Results
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£15.00Perseverance
DescriptionPerseverance was commissioned by Middleton Band to mark their 140th anniversary in 2016, supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, and featured on Middleton Band's CD of the same name.The title is taken from the original name of the 1876 band, the Middleton Perseverance Drum and Fife Band. According to the band's historical records, the Drum and Fife band was formed by six Middleton youngsters eager to learn music but short of funds. Following a whip round, they visited a music shop in Oldham where they purchased a 'one key flute' for six shillings and sixpence, and ('later on') a drum.This determination to make music despite the odds has been a characteristic of the band ever since; at the end of the second world war the band was again down to six players, who rebuilt the 'Middleton Borough Band' back to twenty-six players. After a period of some considerable success throughout the sixties and seventies culminating in winning the National Third Section title in 1983 the band hit hard times again in the late eighties and was down to only four members in 1987 before again being brought back to life. In recent decades the band has built a strong relationship with the East Lancashire Railway, another organisation which has battled sometimes mighty obstacles in its struggle to survive, and has maintained a thriving and successful youth band.The band's will to survive through adversity is reflected in the music, which builds from a sextet of four brass and two percussion players three times, only to fall back to the sextet twice. In the central slow movement the bass drum plays a 'heartbeat' rhythm as the remaining players remember those lost in the war. The relentless pace of the final section culminates in the band triumphing over the adversity which has curtailed the previous two sections. As a former member of Middleton Band (and one of the team that regained the National Third Section title in 2007) it is my pleasure to dedicate this work to the 'Pop and Ale Boys', Middleton Band.You can read more about the piece here.To view the accompanying video by Andy Marshall, designed to precede the piece, clickhereand find out more about the link between the video and the music here.Recording with Score VideoPerformance NotesIn performance the four brass members of the sextet (soprano, solo horn, solo trombone and solo euphonium) should stand at the sides of the band - soprano and horn behind the cornets, trombone and euphonium behind the trombones. Percussion may stand with them at the conductor's discretion, but only if the band has TWO snare drums and TWO concert bass drums available, as these are also needed at the back of the band in the tutti sections. In the second sextet snare drum should be muffled with a heavy cloth OR have the snares turned off (not both).Percussion and mutesPercussion required:snare drum (muffled with a heavy cloth at one point)concert bass drum, kit bass drum, hi-hat, suspended (crash) cymbal2 x tom-tomswood blockclash cymbals3 x timpanitam-tamglockenspielSoprano cornet, repiano and 2nd cornets, flugel and all trombones require metal straight mutes. Soprano, Solo Cornet 3/4, Repiano 2nd and 3rd cornets require cup mutes. Solo Cornet 1/2, Repiano, 2nd and 3rd cornets require harmon mutes.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£24.99City of Truro - MARCH Joseph Knight
This march is in 6/8 time and was inspired by a trip on the Gloucester and Warwickshire heritage railway. The City of Truro was the engine which pulled the train. It is the first steam locomotive ever to have reached the speed of one hundred miles per hour. This march is a jaunty enjoyable tune which is a real audience pleaser. It is of a simple standard and could even be attempted by a youth group. An ideal number for playing in a massed band concert with youth.
Estimated dispatch 5-9 working days
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£29.95Fall of Icarus, The - Jonathan Bates
DURATION: 4 minutes. DIFFICULTY: 2nd+. The Fall of Icarus was composed for the Lions Youth Brass Band as the finale to their runers-up set at the 2018 National Youth Brass Band Championships of Great Britain. The music is inspired by the steady rise towards the sun of the Greek mythological character Icarus, as his impending fate becomes closer and closer. This work was designed as a more widely accesible alternative to the much loved March from the Pines of Rome by Respighi.
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 1-3 working days
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£15.00Flourish - Helen Douthwaite
A lovely original composition by Helen Douthwaite with junior/youth bands in mind, but just as appropriate for brass ensembles looking for a short and sweet item to play.A rich opening melody develops to bring vitality and a nice upbeat feel to the piece.Lots for each instrument section to do and a chance for the emerging players to hear some great harmonies around the band.The set includes score and parts for:Cornet 1Cornet 2Cornet 3Eb Tenor HornEb Tenor Horn EASYEuphonium/BaritoneEuphonium/Baritone EASYTromboneTrombone EASYEb BassDrum setPercussion
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 3-5 working days
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£25.00Shining Stars - Lucy Pankhurst
This piece was originally commissioned by Denbighshire County Council for the Ruthin Area Brass Band. The composer, Lucy Pankhurst, has further dedicated it to Dennis Williams and Ann Pritchard-Jones "for their long-standing support".This work is made up of three movements - Fanfare, Theme and March, and offers lots of melodious energy. It's very accessible scoring for lower section bands and youth bands and provides an ideal way to work original compositions into your concert programme.
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 3-5 working days
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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.
Estimated dispatch 3-5 working days
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£34.95By Water and the Word - Jonathan Bates
DURATION: 4'00". DIFFICULTY: 4th+. 'By Water and the Word' was composed for 2020 Brass Band Summer School in memory of it's long-standing course administrator Philip Biggs, who passed away in 2019. Aside from his work with BBSS, Philip was also the renowned administrator for the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain where my first opportunities as a writer of brass music were presented. It's a certainty to say that without Philip's work at the head of this organisation, there's zero chance I would be able to do what I do today as a musician, and for that it was a huge honour to write this short work in his memory. Under Maestro Bramwell Tovey, each course would conclude with an encore of The Day Thou Gavest (St. Clements) and one of the most used hymn tunes throughout the week was The Church's One Foundation (Aurelia). Since then, these two tunes have become synonymous with the NYBBGB and in turn Philip's life & work, so I felt it fitting to combine these two wonderful sacred melodies into a new work paying homage to those memories. .
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 1-3 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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£65.00
Smoke Sketches - Daniel Hall
Smoke Sketches is Daniel Hall's first original work to be published in the Faber Music Brass Band Series. Daniel is one of the most gifted of the rising generation of composers writing for brass bands. Smoke Sketches was composed at the invitation of Brass Bands England for the Intermediate Section of the 2017 National Youth Brass Band Championships of Great Britain. This colourful, jazzy suite draws inspiration from the ancient art of gazing into smoke from fire to find stories through the act of divination. Into the Blaze suggests someone briskly fire-walking, barefoot, with unexpected sparks fizzling from the ground. A Lonesome Ember captures the fleeting life of a small ember, beginning insignificantly and gradually evolving into a larger being before disappearing into ash, while Spark of Light bristles with life and energy. Band Grade 3/4, duration 8 minutes.
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 1-3 working days
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£65.00
Lyonesse (Score & Parts) - Simon Dobson
Lyonesse was commissioned by the Brass Band Heritage Trust as the test piece for the Finals of the National Youth Brass Band Championships held in Manchester in April 2005. This atmospheric music, ideal as a test piece for First and Second section bands, takes its inspiration from the lost kingdom of Lyonesse, the mythical spur of land linking Cornwall and the Scilly Isles, and its associated legend of Tristan and Isolde.Brass Band Grade 5: 1st SectionDuration: 13 minutes
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 1-3 working days
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