Results
-
£14.95
The Pilgrim Way (Brass Band - Score only) - Ball, Eric
Attempting to recreate the atmosphere of mediaeval pilgrims, this suite comprises three separate, yet linked movements. I. Based on John Bunyan's poem 'He Who Would Valiant Be', the music reminds us of the words 'No foes shall stay his might, though he with giants fight, he will make good his right to be a pilgrim'. II. A transcription of the composer's own setting of 'God be in my head'. III. The original themes in this movement express feelings of joy and excitement of present day pilgrims journeying on the Christian path.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
-
£49.95Malcolm Arnold Variations (Score Only)
MALCOLM ARNOLD VARIATIONS was commissioned by Philip Biggs and Richard Franklin for the 20th All England Masters International Brass Band Championship held in the Corn Exchange, Cambridge on 25 May 2008. The work is dedicated to Anthony Day, long time carer of Sir Malcolm Arnold in his final years. I first met Malcolm and Anthony in 1990 and remained in constant touch until Malcolm's passing in 2006. Anthony, of course, remains a friend and plays his own role subliminally in this piece. The work is not based on any of Malcolm Arnold's own themes, rather it is a portrait of him (and by association Anthony Day) through my eyes and as a result of my friendship with both parties over some 18 years. If there is any theme as such it is the personalities of the players, the protagonist and his carer placed together by my own efforts coloured and influenced by aspects of Arnold's style and technique without recourse to direct quotation but through allusion and parody. It is of course designed as a brass band test piece but in my eyes is first and foremost a musical challenge. The pyrotechnical elements are there but always secondary to the musical thrust of the work's structure. I have long beforehand submerged myself in Malcolm Arnold's music and ultimately delivered this tribute. Music Directors will be advised to acquaint themselves with the composer's personal music, particularly the film scores, symphonies, concertos and ballets: the solutions towards a successful interpretation of my piece are all in there - and YES, I want, and sanction, this piece to be interpreted, and therein lies the challenge for those of you 'up front'! The challenge for players is that of virtuosity, ensemble and careful attention to where they are individually in relation to their colleagues - a question of balance, taste and insight. With regard to tempi, as is my usual custom, I have indicated all metronome marks with the prefix circa. I would suggest that the fast music is played at these tempos but that the more rubato moments can be allowed some freedom in expression and fluidity of line. With regard to the type of mutes to be employed - this decision I leave to the discretion of players and conductors. Structurally the work is cast as an Introduction, 20 Variations and a Finale. Some variations are self contained, others run into each other as sequences in the same tempo. In other variations, segments are repeated and developed. I could describe the overall concept as a miniature ballet or a condensed film score - there is much drama and character and the repeated elements assist this in driving the action forward. I have deliberately avoided the more extremely dark qualities of Malcolm's own music in this, my celebration of this master-composer, as I have always viewed (and evidenced by my previous Masters scores Tristan Encounters and Chivalry) that the Cambridge contest is a 'sunshine- affair' and firmly believe that Malcolm Arnold would have had it no other way too!
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
-
£35.00
Land of the Living Skies - Peter Meechan
From the composer:aCommissioned by tuba virtuoso Patrick Sheridan, Land of the Living Skies is inspired by the love of photography shared by both Patrick and I.After moving from the UK to Saskatchewan, Canada, there were many changes, but perhaps the most striking of all were the skyscapes that my new home produced; stunning sunsets, incredible views of the Milky Way, amazing moonlit landscapes, and - of course - the Northern Lights.This piece was the last I wrote before moving away from Saskatchewan and. given that the Province calls itself the aLand of the Living Skiesa, it seemed only fitting to name the work after its amazing skies that had provided a lifetimeas worth of inspiration.The piece is dedicated to Patrick Sheridan, an amazing tubist, musician, educator and friend.aPete Meechan, January 2018
Estimated dispatch 12-14 working days
-
£44.95Hyperlink (Brass Band - Score only) - Graham, Peter
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.- Peter Graham
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
-
£49.95Cornet Concerto (Brass Band - Score only) - Gregson, Edward
The Cornet Concerto was commissioned by Black Dyke Band for their principal cornet, Richard Marshall, and was premiered at the European Brass Band Festival's Gala Concert in Lille, France, on 30 April 2016 by the same performers, conducted by Nicholas Childs.It is challenging work, both musically and technically, and one that exploits the wide range of the instrument's capabilities. Lasting for some 17 minutes, it is in the usual three movements: Sonata, Intermezzo (subtitled 'Of More Distant Memories') and Rondo.The first movement presents four main ideas:Cadenzas (which recur throughout the movement, and indeed appear at the end of the work); a fast and rhythmically energetic motive; Bugle calls (echoing the ancestor of the cornet), and a lyrical and expressive melody, full of yearning. These four ideas are juxtaposed within the broad shape of a Sonata form structure, although here the word 'Sonata' is used in its original meaning of 'sounding together'.The second movement is music in search of a theme, which eventually comes at the end of the movement. In the middle section there are brief quotations, albeit mostly hidden, from three cornet solos written by the Swedish/American composer Erik Leidzen for the Salvation Army in the 1940s and 50s; these are solos I loved as a teenager, and my use of them is by way of tribute, not imitation - a sort of memory bank, just as the main theme of the movement, when it eventually comes, is reminiscent of the tune from my earlier work for brass band, 'Of Distant Memories'.The final Rondo, the shortest of the three movements, is a lively and 'fleet-of foot' Scherzo, its main theme full of cascading arpeggios, but with a contrasting lyrical second theme intertwined in the structure. There is much interplay between soloist and band in the development of the music, but eventually a brief reprise of the opening cadenzas leads to an exciting and climactic coda.Duration: 17.00
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
-
£29.95
Beulah Land (Brass Band - Score only) - Heaton, Wilfred - Hindmarsh, Paul
Wilfred Heaton began to assemble material for 'Beulah Land' in the early 1990s following a request from the Amsterdam Staff Band for a new work. Despite reminding himself on the manuscript that he should either complete or destroy the work before his death, ultimately he did not manage either. This edition was subsequently realised in 2003 for the tour of the USA Western States by the Amsterdam Staff Band.'Beulah Land' is Heaton's vision of the joy that awaits the Christian in Heaven and, according to his family, is reminiscent of the kind of music he often improvised at the piano. The three movements are as follows;1. Better World; a waltz sequence on the tune 'Zealley' to which the words 'There is a better world, they say' are sung.2. Heavenly Home; an elegiac cortege using the tunes 'My home is in Heaven', 'I have a home that is fairer than day' and 'The home over there'.3. Happy Land; Beginning in waltz rhythm this soon gives way to a sequence of free variations on the song 'There is a happy land, Far, far away'.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
-
£37.95Connotations (Brass Band - Score only) - Gregson, Edward
Connotations was commissioned for the 1977 National Brass Band Championship finals, held in the Royal Albert Hall, London (the winner, incidentally, of that particular competition was the famous Black Dyke Mills Band).At the age of 32 Gregson was the youngest composer to have received the honour of such a commission. It came at the end of a productive five years writing for the brass band publisher R Smith. Some of those works - The Plantagenets, Essay and Patterns for example, with their direct and tuneful style, have remained popular with brass bands the world over.For Gregson, these were the means by which he sharpened the tools of his trade, preparing the ground, as it were, for his finest work to date - Connotations. He thought of calling the piece Variations on a Fourth, but with due deference to Gilbert Vinter perhaps (Variations on a Ninth), he chose a more appropriate one. As Gregson has written, 'Connotations suggests more than one way of looking at something, an idea, and this is exactly what the piece is about'.Writing a competition piece brought its own problems. 'It has to be technically difficult and yet musically satisfying. I didn't like being kept to an eleven-minute maximum. The inclusion of short cadenzas for less usual solo instruments seems to signify a certain test-piece mentality'.Gregson solved the problems admirably by adopting a symphonic approach to variation form: Introduction - fanfares, a call to attention, in effect Variation 1; Theme - a six-note motif, given a lyrical and restrained first statement; Variation 2 - a delicate toccata; Variation 3 - typically robust in melody and rhythm; Variation 4 - lyrical solos; Variation 5 - a scherzo; Variation 6 - cadenzas; Variations 7-9 - an introduction, fugato and resounding restatement of the theme.Duration: 10.30
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
-
£35.00Ascension - Lucy Pankhurst
A major work written for the RNCM Brass Festival Competition 2005, and inspired by the nature of Ascension - creating a Musical depiction of the spiritual journey towards enlightenment, sanctuary and ultimate inner peace.As aninitial muse for this work, the 'Tibetan Singing Bowl' is utilised with the Brass Band in order to represent this path to Serenity, together withBaoding Balls(Chinese Health Balls) to mark the point of Final Ascension.Programme notes from the composer, Lucy Pankhurst:Ascension is a Musical depiction of the Spiritual Journey towards enlightenment, sanctuary and ultimate inner peace.As my initial muse for this work, the Singing Bowl is utilised with the Brass Band in order to represent this path to Serenity. "Tibetan" Singing Bowls date back to the 8th Century A.D., originating in the pre-Buddhist shamanic Bon Po culture in the Himalayas and are still used in modern Monasteries. The original purpose of them still remains a mystery, with accounts stating that it is forbidden to disclose the true function of the Bowls, as the "secrets of sound" yield so much Power, that they must be kept hidden.Listening to the tones created by the Singing Bowl effectively silences the internal dialogue of the listener, making it an excellent tool for Meditation, Centering and entering trance-like states. In Buddhism, as with many cultures, sound is an important part of Spiritual Practice. There are 9 methods to reach Enlightenment in the Buddhist Doctrine ; the seventh is SOUND.These Bowls are used by Healers in a similar way to help balance the body's residual energies. The Bowls are usually made from seven different sacred metals, intended to correlate directly to the seven sacred "Planets" : GOLD (Sun), SILVER (Moon), MERCURY (Mercury), COPPER (Venus), IRON (Mars), TIN (Jupiter), ANTIMONY (Saturn). Any one Bowl can create up to seven different frequencies (tones) simultaneously. In Healing, the Singing Bowl is played whilst balanced on the palm of the hand, struck three times to stabilise the surrounding energies, before rotating the wooden "beater" around the outer circumference of the Bowl to create the "singing" effect.I have included an optional Vibraphone part (to be played with a Double Bass Bow) with Tubular Bells, to be used only in performances where a Singing Bowl cannot be acquired. However, a traditional Bowl should be used whenever possible, to create this specific and unique sound.Baoding Balls or Chinese Health Balls are also utilised in this work. Their appearance in the Music here, however, is to mark the point of Final Ascension, where the music reaches its ultimate goal. These delicate cloisonne iron Balls are said to stimulate the acupressure points on the hand, thus improving the Chi and Energy Paths (Life Force) throughout the entire body. The delicate "tinkle" produced by these spheres is hypnotic and captivating. For this reason, where no Baoding Balls are obtainable for performance, only delicate metallic percussion should be used in replacement (i.e. Crotales, Antique Cymbals or (liberal) single strikes on a Triangle etc.). Bell Trees, Wind Chimes and Cow Bells should not be used.As in many cultures, the number three is important in Ascension, as it represents not only the purification from the Singing Bowl, but also it is a number of confirmation, reiterated throughout the music in the metallic percussion in addition to the Brass, re-affirming the correct path to Enlightenment.
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 3-5 working days
-
£33.76Libera Me from 'Requiem' (Brass Band) Faure arr. Rob Bushnell
Composed between 1887 and 1890, Gabriel Faure's Requiem is not only one of his best-known works but one of the most popular piece of choral music in the Classical repertoire, coming 23rd in the Classic FM's Hall of Fame 2024. Believed to be a tribute to his father (who died in 1885), Faure himself said "My Requiem wasn't written for anything - for pleasure, if I may call it that!" It started life as a five-movement work but was later expanded to be the final seven-movement work we know today. The first version (which Faure called "un petit Requiem") was first performed on 16 January 1888, with Faure conducting, a second version premiered on 21 January 1893 before the final version (reworked for full orchestra) was played on 12 July 1900; the Requiem was performed at the composer's own funeral in 1924.The Libera Me, or Deliver Me, was actually written in 1877 and is the sixth part of the Requiem.Faure once said of the work, "Everything I managed to entertain by way of religious illusion I put into my Requiem, which moreover is dominated from beginning to end by a very human feeling of faith in eternal rest." Upon interview, he also said, "It has been said that my Requiem does not express the fear of death and someone has called it a lullaby of death. But it is thus that I see death: as a happy deliverance, an aspiration towards happiness above, rather than as a painful experience. The music of Gounod has been criticised for its inclination towards human tenderness. But his nature predisposed him to feel this way: religious emotion took this form inside him. Is it not necessary to accept the artist's nature? As to my Requiem, perhaps I have also instinctively sought to escape from what is thought right and proper, after all the years of accompanying burial services on the organ! I know it all by heart. I wanted to write something different."This arrangement is for the British-style brass band, with alternative parts for horns in F and bass-clef lower brass. The tenor solo is featured on the euphonium. A recording of the original composition can be found here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXwFNoBHCf0 Duration: 4.20 minutes approx. Difficulty Level: 4th Section + PDF download includes parts and score. Sheet music available from www.brassband.co.uk Instrumentation: Soprano Cornet Eb Solo Cornet Bb Repiano Cornet Bb 2nd Cornet Bb 3rd Cornet Bb Flugel Horn Bb Solo Horn Eb 1st Horn Eb 2nd Horn Eb 1st Baritone Bb 2nd Baritone Bb 1st Trombone Bb 2nd Trombone Bb Bass Trombone Euphonium Bb Bass Eb Bass BbTimpani
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 1-3 working days
-
£37.50
Polish Adventures - Gavin Somerset
Composed for the All Saints Wind Band, Sheffield after their trip to Poland in the summer of 2003. This work reflects the different parts of the tour in four continuous movements... PROGRAM NOTES AS THEY APPREAR ON SCORE COVER I don't wish to ramble on with the program notes, do I do believe that if you know the story behind a piece of music, it just puts that extra something into the players performance. In 2002, the All Saints Wind Band, Sheffield, embarked on a 10 day tour of Poland. The group spent 28hrs on a couch packed with instruments, only to arrive finding Poland experiencing its worst summer in 70 years. In 2003, they decided to go back for another go! This time, luxury all the way, no 28hr coach journey, just a 1 1/2hr flight. This piece tells the story of the 2nd tour of Poland in four continuous movements... First the introduction. Early one morning, prepared for the drive to the airport, everyone tired, but excited. A day prior to this, some parents of the children set off in a van driving the instruments to the hotel, some 300 miles away. Bar 13 introduces the "Van" theme. Once arriving at the airport, the movements begin... 1. MORNING FLIGHT A very self explanatory part of the piece, and impressionist in its writing. Flying high over England and the channel, giving a sense of speed we were travelling at (compared to the poor lads in the van somewhere below us!) The Largo before F tells of the short coach journey to the hotel, and settling into what was our new home for 10 days. 2. IN THE STORM The weather was definitely an improvement on last year. So much so, that it became a regular event of the day to go and play rounders in a nearby field. This particular day however, with everyone concentrating hard on the game, it escaped everyone's attention that there was a very large storm creeping over the high mountain range near us. As the title of the movement suggests, the scene involved 25 of us running as fast as we could back to the hotel. Unfortunately, the heavy rain ran faster than us. 3. LAST MEMORIES As most of the people in the band were 18 this year, it was apparent that this would be their last event with the band. Many of the group had grown up together for the last 7 years and so, as the tour came to a close, there was a sense of sadness in the air, but everyone would always have the memories. 4. FINALE & HOME The van and the brave volunteers that went with it, set off the day before the rest of us flew home. This last movement reflect the whole tour, bringing back all the main themes from the different movements before arriving back at the school, just in time to see the van pull up. The "Van" theme makes its presence heard again towards the end. This piece was performed by the Wind Band at the leaving concert of many of the players in the band. I dedicate this piece to the band which is still functioning with new players, and to all those who took part on this tour.
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 1-3 working days
View Music