Results
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£35.00
Elegie - Peter Meechan
The opening unaccompanied passage of this work was originally written as a short memorial piece for saxophone, but was later adapted as the basis of this more developed work for solo euphonium or trombone.The work uses a variation structure, with both the soloist and the accompaniment changing throughout the piece; the harmony, rhythm and melodic lines leading somewhere new and different each time they are heard - similar to the way our memories of a person often wander in different directions, but are still always focused on that person.
Estimated dispatch 12-14 working days
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£70.00
Episodes and Echoes - Peter Meechan
Episodes and Echoes is a concerto in three movements for tuba. The title of the work relates directly to the way the composer approached writing the piece.aAlthough the work is scored with piano and wind band accompaniments, Episodes and Echoes was originally written for tuba and brass band. I had several problems to overcome - the brass band contains 4 tubas, and 2 euphoniums, all of which could obscure the solo line, so I decided to write for the soloist in a manner that meant they were either playing alone, in episodes, or repeating/echoing phrases.aIn addition to this, the composer combined the characteristics of the tuba with other instruments: in the second movement the tuba is similar to a singer performing an aria and a recitative, and third movement a bass guitar.Episodes and Echoes was commissioned by, and dedicated to, Les Neish who premiered the work in 2005, accompanied by the Beaumaris Brass Band, conducted by Gwyn Evans.
Estimated dispatch 12-14 working days
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£70.00
Fire in the Sky - Peter Meechan
Fire in the Sky takes its inspiration from the stunning town of Montreux in Switzerland. I was commissioned to write the work 5 days before I visited this Montreux and was at work forming ideas for the piece as I arrived on the shore of Lake Geneva and its amazing views of the Alps.Whilst the scenery is without doubt some of the most incredible views I have ever witnessed, it was the history of the town that set Fire in the Sky in motion. Whilst there, it occurred to me that many of my musical heroes had lived or performed there, and three of them in particular had a strong connection with the town. Miles Davis, Igor Stravinsky and Freddie Mercury graced Montreux - the large convention centre, where the famous summer jazz festival is held, named its two halls after Davis and Stravinsky, and there is a quite breathtaking statue of Mercury in the town too.Each musician also commemorates an anniversary in 2011, the year of the premiere of Fire in the Sky; it is 40 years since the death of Stravinsky and both Miles Davis and Freddie Mercury died in 1991, making it 20 years since their deaths. So it seemed fitting to write a piece that in some way acknowledges them, and is a kind of personal athanksa for all they have given, and continue to give, me.The title comes from the famous Deep Purple song, Smoke on the Water - whose second line is aFire in the Skya and is a reference to the night the townas casino was set alight by a Frank Zappa fan. The piece tries to recreate the atmosphere of that night, paint a picture of fire in the sky (and smoke on the water) and also uses small anuggetsa of the music of my three greatest musical heroes, Miles Davis, Freddie Mercury and Igor Stravinsky.Fire in the Sky was commissioned by the Tomra Brass Band, Norway, and is dedicated to Stijn BerbeA and Nick Ost - both of whom are connected with the band (teaching and conducting), and both have been close friends - personally and musicaly - for many years. I am indebted to them for the opportunity to write this piece.
Estimated dispatch 12-14 working days
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£90.00
Fragile Oasis - Peter Meechan
Fragile Oasis is the name of a collective who describe themselves as aaa grass-roots participatory initiative that connects the shared perspective of astronauts from different countries and cultures with people on Earth, encouraging all to work together so that our planet is not only visibly beautiful, but beautiful for alla.Many involved in the project are astronauts on the International Space Station (I.S.S.), who post, on their website (http://www.fragileoasis.org) many different details of their experiments, photos from space, and some incredible video footage of our Earth.One such time lapse video (a video made up many still images) was posted on their website by astronaut Ron Garan (http://www.fragileoasis.org/blog/2011/11/coming-back-down-to-our-fragile-oasis-2/) in 2011. It is made up of images taken from the I.S.S. of what Garan described as aaa couple of laps around our Fragile Oasis before coming back down [to Earth]a and features all kinds of amazing views from space.Each of the five sections of this work relate to an aspect of the video - either something literal or something more metaphorical. The opening section, i: The lights from Above, is a musical description of the view of the Aurora Australis from above the lights. The second section, ii: The Storm from Above (part i), is also a musical portrayal of portions of the video clip - in this case the many lightning storms we see from above. The storms that are so powerful on Earth appear as small bolts of electricity dancing through the clouds.The third section, iii: Freya, has its roots in personal family tragedy. The name Freya derives from a Norse goddess who was associated with both beauty and love, and in this central section I wanted to write music that not only acknowledged how fragile life itself is, but that every day of it counts and should be celebrated.iv: The Storm from Above (part ii) is a again a reference to the lightning storms, but also to the huge hurricanes we see in the video. It leads us to the final section, v: The Oasis from Above - a description of the size and grandeur of Earth, our Fragile Oasis.Fragile Oasis was commissioned by Leyland Brass Band and Michael Bach, and partly funded by The John Golland Trust, for their appearance at the 2013 European Brass Band Championships in Oslo, Norway. It is dedicated to Natalie Youson, in friendship
Estimated dispatch 12-14 working days
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£60.00
Manchester Concertino - Peter Meechan
Manchester Concertino is a concertino in three movements for trumpet or cornet. It was written in late summer/early autumn in, as the title suggests, Manchester, UK.The first movement, Fanfare, was written for Belgian cornetist Harmen Vanhoorne, and explores the main musical idea behind the piece, a minor third. The loud fanfare gives way to a cadenza over a timpani roll, before a reprise of the opening fanfare.The second movement, Dream, was commissioned by Keith Johnson and is dedicated to Jess Tredrea. It is a slow, lilting, movement - almost as if the listener was hearing the piece through a summer haze.The final movement is simply titled Finale and is dedicated to Roger Webster. New material is fused with the fanfare from the opening movement leading to a climatic finish to the work.
Estimated dispatch 12-14 working days
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£30.00A Redbridge Raga - Chris Wilcox
Put simply, a 'Raga' is a scale used in Indian music, but aside from being a series of ascending and descending notes, ragas are also associated with different moods and with particular times of the day or year. A Redbridge Raga is influenced by the use of the 'Raga Bhairav' (a morning raga) which is clearly outlined in the mysterious opening of the piece. The following section is much more lively, incorporating elements of Bhangra (a musical style emanating from the fusion of Indian folk music with British pop culture). The title reflects the location of the first performance that took place at Redbridge Town Hall, East London.
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£30.00Black Bottom Stomp - Jelly Roll Morton
Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe, professionally known as Jelly Roll Morton, was an American ragtime and early jazz pianist, bandleader and composer who started his career in New Orleans, Louisiana. Widely recognised as a pivotal figure in early jazz, Morton is perhaps most notable as jazz's first arranger, proving that a genre rooted in improvisation could retain its essential spirit and characteristics when notated. His composition "Jelly Roll Blues" was the first published jazz composition in 1915. Morton is also notable for writing such standards as "King Porter Stomp", "Wolverine Blues", "Black Bottom Stomp", and "I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say". Notorious for his arrogance and self-promotion, Morton claimed to have invented jazz outright in 1902, much to the derision of fellow musicians and the critics. At the age of fourteen, Morton began working as a piano player in a brothel (or, as it was referred to back then, a sporting house). In that atmosphere, he often sang smutty lyrics and took the nickname "Jelly Roll". While working there, he was living with his religious, church-going great-grandmother; who he convinced that he worked as a night watchman in a barrel factory. After Morton's grandmother found out that he was playing jazz in a local brothel, she kicked him out of her house and told him that "devil music" would surely bring about his downfall. Born in downtown New Orleans, Louisiana, his exact birth date differs depending to whichever source you want to believe; his half-sisters claimed he was born in September 1885, but his World War 1 draft card showed September 1884 and his California death certificate listed his birth as September 1889. He died in 1941 in Los Angeles.
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£30.00Blue Bombazine - Terry Johns
The word Bombazine is derived from the obsolete French word Bombasin. Largely made in the Norwich area, Bombazine is a twilled fabric made of silk used mainly in dress making and popular in England in the reign of Elizabeth I. The image and feel of warm, smooth, opulent silk is aptly suited to a solo feature for tuba. Wing Commander Duncan Stubbs and the RAF Music Service commissioned Blue Bombazine for solo tuba and brass in 2014, for Senior Aircraftman Jonathan Gawn and the RAF Central Band. It was first performed at The Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, on the 11th April 2015 at the British Festival of Wind Bands. The music is written in the jazz idiom with a testing solo part. It is available with brass band accompaniment or brass dectet. There is also a "recital" version available for tuba and piano.
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£30.00Brass Band Warm Up - Chris Houlding
I believe the practice of using a choral or hymn tune to develop fundamental playing basics in order to 'warm up' a brass ensemble is universally supported. However, this imaginative little exercise combines the virtues of choral playing with additional challenges addressing ensemble, phrasing, balance, dynamics (inc. crescendos and diminuendos), intonation (inc. unison passages) and varied articulations. For the discerning band in search of quality, not quite as easy as it looks !
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£30.00Brass Braziliana - Keiron Anderson
The Samba has a special significance in Brazilian musical culture and it is symbolic of sheer joy and energy. Music is a mix of communication and energy and this work is designed to allow the players to generate that energy, thus communicating it to the audience. That infectious drive and musical energy will be a high point of any live performance or recording.
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