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£124.95Hyperlink - Peter Graham
Hyperlink was commissioned by the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain (funded by Arts Council England and the Department for Education) for its 70th Anniversary Year. Since the anniversary coincided with other significant celebrations in 2022 (including the Royal Albert Hall/Ralph Vaughan Williams 150th and the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II) it was requested that these also be recognised in some way.
Where better to begin this challenging brief but with a computer search for the NYBBGB founder Dr Denis Wright (coincidently born in Kensington, home of the RAH). The subsequent rabbit warren of hyperlinks led me to structure the work through a series of "associations":
Movement I - The Voice of Jupiter.
Alongside the discovery that Denis Wright had been a church organist was the realisation that while the RAH has hosted thousands of musical events the fabric of the building actually incorporates a musical instrument, the famous Henry Wills organ (aka The Voice of Jupiter).Organ and J S Bach are synonymous (e.g. Toccata in D min) and so both become fundamental to the content of the movement. An opening 7 note quote from the Toccata leads to a mammoth sound cluster, as if every note on the huge RAH organ is sustained. The material which follows is based upon the notes BACH (in German notation). The notes are manipulated in various ways in a 12 tone matrix; reversed, inverted and so on. Other techniques employed in the movement are ones of which Bach was master, including ground bass and fugue.
Movement II - Remember Me.
The lives of Salvationist composer Ray Steadman-Allen (born 1922) and Ralph Vaughan Williams are remembered here, with "RSA" in musical notation and fragments of RVWs famous Tuba Concerto providing the source material.While writing the movement my father passed away and to close his funeral service the family chose the uplifting Robert Lowry hymn They'll sing a welcome home. It seemed fitting to conclude the movement with a reflective setting of the chorus, the repeated phrase "Welcome, welcome home" eventually disappearing into the ether.
Movement III - Vivat.
The finale takes the form of a short fantasy upon Hubert Parry's marvellous coronation anthem I Was Glad, truly a celebratory note with which to conclude.The first performance of Hyperlink was given by the NYBBGB conducted by Martyn Brabbins at the Royal College of Music, London on August 6th 2022.
In stock: Estimated dispatch 1-3 days
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£137.99A Gabrieli Fantasy - Bert Appermont
In this five-movement work, Bert Appermont explores the possibilities that three choruses within a brass band have to offer. For this, he used the Canzon a 12 in echo by Giovanni Gabrieli, which he also used in 2018 for a double chorus trombone octet of the same name. There's a lot to be enjoyed in this fantasy, with its range of motifs, melodic cells and chords plus counterpoint techniques like the canon and imitations. An atmospheric piece of music that presents variation in sound and in stage arrangement as well!
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£68.99The Green Hills of Tyrol - Philip Sparke
The Green Hills of Tyrol was commissioned by Jrena and Beat Knusel for their son, Swiss euphonium player Joel Knusel, to celebrate his 20th birthday in 2019. The request was for a piece suitable for use in a solo competition, possibly using a Scottish or Irish melody, and composer Philip Sparke suggested an 'old-fashioned' air varie might be a suitable idea. The piece follows the well-established formula of a theme followed by four variations. The history of the original melody is fascinating and, although it is now well-known as a bagpipe tune, its background is Austrian or Italian, rather than Scottish. The tune appears as a chorus of Swiss soldiers in Rossini's 1829 opera William Tell but was possibly an existing Tyrolean folk tune. In 1854, during the Crimean War, Pipe Major John MacLeod of the 93rd Highlanders heard a band of the Sardinian contingent playing selections from the opera in camp before the Siege of Sebastopol. He was struck by the melody and arranged it for his pipers, calling it The Green Hills of Tyrol, referring to Tell's visit to that corner of Austria in the opera. It has since become universally popular among pipe bands who usually refer to it as A Scottish Soldier, following the addition of new lyrics in a 1961 hit by Andy Stewart.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£54.99My Way
The evergreen My Way, originally a French chanson (Comme d'Habitude), was written by Jacques Revaux and Gillies Thibault and first released by Claude Francois in 1967. Paul Anka wrote the English lyrics which were used by Frank Sinatra who made it in to the American charts with his world famous interpretation in 1969. Since then the song has been covered by a variety of pop stars, including Elvis Presley. This arrangement is based on the Elvis version and within it the chorus appears in a swinging blues style. This popular song will be ideal for that spectacular ending to your concert.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£57.50A Festive Tribute - Johann Sebastian Bach
A Festive Tribute is an arrangement of a splendid chorus whichBach first used in the secular Cantata 207 of 1726, but is perhapsbetter known in its later version, which appears in Cantata 207a, thedescriptively titled Auf, schmetternde Tone der muntern Trompeten,which cannot be adequately translated but means something alongthe lines of 'let the trumpets sound'. While the lyrics are perhaps alittle obsequious, much of the music for this cantata is celebratoryand lushly scored for a large orchestra including trumpets, oboesd'amore and flutes, making it an ideal piece for a concert bandarrangement.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£59.99Easy Baroque Suite - Jeremiah Clarke
This three-part Easy Baroque Suite has been written for flexible instrumentation, making it possible for almost any instrument to participate. Robert van Beringen made sure the level of difficulty was appropriate for youth and school bands. The suite combines the Voluntary by Jeremiah Clarke, Menuett by Johann Krieger, Spring from Vivaldi's Four Seasons and the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£50.00The Dreaded Groove and Hook - Simon Dobson
The Dreaded Groove and Hook is an up-tempo acid-jazz number that draws inspiration from bands like Jamiroquai and The Youngblood Brass Band. The groove in question is the main tune that is shared round theband, whilst the hook, in 'pop' terms, is the catchy bit of the song. The whole band joins in to play a huge 'riff' that acts as a chorus to the jazz-like verses. The piece was commissioned by JasonKatsikaris and The Leyland Band, who gave the first performance as part of their programme for the Brass In Concert Championships, held at The Sage, Gateshead on the 16th November 2008. It has now been recorded by the same bandandconductor on the CD entitled Penlee.Brass Band Grade 5: 1st SectionDuration: 4 minutes
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£109.10Den store dagen - Benny Borg
This beautiful song contains a huge contrast between the hopeful and the disappointing. A mother has her birthday and is waiting her children to celebrate it. Each verse starts optimistically, but the short chorus is characterized by the disappointment, that everyone calls, and cannot come. This has been tried recreated musically, mostly in the last two choruses, as it dawns on her that she will not receive a visit. It's a beautiful tune, but with a serious message that it's easy to take someone for granted.One of the elements Hjorring Brass Band (DK) came up with after rehearsal, was that they really liked the change between the ballad parts with even eights and the swing parts. This also gives the piece a sense of "parlando" character, which tells a story, and is therefore important to focus. It is not quite simple, as the melody also in those parts with even eights has some triplet rhythms. Therefore, this is a topic you can work on very consciously.If you have heard the Wind Band version, you can notice that both keys and modulation are different in the Brass Band arrangement to sound better for this instrumentation.Regarding instrumentation, Flugelhorn, Solo Horn and Euphonium have important roles, in addition to Solo Cornet. It is also possible to use a vocal soloist, but then you have to soften the melody voices, especially, where small variations in the melody have been made for the wind instruments.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£69.99A Tribute to Elvis
Richard Strauss's Also Sprach Zarathustra is used in this great medley to introduce the King of Rock and Roll. Just imagine him walking onto the Las Vegas stage and then put your whole heart into performing three of his best known hits. An extra touch of entertainment can be added with members of your band singing the chorus to CC Rider. Everyone will love this tribute to the legendary performer.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£54.99Amarillo - Neil Sedaka
(Is This the Way to) Amarillo was first recorded in 1971 by Tony Christie, and was a great hit throughout Europe. In 2005, the re-release of the original Tony Christie version, promoted by the comedian Peter Kaye, was Britain's best-selling single. The catchy melody of the chorus is also widely sung by sports fans and in 2006 it was played at the Football World Cup Final in Berlin. Stefan Schwalgin's expert arrangement will certainly spice up any concert.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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