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  £55.00

  

  Purcell Variations (Brass Band - Score and Parts)

  Purcell Variations, composed in 1995, the year of the tercentenary of the death of the great English composer, was a watershed work in that it was Downie's first extended composition to be published independently of The Salvation Army and intended for wider use.For his theme, Downie has chosen what has come down to us as the hymn tune Westminster Abbey, which is in fact an adaptation made in 1842 by Ernest Hawkins, who was a Canon of Westminster Abbey where Purcell himself had been organist. Purcell's original is actually the closing section of an anthem, O God, Thou art my God, where it provides the final paean of praise, sung to repeated 'Hallelujahs'. Purcell's tune, particularly the opening triadic gesture, is used as a source of thematic and harmonic material - a quarry for ideas if you like: "I was obsessed with the intervals of thirds in Purcell's tune, rather like Brahms in his Third Symphony", the composer says.There are five variations, preceded by an extended introduction and theme. In the first variation, Purcell's lilting dance pulse has been transformed into a bright, playful sequence, in which each phrase of the melody is given its own transformation. In the second, Purcell's opening gambit is extended into a graceful, flowing waltz, featuring solo and first horn at the top of the register. The composer offers a range of metronome speeds in this movement, in which he is emulating the wistful elegance of Erik Satie's famous Gymnopedie. We enter the world of big band jazz in variation three, where Purcell's tune strides along with added syncopation and bluesy major/minor thirds to the fore. After the breathless energy and blazing brass of the big band, Downie moves into his 'home territory' for a beautifully worked lyrical variation. There is an enhanced urgency about the final variation, which opens with an extended reprise of the work's introduction. Purcell's second and third phrases provide the preparation for the exuberant return, in customary triumph of Purcell's 'Hallelujah'.

  Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
  
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  £67.07

  

  Metamorphosis on 'Finlandia' (Brass Band) Andrew Wainwright

  This major work was commissioned by Five Lakes Silver Band and its Musical Director Christopher Ward in February 2024, and is featured on the band's CD Resurget Cineribus. The music is based on the hymn tune by Katharina von Schlegel, Be Still, My Soul, found in Sibelius' famous tone poem Finlandia (Op. 26). While the only source material used in Metamorphosis on 'Finlandia' is the hymn itself as opposed to any of the developmental music found in the tone poem, it does also seek to depict the strife of the Finnish people against the censorship of the Russian Empire. It is therefore both rousing and turbulent at various times. Metamorphosis on 'Finlandia' commences with a quartet playing a full statement of the hymn in its simplest form, featuring a solo flugel. This leads into a sprightly 6/8 section where a fanfare-like figure proclaims the theme. The music in this section is at times unstable and off-kilter as references to the hymn come and go, often in a very chromatic or dissonant form - a reflection of the struggles that the Finnish people went through. Despite this, there is still a sense of optimism. A somewhat reflective slower section follows, featuring another full rendition of the hymn, with a number of solo voices taking up the tune. This is followed by several cadenzas - for cornet, trombone, Eb bass, and Bb bass, which represent different voices speaking out against the oppression of the Finnish people. This leads into an energetic final movement before a resounding proclamation of the hymn in its full glory. A return to the fanfare heard earlier in the work brings the piece to a glorious conclusion. To listen to a recording of Five Lakes Silver Band performing the work please visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeJJF6asD2k Duration: Approx. 13.15 minutes Difficulty Level: 1st Section + PDF download includes parts and score. Sheet music available here (UK) or www.cimarronmusic.com (USA) Instrumentation: Soprano Cornet Eb Solo Cornet Bb Repiano Cornet Bb 2nd Cornet Bb 3rd Cornet Bb Flugel Horn Bb Solo Horn Eb 1st Horn Eb 2nd Horn Eb 1st Baritone Bb 2nd Baritone Bb 1st Trombone Bb 2nd Trombone Bb Bass Trombone Euphonium Bb Bass Eb Bass Bb Timpani Percussion 1-3

  In Stock: Estimated dispatch 1-3 working days