Results
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£82.30'Odyssey' Variations (Brass Band) Kevin Norbury
'Odyssey' Variations was composed as a result of a commission in May 2020 from Five Lakes Silver Band and its musical director, Christopher Ward. This music is based on an original theme that I first used in an earlier composition, Odyssey, which was the test piece for the European Brass Band Championships, held at Munich, Germany, in April 1999. I distinctly remember getting into my hotel room and turning on the television to be greeted by news coverage of the Columbine High School shooting, so that piece has always held some significance for me, though because of a very sad coincidence. The melody was originally a cornet solo in the central slow section of Odyssey and pitched deliberately to test the soloist. I have, more recently attempted a straightforward choral setting of the melody, and the harmonies I use in the three chorale-style settings at the start of these variations are loosely based on that setting. The melody is a setting of the familiar words of Be Thou My Vision, an old Irish hymn, translated by Mary E. Byrne, and versified by Eleanor H. Hull. The form of the work is as follows: Theme - three presentations Variation 1 - Allegro Variation 2 - Moderato (featuring the horns, baritones, euphoniums and basses) Variation 3 - Maestoso (featuring the cornets, flugel horn, and trombones) Variation 4 - Adagio Variation 5 - Allegretto Variation 6 - Largo - Moderato Variation 7 - Allegro molto Theme - Maestoso e sostenuto Finale - Allegro vivace - Adagio e allargando To view a video of Five Lakes Silver Band performing the work please visit: www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfLnld3bCw8 Sheet music available from: UK - www.brassband.co.uk USA - www.solidbrassmusic.com Difficulty Level: 1st Section + Instrumentation: Soprano Cornet Eb Solo Cornet Bb Repiano Cornet Bb 2nd Cornet Bb 3rd Cornet Bb Flugel Horn Bb Solo Horn Eb 1st Horn Eb 2nd Horn Eb 1st Baritone Bb 2nd Baritone Bb 1st Trombone Bb 2nd Trombone Bb Bass Trombone Euphonium Bb Bass Eb Bass Bb Timpani Percussion 1-3
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 1-3 working days
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£120.00
Rhapsody in Black (Bra) - Andi Cook
The primary inspiration for this work comes from the composer's first encounter with the genre of Symphonic Metal - the opening track of the 2004 Nightwish album 'Once', entitled Dark chest of Wonders. The combination of full orchestra, operatically trained female vocals and the raw power of a Scandinavian metal band was a potent mix that instantly had me hooked.That same dark and powerful sound is one that a brass band can generate, and I've tried to capture that in this composition. Heavy Rock/Metal as a genre is arguably fifty years old now, but symphonic metal is a newer concept, and I feel possibly the one that can bridge the gap between two musical styles very dear to me.Composer Gilbert Vinter had explored through music the connotations that different colours held for him, and his movement Purple from 'Spectrum' gave me an idea for the structure of 'Rhapsody in Black'. Andi Cook explored the different connotations of one colour within his own life, black being an easy choice due to the personal dichotomy of the black leather jacket he wore to the rock club on Friday night and the black suit jacket and tie he wore to the concert hall the next day.To avoid repetition the word 'black' is omitted from the five movement titles, each of which is a different episode. '...as Thunder' is a furious argument between two people - the top and bottom of the band - set against the backdrop of a storm, with lightning flashing outside while barbs, insults, sarcasm, tears and even violence is traded inside. Following that '...Satin and Pearls' is an old black-and-white movie with a wistful character to it as if we're looking back a screen icon with fondness long after their career or even their life has ended. '...as the Raven's Wing.' is deliberately gothic and funereal, hinting at Edgar Allen Poe's similarly named poem, with undertones of death and afterlife. The shift into F/C Minor (band pitch) represents the descent - alive - into the grave that Poe had a paranoid fear of his entire life. Family and friends standing around grieving, oblivious as we're lowered into the earth despite frantic attempts to make ourselves heard. '...and Chrome' is an unashamed motorcycle reference with all its born-to-be-wild, open air, high speed and freedom overtones. In a deliberate contrast to what went before it continues several of the same motifs though this time in the major key. Lastly, we reprise the second movement with '...as the Night Sky' which is simply the feeling of walking home under the summer stars, with someone important - who that is, is left to the listener, but a walk under the stars is always that bit special.There's an old saying that very few things are black and white. I hope this work will prove that even black alone isn't quite as simple as it's often made out....'Rhapsody in Black' is dedicated to the composer's friend and mentor John Roberts, who shares his love of both brass and rock.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£115.60Vidda - Ole Edvard Antonsen - Ole Edvard Antonsen
I composed the song "Vidda" after I got my ultimate boy's dream fulfilled; To fly one of the Air Force's F-16 fighter jets! We flew out from Norwegian city Bodo on to the Finnmark plateau, where we flew so-called "low level" (at low altitude). It was such a great experience for me that I immediately wrote the song "Vidda" based on my experience of the trip. Here, I try to describe the meeting between the technical perfection of a machine that surpasses most of the various forces in it's escape through the magnificent scenery passing at great speed, and the pilot who is alone with both the adventure and responsibility. The drums which start the song is meant to describes theenergy in the power of the plane, while the lonely and kind of melancholy melody from the trumpet in the beginning describes the feelings of the pilot. As the song develop, we pass both the mountains and big beautiful plateaus with g-forces quivering body. Hopefully you will share some of my experiences through this song. Have a nice flight! Ole Edvard Antonsen
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£149.40Viking Saga - Ray Farr
"Viking Saga" was inspired by my conducting engagements in Norway in the 1980s. Among them was a visit to the Flekkefjord Pike Korps who asked me to write a piece for them. I had just written "Adventures in Brass" which was very popular, particularly with younger bands, so I decided to pursue the creative energy. My teacher, at that time, was Professor Edward Gregson who encouraged me to develop my ideas into a full-scale work. The piece received a few performances in this version but neither I, nor my teacher, were satisfied so the manuscripts lay dormant. In the summer of 2002 a band from Switzerland- Cordula Brass Baden and Christoph Moor, who had played the piece under mydirection in the Swiss National Youth Band, commissioned me to finish the work and make the changes that, I felt, were needed. In 2016 the Tonsberg Wind Band, from Norway, commissioned a wind band version for their performance in the Norwegian Championships held in Trondheim 2017.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£34.95Tribute Music (Brass Band - Score and Parts) - Downie, Kenneth
The composer writes: Having received delightful reports about Neil Ferguson from his colleagues in Granite City Brass, I thought it might be a good idea to incorporate the musical initials from his name, EFEG, in the opening idea of the music. I used this short idea as a motif during the piece. A recurring comment in the tributes referred to his dry sense of humour, and particularly his ability to deliver a one-liner when least expected. The music does therefore contain a few surprises and sudden changes of direction. I also thought that it might be in character for me to include a little "joke" of my own, which is there to be heard by the very careful listener! Such listeners would do well to remember that the Granite City Brass, the commissioning band, is based in Aberdeen. The idea of commemorating such a faithful member of the band with a piece of music led me to try and write a noble, upright theme, which might be remembered as a melody in the future. I hope that it is a fitting tribute.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£17.50Tribute Music (Brass Band - Score Only) - Downie, Kenneth
The composer writes: Having received delightful reports about Neil Ferguson from his colleagues in Granite City Brass, I thought it might be a good idea to incorporate the musical initials from his name, EFEG, in the opening idea of the music. I used this short idea as a motif during the piece. A recurring comment in the tributes referred to his dry sense of humour, and particularly his ability to deliver a one-liner when least expected. The music does therefore contain a few surprises and sudden changes of direction. I also thought that it might be in character for me to include a little "joke" of my own, which is there to be heard by the very careful listener! Such listeners would do well to remember that the Granite City Brass, the commissioning band, is based in Aberdeen. The idea of commemorating such a faithful member of the band with a piece of music led me to try and write a noble, upright theme, which might be remembered as a melody in the future. I hope that it is a fitting tribute.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£89.95The Trumpets of the Angels (Brass Band - Score and Parts) - Gregson, Edward
The Trumpets of the Angels was commissioned by the Fodens (Courtois) Band for their centenary concert at The Bridgewater Hall in 2000. It is based on a work written for the BBC Philharmonic and Huddersfield Choral Society in 1998, the starting point of which was a quotation from the Book of Revelation:and I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpetsThus the idea behind the work is dramatic and I have tried to achieve this by the spatial deployment of seven solo trumpets around the band, four on-stage, the others off-stage. Six of the solo trumpets eventually join the band, but Trumpet 7 remains off-stage and, indeed, has the most dramatic and extended cadenza representing the words of the seventh angel ...and time shall be no more.The Trumpets of the Angels is a large-scale work, scored for seven solo trumpets, brass band, organ and percussion (deploying 'dark' instruments such as tam-tams, bass drum and two sets of timpani). The work opens with a four-note motif announced by off-stage horns and baritones and answered by fanfare figures on solo trumpets. In turn, each of the first four solo trumpets play cadenzas and then all four join together, independently playing their own music. The organ enters dramatically with its own cadenza, leading to the entry of solo trumpets 5 and 6 with music that is more urgent and rhythmic, describing the horsemen of the Apocalypse.The music reaches another climax, more intense this time, with the horns and baritones (now on-stage) again sounding the transformed motif, before subsiding into what might be described as a lament for humanity, slow music which builds from low to high, from soft to loud, with a melody that is both simple and poignant. At the climax, Trumpet 7 enters playing the opening four-note motif, dramatically extended to almost three octaves. This cadenza (to the partial accompaniment of tam-tams) introduces new material and foreshadows the ensuing scherzo which is fast and aggressive. Despite the somewhat desolate mood of this music, it slowly moves towards an optimistic conclusion, transforming the 'humanity' music into an affirmative and triumphant statement.- Edward Gregson
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£44.95The Trumpets of the Angels (Brass Band - Score only) - Gregson, Edward
The Trumpets of the Angels was commissioned by the Fodens (Courtois) Band for their centenary concert at The Bridgewater Hall in 2000. It is based on a work written for the BBC Philharmonic and Huddersfield Choral Society in 1998, the starting point of which was a quotation from the Book of Revelation:and I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpetsThus the idea behind the work is dramatic and I have tried to achieve this by the spatial deployment of seven solo trumpets around the band, four on-stage, the others off-stage. Six of the solo trumpets eventually join the band, but Trumpet 7 remains off-stage and, indeed, has the most dramatic and extended cadenza representing the words of the seventh angel ...and time shall be no more.The Trumpets of the Angels is a large-scale work, scored for seven solo trumpets, brass band, organ and percussion (deploying 'dark' instruments such as tam-tams, bass drum and two sets of timpani). The work opens with a four-note motif announced by off-stage horns and baritones and answered by fanfare figures on solo trumpets. In turn, each of the first four solo trumpets play cadenzas and then all four join together, independently playing their own music. The organ enters dramatically with its own cadenza, leading to the entry of solo trumpets 5 and 6 with music that is more urgent and rhythmic, describing the horsemen of the Apocalypse.The music reaches another climax, more intense this time, with the horns and baritones (now on-stage) again sounding the transformed motif, before subsiding into what might be described as a lament for humanity, slow music which builds from low to high, from soft to loud, with a melody that is both simple and poignant. At the climax, Trumpet 7 enters playing the opening four-note motif, dramatically extended to almost three octaves. This cadenza (to the partial accompaniment of tam-tams) introduces new material and foreshadows the ensuing scherzo which is fast and aggressive. Despite the somewhat desolate mood of this music, it slowly moves towards an optimistic conclusion, transforming the 'humanity' music into an affirmative and triumphant statement.- Edward Gregson
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£94.95An Age of Kings (Mezzo-Soprano Solo with Brass Band and optional choir - Score and Parts) - Gregson, Edward
The origins of this work date back to 1988, when I was commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company to write the music for The Plantagenets trilogy, directed by Adrian Noble in Stratford-upon-Avon. These plays take us from the death of Henry V to the death of Richard III. Later, in 1991, I wrote the music for Henry IV parts 1 and 2, again in Stratford. All of these plays are concerned with the struggle for the throne, and they portray one of the most turbulent periods in the history of the British monarchy.Much of the music used in these productions was adapted into two large symphonic suites for wind band - The Sword and the Crown (1991) and The Kings Go Forth (1996). An Age of Kings is a new version for brass band incorporating music from both the symphonic suites for wind band. It was specially composed for a recording made by the Black Dyke Band, conducted by Nicholas Childs, in 2004.An Age of Kings is music on a large-scale canvas, scored for augmented brass band, with the addition of harp, piano, mezzo-soprano solo, male chorus, as well as two off-stage trumpets. The music is also organized on a large-scale structure, in three movements, which play without a break - "Church and State", "At the Welsh Court", and "Battle Music and Hymn of Thanksgiving".The first movement, "Church and State", opens with a brief fanfare for two antiphonal trumpets (off-stage), but this only acts as a preface to a Requiem aeternam (the death of Henry V) before changing mood to the English army on the march to France; this subsides into a French victory march, but with the English army music returning in counterpoint. A brief reminder of the Requiem music leads to the triumphal music for Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, father of Edward IV and Richard III (the opening fanfare transformed). However, the mood changes dramatically once again, with the horrors of war being portrayed in the darkly-drawn Dies Irae and Dance of Death, leading to the final section of the first movement, a funeral march for Henry VI.The second movement, "At the Welsh Court", takes music from the Welsh Court in Henry IV part 1 with a simple Welsh folk tune sung by mezzo-soprano to the inevitable accompaniment of a harp. This love song is interrupted by distant fanfares, forewarning of battles to come. However, the folk song returns with variation in the musical fabric. The movement ends as it began with off-stage horn and gentle percussion.The final movement, "Battle Music and Hymn of Thanksgiving", starts with two sets of antiphonally placed timpani, drums and tam-tam, portraying the 'war machine' and savagery of battle. Trumpet fanfares and horn calls herald an heroic battle theme which, by the end of the movement, transforms itself into a triumphant hymn for Henry IV's defeat of the rebellious forces.- Edward GregsonDuration - 22'00"Optional TTBB available separately.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£77.00General Series Brass Band Journal, Numbers 2254 - 2257, April 2025
2254: Be glorified today (Martin Cordner)Built around Bob Kilpatrick's song In my life, Lord, be glorified today (S.A.S.B. 593), this concert opener was composed for Cambridge Citadel Band (UK and Ireland Territory) at the request of Bandmaster Simon Fisher. The piece pays homage to the city.2255: Driven by mission (Stephen Bulla)Stephen Bulla wrote this piece to commemorate Willis Howell and his wife's retirement from active officership. Bulla references St. Denio (S.A.S.B. 37), Melita (T.B. 442), For your mission and Men of Harlech (T.B. 756), and the assembling of the tunes and all they represent reflects the masterful artistry that always marks Bulla's works.2256: The Lord's my shepherd (Paul Sharman)This arrangement brings together two settings of Psalm 23; the familiar hymn tune Crimond (T.B. 68) and the more recent melody by Stuart Townend (T.B. 863).2257: Cornet Solo - I love you, Lord (Ian Robinson)Laurie Klein's chorus I love you, Lord (S.A.S.B. 369) has been popular for many years with Salvation Army congregations around the world and this work combines unconventional harmonies with sparse scoring to feature the soloist.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
