Results
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£69.95Ceremony - Jonathan Bates
DIFFICULTY: 2nd+. DURATION: 10'00". 'Ceremony' was commisioned by Musica da Domat, Switzerland and their Musical Director Gian Stecher in 2019. The concept of the work revolves around a number of religious processions which take place around the mountainous region of Graubunden in the south of the country and in more musical terms, a specific setting of the 'Stabat Mater' (heard in fragments throughout the piece, but only at the finale is it heard in it's entirety) which is traditionally the ceremonies around this area. Through-composed yet in 4 clear sections, 'Ceremony' opens with 3 fanafare trumpets/cornets positioned antiphonally across the back of the stage, each paired with a different pitched tenor drum, and in a different key - inspired by the idea of being able to hear the different ceremonies from all regions of Graubunden echoing up the valley in equal strength. Following this opening fanfare section, the procession around the hills begins with a tongue-in-cheek quasi-march in a far more upbeat and jovial mood. The centrepiece of the work is simply entitled 'Echoes', and once again returns to the idea of music breaking the almost eerie-silence as it reverberates around the vast valleys, before the culmination of the piece returns to material from the opening 'Ceremony' section in a more grandioso and bold style. . .
In stock: Estimated dispatch 1-3 days
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£89.95Songs of Ascent - Jonathan Bates
DURATION: 14 minutes. DIFFICULTY: Championship. 'Songs of Ascent' was composed for the Royal Northern College of Music Brass Band, as part of their programme for the 2019 RNCM Festival of Brass. In my view, the festival itself is the leading showcase for original contemporary music for the medium (in a concert setting) in the world and therefore an ideal place to explore new ideas and sounds, which was a notion fundamental to the construction of this work. The piece is subtitled 'Out of the Depths, I cry to you, O Lord'; the opening line of Psalm 130 (which forms part of a set of 15 psalsm, 120-134 known as the Songs of Ascent") which forms the main inspiration for much of the musical material. Following an extended opening for four individual tuba lines, there are a number of solos for members of the band off stage, with bleak and deep accompaniment lines, reflecting the words of Psalm 130. Amongst these 'songs of ascents', the most common and strong themes are repentance and redemption; with the central core of this work emerging 'from the depths' to reveal one of very few calming and reflective passages of the work utilising the tune of 'Guide Me O Thy Great Redeemer' in a new setting, featuring the Solo Horn and Bass Trombone, before returning to the ethereal and dark timbres that form much of the music up to this point. In terms of compositional technique, this work is solely based on a set of 4 9-note scales in their various unique transpositions (below). Each of these scales provide a set of 2 whole tone scales, 6 minor triads, 6 major triads and is built on 9 augmented triads. Whilst most of the music in this work is based melodically on the set of notes (heard right at the outset in the motif in the tuba line), the central section delves into the harmonic capabilities of these 'modes', using a number of the 7 'keys' which can be derived from the minor & major chords derived in each scale. All 4 scales are used independantly to each other, with whole sections of the work focussing on each mode. 'Songs of Ascent' was selected as the set work for the Championship Section at the Butlin's Mineworker's Championships in 2020.
In stock: Estimated dispatch 1-3 days
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£74.99Cornet Concerto No.1 - Jonathan Bates
My 'Cornet Concerto No.1' was composed for Lode Violet and Brass Band Willebroek in 2018 and features 2 movements, entitled 'Dystopia' and 'Utopia'. . The nature of the music in the opening section, 'Dystopia', is very jagged, disjointed and unsettling, as the soloist almost battles against the constant churning of the mechanical accompaniment, trying to persevere with it's own ideas and styles without being dragged into conforming to it's surroundings. The movement is based largely on the 3 note interval heard right at the outset of the piece (C, D & G#, a series of notes that lends itself so well to different modes, scales, harmonies and intervals) and this forms much of the rhythmic and harmonic structure of the opening section.Whilst this movement acts as a virtuoso feature to demonstrate the extended capabilities of both the soloist and instrument, I feel the accompanying ensemble plays an equal role in the narrative of 'dystopia', and features a number of demanding and prominent episodes for soloists within the accompanying band. A short and heavy coda concludes the movement, with a sense of real pain and sorrowfulness as the music fades away into darkness. . 'Utopia' opens in an instantly more hopeful nature, with the soloist introducing the first real 'theme' of the movement, taken up shortly by the accompaniment. Throughout this movement, there are a number of timbral and melodic references back to the darkness of 'dystopia', but transformed into a much more positive outlook and soundworld. There is a moment of quiet reflect (using the initial 3 note cell as a basis) before flying head first into a frenzied wild 'tarantella' like section, full of joy and energy which tests the dexterity and light-natured approach to virtuosity (much unlike the heavier material in the 1st movement) of the soloist. Primarily, the concept of this finale is fun - joy, happiness, and freedom from restraint, so the addition of a quirky 'tongue-in-cheek' habanera section offers a brief moment of respite from the craziness of the tarantella. To conclude the work, there is an extended cadenza for the soloist which is built on several motifs heard throughout the concerto, which leads the band into a dramatic and energetic final few bars.. Jonathan Bates. (2018). .
In stock: Estimated dispatch 1-3 days
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Euphoria | Chris Ellis
Opening with a slow minor-key melody, the theme develops tonally before the tom-toms herald a faster, more rhythmic section, developing into a toe-tapping jig-like tune, finally slowing back into the almost meditative motif mirroring the original passage. An original style to add variety to your band concerts. The Minor key adagio opening bars of this number has an uplifting 'choral like' orchestration with an almost 'what's coming next' undertone, with Euphoniums leading the way. The pace and feel changes totally at the Allegro with the tom toms taking the tempo up with a toe tapping jig like rhythm and a move to the Major Key. A clever contrast in the next section has the rhythmic triplet pattern played against a quaver melody, before full band join in with the dance quality of this section. The end section of Euphoria returns to the adagio with an uplifting and real sense of reaching a goal.Skill Level: Intermediate
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£25.00A Short Ride in a Brass Machine
DescriptionA Short Ride in a Brass Machine was written in 2006 to mark the 140th anniversary of the Brighouse and Rastrick Band and first performed in the Central Methodist Church in Brighouse by Brighouse and Rastrick conducted by James Gourlay. The title refers to the orchestral composition A Short Ride in A Fast Machine by the American composer John Adams which provided some of the inspiration for the work. The music is a simple celebratory prelude consisting of two main ideas, an expansive melody full of open fifths (giving the music a slightly "American" feel) and a short fanfare figure. After these are both heard for the first time a brief development of the fanfare material leads to a broader, warm harmonisation of the opening melody and the pulse relaxes a little before tension builds to a reiteration of the fanfare and a final triumphant version of the opening theme.Performance Notes:Percussion instruments required are 4 Timpani, Snare Drum, Bass Drum, 3 Tom-toms, 3 Wood Blocks, Suspended Cymbal, Clash Cymbals, Tubular Bells, Glockenspiel, Tam-tam.Soprano, repiano, 2nd solo cornet, 2nd and 3rd cornets will require metal straight mutes; 2nd and 3rd cornets will require harmon mutes with the tubes removed (indicated by 'TR').Duration approximately 3'30"Follow the score in the preview video below!
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£25.00Ariel
DescriptionAll hail, great master! Grave sir, hail! I comeTo answer thy best pleasure, be 't to fly,To swim, to dive into the fire, to rideOn the curled cloud. To thy strong bidding, taskAriel and all his quality.- William Shakespeare: The Tempest, Act 1, Scene 2Ariel was written for the Hammonds Band to open their programme at the 2019 Brass in Concert Championships at The Sage Concert Hall in Gateshead, where it received its premiere. The title is taken from the character in Shakespeare's play 'The Tempest'. Ariel is an immensely powerful "air spirit" or demon bound to serve Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, after being released by Prospero from imprisonment in a tree. In the play Ariel's magical abilities are used to help Prospero revenge himself on his enemies and reclaim his dukedom, whereupon Ariel finally regains his freedom.You can hear an audio preview and follow the score below:Performance notes:The cornets and horns are split into two "choirs" to be placed left and right of the band. It may be possible for the choirs to play their opening flourish offstage, and the optional repeated sections in the opening are to accommodate stage movement if required. Trombones form a third "choir" which should ideally stand centrally between basses and percussion, and the euphoniums and baritones should sit in front of the basses. The work requires four percussionists, although if four are not available the 2nd part may be omitted.Percussion 1: Kit - bass drum, snare, 3 x toms, hi-hat, suspended cymbal - and 3 x temple blocksPercussion 2: Tam tam and orchestral bass drum.Percussion 3: Glockenspiel and timpaniPercussion 4: Tubular bellsSoprano, solo cornets and 3rd cornets require cup mutes. Solo trombone requires a cup mute, second trombone requires a metal straight mute.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£144.00
Banderole - Hakon Berge
Hakon Berge (born 22 April 1954 in Stavanger) is a Norwegian composer, conductor, arranger and music administrator, resident in Oslo. He studied at the Rogaland Conservatoire and at the Norwegian State Academy of Music.Berge has composed music for theatrical productions in venues such as the Rogaland Theatre, The National Theater in Bergen and the National Theatre in Oslo. He is also experienced in television production and was responsible for televised opera Gagarin - A Space Travel Opera(1991). He has composed a considerable number of commissions, including the music for the opening of the Alexandria Library, music for the opening of the Nobel Peace Centre in Oslo, and the test piece Brass Blot (for the European Brass Band Championships in Stavanger in 2008, in which Cory Band from South Wales won the first prize.Berge has also written the music to the documentary musical Byterminalen, also described as a rock opera, which was premiered in May 2008 in connection with the celebration of Stavanger as European City of Culture.Hakon Berge has held a number of offices in the musical life of Norway: he has been chairman both of the Norwegian Society of Composers and of TONO, the Norwegian performing rights organization.
Estimated dispatch 12-14 working days
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£79.00
Manchester Concertino - Peter Meechan
Manchester Concertino is a concertino in three movements for trumpet or cornet. It was written in late summer/early autumn in, as the title suggests, Manchester, UK.The first movement, Fanfare, was written for Belgian cornetist Harmen Vanhoorne, and explores the main musical idea behind the piece, a minor third. The loud fanfare gives way to a cadenza over a timpani roll, before a reprise of the opening fanfare.The second movement, Dream, was commissioned by Keith Johnson and is dedicated to Jess Tredrea. It is a slow, lilting, movement - almost as if the listener was hearing the piece through a summer haze.The final movement is simply titled Finale and is dedicated to Roger Webster. New material is fused with the fanfare from the opening movement leading to a climatic finish to the work.
Estimated dispatch 12-14 days
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£70.00
Origins - Peter Meechan
Origins is in three movements, with each movement having a different subject matter, all linked by the idea of origins: the first movement refers to musical origins; the second to the origins of life; and the final movement to the space exploration - the research of all origins. The first movement is based on a short motif, heard in the first three notes the soloist plays. These three notes cover the interval of a minor third (an interval that often plays a crucial role in my music) on which the whole concerto is built. The soloist and accompaniment interplay freely throughout the opening section, before an ostinato accompaniment appears - over which the soloist sounds a long legato melody. A short cadenza follows and a return to the opening material leads the movement to an end. The second movement, titled Harryas Song, is - as tradition dictates - a slow movement. Happy and reflective in nature, the main melody was written on the evening that my closest friend, Mark Bousie (a fine euphoniumist himself), and his wife Jayne, had their first child - Harry Bousie. It seemed only fitting that this song should be written for Harry in celebration. The final movement brings me back to a lifelong fascination with space, and in this particular movement, the Space Shuttle Discovery. Having completed 39 missions (including flying the Hubble telescope in to orbit), and spent a total of 365 days in space, SS Discovery made its final voyage in 2011 and was taken to the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. in April 2012. This final movement, titled Discovery, pays tribute to the great shuttle whose missions inspired millions across the generations. Origins was commissioned by Marco Schneider, Adrian Schneider and the Dunshan Symphonic Wind Orchestra, Beijing, China.
Estimated dispatch 12-14 days
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£70.00
Shine - Peter Meechan
Shine is my second large scale work for solo tuba, following on from my concerto Episodes and Echoes. Like the concerto, Shine was commissioned and premiered (with the Grimethorpe Brass Band, conducted by Howard Evans) by Les Neish - the title being an anagram of the soloist surname.Although in one movement, Shine has 3 broad sections, each requiring virtuosic skill and dexterity from the soloist. The opening section features lots of bright, metallic sounds - especially in the percussion section - providing the accompaniment to soloist as they demonstrate the range and flexibility of the tuba.The second section gives the soloist the opportunity to demonstrate the considerable lyricism that the tuba is capable of. The solo line weaves in and out of textures in the accompaniment, exchanging snippets of melody with other players in the ensemble.After a short unaccompanied passage, the final section emerges juxtaposing new solo lines and material from the opening section. This builds in momentum - and difficulty for the soloist - as the piece reaches its climatic ending.Shine is dedicated to my good friend, fellow Liverpool supporter, and amazing musician, Les Neish.Peter Meechan, 2011
Estimated dispatch 12-14 days
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