Results
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£44.95The Flowers of the Forest (Brass Band - Score only) - Bennett, Richard Rodney - Hindmarsh, Paul
In a preface to the score, the composer explains that 'the folk song The Flowers of the Forest is believed to date from 1513, the time if the battle of Flodden, in the course of which the archers of the Forest (a part of Scotland) were killed almost to a man'. Bennett had already used the same tune in his Six Scottish Folksongs (1972) for soprano, tenor and piano, and it is the arrangement he made then that forms the starting-point for the brass-band piece. A slow introduction (Poco Adagio) presents the folk song theme three times in succession - on solo cornet, on solo cornets and tenor horns, and on muted ripieno cornets in close harmony - after which the work unfolds through five sections and a coda. Although played without a break, each of these five sections has its own identity, developing elements of the tune somewhat in the manner of variations, but with each arising from and evolving into the next. The first of these sections (Con moto, tranquillo) is marked by an abrupt shift of tonality, and makes much of the slow rises and falls characteristic of the tune itself. The tempo gradually increases, to arrive at a scherzando section (Vivo) which includes the first appearance of the theme in its inverted form. A waltz-like trio is followed by a brief return of the scherzando, leading directly to a second, more extended, scherzo (con brio) based on a lilting figure no longer directly related to the theme. As this fades, a single side drum introduces an element of more overtly martial tension (Alla Marcia) and Bennett says that, from this point on, he was thinking of Debussy's tribute to the memory of an unknown soldier (in the second movement of En Blanc et noir, for two pianos). Bennett's march gradually gathers momentum, eventually culminating in a short-lived elegiac climax (Maestoso) before the music returns full-circle to the subdued melancholy of the opening. The work ends with a haunting pianissimo statement of the original tune.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£59.25We Seven (Brass Band) Derek Jenkins
We Seven, the title of this work, comes from a book by the same name written by the United States's first astronauts. The composer writes: 'In 1959, the United States entered the space race by starting a programme whose main aims included sending a solo astronaut into space and recovering him safely. Project Mercury, as this programme was so called, recruited the first seven American astronauts and successfully sent six of them into space. These men were Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard, and Deke Slayton, and collectively they became known as the 'Mercury Seven.' Through their efforts and those of countless others, the United States Space Program accomplished much with these six flights, including successfully sending an astronaut into space, putting a man in orbit, and keeping him up there for more than 24 hours. In 1962, shortly after Glenn and Carpenter's orbital flights, the 'Mercury Seven' co-wrote the book We Seven and throughout it, the astronauts discuss the events leading from their selection into the programme up through Carpenter's flight in May of 1962. The primary material for the work comes from two sources: the use of musical cryptograms to encode the astronauts names and initials into pitches and the aria 'Un bel di vedremo' from Giacomo Puccini's opera, Madame Butterfly. The inclusion of the latter comes directly from one of Glenn's chapters in the book. Together with a couple of the other astronauts, he would often listen to the opera to unwind from a long day of training. I would like to think that as he was orbiting the Earth that this opera, particularly this aria, would be running through his mind.' This work commemorates the Project Mercury on the 50th anniversary of its conclusion and was written for Joseph Parisi and the University of Missouri-Kansas City Wind Ensemble. This version for brass band has been prepared by the composer for the Fountain City Brass Band. To view a video of Fountain City Brass Band performing the work please visit: www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD3sBWhGkOo Sheet music available from: UK - www.brassband.co.uk USA - www.solidbrassmusic.com Difficulty Level: 1st Section + Instrumentation: 1 Soprano Cornet (Eb) 9 Cornets (Bb) [Both 3rd Cornets double Crystal Glasses] 1 Flugelhorn 3 Tenor Horns (Eb) [2nd Horn doubles Crystal Glasses] 2 Baritones (Bb) 2 Trombones (Bb) 1 Bass Trombone 2 Euphoniums (Bb) 2 Basses (Eb) 2 Basses (Bb) 4 Percussion
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 1-3 working days
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£34.95Vissi d'arte - Christopher Bond
Vissi d'arte is a soprano aria from act 2 of the opera Tosca, by Giacomo Puccini. It is sung by Floria Tosca in total anguish, in the form of a prayer to God, asking 'why he rewards her thus?'. Just before the aria is performed (and the reason for its presence) Baron Scarpia, the chief of police, tells Tosca that in order to save her lover Cavaradossi's life, she must sleep with him. Vissi d'arte is Tosca's cry of anguish; she reasons that although she has never done anything wrong, she is still being faced with an impossible choice: either way, she will have to betray Cavaradossi, in the form of sleeping with another man, or not doing everything she could to save his life. This arrangement was made for Rose Hancock and City of Cardiff (Melingriffith) Brass Band for their performance at the 2020 Welsh Open Entertainment Contest.
Estimated dispatch 10-14 working days
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£29.95Prayer to St Michael - Jonathan Bates
DURATION: 4'00". DIFFICULTY: Moderate. 'Prayer to Saint Michael' is a solo for Euphonium, composed for the Wantage Band and inspired by the life of a young Johann Sebastian Bach, who following the death of both parents by the age of only 10 moved to live with his older brother - Johann Christoph Bach - who was the church organist at St Michael's Church in Ohrdruf. It was in this church where Bach spent many hours studying and performing, being instructed by Johann Christoff on the clavichord. Within 6 years, the young Bach had been enrolled in the prestigious St Michael's School in Luneberg. . "St. Michael the Archangel, illustrious leader of the heavenly army, . defend us in the battle against principalities and powers, . against the rulers of the world of darkness and the spirit of wickedness in high places. Come to the rescue of mankind, . whom God has made in His own image and likeness, . and purchased from Satan's tyranny at so great a price. The Holy Church venerates you as her patron and guardian. The Lord has entrusted to you the task of leading the souls of the redeemed to heavenly blessedness. Entreat the Lord of peace to cast Satan down under our feet, . so as to keep him from further holding man captive and doing harm to the Church. Carry our prayers up to God's throne, . that the mercy of the Lord may quickly come and lay hold of the beast, . the serpent of old, Satan . and his demons, casting him in chains into the abyss, . so that he can no longer seduce the nations. Amen.". .
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 1-3 working days
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£29.95Adam Zero, Suite from (Brass Band - Score only) - Bliss, Arthur - Childs, Robert
Selected as the Section 2 test piece for the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain 2025Following his ballet Checkmate, Bliss composed another score for the, by then, Sadler's Wells Ballet, Miracle in the Gorbals, which was choreographed by Robert Helpmann, to a scenario by Michael Benthall. Premired in 1944, the ballet made a considerable impact and was a box-office success. It was followed in turn by a further collaboration with Helpmann and Benthall, Adam Zero. This would serve Helpmann, in the eponymous role, as a vehicle in two respects: demonstrating his gifts as a dancer-actor and as a choreographer. First performed at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, on 8 April 1946, Adam Zero was conducted by Constant Lambert, the work's dedicatee. Bliss considered it 'his most varied and exciting ballet score'. Benthall provided a synopsis for the programme:There is a philosophy that life moves in an endless series of timeless cycles. As Nature passes through Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, so man is born, makes a success in his own particular sphere, loses his position to a younger generation, sees his world crumble before his eyes and only finds peace in death. This age-old story is told in terms of a Company creating a ballet and calling on the resources of the theatre to do so. Lighting, stage mechanism, dance conventions, musical forms and costumes and scenery of all periods are used to symbolize the world of 'Adam Zero'.Apart from Adam, as the Principal Dancer, other main roles included the Stage Director (representing Omnipotence), and Adam's Fates (Designer, Wardrobe Mistress, and Dresser). 'The Woman in this allegory', wrote Bliss, 'under the symbol of the Choreographer, was both the creator and destroyer of Adam: his first love, his wife, his mistress, and finally the figure of beneficent Death.' When the curtain rose, the 'audience saw the Covent Garden stage right back to the wall, completely empty except for the protagonists, 'the Company poised, still and expectant, as they await the birth of... Adam Zero.'Unfortunately, soon after the premire, Helpmann injured himself and had to withdraw from the remaining performances. Despite generally positive reviews, the ballet did not capture the imagination of audiences and, to Bliss's considerable disappointment, was not revived. Seventy years would elapse before its first major return to the stage, in 2016, performed by the ballet company of Stadttheater Bremerhaven with choreography by Sergei Vanaev.Bliss extracted a concert suite from the ballet, conducting its first performance with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra on 28 October 1948. For his own suite, arranged for brass band in 2023, Dr Robert Childs chose three dances linked to the seasons, book-ending them with the ebullient 'Fanfare Overture' and 'Fanfare Coda'. After Adam has grown to manhood, his Fates clothe him in a costume synonymous with confident youth, appropriate for the virile, ardent 'Dance of Spring'. In the 'Approach of Autumn', Adam, now wearing a sombre costume, has grown older: his Fates have streaked grey in his hair and put lines on his face. But they had earlier raised Adam to the zenith of his power, and the 'Dance of Summer' depicts him in the prime of life, in music of sweeping grandeur. The 'Fanfare Coda' signals that the next cycle of life is about to begin.Duration: 10.30
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£19.65
Adam Zero, Suite from (Brass Band - Study Score) - Bliss, Arthur - Childs, Robert
Selected as the Section 2 test piece for the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain 2025Following his ballet Checkmate, Bliss composed another score for the, by then, Sadler's Wells Ballet, Miracle in the Gorbals, which was choreographed by Robert Helpmann, to a scenario by Michael Benthall. Premired in 1944, the ballet made a considerable impact and was a box-office success. It was followed in turn by a further collaboration with Helpmann and Benthall, Adam Zero. This would serve Helpmann, in the eponymous role, as a vehicle in two respects: demonstrating his gifts as a dancer-actor and as a choreographer. First performed at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, on 8 April 1946, Adam Zero was conducted by Constant Lambert, the work's dedicatee. Bliss considered it 'his most varied and exciting ballet score'. Benthall provided a synopsis for the programme:There is a philosophy that life moves in an endless series of timeless cycles. As Nature passes through Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, so man is born, makes a success in his own particular sphere, loses his position to a younger generation, sees his world crumble before his eyes and only finds peace in death. This age-old story is told in terms of a Company creating a ballet and calling on the resources of the theatre to do so. Lighting, stage mechanism, dance conventions, musical forms and costumes and scenery of all periods are used to symbolize the world of 'Adam Zero'.Apart from Adam, as the Principal Dancer, other main roles included the Stage Director (representing Omnipotence), and Adam's Fates (Designer, Wardrobe Mistress, and Dresser). 'The Woman in this allegory', wrote Bliss, 'under the symbol of the Choreographer, was both the creator and destroyer of Adam: his first love, his wife, his mistress, and finally the figure of beneficent Death.' When the curtain rose, the 'audience saw the Covent Garden stage right back to the wall, completely empty except for the protagonists, 'the Company poised, still and expectant, as they await the birth of... Adam Zero.'Unfortunately, soon after the premire, Helpmann injured himself and had to withdraw from the remaining performances. Despite generally positive reviews, the ballet did not capture the imagination of audiences and, to Bliss's considerable disappointment, was not revived. Seventy years would elapse before its first major return to the stage, in 2016, performed by the ballet company of Stadttheater Bremerhaven with choreography by Sergei Vanaev.Bliss extracted a concert suite from the ballet, conducting its first performance with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra on 28 October 1948. For his own suite, arranged for brass band in 2023, Dr Robert Childs chose three dances linked to the seasons, book-ending them with the ebullient 'Fanfare Overture' and 'Fanfare Coda'. After Adam has grown to manhood, his Fates clothe him in a costume synonymous with confident youth, appropriate for the virile, ardent 'Dance of Spring'. In the 'Approach of Autumn', Adam, now wearing a sombre costume, has grown older: his Fates have streaked grey in his hair and put lines on his face. But they had earlier raised Adam to the zenith of his power, and the 'Dance of Summer' depicts him in the prime of life, in music of sweeping grandeur. The 'Fanfare Coda' signals that the next cycle of life is about to begin.Duration: 10.30
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£64.95
Adam Zero, Suite from (Brass Band - Score and Parts) - Bliss, Arthur - Childs, Robert
Selected as the Section 2 test piece for the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain 2025Following his ballet Checkmate, Bliss composed another score for the, by then, Sadler's Wells Ballet, Miracle in the Gorbals, which was choreographed by Robert Helpmann, to a scenario by Michael Benthall. Premired in 1944, the ballet made a considerable impact and was a box-office success. It was followed in turn by a further collaboration with Helpmann and Benthall, Adam Zero. This would serve Helpmann, in the eponymous role, as a vehicle in two respects: demonstrating his gifts as a dancer-actor and as a choreographer. First performed at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, on 8 April 1946, Adam Zero was conducted by Constant Lambert, the work's dedicatee. Bliss considered it 'his most varied and exciting ballet score'. Benthall provided a synopsis for the programme:There is a philosophy that life moves in an endless series of timeless cycles. As Nature passes through Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, so man is born, makes a success in his own particular sphere, loses his position to a younger generation, sees his world crumble before his eyes and only finds peace in death. This age-old story is told in terms of a Company creating a ballet and calling on the resources of the theatre to do so. Lighting, stage mechanism, dance conventions, musical forms and costumes and scenery of all periods are used to symbolize the world of 'Adam Zero'.Apart from Adam, as the Principal Dancer, other main roles included the Stage Director (representing Omnipotence), and Adam's Fates (Designer, Wardrobe Mistress, and Dresser). 'The Woman in this allegory', wrote Bliss, 'under the symbol of the Choreographer, was both the creator and destroyer of Adam: his first love, his wife, his mistress, and finally the figure of beneficent Death.' When the curtain rose, the 'audience saw the Covent Garden stage right back to the wall, completely empty except for the protagonists, 'the Company poised, still and expectant, as they await the birth of... Adam Zero.'Unfortunately, soon after the premire, Helpmann injured himself and had to withdraw from the remaining performances. Despite generally positive reviews, the ballet did not capture the imagination of audiences and, to Bliss's considerable disappointment, was not revived. Seventy years would elapse before its first major return to the stage, in 2016, performed by the ballet company of Stadttheater Bremerhaven with choreography by Sergei Vanaev.Bliss extracted a concert suite from the ballet, conducting its first performance with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra on 28 October 1948. For his own suite, arranged for brass band in 2023, Dr Robert Childs chose three dances linked to the seasons, book-ending them with the ebullient 'Fanfare Overture' and 'Fanfare Coda'. After Adam has grown to manhood, his Fates clothe him in a costume synonymous with confident youth, appropriate for the virile, ardent 'Dance of Spring'. In the 'Approach of Autumn', Adam, now wearing a sombre costume, has grown older: his Fates have streaked grey in his hair and put lines on his face. But they had earlier raised Adam to the zenith of his power, and the 'Dance of Summer' depicts him in the prime of life, in music of sweeping grandeur. The 'Fanfare Coda' signals that the next cycle of life is about to begin.Duration: 10.30
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£30.00Manhattan Spiritual - Tim Paton
I have arranged this incredibly memorable Big Band piece by Billy Maxted as a feature for the Timps and Kit, inspired by the man who made it famous, that spectacular drummer and showman - ERIC DELANEY -who, at the age of 83, is still performing in the UK and further afield. A book by Eddie Sammons about his astonishing career, including contributions from many famous artists and lots of amusing anecdotes, should be available in 27. The City of Lincoln Band inform me that this was one of their most popular items on their visit to Germany.The Timpani and Drum Kit parts will need good players. To get the best effect, a set of three timps is required, although an optional part for two timps is included. The timps and drums are coordinated, so the parts need to be played as written. For those bands with more than two percussionists, there is a third part, which, although optional, would certainly add to the overall effect. Although the Timp & Drum parts are technically demanding, the remainder of the parts are within the capability of most players."I'm sure this item will be a huge success with popular light music audiences everywhere". Robert Childs
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 3-5 working days
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£45.00Fantasy on London Nursery Rhymes
This light-hearted work uses the melodies of traditional nursery rhymes that have an association with London; Oranges and Lemons, The Muffin Man, Pop Goes the Weasel, Humpty Dumpty and Mary Mary Quite Contrary . Each setting of the rhyme depicts a famous landmark from the capital; Big Ben, the Thames, the Underground, Buckingham Palace, Horse Guards Parade and the Tower of London. Fantasy on London Nursery Rhymes was commissioned by Paul Holland for the Flowers Band, and was included in their 2016 Brass in Concert programme. Duration : 00:03:30 Grade: 3.5 Listen:
Estimated dispatch 5-7 working days
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£34.95Lady of the Lake - Christopher Bond
A remote Carmarthenshire lake shrouded in Welsh legend has been named as one of the 1,000 must-see sights across the globe by an influential travel bible. Llyn y Fan Fach, 12km southeast of Llandovery in the Brecon Beacons, is the only spot in Wales to make the list, which was put together by Lonely Planet. "This isolated drop of blue, beneath a cirque of raw Welsh hills, is enchanting - and enchanted," Lonely Planet's 1,000 Ultimate Sights tells readers. The story goes that in the 13th Century, a farmer grazing cattle on the nearby slopes spotted the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. She was a fairy maiden, who agreed to marry him on one proviso - he must not hit her more than twice. In time, the inevitable happened - three strikes, and the otherworldly wife disappeared back into the lake, taking her magic cows with her. This work, for flugel horn and brass band, is reflective in nature, portraying the dismay of the man in losing his wife for his own selfishness. The work was written for and premiered by Rob Nesbitt & City of Cardiff (Melingriffith) Band, at the 2019 Welsh Open Entertainment Contest in Porthcawl, Wales.
Estimated dispatch 10-14 working days