Results
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£37.95Variations on an Enigma (Score Only)
Variations on an Enigma was commissioned by Howard Snell for the Desford Colliery Band and first performed by them in Gillingham, Dorset, England in September 1986.The 'Enigma' is a short snatch of a phrase taken from a well-known brass band test piece - a phrase which caught the imagination of the composer who took it as the basis of a sort of concerto for band with each section featured in turn. First the cornets have their turn, with a 'moto perpetuo', and they are followed by the horns and flugel whose variation is delicate and decorative. Trombones follow, each having there own tune in turn and then combining them together. Euphoniums and baritones have an expressive funeral march which is interrupted by percussion and basses who share a rhythmic, syncopated variation. A climax is reached and this is followed by a fugue (based on the theme) against which snatches of the preceding variations appear. The fugue heralds what turns out to be the theme on which all the variations are based, appearing in full at last, whose first five notes are derived from the 'enigma' theme. The piece ends with an emphatic final statement by the timpani.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£32.95Variations for Brass Band (Score Only)
The great British brass band tradition has been fostered since 1860 by an annual competition for bands. Held in the Crystal Palace until that edifice burned in the 1930s, it is a major event at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Each year there is a new test piece, required of all bands and in 1957, Ralph Vaughan Williams (by then a revered, grandfatherly figure in British music) was finally persuaded to write a composition for that purpose.The 12-minute composition comprises a theme and 11 variations. The brief variations are in a variety of moods and styles, including a waltz, a polonaise, a chorale, a canon, an arabesque, and a fugue. It tests ensemble coordination, command of and flexibility concerning styles, and richness of sound.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£29.95Tournament for Brass (Score Only)
This is not descriptive music: the tournament is within the band!In the first movement, small groups of instruments are featured - mainly in duets and trios - in a kind of "conversation piece".The second movement is in the form of a Theme with Variations, the band's main soloists being given a chance to show their paces.In the final Scherzo there is more general ensemble playing, although soloists again carry some of the responsibility.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days