Hungarian Dances Nos 11 21

GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK! • Ray McMillian is a Black classical musician on the rise—undeterred by the pressure and prejudice of the classical music world—when a shocking theft sends him on a desperate quest to recover his great-great-grandfather’s heirloom violin on the eve of the most prestigious musical competition in the world. “I loved The Violin Conspiracy for exactly the same reasons I loved The Queen’s Gambit: a surprising, beautifully rendered underdog hero I cared about deeply and a fascinating, cutthroat world I knew nothing about—in this case, classical music.” —Chris Bohjalian, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Flight Attendant and Hour of the Witch Growing up Black in rural North Carolina, Ray McMillian’s life is already mapped out. But Ray has a gift and a dream—he’s determined to become a world-class professional violinist, and nothing will stand in his way. Not his mother, who wants him to stop making such a racket; not the fact that he can’t afford a violin suitable to his talents; not even the racism inherent in the world of classical music. When he discovers that his beat-up, family fiddle is actually a priceless Stradivarius, all his dreams suddenly seem within reach, and together, Ray and his violin take the world by storm. But on the eve of the renowned and cutthroat Tchaikovsky Competition—the Olympics of classical music—the violin is stolen, a ransom note for five million dollars left in its place. Without it, Ray feels like he's lost a piece of himself. As the competition approaches, Ray must not only reclaim his precious violin, but prove to himself—and the world—that no matter the outcome, there has always been a truly great musician within him.

Intermediate and advanced pianists will savor these 42 carefully chosen works. Features include Beethoven's 8 Variations on a Theme by Count Waldstein, and the Sonata in D, Op. 6; Debussy's Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun; Rachmaninoff's Barcarolle, Op. 11; Tchaikovsky's Waltz from "The Sleeping Beauty," Op. 66; Ravel's Rapsodie Espagnole; and many others.

Originally written for piano four hands in 1879, this set of 21 lively dance tunes, mostly on Hungarian themes, are among Johannes Brahms' most popular works today, and they were the most profitable for him in his own lifetime also. In 1850, Brahms was introduced to gypsy-style" music through Hungarian violinist Ede Reményi, including the csárdás "Bártfai emlék" (Memories of Bártfa) by Hungarian composer Béla Kéler, which became the basis for Hungarian Dance No. 5. Arranged for many different instruments and ensembles over the years, this edition for wind ensemble by Graham Sheen orders the song as follows: 11, 3, 16, then5. Instrumentation: 3(3dPicc).2.2+BCl.2+CtrBsn: 4.0.0.0."

Brahms brilliantly captured the spontaneity and passion of Hungarian gypsy music in his 21 Hungarian Dances. In this volume containing dances 11-21, editors Carol Ann Bell and Digby Bell have scrutinized all available autograph manuscripts of the duet, solo and orchestral versions and compared them with the earliest printed editions to produce the most scholarly, critical body of these works available today. Performance notes, helpful fingering suggestions, ornament realizations, and a wealth of historical background are provided.