| Work | Instruments | Duration and Difficulty (1-6) |
Description | Recording |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Bride | Orchestra 2121-4221-Pc-Tmp-Strings |
14 minutes Grade 4-5 |
Stately wedding processional builds and builds to a joyous dance. Appropriate for many concert situations with love, spring, and family. | Soundcloud.com/williamcopper |
| Holy Day Overture | Orchestra 2221-4221-Pc-Tmp-Strings |
15 minutes Grade 5 |
Substantial tone poem for full orchestra in three continuous parts: The Brooding God (Genesis 1:2), The Happy Gods (Plato, Phaedrus), and the Compassionate God (John 1:29) | Soundcloud.com/williamcopper |
| Echoes of Ellen's Evening | Chamber Orchestra Alto Sax, 2 Perc. |
6 1/2 minutes Grade 4-5 |
Finale from Ellen's Alley stands alone as a cheerful orchestral novelty. Uses two percussion players and alto sax plus chamber orchestra (1111-1110-Strings) . Recording and perusal score available online, use link at left. | Soundcloud.com/williamcopper |
| Whistler | Violin and Chamber Orchestra | 10 minutes Grade 3-4 |
Whistler is a short concerto for violin and chamber orchestra. Available as piano reduction with solo, full score, and parts. Written for and premiered by Diane Monroe, the well-known jazz and classical violinist, first violin of the Uptown String Quartet and the String Trio of New York. | Soundcloud.com/williamcopper |
| Ellen's Alley | Chamber Orchestra | 22 minutes Grade 4-5 |
Popular programmatic suite with a movement for woodwind quintet, a movement for string orchestra, a movement for brass and percussion. First and last of 5 movements for chamber orchestra. | |
| Fugue and Toccata after Cernohorsky | String Orchestra | 9 minutes Grade 3 |
Written for and premiered by the Delaware Symphony, and enjoyed by amateur community ensembles. Cernohorsky, the "Prague Bach", was a leading baroque Czech composer. Baroque passages that string players enjoy, a modern sound that audiences appreciate. | |
| Romance for Violin and Orchestra | Violin and Chamber Orchestra | 10 minutes Grade 4 |
Requested by a violinist who played Whistler. New in 2002, duration about 11 minutes. Dramatic, strong solo part and lyrical, not too difficult chamber orchestra parts. Some metrical modulation involved, requiring an accomplished, confident conductor. | |
| Violin Concerto | Violin and Orchestra | 26 minutes Grade 6 |
Three movement concerto; not yet performed. | |
| Serenade | String Orchestra | 3 minutes Grade 3-4 |
Gem for string orchestra. Rapid scales, pizzicato, and tuneful passages will please any advancing student group, community ensemble, or professional orchestra. No compromises on musical quality necessary to make this work accessible to performers of less than professional skills. Also available for chamber orchestra. | |
| Symphony #1 | Orchestra | 24 minutes Grade 5-6 |
Subtitled, "Southern Living". Prominent horn parts, 4 movements. Based on music from the early opera "Sally Hemings". | |
| Symphony #2 | Small Orchestra | 20 minutes Grade 3-4 |
Written for and premiered by the Wilmington Community Orchestra | |
| Symphony #3 | Large Orchestra | 24 minutes Grade 4 |
Premiered in Newark DE, the Newark Symphony. Based on folk songs collected by a distant relative in Sussex, England, Robert Copper of the Copper Family Singers. | |
| Lullaby Variations | String Orchestra | 6 minutes Grade 3-4 |
Mid-Atlantic Chamber Music Society | |
| Liela Elali | String Orchestra | 10 minutes Grade 3 |
Baltic Suite for Strings without double bass. Folk tunes from Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia. | |
| Night Music | String Orchestra | 6 minutes Grade 4 |
String rhythmic features and sharp dissonance in a sustained drama for strings. | |
| Moonskook | Student String Orchestra | 4 minutes Grade 3 |
Easy; modern sound with glissandi. | |
| Dogwood | String Orchestra | 4 minutes Grade 4 |
Premiered by the Delaware Symphony. Strong dramatic unity in a quiet piece with almost atonal lyricism. Difficult high violin solo, moderately difficult short viola solo. Third of the "Trees of the Mid-Atlantic" series of works. | |
| Maple | Oboe, Trumpet, Horn, String Orchestra | 8 minutes Grade 4 |
Premiered by the Newark Symphony. First of the Trees of the Mid-Atlantic series. | |
| Pine | Flute, String Orchestra | 4 minutes Grade 3-4 |
Premiered by the Newark Symphony. | |
| Sycamore | Clarinet, String Orchestra | 9 minutes Grade 4 |
Winner, composer of the year, by the Delaware Music Teachers Association. | |
| Oak | Chamber Orchestra | 9 minutes Grade 4 |
Premiered by the Newark Symphony. Fifth and final of the Trees of the Mid-Atlantic series. | |
| Raptor Wings | Youth String Ensemble | 2 minutes Grade 2 |
This is a rhythmic piece written for beginners ready for the G string, eighth notes, and a few accidentals. Unison beginning gets the sound of the music firmly in mind before development begins, then your students will easily visualize great swoops of wing soaring through the auditorium. The work may be performed with or without the optional 'cello and piano parts and with the less advanced violinists on the second and third parts. The key signature has one flat (D minor). |
| Work | Instruments | Difficulty | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violins of the Lower School Book 1 | Violin Ensemble | Grade 1 | Arrangements of six short melodies for beginners, string ensemble or violin class duos. Two violin parts labelled "Green" and "Gold" for a group of beginners none of whom should be "first", "second" or "last" violin. |
| Raptor Wings | Youth String Ensemble | Grade 1-2 | This is a rhythmic piece written for beginners ready for the G string, eighth notes, and a few accidentals. Unison beginning gets the sound of the music firmly in mind before development begins, then your students will easily visualize great swoops of wing soaring through the auditorium. The work may be performed with or without the optional 'cello and piano parts and with the less advanced violinists on the second and third parts. The key signature has one flat (D minor). |
| Violins of the Lower School Book 2 | Violin Ensemble | Grade 2 | Six more short melodies for advancing beginners, string ensemble or violin class duos; the use of "Green" and "Gold", and two parts of equal range and difficulty, is perfect for young violinists. |
| Moonskook | Student String Orchestra | Grade 3 | Easy to play, but a modern sound with glissandi that will surprise and intrigue your young students if you have been teaching them mostly baroque music, Christmas songs, and arrangements of popular songs. |
| Fugue and Toccata after Cernohorsky | String Orchestra | Grade 3 | Written for and premiered by the Delaware Symphony, and enjoyed by amateur community ensembles. Cernohorsky, the "Prague Bach", was a leading baroque Czech composer. Baroque passages that string players enjoy, a modern sound that audiences appreciate. |
| Liela Elali | String Orchestra | Grade 3 | Baltic Suite for Strings. Folk tunes from Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia. |
| Serenade | Chamber Orchestra | Grade 3-4 | Gem for string orchestra. Rapid scales, pizzicato, and tuneful passages will please any advancing student group, community ensemble, or professional orchestra. No compromises on musical quality necessary to make this work accessible to performers of less than professional skills. |
| Symphony #2 | Small Orchestra | Grade 3-4 | Written for and premiered by the Wilmington Community Orchestra, an amateur community group. Three movements; interesting woodwind and brass parts (2222 2222 Strings) |
| Lullaby Variations | String Orchestra | Grade 3-4 | Premiered by the Mid-Atlantic Chamber Music Society. High violin solo requires accurate intonation and good musical presence. |
| Whistler | Violin and Chamber Orchestra | Grade 3-4 (Solo Grade 5-6) | Whistler is a short concerto for violin and chamber orchestra. Available as piano reduction with solo, full score, and parts. Written for and premiered by Diane Monroe, the well-known jazz and classical violinist, first violin of the Uptown String Quartet and the String Trio of New York. The solo part is considerably more difficult than the orchestra parts. |
| Pine | Flute, String Orchestra | Grade 3-4 | Premiered by the Newark Symphony. Flute solo with relatively easy string parts. |
| Dogwood | String Orchestra | Grade 4 | Premiered by the Delaware Symphony. Strong dramatic unity in a quiet piece with almost atonal lyricism. Difficult high violin solo, moderately difficult short viola solo. Third of the "Trees of the Mid-Atlantic" series of works. |
| Night Music | String Orchestra | Grade 4 | String rhythmic features and sharp dissonance in a sustained drama for strings. |
| Symphony #3 | Large Orchestra | Grade 4 | Premiered in Newark DE, the Newark Symphony. Based on folk songs collected by a distant relative in Sussex, England, Robert Copper of the Copper Family Singers. Woodwinds and brass in 3's. |
| Maple | Oboe, Trumpet, Horn, String Orchestra | Grade 4 | Premiered by the Newark Symphony. First of the Trees of the Mid-Atlantic series. |
| Sycamore | Clarinet, String Orchestra | Grade 4 | Winner, composer of the year, by the Delaware Music Teachers Association. |
| Oak | Chamber Orchestra | Grade 4 | Premiered by the Newark Symphony. Fifth and final of the Trees of the Mid-Atlantic series. |
| Ellen's Alley | Chamber Orchestra | Grade 4-5 | Popular programmatic suite with a movement for woodwind quintet, a movement for string orchestra, a movement for brass and percussion, and two movements for the full chamber orchestra ensemble. |
| Symphony #1 | Orchestra | Grade 5-6 | Subtitled, "Southern Living". Prominent horn parts, 4 movements. Based on music from the early opera "Sally Hemings". |
| Violin Concerto | Violin and Orchestra | Grade 6 | Not yet performed. |
Copper Music Publications
Hartenshield Group Inc
321 Davis Run Road
McDowell, VA 24458
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