Results
-
£35.00
strange geometry
Descriptionstrange geometrywas commissioned by Morgan Griffiths and the Hammonds Saltaire Band for their performance at the Brass in Concert Championships of 2015.As a bit of a space/sci-fi geek, as well as a musician, two events during the summer of 2015 had a particular effect on me. The first was the tragic early death in a plane crash of the famous film composer James Horner. Horner's music, particularly in films like 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan', 'Avatar', 'Apollo 13' and even his debut in Roger Corman's 1980 budget film 'Battle Beyond the Stars', defined for a generation the sound of sci-fi at the cinema. Along with John Williams he created the vocabulary for those who wish to express other-worldly wonder in music and his inventive talent will be much missed in an industry where originality has become something of a dirty word in recent years.The second event was the epic flyby of Pluto by the NASA New Horizons spacecraft. There are many reasons to find this mission inspiring - for example, the scientists and engineers behind it created a craft that has travelled at 37,000 mph for nine years and three billion miles to arrive within seventy-two seconds of the predicted time for the flyby. That they achieved this with such accuracy is an outstanding tribute to humanity's ingenuity and insatiable curiosity. However, the most exciting aspect of the mission was the clear, high resolution pictures of this unthinkably remote and inhospitable world beamed back to mission control. The best previous image of Pluto was an indistinct fuzzy blob - suddenly we could see mountains made of ice, glaciers of methane and carbon monoxide and nitrogen fog - features previously unimagined on a world thought to be a slightly dull ball of cold rock. The BBC's venerable astronomy programme 'The Sky at Night' waxed lyrical about these newly discovered features, referring to "the surprising discoveries of mountains and strange geometry on the surface of this cold distant world".I like to think that Horner would have been as inspired as I have been by this real-life science story, and this piece uses some of the vocabulary of the sci-fi movie soundtrack in a tribute to the memory of a great musician and to the inspirational geeks at NASA who have boldly taken us where no-one has gone before.Note: This work comes with a B4 portrait score. Listen to a preview and follow the music below!
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
-
£120.00
Macbeth - Peter Meechan
Commissioned by the Scottish Brass Band Association for the 2007 Scottish Open Championship, Macbeth takes itsa inspiration from the Shakespeare play of the same name. Character portraits (Of the three witches as well as Macbeth himself), abstractions (The lament), and scenes (Macbethas final battle with Macduff) make up the nine sections of the piece.i: WitchesThe prophecies of the three witches are an integral part of the play, and in this opening section, these mysterious characters are represented by three different sections of music that introduces the listener to the musical material of the piece.ii: DaggerMacbethas aIs this a dagger I see before theea speech, where an imaginary dagger leads him to contemplate the pending murder, builds in intensity before the bell tolls at itsa conclusion - a sign from Lady Macbeth that Duncan is now alone.iii: General MacbethA character portrait of Macbeth - a fearless General who has led his armies to defeat foes from all over Europe. His ambition and flair that make him such a great General are also the characteristics that lead to his eventual downfall.iv: Contemplations of Lady MacbethAlone and mad, Lady Macbeth ponders all that has gone, before taking her own life.v: LamentAlthough the play tells of Macbeth not feeling the pain of his wifeas death, this lament ponders not only her death, but the tale as a whole.vi: Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrowIt is in this final soliloquy that we see the ultimate tragedy of Macbeth - the realisation that his life is ultimately worthless.vii: A spell still castThis acts as an prologue to section eight, restating the original awitchesa music, before heading into Macbethas final battle.viii: Final BattleMacbethas final battle, where he locks swords with Macduff.ix: Not of woman bornMacbethas realisation that the witches have misled him comes all too late, as Macduff beheads Macbeth, fulfilling the last prophecy.
Estimated dispatch 12-14 working days
-
£49.95
In Memoriam - William Grant Still - Robert Childs
William Grant Still Jr. (1895 - 1978) was an American composer of nearly two hundred works, including five symphonies, four ballets, nine operas, over thirty choral works, art songs, chamber music, and solo works. Born in Mississippi and growing up...
Estimated dispatch 5-7 working days
-
£24.95
Once in Royal David's City - John Henry Gauntlett - John Barber
Originally written as a poem by Cecil Frances Alexander and published as a carol in 1848, Once in Royal David's City has been part of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at Kings College Chapel Cambridge since 1919. This...
Estimated dispatch 5-7 working days
-
£19.95
Ave Maria (Brass Band - Score and Parts) - Bruckner, Anton - Downie, Kenneth
The great 19th century Austrian composer, Anton Bruckner is most famous for his nine published symphonies and his sacred music (for organ and for voices). This motet, for unaccompanied voices, was written for Linz Cathedral where Bruckner became organist in 1855. Although this arrangement for brass band is far removed from the original, it is felt that the beauty of the music will come over in a new way.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
-
£9.95
Ave Maria (Brass Band - Score Only) - Bruckner, Anton - Downie, Kenneth
The great 19th century Austrian composer, Anton Bruckner is most famous for his nine published symphonies and his sacred music (for organ and for voices). This motet, for unaccompanied voices, was written for Linz Cathedral where Bruckner became organist in 1855. Although this arrangement for brass band is far removed from the original, it is felt that the beauty of the music will come over in a new way.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
-
£19.95
Sanctus (From German Mass D.872) (Brass Band - Score and Parts) - Schubert, Franz - Downie, Kenneth
Franz Schubert's so-called German Mass, D. 872 is one of his last works of sacred music and was written in 1827. The work was commissioned by Professor J P Neumann of the Polytechnic School of Vienna who provided the texts for the nine short sections. It was Neumann's idea that the work be as musically simple as possible and able to be performed by amateurs. This arrangement of the Sanctus seeks to preserve the simplicity of the original, allowing the sheer beauty of the melodic lines to have prominence.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
-
£9.95
Sanctus (From German Mass D.872) (Brass Band - Score Only) - Schubert, Franz - Downie, Kenneth
Franz Schubert's so-called German Mass, D. 872 is one of his last works of sacred music and was written in 1827. The work was commissioned by Professor J P Neumann of the Polytechnic School of Vienna who provided the texts for the nine short sections. It was Neumann's idea that the work be as musically simple as possible and able to be performed by amateurs. This arrangement of the Sanctus seeks to preserve the simplicity of the original, allowing the sheer beauty of the melodic lines to have prominence.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
-
£72.99
Sky High (Brass Band - Score and Parts) - Dyer, Desmond - Tabete, Tomohiro
In 1966, the British singer-songwriters Des Dyer and Clive Scott founded the pop group Jigsaw. Nine years later they enjoyed their first great success with the catchy song Sky High which rode high in the charts in many countries throughout the world. The Japanese arranger Tomohiro Tabete has composed this exciting version for brass band.Duration: 4:00.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
-
£82.95
Tallis Variations (Brass Band - Score and Parts) - Sparke, Philip
The hymn tune on which these variations are based is the third of nine that Thomas Tallis wrote in 1567 as part of a psalter for the first Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, Matthew Parker. It was later used by Vaughan Williams in the English Hymnal and as the basis for his Fantasia.Duration: 15:09Recorded on Polyphonic QPRL232D Sea Pictures
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days