Results
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£127.30Graceful Ghost - William Bolcom
I came to know of this piece when hearing famous Norwegian ragtime pianist Morten Gunnar Larsen playing it at a concert with the Norwegian Navy Band Bergen. I was struck by its melancholic beauty and wanted to arrange it for band.Ragtimes are rarely in a minor key (which this one is) and when you first hear it, you might think it was written around the time when Scott Joplin was the main ragtime composer. But, if you listen more carefully, you notice that some of theharmonies are more advanced than one might expect in traditional ragtime, giving the piece a slightly more contemporary feel. The composer William Bolcom wrote Graceful Ghost in 1970 to honour the memory of his father and it is one of hismost popular pieces.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£54.99I'm So Excited - Peter Kleine Schaars
The sisters Ruth, Anita and June Pointer from West Oakland in California learned how to sing in the sixties in church where their father was a minister. At the beginning of the 1970s they entered the music business, where they proved to have a mastery of many styles - including rhythm & blues, jazz, and country. However, the Pointer Sisters acquired international fame at the beginning of the eighties with their soul-like pop music. A great hit was the up-tempo number I'm So Excited, which is still a success on every dance floor. This sparkling arrangement by Peter Kleine Schaars certainly provides the excitement that is suggested in the title.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£115.60Chanson de Matin - Edward Elgar - Svein H. Giske
Chanson de Matin ("Morning Song") (Op. 15, No. 2) was likely written by Edward Elgar around 1889, originally for violin and piano. He later created an orchestral version. The premiere of this version in 1901 was conducted by none other than Henry Wood. Wood conducted the Promenade Concerts in London for almost 50 years and is considered the "father" of The Proms.The English composer Edward Elgar is perhaps best known for his Enigma Variations and Pomp and Circumstance marches.This arrangement was written during the COVID-19 pandemic for Askoy Brass Band's album "Gjensyn", available on Spotify and other streaming services.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£69.99Meditation - Jan de Haan
Meditation is based on Dear Lord and Father of Mankind (1887) by the English composer and organist Frederick Charles Maker (1844-1927). This is a calm, introverted work that however has an intense effect. In the first section, the solo euphonium is given an important role, leading to one of the loveliest of all English hymn melodies.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£146.80How to Train Your Dragon - John James Powell - Fredrick Schjelderup
"How to train your dragon" is an American animation film about a little viking village which gets attacked by dragons.In the movie, the young character Birk must convince his father and the rest of the village that he will be a viking warrior and fight the dragons.During the process of becoming a real warrior, Birk wants to become friends with the dragons, rather than fight them.The film music is originally written by John James Powell and describes the drama, tension og romance.In this arrangement you'll find the themes "This is Birk" and "Dragon Battle".
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£86.00
Minnen fran Holmen - Jerker Johansson
The first theme played by the solo clarinet was written by Jerker Johansson the summer 1997, when he was composing in Swedish folk music style for an intended radio programme in which his father should participate reading poems in local dialect. Unfortunately, the project was discontinued. In the spring 2015 Mr. Johansson however started to work on the theme again, this time adding a song theme of broader character. Holmen is the name of the homestead where Mr. Johansson's father Arne grew up. It is beautifully located in the parish of Skarv, situated east of Skara, one of the oldest towns in Sweden. At Holmen, the composer spent his childhood summers and his recollections are filled with many bright moments and happy memories. The piece was premiered May 22, 2015 by the Goteborg Wind Orchestra conducted by the composer.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 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 3-7 working days
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£45.00Caerfyrddin - Brass Band - LM957
COMPOSER: Alex McGeeA four movement work describing the historic county town of Carmarthen.1. FanfareThe first movement is an opening Fanfare,2. Castell Caerfyrddyn(Carmarthen Castle)The second movement is a lament describing the now ruined castle.Carmarthen Castle(Welsh:Castell Caerfyrddin) is a ruinedcastleinCarmarthen,West Wales. First built by Walter, Sheriff of Gloucester in theearly 1100s, the castle was captured and destroyed on severaloccasions before being rebuilt in stoneduring the 1190s. The castle was captured byOwain Glyndrin 1405.Henry VII's father died at Carmarthen Castle in 1456. During theWars of the Rosesthe castle fell toWilliam Herbertand, during theCivil War,was captured by Parliamentary forces. It was dismantled by order ofOliver Cromwellin the mid 1600s.It has been used as the site of Carmarthen's gaol until the 1920s.The remains of the castle were given a Grade Iheritage listingin 1954and is currently a tourist attraction and site of the town's Tourist Information Centre.3. Pysgota Cwrwgl(Coracle Fishing)The third movement is a Scherzo which depicts coracle fishing on the river Towy.Should you take an evening stroll down by the River Towy,if the weather and river conditions are suitable, you may be lucky enough to see apair of coracles float gently down river with a net suspended between them.The coracle man will hold the net in one hand and skilfully moving the paddle in afigure of eight motion in the other. As soon as a fish in caught, which many havedescribed as a 'silent noise travelling from the fish, into the net and up into thefisherman's arm', the two coracles are drawn together by pulling at the net.Sewin (sea trout) or salmon being the chosen catch.4. MarchThe Fourth movement is a March representing the town itself. Carmarthenshire in West Wales lies on the River Towy and claims to be the oldest town in Wales. Some variants of theArthurian legendclaim thatMerlinwas born outside the town and that he lies imprisoned in a cave in nearbyBryn Myrddin(Merlin's Hill), which stands right by the A40 trunk road.The myth maintains that his groans can be heard issuing forth from the hill and will continue until he is called to help his fellow countrymen. It is also claimed that, when Merlin's Oak fell, it would be the downfall of the town.For many years great effort was employed to brace the tree, situated in the town.Although it eventually died, it is hoped that catastrophe was averted by preservingsome bits in theCarmarthenshire County Museum.Larger branches are in the Civic Hall in Nott Square and a statue of Merlincarved from another local tree stands in the town centre.St. Peter's Church, the largest parish church in Wales,also has thelongest navemeasuring 60 metres and its tower containseight bellswith the heaviest weighing just under a tonne.It is surprising that few traces survive of the medieval town; however,a small section ofCivil War defences, thrown up by the Royalists, survives on the south-west of the town. They are known as "The Bulwarks," and consist of an earthwork bank and a well-preserved four-sided bastion.Suitable for Most Bands - Duration 8 mins (Approx.)
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 3-5 working days
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£30.00La Musica Notturna Delle Strade di Madrid
DescriptionLuigi Boccherini was born in Lucca, Italy, into a musical family. His father, a cellist and double-bass player, sent him to study in Rome at a young age. In 1757 they both went to Vienna, where the court employed them as musicians in the Burgtheater. In 1761 Boccherini went to Madrid, entering the employ of Prince Luis Antonio of Spain, younger brother of King Charles III. There he flourished under royal patronage, until one day when the King expressed his disapproval at a passage in a new trio, and ordered Boccherini to change it. The composer, no doubt irritated with this intrusion into his art, doubled the passage instead, which led to his immediate dismissal. Then he accompanied Don Luis to Arenas de San Pedro, a little town in the Gredos mountains, where Boccherini wrote many of his most famous works. Although neglected after his death and throughout the 19th and early 20th century (he was known mockingly as 'Haydn's Wife' for a time), Boccherini's music has been rediscovered in recent decades.La Musica Notturna delle Strade di Madrid('Night Music of the Streets of Madrid') is a string quintet of seven short movements composed during Boccherini's exile in Arenas, no doubt to remind him and his prince of happier times. The music is reminiscent of "the gaiety and bustle of Spain's capital, recalling the sound of the city's church bells ringing for evening prayer, the popular dances that were the delight of its young people, and the blind beggars singing their typical songs". This arrangement excludes the first and last two movements, comprising the middle four:Il Tamburo di Soldati(The Soldier's Drum)Minuetto dei Ciechi(The Minuet of the Blind Beggars)Il Rosario(The Rosary)Passe Calle(The Passacaglia of the Street Singers)The music was featured in the Russell Crowe filmMaster and Commander: The Far Side of the World(2003) set during the Napoleonic Wars and featuring the adventures of the Royal Navy ship HMS Surprise and her captain Jack Aubrey as they pursue the French ship Acheron into the Pacific Ocean.You can listen to an audio preview while following the score in the video below!Duration approximately 5'00".
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£69.95
TRANSFORMATION (Brass Band Set) - Kenneth Downie
I believe in transformation, God can change the hearts of men, And refine the evil nature, till it glows with grace again'. So wrote John Gowans in the second verse of his great hymn, 'I believe that God the Father, can be seen in God the Son', written specifically to affirm Salvationists' beliefs. It is sung to the tune Bethany and in seeking to explore this great subject at the heart of the Christian gospel in musical terms, the composer has used this fine tune as the basis. Although it never appears in its entirety, it is seldom out of the picture and much of the work is derived from it. The other main source of material is the lovely, simple chorus, 'Some day I shall be like him, changed to heavenly beauty, when his face I see'. This chorus is especially prominent in the middle section but there are important references to it throughout. There are also brief references to Charles Wesley's hymn, 'Love Divine' and, in particular, the telling lines, 'Changed from glory into glory, till in Heaven we take our place'. The work suggests that, at times, the process of being transformed is a struggle, portrayed with many passages of fraught and demanding music. Considerable reserves of stamina and technique are required while, in contrast, the chorus, 'Some day I shall be like him' provides the warm, gentle centre of the work. The premiere of the work was given by The International Staff Band of The Salvation Army in Cadogan Hall on Friday 3rd June 2011, as part of the band's 120th anniversary celebrations.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
