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£29.95
Darkwood (Score Only)
Born in the Vale of Evesham, Worcestershire, Dan took a keen interest in music from an early age playing tuba and trombone with his local brass band. After leaving school he embarked on a 10 year career as a hotelier integrating it with a developing career as a freelance musician playing double bass, sousaphone and bass saxophone with big bands including the internationally Pasadena Roof Orchestra.In 2003, he enrolled in the Band Musicianship course at Salford University where he studied composition and arranging with Prof. Peter Graham. Dan's first test-piece An Elgar Portrait was selected as the 4th Section set work at the Swiss National Brass Band Championships in 2007 and again at the Pontins Championships the following year. He then went on to write the test-piece New World Sketches which was set as the 2nd Section test-piece for the British Regional Contests in 2009.In 2009, Dan became Composer in Association with the Cory Band, helping them with their winning programmes at several Brass in Concert Championships. In 2012 he became the Arranger in Association with Black Dyke Band and has been involved with many of the band's exciting projects including his arrangement of Recycled for the ground breaking multimedia campaign - Danger Global Warming Project and the band's collaboration with British composer Tolga Kashif in 2012 for his Olympic Anthem Let Your Light Shine.In 2015, Dan had a number of major works performed at International contests which included Realms of Asgard: Yggdrassil - a new test-work commissioned by Jaren Hornmusikkforening to be used as their choice work at the Norwegian Brass Band Championships, Ocean of Storms - an exciting new work for Grimethorpe Colliery Band's Brass in Concert programme and his test-piece Visions which was used as a 4th Section National Finals test-piece.Dan is currently working full time at the University of Salford, lecturing in Composition and Arranging. He continues to work as a freelance composer working with a number of leading soloists, brass and wind bands around the world.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£29.95
The Land of the Long White Cloud (Score Only)
Dating from 1979, The Land of the Long White Cloud (Aotearoa) was Philip Sparke's first test-piece. It was commissioned by the New Zealand Brass Band Association for their 1980 National Championships (their centenary year) and set for the European Brass Band Championships, the same year, at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Aotearoa was the name given to New Zealand by its Polynesian settlers whose first sight of the islands was a long, flat cloud lying low over the land. The work has no specific programme although many have seen pictures of the surging ocean in the opening bars. A faster dance-like section leads to a slow, haunting solo for soprano cornet; this is taken up by the whole band before earlier material returns. The dance-like tune is, this time, given a fugal treatment and the opening bars return to close the work.Philip Sparke was born in London and studied composition, trumpet and piano at the Royal College of Music, where he gained an ARCM. It was at the College that his interest in bands arose. He played in the College wind orchestra and also formed a brass band among the students, writing several works for both ensembles.At that time, his first published works appeared - Concert Prelude (brass band) and Gaudium (wind band). A growing interest in his music led to several commissions, his first major one being this featured piece for the Centennial Brass Band Championships in New Zealand - The Land of the Long White Cloud. He has written for brass band championships in New Zealand, Switzerland, Holland, Australia and the UK, including three times for the National Finals at the Royal Albert Hall.In September 2000, he was awarded the Iles Medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians for his services to brass bands and in 2005 Music of the Spheres won the National Band Association/William D. Revelli Memorial Band Composition Contest. In 2011, he received the BUMA International Brass Award for his contribution to brass music.His conducting and adjudicating activities have taken him to most European countries, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Canada and the USA. In May 2000, he took the major step of becoming a full-time composer by founding his own publishing company, Anglo Music Press. The company is devoted to publishing his brass band, concert band, fanfare band and instrumental publications as well as recordings dedicated to his latest works.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£32.95Variations for Brass Band (Score Only)
The great British brass band tradition has been fostered since 1860 by an annual competition for bands. Held in the Crystal Palace until that edifice burned in the 1930s, it is a major event at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Each year there is a new test piece, required of all bands and in 1957, Ralph Vaughan Williams (by then a revered, grandfatherly figure in British music) was finally persuaded to write a composition for that purpose.The 12-minute composition comprises a theme and 11 variations. The brief variations are in a variety of moods and styles, including a waltz, a polonaise, a chorale, a canon, an arabesque, and a fugue. It tests ensemble coordination, command of and flexibility concerning styles, and richness of sound.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£83.00
A Bournemouth Suite - Benjamin Tubb
Bournemouth Suite was written by Benjamin Tubb in 2005, when the composer was just 17 years of age. After spending many school holiday weeks with his grandparents in the coastal town of Bournmouth, it was obvious that these experiences would make a great basis for a composition.This testpiece is split into three separate movements: Balloon Ride, The Pier at Night and The BIC. Each movement has its own unique character, although there are ideas shared by all three throughout, one of which is the opening syncopation.Balloon RideThe First movement, Balloon Ride, describes a journey on "The Bournemouth Eye", a tethered hot air balloon that takes you up 500 feet. It's located in the middle of the town centre, which enables you to see surrounding countryside for up to 20 miles! The movement begins rather ominously as the balloon raises from the ground which leads into a more lively section caharacteresed by the repeating quavers in the lower brass and woodblock. The movement ends in much the same way as it started - signalling the return to terra firma.The Pier At NightDuring the summer there are several large firework displays in the town centre. The second movement, The Pier At Night descirbes an evening spent on the beach in deckchairs watching the montage of colours in the night-time sky. With demanding solos for horn and cornet, as well as exposed playing spread throughout the band, this slow movement will really test a band's expressive and lyrical playing.The 'BIC'The Bournemouth INternational Centre, also known as "The BIC" is one of Bournemouth's most visited attractions, and regularly hosts shows such as 'Riverdance' and pantomimes. Inside is a world of entertainment and the centre itself is just a stone's throw from both "The Bournemouth Eye" and the Pier. The 3rd movement has been written to describe the buzz of activity surrounding the BIC, and the entire works ends with the same syncopated motif from the beginning.A Bournemouth Suite was set as the 'set-test' at the Pontins Brass Band Championships 2009.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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The Planets - Gustav Holst - Matt Kingston
A radical reworking of Holst's epic, containing all the best bits and most memorable tunes. Suitable for 2nd section bands and higher. Duration 13 mins
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Cuban Overture - George Gershwin - Matt Kingston
We all know Gershwin's timeless songs, but he wrote some fantastic instrumental music too. The Cuban Overture was inspired by a holiday he took in Havana, with sultry Latin harmonies and lively Salsa rhythms. Suitable for 3rd section bands upwards.
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Sursum Corda - Edward Elgar - Matt Kingston
An epic Elgar melody - noble, dignified and very, very British. Playable by most standards of bands, although a great detail of control and sustain is needed to pull it off effectively.
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£45.00Dreamtime
Commissioned by Philip Harper for the Cory Bands 2013 tour to Australia, Dreamtime draws inspiration from Australian Aboriginal mythology. The Dreamtime is a sacred era in which the Aborigines believe ancestral totemic (symbolic) spirits created the world. The work is heavily percussive, including narration and a pseudo-didgeridoo, created with multi-phonics in euphoniums and tubas. The work can still be performed without multi-phonics, narration and reduced percussion. Duration: 00:07:30 (with narration) Grade: 5 Listen:
Estimated dispatch 5-7 working days
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£25.00March - Spirit of Victory
Andrea Price Composed in 2004 for the 'Mouthpiece.com March Competition,' Spirit of Victory is a light-hearted concert march that takes influence from marches within the Salvation Army catalogue. It's tuneful nature and approachable scoring makes it accessible for confident Junior Bands, Fourth Section and above, offering an alternative choice to the traditional classics. Duration : 00:03:30 Grade : 2.5/3
Estimated dispatch 5-7 working days
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£45.00Starburst
Commissioned by the Greater Manchester Hub Youth Brass Band for their 2014 season, Starburst is a high-octane work in a contemporary style with elements of rock and funk fusion. The piece features soloistic input from all sections, with vibrant percussion colours adding to the overall effectiveness. Although the piece sounds extremely virtuosic it is accessible for most bands, and is fun to rehearse as well as exciting to listen to. Duration: 00:04:00 Grade: 3 (Works well when paired with Aurora Awakes)
Estimated dispatch 5-7 working days
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