£9.95
Short modern violin and piano pieces are rare, but these can take their place amongst examples from Elgar and the like. Unpretentious and good at making friends Two Idylls attempts to capture the sense of delight in the contemplation of pastoral landscapes, and the perceived serenity of the countryside. For the city dweller passing through such vistas speak of more relaxed times and freedom from constant pressures. There is, however, an underlying sense of not belonging, and in these pieces the tranquil settings are shot through with tensions that will not go away. No specific times or places are depicted, but the composers own recall of a period spent living in the country and his feeling of loss as he looks back to those years, perhaps account for the mixed moods of these pieces.
Piece Description
Short modern violin and piano pieces are rare, but these can take their place amongst examples from Elgar and the like. Unpretentious and good at making friends Two Idylls attempts to capture the sense of delight in the contemplation of pastoral landscapes, and the perceived serenity of the countryside. For the city dweller passing through such vistas speak of more relaxed times and freedom from constant pressures. There is, however, an underlying sense of not belonging, and in these pieces the tranquil settings are shot through with tensions that will not go away. No specific times or places are depicted, but the composers own recall of a period spent living in the country and his feeling of loss as he looks back to those years, perhaps account for the mixed moods of these pieces.
Review: “The late John Marson was well known as a treat orchestral harpist. As a composer, in addition to many works for harp, he has written string quartets, piano trios, and chamber works including harp. These Two Idylls, appropriate for violinists from Grade 7 onwards, are dreamy and melodious, each with a quicker middle section. The second is more challenging, its middle section testing the player’s familiarity with B major, and closing with a free arabesque. The violin parts alone appear somewhat uninteresting, but when heard with the colourful and at times jazzy harmonies of the piano accompaniment, both these Idylls are attractive and satisfying to play.” – David Angel in Music Teacher March 2008
Additional information
| Media | |
|---|---|
| Composer | |
| Instrumentation | |
| Difficulty | |
| Series |
Biography
Biography
Marson, John
John Marson was born in 1932 and died in 2007. He studied the harp with Marie Goossens at the Royal College of Music in London, and in 1958, while still a student, began his professional career with the Carl Rosa Opera Company. A week after leaving college he joined the London Symphony Orchestra for two years before embarking on two decades of freelance work, during which he played solos, chamber music and concerti, worked with all the London orchestras and spent much time in recording studios. He played in many outstanding feature films including the original 'Star Wars'. In 1982 he was appointed principal harp of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and subsequently resumed his freelance career while increasingly engaging in composition, both for the harp and for other instruments and voice. He played for many West End and National Theatre productions including over three years as harpist in Lloyd Webber's 'Aspects of Love'.
The roll call of artists with whom John has worked include the Beatles, Richard Rodney Bennett, Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez, Benjamin Britten, Charlie Chaplin, Bing Crosby, John Dankworth, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Liberace, Martha Graham, Hans Werner Henze, Herbert von Karajan, Otto Klemperer, Zoltan Kodaly, Lorin Maazel, Neville Marriner, Pierre Monteux, Jessye Norman, Laurence Olivier, Luciano Pavarotti, Gennadi Rozhdestvenski, Frank Sinatra, George Solti, Leopold Stokowski, Igor Stravinsky, George Szell, William Walton, John Williams, Stevie Wonder and countless others.
In 1964 John was one of the two founders of the United Kingdom Harp Association, edited its magazines for many years and became President of the Association in January 2005. His book 'The Complete Guide to Harp Glissandi', is published by Lyra Music of New York, while his other major work 'The Book of the Harp - techniques, history and lore of a unique musical instrument', was published by Kevin Mayhew Ltd. in 2005.
Related products
Violin & Piano
These lyrical pieces are essentially nostalgic, although never sad. They appeal to all audiences.
Rhapsody in Several Colors is a Trinity College London Diploma Level ATCL Exam Piece until further notice
Written in response to a request for a piece utilising jazz influences, it is however a concert work suitable for a wide range of recital formats. Rhapsody in Several Colors has been a Trinity College London Diploma Level ATCL Exam Piece since January 2022.
Violin & Piano
Alfonso Cavallaro – Serenade for Violin and Piano Opus Posth. 2 No .1 – Digital Download
Alfonso Cavallaro's Serenade, like its sister composition Tango (also published by Broadbent & Dunn), is essentially a very tonal concert piece, loosely modelled after those of Fritz Kreisler. The composition assumes the familiar 'three-part song form' and is usually performed with Tango.
A melodic and reflective miniature by Paul Lewis, giving the chance to display legato technique and the expressive possibilities of the instruments. Requires sensitivity of performance and use of rubato.
Flute & Piano
Paul Lewis – A Somerset Garland (Flute, Violin or Harmonica & Piano) – Digital Download
Arrangements of Somerset folk songs to give them a new lease of life and introduce them to audiences who might never otherwise hear them. Very popular with audiences, its individual movements are useful as fillers or encores. Martock Jig and Langport March are also playable on Piccolo. It is a very direct and enjoyable work and is also versatile, with versions for flute, violin or harmonica with piano accompaniment. The original harmonica version is very idiomatically written by the composer, who was long associated with the late great virtuoso Tommy Reilly. It is folk material very well suited to the instrument. For teaching studios, conservatories, libraries, amateurs and professionals. The last movement of this work Langport March was a Trinity College London Grade 5 Exam Piece for Flute between 2007 and 2022.
String Quartet
Written above all to be enjoyed by the players, audiences have shown that they too share that same delight. Both of Mason's string quartets are in four movements which exploit the instruments on equal terms, and both are in a musical language that enables the strings to sing as they should. These two quartets will happily share any programme with music from Haydn to Debussy and beyond.