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Gary Friedman Compositions |
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| Music Style |
Description |
Instrumentation |
Media |
| Orchestra |
Little
Suite for Orchestra
Sarabande, March, Fugue
The Sarabande is serious and melodic, the March is cute, and the Fugue is an orchestrated version of the Fugue for Four Winds. The Sarabande and March reduced to oboe and piano may be heard under Seven Easy Melodies for Oboe
Duration: 10 minutes Year: 2000
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Orchestra |
Purchase Options
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| Band |
Fantasy on
a March
With frequent changes between major and minor, the stirring
march themes reappear as romantic melodies. Of special interest
are the trumpet and piano solos, and a section for oboe, clarinet,
horn, bassoon and piano, in homage to Mozart and Beethoven,
who wrote beautiful quintets for this combination of instruments.
Duration:
5 minutes Year:
2000
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Concert band
with Piano |
Purchase Options
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| Concerto |
Alpenhorn
Variety Pack
This contains music in several styles,
both slow and lively, for solo alpenhorn and orchestra. A
piano is included in the orchestra, but if not available,
other instruments are provided with cues for the piano passages. There
have been three performances in 2006 — two indoor and
one outdoor.
Duration: 6 or 8 minutes, depending
on whether an optional repeat is taken. 2005
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Alpenhorn
and
Orchestra with Piano |
Purchase Options
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| Concerto |
Theme and Variations for Er Hu and Orchestra
The er hu is a two-string Chinese violin, which I heard during a visit to China in August 2006. I liked the bold tone very much and decided to compose a piece for it. The theme and ending are written in Chinese style using the pentatonic or five-tone scale. The six variations move into Western harmonies and a variety of rhythms. The world premier was held on February 10, 2008. Matt Springer is soloist with the San Francisco Civic Symphony.
Duration:About 11 minutes. 2007
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| Concerto |
Concerto
for Trumpet and Orchestra
The first and third movements are lively, the second is reflective.
There are several solo passages for other players. This was
first performed by professional musicians including John Thomas,
trumpet soloist, at Bard College on August 1, 2003. The orchestra
was tiny, with only one player per string part, one each of
flute, oboe/English horn, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, trombone,
and two percussionists. The audio recording is provided here.
There have been four other performances: soloist Richard Welker
with the San Francisco Civic Symphony, February 8, 2004, soloist
William Essert with piano reduction played by Mary Sharman,
May 23, 2004, Tom Dickerson, soloist, with the College of
Marin Orchestra, May 14, 2005, and Brian Hertz, soloist, with the San Francisco Composers Chamber Orchestra, June 9, 2007.
Duration:
about 15 minutes Year:
2003 |
Trumpet, either B flat,
C, or E flat, and orchestra. Chamber orchestra is sufficient.
Piano reduction of orchestra score is available. |
Allegro
Adagio
Allegro
Purchase Options
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| Chorus |
At
My Window
A musical setting of the poem by Linda Pastan, this choral
work is about winter and the feelings evoked by falling snow.
The string orchestra accompaniment was written to satisfy contest
rules, but an organ fills the bill quite well. There is also
a piano accompaniment version which was performed by the College
Chorus of the College of Marin on December 8, 2005.
Duration:
3 minutes Year:
2001 |
Chorus
(soprano, alto tenor, bass) and String Orchestra, Organ or
Piano |
Purchase Options
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| Vocal |
The Great
Sea
This is a musical setting of the poem by Elizabeth Spires.
The horn passages and undulating piano accompaniment contribute
to the oceanic feeling communicated by this haunting introspective
poem.
Duration:
10 minutes Year:
2000
Musicians: Paula Arciniega - mezzo-soprano, Alicia Telford - horn, John McCarthy-
piano |
Vocal
- mezzo-soprano or contralto, French Horn, Piano |
Purchase Options
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| Vocal |
blizzard
This is a musical setting of another winter poem by Linda Pastan.
The falling cold, crisp snow and the blowing winds are depicted
in the piano accompaniment.
Duration: 4 minutes Year:
2001 |
Vocal
- mezzo-soprano or contralto, Piano |
Purchase Options
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| Vocal |
I
Do Not Love Thee Three Ways
A musical setting of the poem, I Do Not Love Thee, by Caroline
Elizabeth Sarah Norton. The music attempts to express the speaker's
denial of the obvious. There are three musical settings. The
first version is spare, with only flute accompaniment. The
second is in baroque style with flute and cello accompaniment.
The third is a blues-style version with piano added.
Duration:
4 minutes Year:
2002
Musicians: Paula Arciniega mezzo-soprano, Stephanie McNab - flute, Emil Miland
- cello, John McCarth - piano |
Flute/Piccolo,
Cello and Piano.
Vocal - mezzo-soprano or contralto |
Adagio
Moderato
Swing
Purchase Options
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| Vocal |
Sophie's
Children's Songs
Sophie Friedman, my granddaughter, wrote 4 short poems for
school when she was 8 years old. I set these to music in the
form of little children's songs. The song shown with View First
Page is Winter-Summer Diamante. The audio provided is of Halloween.
A diamante is a diamond-shaped poem starting with one word
in the first line and ending with one word in the last line.
Duration:
about 2 minutes
for each of the
4 songs Year:
2002
Musicians: *Paula Arciniega - mezzo-soprano, John McCarthy - piano |
Vocal
- mezzo-soprano or contralto and Piano |
Halloween
Purchase Options
all proceeds go to Sophie
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| Vocal |
Windmill
Song
This was written by invitation to be played by the San Francisco
Civic Symphony at a ground-breaking ceremony for restoration
of a windmill in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. The original
poem, set to music here was written by Lisa Yanover. It has been sung three times by John Kendall Bailey, once with orchestra, once with wind ensemble, and once with piano.
Duration:
7 minutes Year:
2004 |
Vocal
- Baritone and orchestra. The orchestra score has also been
reduced to a 14-piece wind ensemble plus timpani and simply
to a piano accompaniment. |
Purchase Options
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| Vocal |
Adam's Task
This is a musical setting of the whimsical
poem, Adam's Task, by John Hollander. The musical depiction
of many of the imaginary animals named by Adam is humorous.
Duration: 8 minutes Year: 1999 |
Baritone,
Clarinet in A,
Piano |
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| Cello
with Piano |
Variations
on Eliahu, a Passover Theme
The form and harmonies of this piece are
mostly traditional, but there are a few surprises. There is
a "cantorial" cello
cadenza.
Duration:
8 minutes Year:
1998 |
Cello,
Piano |
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Options
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| Oboe
with Piano |
Autumn
The melodies are romantic. This piece won First Prize in the
Composers Today Competition, Adult Division, Music Teachers Association
of California, 1999.
Duration: 3 minutes Year:
1999
Musicians: Janet Popesco Archibald -oboe, John McCarthy - piano |
Oboe,Piano |
Purchase Options
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| Oboe
with Piano |
Seven
Easy Melodies for Oboe with Piano Accompaniment
These were written at the suggestion of Janet Popesco Archibald,
my oboe teacher, who expressed a need for more nice pieces
for oboe students early in their training. Because of these
students' relatively poor endurance, the piano takes over
the melodies in places to give the oboist opportunities to
rest. They are suitable for beginning and intermediate level
students, both young and adult. Piano cues appear in the
oboe part so more of the melodies can be played on the oboe
when appropriate.
First Melody is derived from the cheerful
parts of First Melodies (above) with the rhythm simplified.
Belvoir is a piece I composed as a teenager but never
wrote down before. It is named after the street I lived
on at the time, in University Heights, Ohio. It may well
be the most beautiful of the seven melodies. The two Hamelin
pieces are from my Pied Piper of Hamelin (above). Hamelin
Before is the happy melody in C major depicting Hamelin
before the Pied Piper arrived. Hamelin After depicts Hamelin
after the town lost its children. The notes of the melody
are the same but they are played slower and the harmony
is sad, in A minor. In the original woodwind quintet version,
the Hamelin After melody is played on English horn. The
Sarabande and March melodies are from Little Suite for
Orchestra (above) and March Fantasy is derived from Fantasy
on a March (above).
Audio recordings are available here of all seven melodies.
Belvoir appears twice, first played with the other six melodies,
all played by Heather Morris, piano and me. The second Belvoir
is played by Janet Popesco Archibald, oboe, and John McCarthy,
piano.
Duration:
2 minutes each Year:
2000
Musicians:
Gary Friedman
- oboe, Heather
Morris -
piano
*Belvoir
Musicians:
Janet Popesco
Archibald
- oboe,
John McCarthy
- piano |
Oboe,Piano |
First Melody
Belvoir
Hamelin Before
Hamelin
After
Sarabande
March
March Fantasy
* Belvoir
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| English
Horn and Harp (or Piano) |
Reflections
A slow, romantic, introspective piece that is attuned to the
special characteristics of the two instruments. The harp part
may be played on piano.
Duration: 4 minutes Year:
2002 |
English
horn, Harp |
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Options
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| Winds
(Chamber) |
The
Pied Piper of Hamelin
The settings, characters and events in
this classic legend are depicted in the music. The narrative
is the poem by Robert Browning, somewhat shortened and edited
by Lawrence James, Headmaster of Black Pine Circle School in
Berkeley, CA. This has been performed at several schools and
is recommended for both elementary and middle schools. It
was professionally recorded in 2005 by Citywinds with Lawrence
James narrating, and you may download and listen to 2 of the
10 tracks.
Duration:
20 minutes Year:
1999
Musicians:
Esther Landau
- flute/ piccolo,
Laura Reynolds
-oboe/English
horn, Dania
Esterman -
clarinet,
Zachary Limacher
- horn, Charles
Moehnke - bassoon. |
Woodwind
quintet and narrator (Flute doubles on Piccolo and Oboe doubles
on English horn) |
Track 1
Hamelin Town
Track 6
Pied Piper Leads
The Rats Out
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| Winds
(Chamber) |
Fugue
for Four Winds
This engaging fugue is fun to play and nice to listen to. It
won Second Prize in the Composers Today Competition, Adult
Division, Music Teachers Association of California, 1999. Groups
that have performed it include a double-reed quartet (oboe,
two English horns, bassoon), woodwind quartet (flute, English
horn, clarinet, bassoon-as in the accompanying audio), saxophone
quartet (soprano, alto, tenor, baritone), and clarinet quartet
(three B flats, bass).
Duration:
4 minutes Year:
2000
Musicians: Stephanie McNab - flute, Janet Popesco Archibald - English horn, Carey
Bell - clarinet, Jenny Gunter - bassoon |
Woodwinds
- several possible combinations
also transcribed
for Organ |
Purchase Options
Other
You
may purchase:
Score and set of the following
5 parts (part 1 for flute or oboe, part 2 for English
horn , part 3 for English horn, part 3 for Bb clarinet,
part 4 for bassoon) from Forrests
Music for $10.00
Saxophone quartet score
and parts (soprano, alto, tenor, baritone) from Gary
Friedman for $12.50
Clarinet quartet score
and parts (3 Bb’s and bass) from Gary
Friedman for $12.50
close |
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| Winds
(Chamber) |
Fugue
#2
This is my second fugue for four winds. It is lively like the
first, but the players and listeners are provided some respite
by a chorale-like passage in the middle.
Duration:
4 minutes Year:
2001 |
Woodwinds
- several possible combinations |
You
may purchase:
Score and set of double-reed parts (oboe, English horn
2 bassoons) from Forrests
Music for $10.00
Saxophone
quartet score and parts (soprano, alto, tenor, baritone)
from Gary
Friedman for $12.50
Clarinet quartet score
and parts (2 Bb’s, 2 basses) from Gary
Friedman for $12.50
close |
Purchase Options
Other
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| Winds
(Chamber) |
Horn
(or Bassoon) Wind Quartets
These quartets were written for flute,
oboe, clarinet and horn because there are so few pieces for
this combination. If a woodwind quintet group assembles and
the bassoonist is late or cannot attend, there is little that
can be played by all the others. The horn part can also be
played on a bassoon; a bassoon part in concert pitch is provided.
Thus, these pieces can be played by a standard woodwind quartet.
Also provided is the clarinet part transposed for English horn.
Since the flute part can be played on oboe, these pieces can
be played by a double reed quartet consisting of two oboes,
English horn and bassoon. I have written 64 of these
and the first 3 are sold together. The second set of 3 will
be available in July, 2006. You may download and listen to
#1 and #2 as played by Citywinds.
Duration:
5 minutes each Year:
2004 for
the first 3,
2005-2006 for
the second 3.
Musicians: Esther Landau-flute, Laura Reynolds-oboe, Bruce Foster-clarinet, Zachary
Limacher-horn. |
Flute,
Oboe, B flat Clarinet, horn. A transposed horn part for Bassoon
and a transposed Clarinet part for English horn are also provided |
Quartet #1
Quartet #2
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| Winds
and Piano (Chamber) |
First
Melodies
This piece contains contrasting mysterious and joyous sections.
Duration:
5 minutes Year:
1999 |
Trumpet,
English horn, Piano |
Purchase Options
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| Winds
and Piano (Chamber) |
Sextet
for Winds and Piano
The first movement is an arrangement for these instruments
of Fantasy on a March (above). The second movement is slow
and romantic and, I think, one of the best pieces I have composed.
The third movement is light-hearted and contains a contrapuntal
section with substantial dissonance.
Duration:
15 minutes Year:
2001
Musicians: Stephanie McNab -flute, Janet Popesco Archibald - oboe, Carey Bell
- clarinet, Alicia Telford - horn, Jenny Gunter - bassoon,
John McCarthy - piano |
Flute (doubling
on Piccolo), Oboe, Clarinet, Horn, Bassoon, Piano |
Moderato
Andante
Lively
Purchase Options
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| Winds
and Piano (Chamber) |
Rondo Giocoso
This is probably the liveliest,
most fun piece that I have written. It is mostly in 5/8 time
and contains a nice fugue.
Duration: 5 minutes Year:
2001
Musicians: Janet Popesco Archibald - oboe, Alicia Telford
- horn, John McCarthy -piano |
trio
for oboe
or trumpet, French horn
or bassoon, piano |
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| Mixed
Chamber |
Quartet
for English Horn and Strings
There are two movements, Adagio and Allegro. The
piano reduction allows this to be played as an English horn
and piano duet.
Duration: 10 minutes; each movement
5 minutes. Year: 2006
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English
horn, violin, viola, cello; piano reduction of the string parts |
Purchase Options
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