A warm summer’s day in London, 1717. King George I, accompanied by a number of lavishly dressed courtiers, has just boarded the royal barge on the Thames at Whitehall. The royal party makes its way serenely upriver, carried on the tide towards their destination at Chelsea. A flotilla of boats accompanies the royal barge, for this is no ordinary expedition—from one of the craft an orchestra of fifty musicians begins to play a new piece by one of the most celebrated composers in Europe...
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Invented by Belgian Adolphe Sax in the 1840s, the saxophone is a relative newcomer in the classical music world. The instruments have also experienced a good deal of prejudice over the years (check out this article here for more on this ). Whilst these factors meant many composers ignored their potential, some great figures did choose to write for these marvellous instruments. Here are the pieces every saxophonist should know!
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"The most important and impactful piece written for the trumpet in the 200 or so years since Hummel’s Concerto emerged from the Austro-Hungarian empire." So said trumpeter Alison Balsom recently as she tackled a new concerto by legendary colleague Winton Marsalis.
This set us thinking. What are the greatest trumpet concertos ever written? Here is our definite list...
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One of the best-known examples of an African-American spiritual, When the Saints Go Marching In is also a Christian Hymn, pop song, jazz standard and more. Performed in churches, jazz and pop concerts it has also found its way into advertising, the movies and even onto football terraces (not to mention nearly forty arrangements here on 8notes!) Here then is the story of one of the world’s best-known, best-loved and most-played melodies.
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One of the best-known works purportedly from the baroque period, Albinoni’s Adagio in G minor has been phenomenally popular since its ‘rediscovery’ at the end of World War Two. As well as appearing frequently as a soundtrack on the big and small screen, it has been adapted for many instrumental combinations, 40 of which can be enjoyed here on 8notes.
Whilst the title of this work would seem to make it’s authorship clear, its history is a controversial one, since the piece may, in fact, be the greatest hoax in musical history.
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Scarborough Fair is a great example of a classic folk song that has been made into popular hit, the version by Simon and Garfunkel now being considered a classic of the genre.
There is much more to this song, however, than their brilliant cover—the song has a long and fascinating history, and there are many other great versions of it, including more than 50 here on 8notes, to enjoy...
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From classic nursery tunes, through to beloved hymns and great works of classical music, Easter, like Christmas has some great music. Luckily, here at 8notes, we have you covered at Easter time, with a great selection of seasonal sheet music. Here are some of our favourites!
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Happy Birthday to You, perhaps not surprisingly, is consistently one of our top five pieces here on 8notes. We have versions for 50 instruments as well as a cool Happy Jazzy Birthday arrangement by composer and 8notes founder David Bruce. Whilst the piece may seem familiar, however, its history is full of surprises and even the occasion whiff of controversy...
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It would be cruel to call Johann Pachelbel a one-hit wonder (especially as we have over 290 pieces by him here on 8notes), but his brilliant and hypnotic Canon in D has certainly penetrated popular culture as few other classical works have achieved, becoming a soundtrack in commercials and movies and a favorite choice of brides and grooms-to-be. But as a source of inspiration its influence goes beyond that and has led to the piece being referred to as ‘the godfather of popular music.’
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Beethoven's famous Ode to Joy is much more than a good tune—it forms a part of a much bigger work, one that pushed the boundaries of music, in the process paving the way for some of the great works of the late-Romantic era.
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