leroy anderson's PC in C major

[pianistimo]

guess what?!  it just arrived.  my beautiful package.  i danced upstairs with it.  i've been waiting for this for about 2 years.   then, pepper music delayed it's arrival when i finally had the extra money to buy it.  everything arrived EXCEPT that.  but, today -it's a reality.

'born in cambridge, massachusetts (i hate that word massachusetts) on june 29, 1908.  educated through adolescence in the cambridge public schools, leroy anderson then began a long association with harvard university, first as an undergraduate, earning a BA in music, magna cum laude and phi beta kappa, in 1929.  the following year, after studies with george enesco and walter piston, he was awarded an MA, also in music.  he subsquently studied german and scandinavian languages in harvard's graduate school of arts and sciences from 1930 - 1934. 

btw, a recording of this concerto was made by stewart goodyear in 1992 with erich kunzel and the cinncinatti  pops.  it is so great!  i have to find the recording and repost it.

a church organist for several yearsin the 1930's, anderson quickly made an impression as an arranger and orchestator in both boston and NY.  one of his original compositions during this time was to change his life, and the history of popular orchestral music.

in 1938, boston pops conductor arthur fiedler was so impressed by the jazz pizzicato that anderson showed him and which fiedler andthe pops then performed, that he decided to record it.  this recording was an immediate success and anderson embarked on a long relationship with the boston pops during which he wrote many of his most beloved works.

sleigh ride may be anderson's most well known composition, though blue tango at one point eclipsed it in popularity rising to the top of the hit parade charts in 1952.  other favorites are the syncopated clock, bugler's holiday, serenata, a trumpeter's lullaby, the typerwriter, the waltzing cat, fiddle faddle, forgotten dreams, and the irish suite.  in addition to his piano concerto , he made piano arrangments for most of his pieces and wrote a book of piano duets for beginning students.'

this is the first concerto (since the prokofiev first - many years ago) i will attempt to get the pottstown orchestra to play with me. they have a female conductor - which i'm sure will be willing to work with a female pianist.  wish me luck.

[rach n bach]

this is the first concerto (since the prokofiev first - many years ago) i will attempt to get the pottstown orchestra to play with me. they have a female conductor - which i'm sure will be willing to work with a female pianist.  wish me luck.

Right then, Good Luck!     Sounds like fun!

RnB 

[pianistimo]

help!  i think i need help on the fingering.  i thought it would come with fingering.  does anyone have leroy's - or do you think it wouldn't help?  i will work some of my own out and hope someone can help compare them at some point with leroy's or somebody who has worked the piece.

[thalbergmad]

What section do you need help with?

We could go through the score together and see what we come out with.

Thal

[pianistimo]

do you have an original score of mr anderson's that has the fingering?  i think he had rather large hands is the only problem.  do you have ANY score with fingering?  that would be a tremendous help to get started.  or, are you leading me on again - only to dash my hopes at the first possible moment. 

[thalbergmad]

My score has no fingering.

Published by theodore presser.

Thal

[pianistimo]

bring it along.  it will be like the blind leading the lame.  you'd better come or i will be very sad.  i must raise my position from 37th to 36th in this visit.  very competitive, you know. 

bring your banjo, your GPS, the list of your mt blanc accoutriments so i can check it, and an alarm clock.  you are going to have to get up very early.  we cannot reach our mileage goals starting after lunch.  yesterday i was so sore fromt he previous day that i had to rest all day.  but, don't worry. by the time you get here i will be in good form.

ps there is little to no wind in the morning - but we get a bit of wind in the afternoon which makes climbing hills a little bit of a problem.   

[thalbergmad]

I love the way you stay on topic.

Thal

[pianistimo]

august is really a bad month to come for cycling.  there are these knats that fly into your nose and mouth.  they hover in these hurricane formations and when you ride through one they become affixed to you everywhere.  the springtime is much better.  mid-june you get bees flying at 50 mph coming towards you when you are going the same speed at them.  if the bugs don't kill you the roving animals do.

[ptmidwest]

The pedagogy teacher here said that maybe that duet book he wrote for piano beginners may be interesting to use, and to find out more.  Do you know the name of it?  Please?  This could be my second semester project!  Ellen

[pianistimo]

unfortunately, i do not - but i think pepper music carries about everything nowdays.  www.peppermusic.com  or something.  hope that helps!

[ptmidwest]

Thanks, but, well, I haven't found it yet...I'm still looking, though.  Any other hints?  Thanks, Ellen.

[pianistimo]

you could try the leroy anderson site:

https://www.leroy-anderson.com/ or woodbury music co:

https://www.leroy-anderson.com/html/catalog.htm 

strange that i don't see it listed under his piano music - but just checking out your uni library piano sheet music collection would work. 

perhaps it is 'leroy anderson easy piano'  arr. by brimhall?  it doesn't say duet, though.  hmm.  you can buy duets separately here:
https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/pages.html?cart=338320849439631279&target=smp_artbrowseresults.html%26style%3Dartist%26artist%3DLeroy%2520Anderson&s=pages-www.google.com/search&e=/sheetmusic/artist/A/Leroy_Anderson.html&t=&k=&r=wwws-err5

[ahinton]

guess what?!  it just arrived.  my beautiful package.  i danced upstairs with it.

Why must you keep on dancing, Susan - and you with a broken leg and all...

'born in cambridge, massachusetts (i hate that word massachusetts)

Why? What's wrong with it? It's not even as though (initial capital notwithstanding) you can't spell it...

this is the first concerto (since the prokofiev first - many years ago) i will attempt to get the pottstown orchestra to play with me. they have a female conductor - which i'm sure will be willing to work with a female pianist.  wish me luck.

Will you suggest doing the Busoni after you've done that? Seriously, though - good luck!

Best,

Alistair

[pianistimo]

busoni?  not in a million years.  not if my life depended on it.  well, maybe if my life depended on it.  but, only under very forced circumstances. 

no, the next one shall be some obscure composer (or not so obscure).  i would like to write one for myself, frankly.  do you think you could help me witht he orchestration part?  it's been a few years.

[ahinton]

busoni?  not in a million years.  not if my life depended on it.  well, maybe if my life depended on it.  but, only under very forced circumstances. 

no, the next one shall be some obscure composer (or not so obscure).  i would like to write one for myself, frankly.  do you think you could help me witht he orchestration part?  it's been a few years.

Susan, if you want to do that, you should orchestrate your own work; Chopin and Medtner variously found orchestrating piano concerti a chore, but that was no excuse, really. Think of your own orchestral ideas and remember that a piano concerto is, as a rule, for piano and an instrumental group of whatever size you choose - so, GO for it!...

Best,

Alistair

[pianistimo]

so you can have a minimal orchestration and not the entire orchestra.  but, then wouldn't somebody feel left out.  i'd hate to leave out the trombones.  the problem is that i don't remember the clefs of all the instruments.  have to go and refind my little 'key' for that.  whew.   

now - there's finale, sibelius, notion.  which one has the best instrument sounds and will make the prototype good enough for a listen? 

i've been practicing with finale 07 and really like it - but others say sibelius.  i'm confused.  and then , notion has a good orchestra sound (london philharmonic or somesuch orchestra) 

[ahinton]

so you can have a minimal orchestration and not the entire orchestra.  but, then wouldn't somebody feel left out.  i'd hate to leave out the trombones.  the problem is that i don't remember the clefs of all the instruments.  have to go and refind my little 'key' for that.  whew.

It sounds as though you need lessons in orchestration - and why not start that porcess by getting yourself a copy of Norman del Mar's Anatomy of the Orchestra?

Best,

Alistair