For years now I've been arranging classical works for chamber ensembles, specifically ensembles that include flute. This all started out of convenience. There were certain pieces of music that I wanted to play, but I couldn't find them for sale for the ensembles I was working with. You know what they say, "If you want something done, do it yourself!" Being one of the people who frequently say that, I went to work to fill the gaps.
This work has always been primarily for my own benefit, and for the other musicians I was working with. I've never published any of this sheet music until now, but after hearing a few times "Hey, that's not bad, you should publish it" I started thinking about it. If I wanted to play this piece enough to put in all that effort, maybe someone else would like to use my arrangements too. So I decided to share my work with the world. I'm dusting off my old arrangements and cleaning them up!
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| Cover art ~ Czardas |
I'll need to do some significant editing to get each piece ready, so I have some work ahead of me. After all, there's a big difference between good enough to play on my own and good enough to publish. (Think of it like wearing your pajamas to work) It's important to me that anything I put out there is easy to read and won't hinder a musician in any way. So, I'm updating the engraving to make the notation cleaner, page turns at more convenient times.. I could write a whole post just on my opinions of quality engraving, but I'll spare you the details. I'm also designing cover art for some of these pieces, and even expanding the instrumentations to include substitute parts.
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| Cover art ~ Ragtime du Quebec |
The first piece I made available
is Ragtime du Quebec. This is also the first piece I started with the intention of publishing. It's a collection of rags by Quebecois composers that I've been assembling and arranging for nearly 2 years. (I also have a day job, so these things take time) It's finally finished!
For now, my arrangements are only available as digital downloads. They can be purchased at
sheetmusicplus.com or in the "
Sheet Music Store" here on my website. I may eventually have physical copies printed if there is enough interest to cover the expense.
If you have any suggestions for public domain music that you'd like to see arranged for small ensembles, feel free to contact me. I'm always looking for new ideas.
