Results
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£74.95Connotations (Brass Band - Score and Parts) - 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
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£59.95Essay (Brass Band - Score and Parts) - Gregson, Edward
This work was specially commissioned as the test piece for a new brass band competition in 1971, held at the Royal Albert Hall, London. It is in three movements, the titles of which all have literary connotations. The first movement, Dialogue takes the form of 'conversations' between the instruments, based on the opening melody announced in unison on cornets and euphoniums. A second theme is introduced on the flugel horn and developed alongside this, creating a sonata form shell.The second movement, Soliloquy is dedicated to the memory of Gilbert Vinter - a composer who did so much in the 1960s to bring the brass band into the modern world. The movement is poignant in mood, which is depicted by a cornet solo announced after a brief introduction. The middle section builds to a powerful climax, at which point the opening theme of the first movement is heard again. Tranquillity returns however, with a solo trombone now playing the original theme with other instruments adding decorative accompanying patterns.The final movement, Epigram, creates strong rhythmic contrasts and exploits the more virtuoso character of the brass band. The middle section, with its changing time patterns and open expansive melody, suggests a 'big-country' style. A rhythmically charged coda concludes the work in exciting fashion.Duration: 12.00
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£29.95
Essay (Brass Band - Score only) - Gregson, Edward
This work was specially commissioned as the test piece for a new brass band competition in 1971, held at the Royal Albert Hall, London. It is in three movements, the titles of which all have literary connotations. The first movement, Dialogue takes the form of 'conversations' between the instruments, based on the opening melody announced in unison on cornets and euphoniums. A second theme is introduced on the flugel horn and developed alongside this, creating a sonata form shell.The second movement, Soliloquy is dedicated to the memory of Gilbert Vinter - a composer who did so much in the 1960s to bring the brass band into the modern world. The movement is poignant in mood, which is depicted by a cornet solo announced after a brief introduction. The middle section builds to a powerful climax, at which point the opening theme of the first movement is heard again. Tranquillity returns however, with a solo trombone now playing the original theme with other instruments adding decorative accompanying patterns.The final movement, Epigram, creates strong rhythmic contrasts and exploits the more virtuoso character of the brass band. The middle section, with its changing time patterns and open expansive melody, suggests a 'big-country' style. A rhythmically charged coda concludes the work in exciting fashion.Duration: 12.00
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£71.20Phoenicia (Brass Band - Score and Parts) - Hodel, Stephan
This composition is commissioned by the World Band Festival Foundation for the 20th anniversary of the Swiss Open Contest in the famous concert hall of the KKL in Lucerne, Switzerland 2018.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£32.99Christmas Day - Gustav Holst arr. J Knight
This Gustav Holst piece contains three Carols: Good Christian Men, Rejoice, God Rest ye Merry Gentlemen and Come, ye lofty, come, ye lowly, (Old Breton Melody) with a little The First Nowell thrown in for good measure. It has been arranged here for the full brass band and has had light percussion parts added to complement. It starts with the band in full chord and then pairs down to solo instruments playing Good Christian Men monophonically. This piece has all of the essential elements of Holst's harmony and tension while retaining the joy of Christmas. It ends quietly and reflectively and works very well in large acoustics such as a Church building or large town hall.
Estimated dispatch 5-7 days
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£15.99O' Rest In The Lord Felix Mendelssohn arr. Joseph Knight
Mendelssohn conducted the first English performance of 'Elijah' on 26 August 1846 at Birmingham Town Hall and it was immediately acclaimed a classic of the genre. This Aria, O' Rest In The Lord, is a classic for alto voice and therefore transposes nicely for the Tenor Horn. In this arrangement the whole Tenor Horn section plays the alto part to produce a sublime timbre. This is a fantastic feature piece for any concert.
Estimated dispatch 5-7 days
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£20.00African Funk - Alan Fernie
A fun, upbeat number, playable by all levels and offering a wealth of percussion opportunities for the whole band!Alan Fernie composed this work in support of a charitable project, known in 2005 as Brass Band Aid. The organisation called for original compositions to be included in a follow-up CD release - Into Africato help raise funds for projects in Adet, Africa, and to build awareness of theMake Poverty History campaign. African Adventure was featured on the CD with a recording by the Nova Scotia International Tattoo Brass Band.Now that the original BBA projects are complete, funds raised by the titles we publish from the Brass Band Aidseries continue to support other music-related projects on a regular basis.Look and Listen (courtesy of Neo Brassband from their performance at Heywood Civic Hall in 2016):
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£37.95Softly, As I Leave You - Alfred de Vita arr. Alan Catherall
Made popular by many singers over the years, this lovely song was first arranged for the Childs brothers as a solo, and later a duet, by Alan Catherall. It was first performed in the duet version at the Royal Albert Hall, London, in October 1985, conducted by their late father, John Childs. Also available with piano Brass Band Set comprises: Detailed condensed conductor score Solo B-flat Euphonium B-flat Euphonium Duet (2) E-flat Soprano Cornet Solo B-flat Cornet (4) 2nd B-flat Cornet (2) 3rd B-flat Cornet (2) B-flat Flugelhorn* Solo E-flat Horn* 1st E-flat Horn* 2nd E-flat Horn 1st B-flat Baritone 2nd B-flat Baritone 1st B-flat Trombone 2nd B-flat Trombone Bass Trombone B-flat Euphonium (2) E-flat Bass (2) B-flat Bass (2) 1st Percussion 2nd Percussion 3rd Percussion (Drum Kit) * Alternative parts for use as solo or duet provided. There is no Repiano Cornet part.
Estimated dispatch 5-7 working days
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£37.95North Country Pastorale (Score and Parts)
You can almost smell the great outdoors on a sultry summer afternoon in this short idyll. Ideal for banstand or concert hall. Duration: 3:00
Estimated dispatch 5-7 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.
In stock: Estimated dispatch 1-3 days
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