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£124.95Hyperlink - Peter Graham
Hyperlink was commissioned by the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain (funded by Arts Council England and the Department for Education) for its 70th Anniversary Year. Since the anniversary coincided with other significant celebrations in 2022 (including the Royal Albert Hall/Ralph Vaughan Williams 150th and the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II) it was requested that these also be recognised in some way.
Where better to begin this challenging brief but with a computer search for the NYBBGB founder Dr Denis Wright (coincidently born in Kensington, home of the RAH). The subsequent rabbit warren of hyperlinks led me to structure the work through a series of "associations":
Movement I - The Voice of Jupiter.
Alongside the discovery that Denis Wright had been a church organist was the realisation that while the RAH has hosted thousands of musical events the fabric of the building actually incorporates a musical instrument, the famous Henry Wills organ (aka The Voice of Jupiter).Organ and J S Bach are synonymous (e.g. Toccata in D min) and so both become fundamental to the content of the movement. An opening 7 note quote from the Toccata leads to a mammoth sound cluster, as if every note on the huge RAH organ is sustained. The material which follows is based upon the notes BACH (in German notation). The notes are manipulated in various ways in a 12 tone matrix; reversed, inverted and so on. Other techniques employed in the movement are ones of which Bach was master, including ground bass and fugue.
Movement II - Remember Me.
The lives of Salvationist composer Ray Steadman-Allen (born 1922) and Ralph Vaughan Williams are remembered here, with "RSA" in musical notation and fragments of RVWs famous Tuba Concerto providing the source material.While writing the movement my father passed away and to close his funeral service the family chose the uplifting Robert Lowry hymn They'll sing a welcome home. It seemed fitting to conclude the movement with a reflective setting of the chorus, the repeated phrase "Welcome, welcome home" eventually disappearing into the ether.
Movement III - Vivat.
The finale takes the form of a short fantasy upon Hubert Parry's marvellous coronation anthem I Was Glad, truly a celebratory note with which to conclude.The first performance of Hyperlink was given by the NYBBGB conducted by Martyn Brabbins at the Royal College of Music, London on August 6th 2022.
Published Closed for Holidays. Est dispatch 13th Nov
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£55.00Escape the Kraken!
This evocative music portrays an underwater escape from the clutches of the legendary, multi-tentacled sea creature, the Kraken. From the mysteriousness of the seabed, the awakening of the beast, an exciting chase ensues as you evade capture. The work is full of excitement and energy, balancing myth alongside a cinematic sound world. Originally composed in 2017 for Jaren Hornmusikkforenig , Escape the Kraken! was the finale of the concept programme Twenty-Thousand Leagues Beneath the Sea . The work is published here in its 2019 revision, as performed at the Brass In Concert championships by the Flowers Band in their award-winning programme Captain Nemo's Forgotten Journal. Duration: 00:04:45 Grade: 5 / 5.5
Estimated dispatch 5-7 working days
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£35.00Flanders Fields
Commissioned in 2014 by the 2nd Rossendale Scout Band, Flanders Fields was composed to commemorate the 100th anniversary of World War I, also known as the Great War. It is a reflective work which uses a hymn as its basis, infusing the sound of bugle calls and marching drums to convey the impression of a conflict rather than depicting a specific battle. Narration and wordless choir can be included as part of performance. Listen: Duration: 00:07:30 Grade: 3
Estimated dispatch 5-7 working days
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£30.00Barking Mad - Jock McKenzie
The New Orleans Brass Band sound is now something that is heard and seen throughout the world. Originally repertoire was played to serve civic & church duties and was often spiritual in content mixed with more than a hint of jazz. These days, almost 'anything goes' with music arranged and composed for the idiom. Despite this, many 'staple' musical characteristics prevail - a hint of the blues in melody & harmony and a funky, swinging rhythmic drive for both dancing and marching. Barking Mad uses these ingredients to present a brassy, shackles off, in-yer-face musical number.
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£30.00Building on Sand - Jock McKenzie
This piece was composed with the intention of replicating some of the sounds of the New Orleans Brass Bands; particularly those whose music has a funky, riff-based edge to their sound e.g. the Hot 8, Rebirth, Dirty Dozen and Soul Rebels brass bands. As well as elements of the second line parade, the music also has a full-on, swing out section.
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£30.00Homage to Bach - Chris Houlding
Inspired by the master of counterpoint, Homage to Bach was written by Chris as an exercise in simplicity itself, designed to not only test the musicians playing skills and sense of style, but to encourage them to develop their "ensemble radar" through carefully listening, fine tuning, subtle dynamics and variation in articulation. The brass band has a long tradition of using chorales and hymns as a training exercise. As an alternative to existing hymn tunes, I have composed this simple chorale melody in three verses with a short introduction and links to specifically develop a quality 'tutti' band sound. Certain parts are doubled allowing performances by incomplete bands while presenting full outfits with an intonation and stylistic challenge. The printed phrasing is to be adhered to at all times regarding breaths, thus producing a seamless counterpoint. Simple yet satisfying for a quieter and atmospheric concert interlude.
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£30.00Inchcolm - Terry Johns
The island of Inchcolm was visited by St Columba in 567 and is mentioned in Shakespeare's Macbeth. It lies on the stretch of water beyond my balcony, known locally as "Mortimer's deep", and on short winter days, the ruins of Columba's abbey are shrouded in the mists of the estuary and bring a flavour of mystery and legend to my morning coffee. Music comes easily here amidst the crying of the seabirds, and the horn has given its distinctive voice to history, myth and folklore for centuries. Its sound was born in the wide-open spaces and can paint a broad seascape with ease.
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£30.00Joy to the World - George Frideric Handel
"Joy to the World" is a popular Christmas Carol with words by Isaac Watts. As of the late 20th century, "Joy to the World" was the most published Christmas hymn in North America. The words of the hymn are by the English writer Watts are based on Psalm 98, 96:11-12 and Genesis 3: 17-18. The version of this carol usually heard today is from an edition by Lowell Mason and is named "Antioch" and attributed as "arranged by Handel". This tune has the first four notes in common with the chorus "Lift up your heads" from the Messiah and the third line recalls "Comfort ye" from the same work. But this resemblance is often dismissed as a chance resemblance by Handel scholars today. Another theory is its similarity to a tune called "Comfort" and associated with Charles Wesley's hymn "O Joyful Sound", which was written some three years earlier than Lowell Mason's "Antioch" in 1833. This carol has been recorded by many artists such as Andy Williams, The Supremes, Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Cash, Nat King Cole, Perry Como, Vic Damone and Mariah Carey.
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£30.00Leviathan - Paul Denegri
Leviathan began its evolution as a workshop work inspired by the poem written by Heathcote Williams entitled; Whale Nation. At the time of this workshop the tentet brass repertoire existed of extremely well written original or arranged works of a lighter nature but there was a shortage of works with a greater emotional depth and edge, hence Leviathan's early conception as an atmospheric and emotive work. The workshop piece explored whale sound and song and was a 25-minute work in two parts. After many years of the workshop sketches sitting dormant the new work Leviathan is a much shorter and concise work. It contains only one of the original melodic themes of the workshop work. Leviathan is driven and underpinned by melodic and rhythmic elements. It is a programmed work following the awe inspiring majestic might and beauty of whales through to a hunt scene, the chase and the ultimate demise of earth's largest mammal.
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£35.701989 - Tim Paton
Tim Paton composed this work originally for piano, and later went on to score it into this effective version for brass band.Tim comments:What happened in 1989? I wrote this piece for piano, and later scored it for brass band! The piece begins in a thoughtful mood, then very soon moves into a bluesy style. After an up-tempo dance section, and a brief re-cap of the beginning, it finishes with a majestic coda, which really shows off that special sound that only a brass band can make. Although it is called 1989, it can be any memorable year that the listener wishes it to be.
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 3-5 working days
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