Results
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£64.95Adam 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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£69.95Concerto for Horn (Horn Solo with Brass Band - Score and Parts) - Gregson, Edward
Horn in F with Brass BandComposed in 1971 for Ifor James, the Concerto for French Horn and Band revealed some of those elements that have made Gregson's music so popular with audiences (and not just brass band audiences) worldwide: the boldness of his melodies, with the interval of the fourth revealing his admiration for the music of Paul Hindemith; his incisive rhythms, betraying the influence of another favourite composer, Bla Bartk; an admirable economy of means; and the clarity of his scoring.Each of the Concerto's three movements displays a different facet of the French Horn's character. The first is serious, symphonic in impulse, the rising fourths of the opening gesture giving the music an almost Germanic weight. In the slow movement, the soloist becomes the first among equals, sharing with the cornet soloist some typically haunting melodies. The lyrical flow is interrupted at the mid-point by mysterious, fleet-of-foot cadenzas. A rondo finale brings the concerto to a light-hearted conclusion. The rising fourths here are the impulse for a jaunty theme which reveals another of Gregson's early influences - William Walton, and in particular that composer's Partita for orchestra.Duration: 18.00
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£74.95Beyond the Falls - The Smoke That Thunders (Brass Band - Score and Parts) - Wainwright, Andrew
David Livingstone was a renowned Scottish missionary and explorer whose legendary expeditions from 1841 until his death in 1873 took him deep into the interior of central and southern Africa. While his initial aim was to spread Christianity and commerce, his legacy became defined by his relentless spirit of discovery.This work captures the harrowing and ultimately triumphant journey that led to his discovery of Victoria Falls. Originally composed for the GUS Band's performance at the 2012 Brass in Concert Championships, the work was expanded in 2026 for the Black Dyke Band's recording, Gothique Fantasy - The Music of Andrew Wainwright.The music opens with an air of trepidation, reflecting the weight of the mission ahead. This tension soon gives way to a more optimistic section featuring the Scottish folk song A Man's a Man for a' That. Livingstone reportedly hummed this Rabbie Burns tune to bolster his spirits while travelling. The score then depicts the immense hardships of the expedition (letters F to L), illustrating skirmishes with suspicious local tribes, wild animal attacks, and bouts of African fever.Following these trials, a more reflective, emotive movement (Letters L to R) explores Livingstone's internal struggle and his doubts about continuing. This emotional core is built upon the hymn Lord, Send Me Anywhere, a melody composed by Livingstone himself. Emerging from this prayer with renewed purpose, the final section (Letter R to the end) follows his path along the Zambezi River. The music builds to a triumphant climax, capturing his elation at seeing the magnificent Victoria Falls - known locally as 'Mosi-oa-Tunya' (The Smoke that Thunders).Duration: 13.30
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£29.95Beyond the Falls - The Smoke That Thunders (Brass Band - Score only) - Wainwright, Andrew
David Livingstone was a renowned Scottish missionary and explorer whose legendary expeditions from 1841 until his death in 1873 took him deep into the interior of central and southern Africa. While his initial aim was to spread Christianity and commerce, his legacy became defined by his relentless spirit of discovery.This work captures the harrowing and ultimately triumphant journey that led to his discovery of Victoria Falls. Originally composed for the GUS Band's performance at the 2012 Brass in Concert Championships, the work was expanded in 2026 for the Black Dyke Band's recording, Gothique Fantasy - The Music of Andrew Wainwright.The music opens with an air of trepidation, reflecting the weight of the mission ahead. This tension soon gives way to a more optimistic section featuring the Scottish folk song A Man's a Man for a' That. Livingstone reportedly hummed this Rabbie Burns tune to bolster his spirits while travelling. The score then depicts the immense hardships of the expedition (letters F to L), illustrating skirmishes with suspicious local tribes, wild animal attacks, and bouts of African fever.Following these trials, a more reflective, emotive movement (Letters L to R) explores Livingstone's internal struggle and his doubts about continuing. This emotional core is built upon the hymn Lord, Send Me Anywhere, a melody composed by Livingstone himself. Emerging from this prayer with renewed purpose, the final section (Letter R to the end) follows his path along the Zambezi River. The music builds to a triumphant climax, capturing his elation at seeing the magnificent Victoria Falls - known locally as 'Mosi-oa-Tunya' (The Smoke that Thunders).Duration: 13.30
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£19.95Beyond the Falls - The Smoke That Thunders (Brass Band - Study Score) - Wainwright, Andrew
David Livingstone was a renowned Scottish missionary and explorer whose legendary expeditions from 1841 until his death in 1873 took him deep into the interior of central and southern Africa. While his initial aim was to spread Christianity and commerce, his legacy became defined by his relentless spirit of discovery.This work captures the harrowing and ultimately triumphant journey that led to his discovery of Victoria Falls. Originally composed for the GUS Band's performance at the 2012 Brass in Concert Championships, the work was expanded in 2026 for the Black Dyke Band's recording, Gothique Fantasy - The Music of Andrew Wainwright.The music opens with an air of trepidation, reflecting the weight of the mission ahead. This tension soon gives way to a more optimistic section featuring the Scottish folk song A Man's a Man for a' That. Livingstone reportedly hummed this Rabbie Burns tune to bolster his spirits while travelling. The score then depicts the immense hardships of the expedition (letters F to L), illustrating skirmishes with suspicious local tribes, wild animal attacks, and bouts of African fever.Following these trials, a more reflective, emotive movement (Letters L to R) explores Livingstone's internal struggle and his doubts about continuing. This emotional core is built upon the hymn Lord, Send Me Anywhere, a melody composed by Livingstone himself. Emerging from this prayer with renewed purpose, the final section (Letter R to the end) follows his path along the Zambezi River. The music builds to a triumphant climax, capturing his elation at seeing the magnificent Victoria Falls - known locally as 'Mosi-oa-Tunya' (The Smoke that Thunders).Duration: 13.30
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£69.95Starmaker (Brass Band - Score and Parts) - Steadman-Allen, Ray
Described by the composer as one of his more ambitious works for brass band, this work is in three movements. Although each movement is capable of standing alone, the composer's own concept is totality with the three movements forming a composite whole. Starmaker presents in music the concept of God's creation of the universe. The frantic and sometimes harsh music of the first movement portrays the chaos from which the immortal and invisible wisdom of God created the order and structure of the heavens, with the stars and planets in their ordered places. An exquisite second movement, based on the benediction 'Now the day is over', brings a calm and ordered peace to the universe, also reminding listeners of the night sky, when God's amazing work is best viewed in all its awesome wonder. The final movement is celebratory in nature, with fragments of melodies like 'Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation' appearing in various guises.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£34.95
Starmaker (Brass Band - Score only) - Steadman-Allen, Ray
Described by the composer as one of his more ambitious works for brass band, this work is in three movements. Although each movement is capable of standing alone, the composer's own concept is totality with the three movements forming a composite whole. Starmaker presents in music the concept of God's creation of the universe. The frantic and sometimes harsh music of the first movement portrays the chaos from which the immortal and invisible wisdom of God created the order and structure of the heavens, with the stars and planets in their ordered places. An exquisite second movement, based on the benediction 'Now the day is over', brings a calm and ordered peace to the universe, also reminding listeners of the night sky, when God's amazing work is best viewed in all its awesome wonder. The final movement is celebratory in nature, with fragments of melodies like 'Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation' appearing in various guises.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£60.99Washington Grays (Brass Band - Score and Parts) - Grafulla, Claudio S. - Curnow, James
Claudio S Grafulla was born on the Spanish island of Minorca in 1818 and emigrated to the United States in 1838. Although he was a composer of many original works, the one that is still regarded as one of the finest marches ever written is his Washington Grays March. This arrangement strives to recreate the original lost version written for an American Civil War brass band.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£105.00Danceries. Set II - Kenneth Hesketh
Danceries Set II, arranged for brass band, was first commission by Keith Allen for the Birmingham Symphonic Winds. This second set of Danceries continues the format, established in the popular Danceries (Set I), of using tunesand dances from Playford s Dancing Master (17th century) to form the basis of an extended dancesuite. In this set, the melodies have become more abstracted and project only a distant echo of their original forms. As before, eachmovement is self-contained, colourful and direct, with its own distinct mood.The outer movements Jennie s Bawbee and Peascod s Galliarda share driving percussion with a military air. Tom Tinker s Toye and Heart sEase(movements two and three) are both settings of original melodies. All movements are more extended than in the first set, with a freer use and approach to the material; melodies now occur in various keys and are supported by agreater variety of harmonic colouring. The result is a richer, even more exhilarating set of dances.Brass Band Grade 5
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£50.00Hobson's Brass - Malcolm Arnold
Hobson's Brass is Malcolm Arnold's score to David Lean's 1954 film, Hobson's Choice, was one of three collaborations between the composer and director. It's a story ofHenry Hobson, played by Charles Laughtan who runs a successful bootmaker's shop in nineteenth-century Salford. A widower with a weakness for the pub, he tries forcefully to rule the lives of his three unruly daughters.Brass Band Grade 5: 1st Section. Duration 10 minutes.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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