Results
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£40.00Variations on a Theme of Michael Tippett (Brass Band - Score only)
A Centenary Tribute by Michael Ball, Edward Gregson, Elgar Howarth, Bramwell Tovey and Philip WilbyThis unique 'pice d'occasion' arose out of a telephone conversation in 2004 with Alan Wycherley, who was the soprano cornet player of the Foden's Richardson Band at the time. He indicated that the band would like to include an original birthday tribute for Edward Gregson (60) and Elgar Howarth (70) in its concert at the 2005 RNCM Festival of Brass in Manchester. I have been Artistic Director of Manchester's Festival of Brass since it was established in 1990 as a BBC Radio 3 series, As the centenary of the birth of Sir Michael Tippett fell on 5 January 2005, I devised this collective work as a way of embracing all three anniversaries in a novel way.The idea of joint compositions is not a new one in the classical music world. In the 1860s, Verdi was joined by a number of his contemporaries in a Requiem Mass for Rossini. In this country there have been a number of orchestral examples over the past fifty years, but never before for the brass band. Although Tippett composed only one work for brass band, Festal Brass with Blues, his orchestral works and operas are full of idiomatic brass writing. The theme I chose for this celebration is one of Tippet's most memorable miniatures featuring wind and brass. In the opera Midsummer Marriage it marks the entry of the Ancients. It is also included in the orchestral Suite in D (1948), for the Birthday of Prince Charles.I invited five of the leading contemporary voices in brass band music to add their own creative perspectives to the little Tippett theme, with it's characteristic rhythms, embellishments and modality - the Lydian mode. Each contribution was designed to fit into a tonal and formal template to give the whole work a flow and continuity. In Danse des Amis, Bramwell Tovey has composed a jazzy, humorous variation. Inspiration came from Tippett's love of jazz and, more personally, from the characteristically syncopated gait of the distinguished music critic John Amis, who Tovey once observed leaving a performance of Tippett's opera King Priam before the end. Incidentally, that performance was conducted by Elgar Howarth.We hear Edward Gregson in lyrical mode. His Midsummer Song is redolent of the sound world of Tippett's opera A Midsummer Marriage and it ends with a brief reference to a favourite of Gregson's, Tippett's Concerto for Orchestra. Michael Ball provides a brief moment of light, airy activity bringing to mind perhaps Tippett's love of Shakespearian fantasy, especially The Tempest. Elgar Howarth juxtaposes a slowed down version of the processional theme with distant recollections of fanfares from King Priam. Philip Wilby has rounded the tribute off with a spectacular fugue. During its inexorable progress Wilby ingeniously introduces the two other birthday references - the three-note musical signature that Elgar Howarth includes in much of his music and the characteristic theme which begins Edward Gregson's substantial work for brass an organ The Trumpets of the Angels. An elaborated reprise of Tippett's little theme is followed by a dynamic coda.- Paul HindmarshDuration: 13.00
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£15.00Symphony in Two Movements (Study Score Only)
Selected as the Championship Section test piece for the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain 2025This work was jointly commissioned by the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain (NYBBGB) and the National Youth Brass Band of Wales (NYBBW), the latter with funding from T Cerdd (Music Centre Wales), to celebrate their 60th and 30th anniversaries respectively. The first performances were given at Cadogan Hall, London, in April 2012, by the NYBBGB, conducted by Bramwell Tovey; and at the Great Hall, Aberystwyth University, in July 2012, by the NYBBW, conducted by Nicholas Childs.When I was approached about a joint commission to write a new work to celebrate the anniversaries of these two outstanding youth bands I was delighted to accept, and decided to respond by writing a work apposite for the magnitude of these special occasions, namely a 'symphony for brass'.Through a long journey of writing music for brass band, which commenced with Connotations (1977), and continued with Dances and Arias (1984), Of Men and Mountains (1991), The Trumpets of the Angels (2000) and Rococo Variations (2008), I arrived at what I regard as the most important work of the cycle to date, combining as it does serious musical intent with considerable technical demands. It is perhaps my most abstract work for brass band, avoiding any programmatic content.The symphony lasts for some 19 minutes and is structured in two linked movements. The form is based on that used by Beethoven in his final piano sonata (Op.111), which is in two movements only: a compact sonata-form allegro, followed by a more expansive theme and four variations. Prokofiev also adopted this model in his 2nd Symphony of 1925.The opening Toccata of this Symphony is highly dramatic but compact, whilst still retaining the 'traditional' structural elements of exposition, development and recapitulation; indeed, it also has the 'traditional' element of a contrasting second subject - a gentle, lyrical modal melody first heard on solo cornets.In contrast, the longer and more substantial second movement Variations is built around a theme and four variations. The slowly unfolding chorale-like theme accumulates both added note harmony and increasing instrumentation, whilst the four variations which follow are by turn mercurial (fast, starting with all the instruments muted), march-like (menacing, with short rhythmic articulations underpinning an extended atonal melody), serene (a series of 'romances' for solo instruments alongside echoes of the chorale) with an emerging theme eventually bursting into a climax of passionate intent; whilst the final variation is a dynamic scherzo (concertante-like in its series of rapid-fire solos, duets, trios and quartets) with the music gradually incorporating elements of the main ideas from the first movement, thus acting as a recapitulation for the whole work. It reaches its peroration with a return to the very opening of the symphony, now in the 'home' tonality of F, and thus creating a truly symphonic dimension to the music.Most of the melodic material of the symphony is derived from the opening eleven-note 'row', which contains various intervallic sets, and although the work is not serially conceived it does use some typical quasi-serial procedures, such as canons, inversions, and retrogrades. The symphony uses somewhat limited percussion, in line with a 'classical' approach to the sound world of the brass band, alongside a use of multi-divisi instrumentation, whereby each player has an individual part rather than the traditional doubling within certain sections of the band.- Edward GregsonDuration: 19.00
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£74.95Radio City (Trombone Solo with Brass Band)
As youngsters growing up on the west coast of Scotland, my brother and I fell heir to an old valved radiogram which provided us with our first experiences of radio broadcasts. On the short wave signal, and through the static, we could pick up a whole range of programmes from across the Atlantic. I particularly recall the baseball games, the American accents of the announcers providing a window to a evocative world far removed from our small Ayrshire town. These memories form the basis of Radio City.The work is set in three movements, each introduced by a pastiche radio announcer narrative written by Philip Coutts. The first, City Noir, is a nod towards Raymond Chandler's eponymous private eye Philip Marlow and the dark cityscape of 1940s California.Movement two, Cafe Rouge, takes its title from the main restaurant in New York's famous Hotel Pennsylvania. Two of the most famous band leaders of the 1940s, trombonists Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey, broadcast live from the cafe on numerous occasions and the movement echoes with a collage of imagined sounds from the period.The finale, Two-Minute Mile, derives from an event dubbed in the USA as "the most exciting two minutes in sport", namely the Kentucky Derby. The virtuoso soloist figurations have their roots in Kentucky bluegrass fiddle music, with the galloping bluegrass clog-dancing rhythms providing the backdrop.- Peter Graham, Cheshire, January 2013
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£49.95The Dark Side Of The Moon (Score and Parts)
This piece was commissioned by Dr. Nicholas Childs and Black Dyke Band on behalf of Rotary International and received its world premire performance at St. David's Hall, Cardiff on Saturday 27th January 2007. It is dedicated to the composer's father, Harry Cooper.The music was selected by the National Contesting Council as the 3rd section test piece for the 2008 Regional Brass Band Championships of Great Britain. A Note from the Composer...Have you ever thought of a holiday destination, tourist attraction, event, place, site or period in history and thought 'I wonder what it would be like?' - somwhere you have never been and can only let your imagination run wild on. What would the place be like, and all the things surrounding it such as the mood, feelings you get experiencing it, the temperature? Who would be there and what you would see? This piece is my musical imagination of the dark side of the moon. I know from news reports, the internet and other footage that the moon is a very desolate place, very barren and rugged. So from the start the piece gives the listener a musical picture of the rugged landscape with little light and warmth.However, the one place that has had me thinking about is the side of the moon that we don't see in our night skies, the side of the moon with no sun and no light pollution from civilisation. I can only imagine the eeriness one would feel being stood in complete darkness on the moon's surface looking around.As you slowly explore the surroundings and your eyes drift up to the night sky, there is an awesome sight unfolding in front of you - countless stars and galaxies, planets and different solar systems and all right in front of you glistening from the light of the sun beaming from the other side of the moon. The Dark Side of the Moon portrays a musical picture of the whole experience as seen in my imagination taking the listener from the rugged landscape to the awesome beauty that sits endlessly in front of you.Paul Lovatt-Cooper, September 2007
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£24.95The Dark Side Of The Moon (Score Only)
This piece was commissioned by Dr. Nicholas Childs and Black Dyke Band on behalf of Rotary International and received its world premire performance at St. David's Hall, Cardiff on Saturday 27th January 2007. It is dedicated to the composer's father, Harry Cooper.The music was selected by the National Contesting Council as the 3rd section test piece for the 2008 Regional Brass Band Championships of Great Britain. A Note from the Composer...Have you ever thought of a holiday destination, tourist attraction, event, place, site or period in history and thought 'I wonder what it would be like?' - somwhere you have never been and can only let your imagination run wild on. What would the place be like, and all the things surrounding it such as the mood, feelings you get experiencing it, the temperature? Who would be there and what you would see? This piece is my musical imagination of the dark side of the moon. I know from news reports, the internet and other footage that the moon is a very desolate place, very barren and rugged. So from the start the piece gives the listener a musical picture of the rugged landscape with little light and warmth.However, the one place that has had me thinking about is the side of the moon that we don't see in our night skies, the side of the moon with no sun and no light pollution from civilisation. I can only imagine the eeriness one would feel being stood in complete darkness on the moon's surface looking around.As you slowly explore the surroundings and your eyes drift up to the night sky, there is an awesome sight unfolding in front of you - countless stars and galaxies, planets and different solar systems and all right in front of you glistening from the light of the sun beaming from the other side of the moon. The Dark Side of the Moon portrays a musical picture of the whole experience as seen in my imagination taking the listener from the rugged landscape to the awesome beauty that sits endlessly in front of you.Paul Lovatt-Cooper, September 2007
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£95.00Tenor Horn Concerto 'Three Gods' (Tenor Horn Solo with Brass Band - Score and Parts)
Edward Gregson's Tenor Horn Concerto (Three Gods) was commissioned by the Belgian tenor horn soloist Tim de Maeseneer for a recording of commissioned works he made in 2024 with his own band, Brass Band Willebroek.The subtitle of 'Three Gods' refers to three mythological Greek Gods: Zeus, Hermes and Apollo. The idea for this came from Gregson's Viola Concerto, which he composed in 2023 and which was similarly subtitled 'Three Goddesses'. Indeed, the first movement of the horn concerto shares some common material with the viola concerto, although the other movements are newly composed.The concerto exploits the noble character of the horn, but the writing is also virtuosic in character as well as lyrical and melodic, demanding an extended playing range of nearly four octaves with a variety of colouration in its sonorities. The unifying motif of the whole concerto is the interval of a rising 5th, heard at the outset. The opening also has some other surprises (both seen and heard).The musical ideas, cast in three separate movements, take their starting point from the characters of the Three Gods in the title:Zeus, ruled as King of the Gods on Mount Olympus, and was the God of Thunder and Lightning and of War. His music is often threatening and violent, but also has a more tender side as portrayed in the lyrical second subject. However, the dominant mood is one of foreboding.Hermes was the great messenger to the Gods who could travel between realms on his winged sandals. Thus, his music is fast, fleet of foot, and mercurial - a dashing scherzo, but with lyrical and expressive moments.Apollo, the God of Music and Dance (and the Sun), symbolises virtue and beauty. This final movement, 'Hymn to Apollo', is mainly slow and hymn-like and cast in a continuous stream of melody passed between soloist and band. Brief fanfares herald a triumphant march, before the music returns to its quiet opening, gradually rising to a triumphant climax with glittering melodic percussion leading the way. The music ends in a blaze of glory!Duration: 17.00
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£34.95Light Song (Brass Band - Score and Parts)
This energetic arrangement was written for the Canadian Staff Band's visit to Los Angeles, California, USA, in 2016, to participate in the first ever gathering of five top North American Salvation Army bands. Two well-known songs are given an atypical stylistic treatment, featuring some unusual harmonic and metric variations to keep both players and listeners 'on their toes'.The music itself is a study in contrasts, starting with the dynamics in the whole tone scalic figures in the opening bars. The melody Jesus is my light (T.B. 709) is used with changing time-signatures along with a soft, yet rhythmic approach to the tune Walk in the light (T.B. 909). The work finished with a bright and energetic ending.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£40.00Fanfare for a New Era (Brass Band - Score and Parts)
Fanfare for a New Era is the most substantial of Edward Gregson's fanfares and was the result of a private commission by Lady Sheila Stoller to celebrate the opening in April 2017 of the Stoller Hall at Chetham's School of Music, Manchester. Gregson dedicated it to Sir Norman Stoller, who donated the funding for the new concert hall. The Fanfare was designed to fill the whole space, with separate brass choirs - trumpets, horns, trombones and tuba - playing their own music. A solo trumpeter playing 'on high' announces first the four horns and timpani, who enter with a stately measure. Next the herald trumpeter ushers in trombones, tuba and drums, with a faster dance. Finally, the remaining three trumpets amplify the peeling of bells. All four elements then come together, surrounding the audience with a 'joyful noise' of festive brass and percussion.Duration: 3.00
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£69.99Fanfares and Love Songs (Brass Band - Score and Parts)
Fanfares and Love Songs was commissioned by the National Children's Brass Band of Great Britain for performance on 25th July 2009. Its three movements contrast the extrovert and lyrical qualities of the traditional brass band. The fanfare with which the work opens involves the whole cornet section. The second movement is reflective in mood, beginning somewhat pensively on muted brass, and building to an emotional climax before subsiding back to a distant pianissimo chord. The finale is a fast dance, which with a final recapitulation of the opening fanfare drives on to a breathless close.Suitable for Advanced Youth/3rd Section Bands and aboveDuration: 12.00
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£44.99The Dreaded Groove and Hook (Brass Band - Score and Parts)
The Dreaded Groove and Hook is an up-tempo acid-jazz number that draws inspiration from bands like Jamiroquai and The Youngblood Brass Band. The groove in question is the main tune that is shared round the band, whilst the hook, in 'pop' terms, is the catchy bit of the song. The whole band joins in to play a huge 'riff' that acts as a chorus to the jazz-like verses.The piece was commissioned by Jason Katsikaris and The Leyland Band, who gave the first performance as part of their programme for the Brass in Concert Championships, held at The Sage, Gateshead on the 16th November 2008. It has been recorded by the same band and conductor on the CD entitled Penlee.Suitable for 1st Section Bands and aboveDuration: 4.00
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days