Now is the right time to become an American Federation of Musicians member. From ragtime to rap, from the early phonograph to today's digital recordings, the AFM has been there for its members. And now there are more benefits available to AFM members than ever before, including a multi-million dollar pension fund, excellent contract protection, instrument and travelers insurance, work referral programs and access to licensed booking agents to keep you working.
As an AFM member, you are part of a membership of more than 80,000 musicians. Experience has proven that collective activity on behalf of individuals with similar interests is the most effective way to achieve a goal. The AFM can negotiate agreements and administer contracts, procure valuable benefits and achieve legislative goals. A single musician has no such power.
The AFM has a proud history of managing change rather than being victimized by it. We find strength in adversity, and when the going gets tough, we get creative - all on your behalf.
Like the industry, the AFM is also changing and evolving, and its policies and programs will move in new directions dictated by its members. As a member, you will determine these directions through your interest and involvement. Your membership card will be your key to participation in governing your union, keeping it responsive to your needs and enabling it to serve you better. To become a member now, visit www.afm.org/join.
Soul Asylum has been a leading force on the alternative rock scene since the 1980s. Collected here for the first time are the complete lyrics from more than 40 years of Dave Pirner’s passionate and inspired songwriting. Loud Fast Words offers firsthand commentary from Pirner, a member of Local 30-73 (Minneapolis, MN), reflecting on every album and every song from his repertoire.
Loud Fast Words: Soul Asylum Collected Lyrics, by Dave Pirner, Minnesota Historical Society Press, www.mnhspress.org.
New practical edition of “Sechs Lieder” op. 19 by Richard Strauss from “Lotosblätter” by German poet Adolf Friedrich von Schack (1815-1894). Strauss composed these songs in 1888. He often accompanied his wife, the soprano Pauline Strauss-de Ahna, on the piano and worked with her on interpretations of his piano songs. The resulting entries of the composer are reproduced in this edition.
Richard Strauss: Sechs Lieder for medium voice and piano – op. 19, by Adolf Friedrich von Schack, Universal Edition, www.universaledition.com.
Cellist Jan Kelley of Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA) has published this excerpt for either solo cello or solo viola from Beethoven’s famous sonata for piano No. 14, Op. 27 #2 – the “Moonlight Sonata”. This solo piece takes less than two minutes to play and is perfect for a cellist or violist in these days of social distancing.
Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata – Excerpt for solo cello and Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata – Excerpt for solo viola, arranged by Jan Kelley, Last Resort Music Publishing, Inc., www.lastresortmusic.com.
What goes on in the minds of chamber musicians as they express their feelings through music? Here are five imaginary conversations for flute, oboe, and bassoon, using music rather than words. Sometimes harmonious, sometimes impatient, but like any carefully observed conversation, always complex and interesting. Performers and listeners alike will enjoy puzzling over what the composer had in mind.
Three’s a Crowd (for flute, oboe, and bassoon), by Gary Schocker, Theodore Presser Company, www.presser.com.
La Cathédrale Engloutie is one of the preludes included in Debussy’s first volume of piano preludes published in 1910. There are many specific techniques that are required by pianists and these are replicated, as far as possible, by the different clarinets in this version arranged for clarinet choir.
La Cathédrale Engloutie (The Sunken Cathedral), by Claude Debussy, arranged by Melanie Thorne, Sempre Music, www.sempremusic.co.uk.
Emphasizing the release of tension, both physical and mental, Karen Tuttle’s Coordination Technique not only keeps violists injury-free but it also gives way to a richer, freer sound and more emotional and expressive performances. The Karen Tuttle Legacy is a resource and guide for viola students, teachers, and performers to revolutionize their playing based on what works best for each individual’s unique physiology. Six of Tuttle’s direct and highly celebrated “viola descendants” weigh in, guiding both the teacher and performer to a joyous and free approach.
The Karen Tuttle Legacy: A Resource and Guide for Viola Students, Yeachers, and Performers, edited by Alex Teploff, Carl Fischer, www.carlfischer.com.
This is the life story of the inimitable jazz harpist/pianist/vocalist, social activist, and philanthropist. Hale, of Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA), has worked with and befriended superstars of every generation and is passionately involved in progressive politics. In this book, Hale shares her unique American success story with the no-holds-barred candor that is her trademark.
Corky Hale Uncorked!, as told to Jerry Leichting and Arlene Sarner, Dorrance Publishing Co., www.corkyhale.com.
Flutist Bill Giannone of Local 802 (New York City) took J.S. Bach’s 15 Sinfonias, also known as “Three-Part Inventions,” for piano and transcribed them for three flutes. Bach wrote the sinfonias as short exercises for private practice by keyboard students—which have three-part counterpoint. Compositions in the same style as a sinfonia but using two-part counterpoint are known as inventions. Giannone has taken these instructional piano pieces and scored them for the flute’s range, along with dynamic and phrase markings.
J.S. Bach’s 15 Sinfonias for Three Flutes, arranged by Bill Giannone, Rosebud Music Publishing Co., www.flutesheetmusic.com.
Conducting Opera discusses operas in the standard repertory from the perspective of a conductor with a lifetime of experience performing them. Author Joseph Rescigno, of Local 802 (New York City), opens with a chapter discussing his performance philosophy, then covers operas by Mozart, Rossini, Verdi, Wagner, Bizet, Puccini, and Strauss. The book includes practical advice about propelling a story forward, how to support singers, and staying true to the styles discussed.
Conducting Opera: Where Theater Meets Music, by Joseph Rescigno, University of North Texas Press, https://untpress.unt.edu.
Women at the Piano sheds light on the unheard music and untold story of female composers of the 19th century, offering not only pristine editions of neglected and forgotten musical works, but also insights into the historical context of which these remarkable pieces emerged. Includes selections from Clara Wieck-Schumann, Maria Wolowska-Szymanowska, Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel and many others.
Women at the Piano: Solo Works by Female Composers of the Nineteenth Century, edited by Nicholas Hopkins, Carl Fischer, www.carlfischer.com.
