testament" (1719), a collection in which he paraphrases all but five of the 150 psalms. 

Displaying a high interest in theological and literary study at a very early age, Isaac Watts begins writing hymn texts, driven by a strong desire to improve what he considered a sorry state of congregational worship music of the church in his day. 

The text of "Joy To The World" is based on Psalm 98, which is a proclamation of God's sovereignty and also an anticipation of his day of judgement.

The tune is believed to have been created by George Frederick Handel (1685-1759), one of the greatest composers of the Baroque period and of all time. Later, the American composer and music educator Lowell Mason (1792-1872) adapted this tune into the song we sing today. Lowell Mason is credited as being the founder of American music education. Since there was no funding for music classes in schools, Mason funded the program himself. Throughout his lifetime, Lowell Mason wrote at least 1600 hymns and choruses.

When the hymn was published by Mason, Americans embraced it and labeled it as a Christmas tune, even though the original intention of the composer/lyricist/arranger was not to create a Christmas song. 

The music is elegant, simple, and majestic. A wonderful example of a masterful use of the major scale. The first notes in the tune are built on an entire descending major scale. From there, the entire tune uses those same notes, in different patterns, without using any other notes. 

"Joy To The World", whether sung at Christmas or anytime throughout the year, remains a great example of the immense impact one simple song can have from one generation to the next. 

Psalm 98:4 NIV

"Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music."

Photo Credit: "Adoration of the Shepherds" by Gerard van Honthorst, 1622 

R.I.P. David Brubeck

The great Jazz composer/pianist, David Brubeck, died on Wednesday, one day before his 92nd birthday. "Take Five" is one of the Jazz standards he was given credit for, even though it was written in collaboration with his saxophone player. Rest in peace, Dave Brubeck!

Music Classroom Inventory System

Use this system to organize, categorize, locate, and easily account for all items in your music classroom and even in your entire music department.

Can be used successfully for schools and churches. 

The system has multiple categories for items (musical and non-musical) and gives you the ability to update the information on an ongoing basis.

The system also enables you to deal with defective items in the classroom.

A great way to provide music inventory information to the administration in your school district, or the leadership at your church, when required. 

The document provided here has 10 pages. Your finished product could have 20+ pages, or even more, depending on the item count in your classroom or department. 

A great system for music inventory.

I use it every year and I love it!

Click To See My Inventory System

Just installed the Blogger Android app on my phone. This is even better than just accessing the blog online on the phone.

Cool!

Two Sets Of Offers On TeachersPayTeachers

I just listed two sets of bulk items on TeachersPayTeachers.
If you are interested, check them out below.

Safety Board Game: LOT OF 6

Scrapbook: LOT OF 37

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Web Blog vs. Mobile Blog

I am accessing the blog on my mobile phone for the first time. It appears that the mobile version of the website is more limited, but I can easily switch to the web version. Time to go to bed!