Product Description
Contains:"Greensleeves" (homage to pianist/composer Liz Story)
- taken from the Isadar solo piano collection, "In Search For The Meaning Of Christmas"
Note: There is another revisited and evolved arrangement, "Greensleeves 2012" also available here on SMP
Sounds like: Liz Story, George Winston, early Windham Hill solo piano artists, "A Winter's Solstice" compilations.
Transcribed by: David Shenton (
https://www.shentonmusic.com/ ) verbatim to the sound recording
Album & Songbook review by: Kathy Parsons (MainlyPiano.com):
I have discovered a real wealth of great solo piano Christmas CDs this year! Isadars In Search For the Meaning of Christmas
definitely falls into this category! Thoughtful, introspective, and a
bit moody, Isadars arrangements are true to the carols (with some small
melody changes in "Bring a Torch" and "Carol of the Bells" that bother
me just a little) and still seem very personal. "Bring a Torch", "The
Holly and the Ivy", and "I Saw Three Ships" are given a lighthearted,
joyful treatment. "Star of Wonder (We Three Kings)", "What Child Is
This?", "The Coventry Carol", and "Sing We Now of Christmas" are all
minor, somber, reverent pieces, and all four are given loving
arrangements that keep the dark, mysterious nature of the songs and
reflect Isadars own sensibilities. "Carol of the Bells" and Isadar's take on Liz Storys
arrangement of "Greensleeves" are energetic without losing all abandon.
"Silent Night" and "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" present us with a
very cold, deep solitude - both feel like late night with moonlight
reflecting off the snow. Both are moody, but very beautifully so. George
Winstons "December" is one of my all-time favorite holiday albums, and
I feel In Search For the Meaning of Christmas holds up exceptionally well next to it. This is an excellent collection of Christmas music, and I highly recommend it!
In Search For the Meaning of Christmas is the
companion songbook to Isadars 1999 solo piano release by the same name.
Meticulously transcribed note-for-note by David Shenton of New York
Music Publishing, the music is faithful to the recording in every way
(except for the pianist - YOU!). The scores are clear, concise, and easy
to read, and also include chord indications for improvisation or the
use of instruments other than or in addition to the piano. Isadars
arrangements cover a whole range of emotions, from very dark and somber
to joyful and buoyant. All of the pieces from the CD are here, including
Isadars homage to Liz Story and her beautiful version of
"Greensleeves." My personal favorites of the eleven songs in this book
are the bright and cheerful "Bring A Torch," "What Child Is This?",
"Greensleeves," the darkly gorgeous "The Coventry Carol," and "Sing We
Now of Christmas." Other titles that I really like are "Children Go
Where I Send Thee/The Holly and the Ivy," "Star of Wonder (We Three
Kings)," "Carol of the Bells," and the effervescent "Three Ships."
"Silent" (Silent Night) and "Midnight" (It Came Upon a Midnight Clear)
are a bit too dark for my own holiday tastes, but are interesting and
very personal arrangements. This book will make a great addition to your
holiday sheet music collection and is available from isadar.com and amazon.com.
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.