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£64.95Partita (Brass Band - Score and Parts)
Selected as the Section 4 test piece for the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain 2025Partita dates from 1971, when it was commissioned by the Redbridge Youth Band. The musical thread that runs through the work is the 13th century plainsong Dies Irae from the Requiem Mass. This gives the work a rather sombre tone which is audible right from the start of its first movement Intrada. The initial hammer-like chords of the opening and conclusion are only interrupted momentarily by a more lyrical modal tune. Even here, on its repetition, it is surrounded by more insistent textural patterns.The second movement, Chorale and Variations, uses the Dies Irae as the basis for an extended melody in the manner of a baroque sarabande. The five variations that follow are varied in texture, tempi, and dynamics. The final March is more optimistic in mood and presents as its main idea a rather jaunty theme which gets developed throughout the movement. However, the ominous presence of the Dies Irae has the last say with a final statement to round off the work.Duration: 11.00
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£95.00Variations on a Theme of Michael Tippett (Brass Band - Score and Parts)
A Centenary Tribute by Michael Ball, Edward Gregson, Elgar Howarth, Bramwell Tovey and Philip WilbyThis unique 'pice d'occasion' arose out of a telephone conversation in 2004 with Alan Wycherley, who was the soprano cornet player of the Foden's Richardson Band at the time. He indicated that the band would like to include an original birthday tribute for Edward Gregson (60) and Elgar Howarth (70) in its concert at the 2005 RNCM Festival of Brass in Manchester. I have been Artistic Director of Manchester's Festival of Brass since it was established in 1990 as a BBC Radio 3 series, As the centenary of the birth of Sir Michael Tippett fell on 5 January 2005, I devised this collective work as a way of embracing all three anniversaries in a novel way.The idea of joint compositions is not a new one in the classical music world. In the 1860s, Verdi was joined by a number of his contemporaries in a Requiem Mass for Rossini. In this country there have been a number of orchestral examples over the past fifty years, but never before for the brass band. Although Tippett composed only one work for brass band, Festal Brass with Blues, his orchestral works and operas are full of idiomatic brass writing. The theme I chose for this celebration is one of Tippet's most memorable miniatures featuring wind and brass. In the opera Midsummer Marriage it marks the entry of the Ancients. It is also included in the orchestral Suite in D (1948), for the Birthday of Prince Charles.I invited five of the leading contemporary voices in brass band music to add their own creative perspectives to the little Tippett theme, with it's characteristic rhythms, embellishments and modality - the Lydian mode. Each contribution was designed to fit into a tonal and formal template to give the whole work a flow and continuity. In Danse des Amis, Bramwell Tovey has composed a jazzy, humorous variation. Inspiration came from Tippett's love of jazz and, more personally, from the characteristically syncopated gait of the distinguished music critic John Amis, who Tovey once observed leaving a performance of Tippett's opera King Priam before the end. Incidentally, that performance was conducted by Elgar Howarth.We hear Edward Gregson in lyrical mode. His Midsummer Song is redolent of the sound world of Tippett's opera A Midsummer Marriage and it ends with a brief reference to a favourite of Gregson's, Tippett's Concerto for Orchestra. Michael Ball provides a brief moment of light, airy activity bringing to mind perhaps Tippett's love of Shakespearian fantasy, especially The Tempest. Elgar Howarth juxtaposes a slowed down version of the processional theme with distant recollections of fanfares from King Priam. Philip Wilby has rounded the tribute off with a spectacular fugue. During its inexorable progress Wilby ingeniously introduces the two other birthday references - the three-note musical signature that Elgar Howarth includes in much of his music and the characteristic theme which begins Edward Gregson's substantial work for brass an organ The Trumpets of the Angels. An elaborated reprise of Tippett's little theme is followed by a dynamic coda.- Paul HindmarshDuration: 13.00
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£99.95Breath of Souls (Brass Band - Score and Parts)
Breath of Souls was commissioned by Weyland and Yvonne Roberts. It was composed especially for the 100th National Brass band Championships of Great Britain at the Royal Albert hall on October 15th 2011.Weyland has worked in science for many years and has always been fascinated by nature's capacity to grow and rebuild regardless of Mother Nature's catastrophic power. This is evident with the news of tsunami, forest fires, earthquakes and volcanic disasters around the world where animals, plant life and humans have overcome adversity and have demonstrated that unique regenerative quality.Speaking about the piece composer Paul Lovatt-Cooper commented: "With Breath of Souls I wanted to compose a piece of music that was a celebration of life. Not only that, but a piece of music that from the very first notes heard in the percussion and cornets, is bustling with activity, emulating that in life everything that is living has a soul and breathes - nothing stays still and everything keeps moving and growing.Just like life itself Breath of Souls also grows musically with each bar. You will hear many and various motifs and ideas grow and develop as the piece develops."
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£74.95Helvetia (Brass Band - Score and Parts)
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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£84.95A Day in the Life of a Knight (Brass Band - Score and Parts)
Here we have a most descriptive piece of writing - a story through music. A fantastic 1st section test piece and championship concert work:The opening scene would depict standing on the battlements of a castle hearing the thundering hoofs of our brave Knight's horse miles in the distance. His arrival is expected, and his reputation is known across many lands. Today, he is to joust amongst mere mortal knights and compete for the hand of the fair (and local) Princess.He vanquishes all competitors and wins the day. The scene moves to evening and court where reception and dance is to be held for our winning knight. Both Knight and Princess become centre of attention during the dance. Their eyes only for each other.At last, the Knight has a chance to be a lone with his Princess as they steal away from the celebrations to a star lit rampart above the castle gardens, where the Knight declares his ever-lasting love and pledges his life and of honour to her. He asks her hand, meanwhile monks pray in the below chapel hoping for union. She say's yes. It is announced in court, then blown from the battlements.Day breaks; he is brought word of evil doings back in his own land. He leaves word to the Princess that he will be back soon to take her hand. The trouble back home was a rouse to get him away from the Princes so one of the vanquished, a dark knight in yesterdays joust, has summoned a dragon to kidnap the princess for his own.As the truth of the deception reaches our Knight he quickly returns to face the varlet that has taken his Lady. This time tis no joust, but a fight to the death with the dark knight and dragon. Our champion proves his best once again and wins the day and the hand of his Princess forever!- Phil LawrenceSuitable for 1st Section Bands and aboveDuration: 11.15
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£32.00Blaenwern (Brass Band - Score and Parts)
This arrangement is dedicated to the memory of a much-loved friend and wonderful cornet player, Stephen Howard. Stephen played with the Clacton-on-Sea Band, conducted by his father Robert, and was a frequent guest with the G.U.S. Band directed by Dr. Keith M Wilkinson. Indeed, only a few weeks before his untimely death in 1984, Stephen had played principal cornet with the G.U.S. Band on a tour of Switzerland, performing outstandingly at each concert.The arrangement was first performed at Stephen's Memorial Service in October, 1984."Changed from glory into glory,Till in Heaven we take our place,Till we cast our crowns before Thee,Lost in wonder, love and praise." Charles Wesley
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£94.95Waiting for a Pain Hit!??!!? (Brass Band - Score and Parts)
Waiting For a Pain Hit!??!!? was written during November and December 2006 as an entry in the 2006/07 Swiss Brass Band Association Composers Competition. It was later chosen as the Championship Section set test piece for the 2010 Swiss National Brass Band Championships.The piece originates from sketches for a Brass Quintet which was written whilst I was in my second year of studies at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. The piece, now being much more elaborate both musically and structurally than the original, aims to explore the many various textures available to a large brass ensemble. The aims of the piece, from its earliest stages, were mainly exploration of textures as well as dealing with issues of continuity and whilst the piece certainly contains challenging technical elements, they were not a driving force behind its inception and more organically grew from the primary aims of the piece. I was purposefully looking throughout the writing and editing process to create a piece of music with a seamless, ethereal quality to both the structure and the musical content.There are no 'performance directions' throughout the piece, the reasoning for this is explained below. However, I have spent much time and thought over the tempo markings throughout the piece and the tempos throughout the piece are the desired tempi and care should be taken with these. The tempo markings contained throughout the piece form a vital part of the structure and affect the continuity of the piece. Metronome marks contained within a box show the tempo of the new section in relation to the tempo that precedes it by use of metronome modulations. Any alterations to the tempo of the section that precedes it will alter the boxed metronome marks.The title of a piece of music, please forgive my generalisation, is to give an insight into 'what a piece is about'. I suppose that this piece is no different, but with the title being slightly abstract I shall resist the temptation to reveal what it means to me. The title, I feel, needs to be open to interpretation along with the music within. That's the way, with this piece especially, I like my music to be. Freedom to find our own meaning and a way to express it from within the score is vital. It is only then that the piece can take on its own identity and grow in ways that even I might not have imagined, revealing different sides to its personality with each performance.Before the music begins I have included some text. Do these words hold the key to the music?! Can they help??! I DON'T KNOW!!! I just like the rhythms, the pulse and the imagery. Hopefully, all of this can help to create a picture. But let it be your picture...- Paul McGhee, June 2010
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£59.99Sleepers, Wake (Wachet Auf, Ruft Uns Die Stimme) (Brass Band - Score and Parts)
This enchanting melody is from the fourth movement of Bach's Cantata 140 which was composed in 1731 using the parable of the wise and foolish virgins as the text. The work is beautiful in its simplicity with only three melodic lines, demonstrating Bach's counterpoint at its best. For greatest effect it is suggested that the cornets and trombones play behind the band or to the right and left of the stage.Duration: 4:30
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£119.95Harrison's Dream (Brass Band - Score and Parts)
At 8.00pm on the 22nd of October 1707, the Association, flagship of the Royal Navy, struck rocks off the Scilly Isles with the loss of the entire crew. Throughout the rest of the evening the remaining three ships in the fleet suffered the same fate. Only 26 of the original 1,647 crew members survived. This disaster was a direct result of an inability to calculate longitude, the most pressing scientific problem of the time. It pushed the longitude question to the forefront of the national consciousness and precipitated the Longitude Act. Parliament funded a prize of �20,000 to anyone whose method or device would solve the dilemma. For carpenter and self-taught clockmaker John Harrison, this was the beginning of a 40 year obsession. To calculate longitude it is necessary to know the time aboard ship and at the home port or place of known longitude, at precisely the same moment. Harrison's dream was to build a clock so accurate that this calculation could be made, an audacious feat of engineering. This work reflects on aspects of this epic tale, brilliantly brought to life in Dava Sobel's book Longitude. Much of the music is mechanistic in tone and is constructed along precise mathematical and metrical lines. The heart of the work however is human - the attraction of the �20,000 prize is often cited as Harrison's motivation. However, the realisation that countless lives depended on a solution was one which haunted Harrison. The emotional core of the music reflects on this, and in particular the evening of 22ndOctober 1707. Peter GrahamCheshireJuly 2000
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£93.50The Seventh Night of July (Brass Band - Score and Parts)
In Japan, July the 7th is a holiday known as Tanabata, for which large celebrations are held throughout the country. The holiday is based on a legend about a young man and a young woman who are separated by the Milky Way and can only see each other once a year on this night. The Seventh Night of July is Itaru Sakai's musical interpretation of this romantic legend. The flugel horn and euphonium solos during the middle movement represent the two main themes from the legend.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days