Results
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£74.99Olympus - Philip Harper
Selected as the test-piece for the 3rd Section Regional contests of the National Brass Band Championships 2012The music begins with a depiction of the exciting Opening Ceremony where noisy fanfares and sudden swells add to the cosmopolitan flag-waving clamour. Without a break the music leads to The Chariot Race, a fast compound-time gallop withthundering hooves in the basses and percussion, and a heroic melody introduced by the tenor horns. Chariot racing was the main equestrian event in the Ancient Greek Games, which were founded in memory of King Oenomaus. In the Greek legend he suffereddefeat in a chariot race to his son-in-law and Zeus' grandson, Pelops, but much of the music is bitter-sweet to symbolise the fact that Pelops had to cheat to win drawing parallels with some of the issues still facing modern-day athletics. A slow, mystical passage follows, describing The Temple of Zeus at Olympia. The statue of Zeus, who was honoured throughout the Ancient Games' history, was housed inside the temple and was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Themusic depicts this period of the dawn of one of mankind's most ancient civilisations and there is a series of solo passages above a drone. The next section is called The Olympic Flame and a broad and lyrical anthem-like melody develops slowly in the euphoniums, which gradually ascends until the horns can take it over before passing upwards again to the cornets (Higher). The musicbursts into bright life at the lighting of the flame and the regular rhythmic pattern which has been established goes through an accelerando (Faster). The final section is called The Olympic Truce and aims to capture the cooperative spirit of the ancient practice of ending wars for the duration of the games. The anthem-like melody makes an affirmatory return (Stronger) and the work ends asit began with a blaze of colour and a real sense of optimism and global celebration. "Citius, Altius, Fortius" (Faster, Higher, Stonger)NOTES ON PERFORMANCEPercussion requirements: 1 to 3 players (3 Timpani, Snare Drum, Tenor Drum, Cymbals, Glockenspiel, Triangle)
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£60.99Stille Nacht - Franz Xaver Gruber - Jacob de Haan
Jacob de Haan wrote this arrangement for concert band, fanfare band and brass band and optional male voice choir. The original carol was written by the Austrian composer and organist Franz Gruber (1787-1863). He was asked to write Silent Night) on the 24th of December 1818 by the priest of the Church of St. Nicolas in Oberndorf, who had himself written the text. It is a romantic carol, with nuances of contemporary Austrian folk and Italian pastorale music.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£49.99Singin' in the Rain - Michael Brown
Who isn't familiar with the famous scene where Gene Kelly dances and sings around a lamppost, splashing into puddles with an umbrella in his hand? The song he sings is just as iconic and has made its reputation as a song known by both young and old! This arrangement has been made accessible and easy to play for brass band. Are you singin' in the rain?
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£59.99David of the White Rock - Philip Sparke
This is an ancient Welsh air that was first published in Relics of the Welsh Bards in 1794. Dafydd (David) Owain was a famous Welsh bard who lived on a farm called Gareg Wen (The White Rock) in Eifionydd, Carnarnvonshire, North Wales. Tradition has it that on his deathbed he called for his harp and composed this lovely melody, requesting that it be played at his funeral. Accordingly, it was later played at the parish church of Ynys-Cynhaiarn. Lyrics were later added by Ceiriog Hughes, which describe the melody's inspiration. This version for brass band retains all the beauty and simplicity of the original.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£30.00Janacek's 'Taras Bulba' - Janacek
Comments from Tim Paton, the arranger of Janacek's 'Taras Bulba': "I will never forget the day in 1967 when I was introduced to the music of Leos Janacek, a Czech composer born in 1854, who died in 1928. Janacek was little known in Britain until the 1960's, when the conductor Charles Macherras introduced his unique music. I heard a recording of Macherras conducting the Pro Arte Orchestra in a performance of Janacek's "Sinfonietta".It was in 1969 that I first heard Janacek's Symphonic Rhapsody, "Taras Bulba".Janacek's music is exciting, powerful, emotive, impassioned and unpredictable.I have taken the first and third movements of this piece, and adapted them for Brass Band, which was at times extremely difficult, but rewarding. It sometimes took up to an hour to be satisfied that a mere several bars had been reproduced to convey the composer's intentions.The Death of AndriThe Cossaks, under the leadership of Taras Bulba, are fighting against the Poles in the 17th century. Taras's son Andri seeks to rescue his love, a Polish princess, from a city which is being besieged by the Cossaks. Having found her, he throws in his lot with the Poles, but is finally captured by his father, who executes him as a traitor before riding off again to battle.Prophesy and Death of Taras BulbaTaras himself is finally captured and condemned to be nailed to a tree and burned alive. As the flames creep around him, Taras has the satisfaction of seeing histroops escape, and as he dies, sees a vision of his country freed at last.This is incredibly descriptive music. The mood is constantly changing, creating feelings of love and anger, celebration and melancholy, despair and triumph.This Brass Band EditionThe duration of the original symphonic rhapsody, three movements, is approximately 23 minutes. I chose the first and third movements, so the Brass Band edition is approximately 14 minutes. The main reason is twofold: Being realistic about the demands this music would place on the stamina of the brass player; Keeping the piece less than 15 minutes, so that, if desired, it could be used on the contest platform.Two unique qualities of Janacek's music had to be taken into account when preparing this brass band version. His compositional technique was individual, at times not sticking to traditional expectations, in both form and orchestration. I imagined what the genius himself would have said looking at my work, and how to tackle a particular section to emulate his original intentions. This was particularly the case when dealing with high woodwind and violin parts, the use of tremolo in string parts, and the orchestral harp.Percussion: Janacek included timpani, side drum, cymbals, triangle and tubular bells. For reasons stated previously, I have also included xylophone and glockenspiel. I have also added the gong in a couple of places to enhance the dramatic effect of the music.
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 3-5 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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£30.00A Million Love Songs - Gary Barlow
Made famous by the boy band 'Take That', this fantastic new angle on the song from Lucy Pankhurst, creatively features the flugel and tenor horn section with full support from the accompanying band.Take That's Gary Barlow wrote 'A Million Love Songs' when he was 15. He also recorded a rough demo of the track, and was one of the songs he gave to music manager Nigel Martin-Smith on a cassette tape as part of his audition to join a boy-band.In his autobiography A Better Me, Gary revealed that Martin-Smith was so impressed by the tape, that he didn't realise it was Gary singing. As legend has it, the conversation went like this:Martin-Smith: "This tape, who has written the songs?"Barlow: "Me"Martin-Smith: "Who wrote the words, then?"Barlow: "Me. And the music and the backing track."Martin-Smith: "Wow, you'd better come back and see me tomorrow."The ballad became one of the group's most popular songs, and is often voted among the greatest love songs of all time. It peaked at No. 7 in the UK charts, and remains a firm favourite, not just for its sentiment, but for the beautiful melody Barlow created.Lucy's arrangement for brass band brings a whole new dynamic to the music and offers the flugelhorn and tenor horns a golden opportunity to shine.
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 3-5 working days
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£34.95Lady of the Lake - Christopher Bond
A remote Carmarthenshire lake shrouded in Welsh legend has been named as one of the 1,000 must-see sights across the globe by an influential travel bible. Llyn y Fan Fach, 12km southeast of Llandovery in the Brecon Beacons, is the only spot in Wales to make the list, which was put together by Lonely Planet. "This isolated drop of blue, beneath a cirque of raw Welsh hills, is enchanting - and enchanted," Lonely Planet's 1,000 Ultimate Sights tells readers. The story goes that in the 13th Century, a farmer grazing cattle on the nearby slopes spotted the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. She was a fairy maiden, who agreed to marry him on one proviso - he must not hit her more than twice. In time, the inevitable happened - three strikes, and the otherworldly wife disappeared back into the lake, taking her magic cows with her. This work, for flugel horn and brass band, is reflective in nature, portraying the dismay of the man in losing his wife for his own selfishness. The work was written for and premiered by Rob Nesbitt & City of Cardiff (Melingriffith) Band, at the 2019 Welsh Open Entertainment Contest in Porthcawl, Wales.
Estimated dispatch 10-14 working days
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£10.00Kopanitsa
DescriptionKopanitsa was commissioned by Gavin Pritchard, who is also the work's dedicatee and gave the first performance with the Tongwynlais Temperance Band conducted by Gareth Pritchard at the Butlins Mineworkers Championship on 20 January 2008, winning the prize for best soloist as a result. He has recorded it on the CD "Enter the Galaxies" accompanied by the Cory Band conducted by Robert Childs.Gavin had requested a virtuoso showpiece featuring as many instruments as possible. The solo part is therefore written for vibraphone (bowed and struck), 10 x tuned tom toms, 5 x suspended cymbals plus hi-hat and a xylophone. The soloist's 'choreography' therefore forms an integral part of the performance. This can be seen to great effect in Gavin's performance of the work at the 2013 Brass in Concert Championship with Tredegar Band, available on the DVD of the event from World of Brass. A 'kopanitsa' is a Bulgarian folk dance that traditionally features two slow beats and two quick beats, reflected in the central 10/8 section. The music is deliberately Balkan in character, using the characteristic modes of Greek and Bulgarian folk music, and accelerates regularly to finish at breakneck speed. The tom-tom section marked 'ad lib.' after [D] can be improvised if the soloist wishes.You can follow the score in the preview video below!
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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Peterborough Mass - Jeremy Cladd - Len Jenkins
Peterborough Mass comprises 5 Movements, Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei. It was composed by Jeremy Cladd who became Head Chorister during his teenage yearsat Peterborough Cathedral. Total immersion in the music within such an inspiring building caused Jeremy to look deeper into the liturgical aspects of the Mass in order to understand the origins of the literary text being sung, so that he could paint a musical landscape based upon his interpretation of the text. From a musical perspective, Jeremy's Kyrie takes its inspiration from Philippians 2 vv1-11 (NIV) "Imitating Christ's Humility", and is structured AB where A refers to humility and submission "lord have mercy" and B relates to "united with Christ", with the latter evoking feelings of salvation and joy. In sympathy with the literary text, the Kyrie has a short introduction, and then a ternary form ABA structure where A is influenced by polyphonic choral writing and B by homophonic choral writing. This is the first of the five Movements to be arranged for Brass Band with Choir and comprises a full brass band score, parts for all instruments and a choral practice score.
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