Results
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£29.95Island Whirl
Island Whirl was commissioned by Margaret Milligan who wanted a brand new piece of music composed as a present for Ian, her husband for his 70th birthday. Ian Milligan is a keen and dedicated musician and he is the musical director of Callendar Brass, based in Callendar near Stirling in Scotland.Margaret contacted me about the possibility of composing a short lively piece which had a Scottish theme that would be ideal for Callendar Brass Band and any other ensemble to get their teeth into. This piece takes its inspiration from the traditional Scottish folk song 'An Eriskay Love Lilt' which is a particular favourite of both Margaret and Ian.With thunderous Celtic drums the piece opens in a whirlwind of sound with fanfare brass and an off-stage soloist that can perform using either the cornet or trumpet. After the exciting opening, the brass and drums die away to allow the off-stage soloist to air the traditional tune 'An Eriskay Love Lilt'.The beautiful haunting melody, keeping its originality throughout undergoes a series of changes in the accompanying harmonic material before dying away to allow the Celtic drums to return. The percussion whip the band into a frenzy as the piece gets faster and faster. Just prior to the final notes the band diminuendo to allow one last closing statement from the Eriskay Love Lilt lead by the off-stage soloist before the ensemble charge to a dramatic close.When performing this piece I would recommend the off-stage soloist taking a position somewhere in the audience, so they can almost feel part of the performance. In addition, with the two tom-tom parts that represent the Celtic drums, bands should make the most of showcasing them by getting the two drummers out to the front of the band to perform. The ideal stage position would be with the players set up in stereo with one player in front of the soprano cornet and the other in front of the solo trombone.With the various choreographed movements from both the off-stage soloist and the percussionists. This piece is a great addition to any concert repertoire and is an ideal showcase for bands who want to try something a little different.I wish Ian at 70 years young, all the very best with his music making in the many years to come and I hope this piece, composed especially for him and Callender Brass brings them many years of musical enjoyment.Paul Lovatt-Cooper
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£15.00Dragon Dances
DescriptionDragon Dances was commissioned by Owen Farr, who is also the work's dedicatee, gave the first performance with the Cornwall Youth Band conducted by Richard Evans on 5 April 2010 and has recorded it on his solo CD "A New Dawn" accompanied by the Cory Band conducted by Philip Harper.Being a Welsh composer, writing music for a Welsh soloist, I was naturally keen to reflect this in the music, and I drew inspiration from two particularly Welsh concepts - "hiraeth" and "hwyl". "Hiraeth" is a word that has no direct translation into English, but an approximation would be 'yearning for home'. Like the other celtic nations, Wales has a widespread diaspora of people who left to seek new lives out in the empire and "hiraeth" is a way of summing up the homesickness felt by these exiles, some of whom return each year for a special ceremony at the Royal National Eisteddfod. "Hwyl" is an even more complicated word, variously meaning ecstatic joy, fervour, equable temperament and even the characteristic sing-song oration style of the great Welsh Methodist preachers.I have attempted to make the music reflect both of these, with the melancholy first part of the work inspired by the hymns and solo songs for which Wales is famous, and the second part having a much more dance-like, joyful quality.Performance Notes:2 solo cornets, 2nd and 3rd cornets require cup mutes. 2 solo cornets require harmon mutes with tubes removed (marked 'TR' in the score).1st horn and 1st baritone require straight mutes, preferably fibre. 1st trombone requires a straight mute, 2nd and bass require cup mutes.Percussion instruments required are vibraphone, glockenspiel, timpani, snare drum, suspended cymbal and tam tamWatch/Listen to the score below:
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£127.30Rendezvous - Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen
Rendezvous was commissioned by Krohnengen Brass Band for their 50th Anniversary in 2019.Rendezvous is devided into three sections. Each section are referring to Edvard Grieg's own titles. but twisted, to make sure that everybody understand that this music is a mash-up of themes Edvard Grieg used in opus 54 (for piano) and opus 61 (songs for children).1. Trolltog med avsporing (March of the Trolls derailment)March of the Trolls is a famous part of Edvard Grieg lyric pieces, opus 54.2. Klokkeklang i feil sang (Bell ringing in wrong tune).Bell ringing show that Grieg was one of the first composers to write the way impressionists did. What happens if this beatiful piece is combined with several other themes from the same book? It somehow works in its own way.3. Pep talk til Blakken (Pep talk to Blakken)The riff used in the first part becomes an important part of the third part: a funky treat of the childrens song "Kveldssang for Blakken" (Evening song for Blakken).I felt that a rather tired old horse needed a pep talk more than a slow tune. So that is why you get this music(!) - and this is how my rendezvous with Grieg ends.Not sure what maestro Grieg would have thougt... But, I have read that the fiddlers that played the tunes Grieg used was not happy with the way Grieg used them.So there you go...Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£106.99Evolution - Philip Sparke
Evolution was commissioned by Kunstfactor for the 4th section of the Dutch National Brass Band Championships (NBK) 2011. It is dedicated to Jappie Dijkstra and the Music Information Centre (MUI), Arnhem, Holland, in acknowledgement of their outstanding work in developing brass band repertoire. The composer writes:-The idea for the piece came when I was reading an article about a branch of Chinese philosophy which is abbreviated as Wu Xing, which has no exact translation but can mean, for example, five elements, five phases or five states of change. It is central to all elements of Chinese thought, including science, philosophy, medicine and astrology, and in simpleterms tries to create various cyclic relationships between five elements in all walks of life. An example is: Earth - Metal - Water - Wood - Fire - (Earth) etc. where (in one cycle) earth bears metal, metal changes to liquid (water) when heated, water helps trees grow, wood burns to create fire, fire produces ash (earth) and the cycle continues.I was particularly interested in the cycle of emotions: Meditation - Sorrow - Fear - Anger - Joy - (Meditation) etc. and thought this cyclic principle would provide an effective emotional journey for a piece of music. So Evolution has five equal sections which loosely characterise this emotional cycle. I have tried to make the music grow organically, with minimal repetition, and each movement evolves from the musical elements at the end of the previous one, with the opening material appearing, transformed, at the end of the piece to complete the cycle.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£109.99Fantasy for Brassband and Organ - Jan Bosveld
When I was approached to compose a work for brassband and church organ I already envisioned the concept I would use. It would indeed literally become a work for brassband and organ. Without the traditional solos, the organ would form an addition to the brassband orchestration as would the brassband provide an extra register for the organ. In short a homogeneous entity. The most important reason for doing this is quite simple. Since this work can only be performed in a church and because of the specific acoustics of the church, the brassband would sound in al its tone colour like an organ. By using certain registers of the organ and combining these with the brassband a wonderfulsound palette can be created. The use of complementary or contrasting tone quality is also possible. The primary theme of this composition is based on these three methods of "colouring". As far as structure is concerned this work consists of two parts. slow fast. It is built on a number of motifs in which some behave like a consecutive canon. In the fast movement the primary motif develops into a fugue-like section. The canon and fugato are techniques frequently used in classical and contemporary organ literature. The liberal use of structure and motif has lead to the title. "Fantasy for Brassband and Organ".
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£34.95Three Carols (Brass Band - Score and Parts) - Turrin, Joseph
Three Carols was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic as part of their Holiday Brass series and was premiered at Avery Fisher Hall by the New York Philharmonic Principal Brass and Canadian Brass. Originally for 10 players, soon after the premiere I decided to score the piece for brass band. The brass band version was first performed by the New York Staff Band.Through the years I have been intrigued by carious carols from different countries and the challenge of creating musical treatments that sound fresh and original. When commissioned to write these brass arrangements, I wanted to create contrasting movements that could be performed either as a set or individually and thought that three carols from different countries would allow the opportunity for that contrast. The featured carols are the traditional Polish carol Infant Holy, What child is this? with lyrics by William Dix and set to the English folk song Greensleeves and the lesser-known Catalonian carol Cold December flies away.- Joseph Turrin
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£124.95Dynasty (Brass Band - Score and Parts) - Graham, Peter
Dynasty takes the form of a Symphonic Poem, a musical form first introduced to a contest audience at the Crystal Palace in 1913 by Percy Fletcher in his work Labour and Love.Using key passages from the autobiography of Harry Mortimer, On Brass, as the source for the narrative, the work opens with a four-note leitmotif (Harry's theme, "as if descending from the heavens"), and the timeline unfolds as follows:Harry - One's destiny decided at birth "I'll make him the best cornet player in England"War - Why do the nations so furiously rage together? Fred volunteers for military serviceTheatre - And suddenly "I dashed to the rescue like a hero in the silent movies I was about to get to know so well"Journey - Comfort Ye A new life and new challengesTogether - Come unto me "A golden age"Farewell - For behold, darkness "Fred's death surely marked the passing of an era"Amen - The Trumpet shall soundListeners familiar with brass band repertoire will recognise a few pertinent quotes within the piece.In my imagination Harry is joined by Fred on cornet and the euphoniums of Alex and Rex for the quartet cadenza from Sovereign Heritage by Jack Beaver in Together.The Amen section from Handel's Messiah provides the basis for a contrapuntal flight of fancy as the work moves towards a conclusion. Other less overt fragments contribute to the story.Dynasty was co-commissioned by the British Open Brass Band Championships for the September 2019 contest, and the Brass Band Committee VLAMO for the Belgian Brass Band Championships 2019.- Peter GrahamDuration: 17.00
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£59.95Sinfonietta - Saints and Devils (Brass Band - Score and Parts) - Wiffin, Rob
Saints and Devils is a challenging three movement work:Dance with the Devil (4.30)A Glimpse of Paradise (4.45)Reyes Magos (3.45)I wrote it when I was living in Spain where the Catholic culture is still much more prevalent than in the UK. The first two movements are a transition from dark to light; Dance with the Devil is aggressive and occasionally macabre whereas A Glimpse of Paradise is serene.The first and final parts of the second movement were originally written for a sequence in the Royal Military Tattoo 2000, played under the John Magee poem High Flight - 'Oh I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth ............ Put out my hand, and touched the face of God'- with videos of eagle owls in flight dramatically projected onto the buildings of Horse Guards in Whitehall, London.The last movement, Reyes Magos, is the joyous fiesta of the Three Kings. In Spain, January 6th, rather than Christmas Day, is the main day of present-giving, marking the Epiphany, the arrival of the Kings from the Orient at the Nativity. Saints and Devils is technically and expressively demanding but is written within the realms of tonal language.- Rob WiffinDuration: 13.00
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£31.50Postcard to Grimethorpe (Brass Band - Score and Parts) - Gregson, Edward
I composed the original version of Postcard to Grimethorpe in 1993 at the request of Elgar Howarth, for a concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, given by the Grimethorpe Colliery Band. This was at a time when after the Grimethorpe Colliery pit closed the future of the band was in severe jeopardy. The concert was given in aid of the band, both through publicity and funding.Then in late 2022 Jack Stamp, the American composer, conductor and educator, and at that time international composer-in-association with Grimethorpe, contacted me to say that he had discovered my short piece in the band library, and asked if I might extend it for a recording he was sponsoring for the band - the repertoire to consist entirely of music specially composed for Grimethorpe.I agreed and decided to extend the piece by using the miner's hymn Gresford, as a symbolic gesture of protest at the many thousands of miners in the UK who were made redundant from their jobs. After an angular (quasi-atonal) first section, the hymn enters, softly at first, but with each phrase it becomes more powerful and insistent, ending with the final phrase triumphantly accompanied by melodic percussion (replacing the drums and cymbals of the earlier phrases, as if the band were then on the march). However, this short work ends softly and gently, as if anger has been replaced by quiet resolution and determination, looking to the future with confidence.- Edward GregsonDuration: 3.00
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£88.00Bass Trombone Concerto (Bass Trombone Solo with Brass Band - Score and Parts) - Brubeck, Christopher
"As a bass trombonist, I spent many years of my adolescence playing in youth orchestras, engaging in musical daydreams. I would visualize myself jumping up from the back of the orchestra to unleash improvisations much to the conductor's horror. The resultant three-movement, thirteen-minute work has enjoyed a robust life with performances by notable orchestras all around the world. Happily, the concerto works well as a recital piece, with many accomplished college players having won concerto competitions performing it. Jazz elements were inescapable, and realizing my old nightmare/dream, quite a bit of the trombone solo is meant to be improvised. I made a recording of the concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra, which was included on a CD called Bach to Brubeck released on Koch International Classics. Having already become popular as a bass trombone work with orchestra accompaniment, renowned British Bass Trombonist and publisher Roger Argente suggested he release a special Brass Band arrangement of my concerto. Roger knew the piece well because years ago he played the European premiere of the concerto with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall." - Chris Brubeck. Duration: 13.00. Suitable for 1st Section Bands and above.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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