Results
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£31.40African Trio - Kenneth Downie
As it's title suggests, this piece consists of three distinct elements, all of which maximise the stylish creativity of Kenneth Downie's renowned writing talent.After a rich, warm and hymnal opening 'movement' based upon Kum Ba Yah, the work develops and lifts into a fascinating take on 'The Lord's Prayer'. Bringing the piece to an even more positive, up-tempo close is the final section which references the South African traditional song We Are Marching (Siyahamb' ekukhanyen' kwenknos')Kenneth Downie composed this work in support of a charitable project, known in 2005 as Brass Band Aid. The organisation called for original compositions to be included in a follow-up CD release - Into Africato help raise funds for projects in Adet, Africa, and to build awareness of theMake Poverty History campaign. African Trio was featured on the CD with a recording by The National Youth Band of Wales.Now that the original BBA projects are complete, funds raised by the titles we publish from theBrass Band Aidseries continue to support other music-related projects on a regular basis.Look and Listen (performance courtesy of Golden Gate British Brass Band in 2019):
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 3-5 working days
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£31.40Dignity - Alan Fernie
Alan Fernie created this beautiful work in support of a charitable project, known in 2005 as Brass Band Aid. The organisation called for original compositions to be included in a follow-up CD release - Into Africa to help raise funds for projects in Adet, Ethiopia, Africa, and to build awareness of the Make Poverty Historycampaign.This work offers a quiet, peaceful interlude. No technical fireworks, just a simplicity which reflects the dignity of the people in Ethiopia, despite the hardships they endured.'Dignity' was in fact the second donation of music made by Alan Fernie in support of the project (his first being African Funk which has featured in many a band's programme). It was recorded by the Scottish Co-Op Band and featured on the Brass Band Aid CD - Into Africa.
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 3-5 working days
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£31.40Heed the Word - Lucy Pankhurst
Lucy Pankhurst created this impressive work in support of a charitable project, known in 2005 as Brass Band Aid. The organisation called for original compositions to be included in a follow-up CD release - Into Africa to help raise funds for projects in Adet, Africa, and to build awareness of the Make Poverty History campaign.Lucy's creativity and imagination are very prevalent in this work - a complete mix of powerful energy and poignant emotions flow from the score. A strong use of pulsating drums are balanced with sheer tranquility and rich chords. It exudes hope and positivity and perhaps, through its title, offers a gentle warning to listen carefully to the concerns that are aired around us - not least in recognition of the challenges facing the very communities the CD was aiming to help.The work was recorded by the Prairie Brass Band, US and featured on the Brass Band Aid CD - Into Africa.
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 3-5 working days
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£31.40Hymn for Africa - Peter Meechan
Part of the Brass Band Aid SeriesBrass Band Aid is a Charitable Organisation formed by members of Stanhope Silver Band, based in the North of England. From an original aim to raise awareness of the Make Poverty History campaign in their local area, a brass band CD recording was planned. The initiative took on a whole new dimension when the collection of local bands performing on CD were then joined by, what is now known as, The Brass Band Aid Celebrity Band, made up of many of the top brass musicians in the country.Following the success of this initial project the Celebrity Band has come together again to record a new CD - "Into Africa". This is a compilation of pieces especially written for the recording by some of the most esteemed brass band writers of today. 'Hymn for Africa' is one such piece, generously contributed by Peter Meechan in support of the ongoing work of the charity."Hymn for Africa is inspired by the the release of Nelson Mandela in the early 1990's and the effect it had upon not only South Africa, but all over the continent of Africa, as well as the World as a whole. The fact that one man can achieve this with peace and great dignity will always be an inspiration, not only to me, but many, many millions of humans around the globe.sense of dignity and peace the composer . A simple 8 bar melody, first heard on an unaccompanied flugel horn at the beginning, is the basis of the composition. A drone is then added, before a chorale, and finally a rousing climax when the percussion and full band enter. The piece ends at it began, with a peaceful, unaccompanied, flugel solo." (Peter Meechan).All sets sold raise money for Brass Band Aid - a charity The Music Company has continued to actively support since 25.
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 3-5 working days
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£31.95Adam Zero, Suite from (Brass Band - Score only)
Selected as the Section 2 test piece for the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain 2025Following his ballet Checkmate, Bliss composed another score for the, by then, Sadler's Wells Ballet, Miracle in the Gorbals, which was choreographed by Robert Helpmann, to a scenario by Michael Benthall. Premired in 1944, the ballet made a considerable impact and was a box-office success. It was followed in turn by a further collaboration with Helpmann and Benthall, Adam Zero. This would serve Helpmann, in the eponymous role, as a vehicle in two respects: demonstrating his gifts as a dancer-actor and as a choreographer. First performed at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, on 8 April 1946, Adam Zero was conducted by Constant Lambert, the work's dedicatee. Bliss considered it 'his most varied and exciting ballet score'. Benthall provided a synopsis for the programme:There is a philosophy that life moves in an endless series of timeless cycles. As Nature passes through Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, so man is born, makes a success in his own particular sphere, loses his position to a younger generation, sees his world crumble before his eyes and only finds peace in death. This age-old story is told in terms of a Company creating a ballet and calling on the resources of the theatre to do so. Lighting, stage mechanism, dance conventions, musical forms and costumes and scenery of all periods are used to symbolize the world of 'Adam Zero'.Apart from Adam, as the Principal Dancer, other main roles included the Stage Director (representing Omnipotence), and Adam's Fates (Designer, Wardrobe Mistress, and Dresser). 'The Woman in this allegory', wrote Bliss, 'under the symbol of the Choreographer, was both the creator and destroyer of Adam: his first love, his wife, his mistress, and finally the figure of beneficent Death.' When the curtain rose, the 'audience saw the Covent Garden stage right back to the wall, completely empty except for the protagonists, 'the Company poised, still and expectant, as they await the birth of... Adam Zero.'Unfortunately, soon after the premire, Helpmann injured himself and had to withdraw from the remaining performances. Despite generally positive reviews, the ballet did not capture the imagination of audiences and, to Bliss's considerable disappointment, was not revived. Seventy years would elapse before its first major return to the stage, in 2016, performed by the ballet company of Stadttheater Bremerhaven with choreography by Sergei Vanaev.Bliss extracted a concert suite from the ballet, conducting its first performance with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra on 28 October 1948. For his own suite, arranged for brass band in 2023, Dr Robert Childs chose three dances linked to the seasons, book-ending them with the ebullient 'Fanfare Overture' and 'Fanfare Coda'. After Adam has grown to manhood, his Fates clothe him in a costume synonymous with confident youth, appropriate for the virile, ardent 'Dance of Spring'. In the 'Approach of Autumn', Adam, now wearing a sombre costume, has grown older: his Fates have streaked grey in his hair and put lines on his face. But they had earlier raised Adam to the zenith of his power, and the 'Dance of Summer' depicts him in the prime of life, in music of sweeping grandeur. The 'Fanfare Coda' signals that the next cycle of life is about to begin.Duration: 10.30
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£31.95A Tale of Hope (Brass Band - Score only)
The piece tells the story of Chicago lawyer and Presbyterian church elder Horatio Gates Spafford. In 1873, the Spafford family planned a vacation to England, but last-minute business demands prevented Horatio from sailing with them. Tragedy struck when the ship collided with an iron sailing vessel while crossing the Atlantic, killing 226 people, including all four of Spafford's daughters. His wife, Anna, survived the tragedy, and upon arriving in Cardiff, Wales, she sent a telegram to Spafford that simply read "Saved alone." Shortly afterwards, as Spafford travelled to meet his grieving wife, he was inspired to write the hymn It Is Well with My Soul as his ship passed near where his daughters had died. The hymn was subsequently set to music by fellow American Philip Bliss, with the tune named after the ship on which Spafford's daughters died, Ville du Havre.Composer Steven Ponsford has chosen to portray this story in a substantial composition for brass band. Much of the early music is turbulent, reflecting the long voyage, and then the disaster that claimed Spafford's daughters. After a darker 'Grave' section, the hymn It Is Well With My Soul softly emerges, with the piece ending on a note of optimism and hope.Duration: 11.30
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£31.50
Primo (Score and Parts)
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£31.95Beyond the Falls - The Smoke That Thunders (Brass Band - Score only)
David Livingstone was a renowned Scottish missionary and explorer whose legendary expeditions from 1841 until his death in 1873 took him deep into the interior of central and southern Africa. While his initial aim was to spread Christianity and commerce, his legacy became defined by his relentless spirit of discovery.This work captures the harrowing and ultimately triumphant journey that led to his discovery of Victoria Falls. Originally composed for the GUS Band's performance at the 2012 Brass in Concert Championships, the work was expanded in 2026 for the Black Dyke Band's recording, Gothique Fantasy - The Music of Andrew Wainwright.The music opens with an air of trepidation, reflecting the weight of the mission ahead. This tension soon gives way to a more optimistic section featuring the Scottish folk song A Man's a Man for a' That. Livingstone reportedly hummed this Rabbie Burns tune to bolster his spirits while travelling. The score then depicts the immense hardships of the expedition (letters F to L), illustrating skirmishes with suspicious local tribes, wild animal attacks, and bouts of African fever.Following these trials, a more reflective, emotive movement (Letters L to R) explores Livingstone's internal struggle and his doubts about continuing. This emotional core is built upon the hymn Lord, Send Me Anywhere, a melody composed by Livingstone himself. Emerging from this prayer with renewed purpose, the final section (Letter R to the end) follows his path along the Zambezi River. The music builds to a triumphant climax, capturing his elation at seeing the magnificent Victoria Falls - known locally as 'Mosi-oa-Tunya' (The Smoke that Thunders).Duration: 13.30
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£31.95Helvetia (Brass Band - Score only)
I first went to Switzerland in the early 1970's and regularly played at the Lucerne Festival with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It is a beautiful city, one of my favourite European cities.In writing Helvetia (the Roman name for Switzerland) I wanted to encapsulate the moods that remind me of this wonderful place. The work is in four distinct sections and is on the whole, self-explanatory.It opens with An Alpine Dawn and sunrise, the tubas and euphoniums substituting for the Swiss Alphorns. Next The Clock Shop at Mid-day, a loud ticking, chiming and the sad sound of a cuckoo, builds into the cacophony of the mid-day chimes. The third section is A Walk to Wagner's House. Just along the lake from the centre of town is Tribschen. This walk I have done many times, and it is here that Wagner wrote 'Tristan'. I have quoted the Dresden Amen (written by J.G. Naumann) which is much used in Parsifal. The final section is The Cesta Run, the most famous bob-sleigh run in the world. As we take each corner, the feeling of speed is demonstrated as only a brass band can do!The work is dedicated to the Cory Band and also to the memory of James Watson, a great cornet player, trumpeter and conductor. It was he who got me into writing for brass band and I hope this piece is worthy.- Gareth Wood (Feb. 2011)Duration: 11.00
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£31.50
Abends, will ich schlafen gehen (from Hansel and Gretel)
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days