Results
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£40.00The Unfortunate Traveller (Brass Band - Score only)
Imogen Holst (1907-1984) submitted The Unfortunate Traveller (1929) as her final work as a student portfolio at the Royal College of Music, where her composition teacher was Gordon Jacob. The title was taken from Thomas Nashe's famous 1594 picaresque novel of the same title. The Suite was first performed on 12 February 1933 at her Majesty's Theatre, Carlisle, by the St. Stephen's Band, with the composer conducting. Te concert was given in memory of Holst's uncle, Dr. H.A. Lediard. Holst had been impressed with the band's performance of his A Moorside Suite at the 1928 National Brass Band Championships (The Crystal Palace, South London) and was keen to work with them. Writing in Imogen Holst, a life in music, Christopher Grogan indicates that it was Gustav Holst's suggestion to include his daughter's work in the programme, quoting Imogen Holst's remarks made in interview to The Daily Mail as follows: "....it is the first time, so far as I know, that a woman has conducted a brass band at a public concert....It has been a delight to rehearse the St. Stephen's Band. It was their performance at the Crystal Palace Festival that inspired me to write this Suite, which I have dedicated to them."Imogen Holst accompanied her father to the Crystal Palace in 1928 to hear the performances of A Moorside Suite, and was so excited by the played and, audibly, by her father's music that she decided to write a brass band piece for her final examination. Te result was The Unfortunate Traveller (1929). However, it was not possible for her to present a brass band work for examination. She arranged it for string orchestra so that it could be played before she left the RCM in July 1930. Following the premiere of the original in 1933, the manuscripts did not resurface until 1969 Imogen found them among her late mother's effects. Although she requested score and parts be destroyed, they ended up in the possession of Manchester composer John Golland, who marked up the score presumably with the intention of creating a new performing edition. The original scoring reveals a lack of experience with what can be a tricky medium.With the agreement of the Holst Foundation, a revised edition, with additional percussion, was prepared in 2011 since when the work has been fortunate to travel round the world as a concert and contest piece. The original includes drums in the March only. The title was taken from Tomas Nashe's famous 1594 picaresque novel of the same title. Several Morris Dance tunes are introduced during the course of the four short movements, including Bonnie Green Garters, Shepherd's Hey, The Rose and The Wind Blaws Cauld. Quirky twists and turns of harmony and spirited rhythms that remind us how much Imogen Holst loved tradition English dance music.In September 2025, I made a performing edition of the composer's arrangement for string orchestra. The manuscript lacks the final movement, which I arranged in a similar style, ie. without extending the upper ranges. Making this edition raised some issues regarding the accuracy of my band version and some of the solutions I used to smooth out the voicing. I have used the composer's second thoughts to refine my performing edition and to correct a textual errors.- Paul HindmarshDuration: 10.00
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£34.95Faith is the Victory (Brass Band - Score and Parts)
James Curnow wrote this march while completing his Masters degree at Michigan State University and unsurprisingly reflects the great tradition of American symphonic wind band marches. Curnow embraces the sound world of the great Mid-Western universities (Michigan, Illinois, Iowa and Ohio State) and the march styles of Eric Osterling and Clifton Williams. Several changes of tempo indicate that this is anything but an ordinary street march. The wonderful changes of key are also notable and propel the music towards an exciting finish.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£35.00
Darkwood (Score Only)
Born in the Vale of Evesham, Worcestershire, Dan took a keen interest in music from an early age playing tuba and trombone with his local brass band. After leaving school he embarked on a 10 year career as a hotelier integrating it with a developing career as a freelance musician playing double bass, sousaphone and bass saxophone with big bands including the internationally Pasadena Roof Orchestra.In 2003, he enrolled in the Band Musicianship course at Salford University where he studied composition and arranging with Prof. Peter Graham. Dan's first test-piece An Elgar Portrait was selected as the 4th Section set work at the Swiss National Brass Band Championships in 2007 and again at the Pontins Championships the following year. He then went on to write the test-piece New World Sketches which was set as the 2nd Section test-piece for the British Regional Contests in 2009.In 2009, Dan became Composer in Association with the Cory Band, helping them with their winning programmes at several Brass in Concert Championships. In 2012 he became the Arranger in Association with Black Dyke Band and has been involved with many of the band's exciting projects including his arrangement of Recycled for the ground breaking multimedia campaign - Danger Global Warming Project and the band's collaboration with British composer Tolga Kashif in 2012 for his Olympic Anthem Let Your Light Shine.In 2015, Dan had a number of major works performed at International contests which included Realms of Asgard: Yggdrassil - a new test-work commissioned by Jaren Hornmusikkforening to be used as their choice work at the Norwegian Brass Band Championships, Ocean of Storms - an exciting new work for Grimethorpe Colliery Band's Brass in Concert programme and his test-piece Visions which was used as a 4th Section National Finals test-piece.Dan is currently working full time at the University of Salford, lecturing in Composition and Arranging. He continues to work as a freelance composer working with a number of leading soloists, brass and wind bands around the world.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£44.95Paint Your Wagon Selections
Includes: I'm On My Way; Wand'rin' Star; They Call the Wind Maria; I Talk to the Trees; Hand Me Down That Can O' Beans; A Million Miles Away Behind the Door; There's a Coach Comin' In.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£89.95Tuba Concerto (Score and Parts)
This work was commissioned by the Besses o' th' Barn Band with funds provided by the Arts Council of Great Britain. It was written for, and is dedicated to, John Fletcher, who gave the first performance in Middleton Civic Hall, near Manchester, on 24 April, 1976, with Besses o' th' Barn Band conducted by the composer. Another interesting feature about the premire was that it was recorded by BBC Television for an Omnibus programme with Andr Previn as presenter. The concerto exists in three versions: with brass band (1976), orchestra (1978) and wind band (1984).The concerto is in three movements, following the usual, quick-slow-quick pattern: Allegro deciso,Lento e mesto, Allegro giocoso. The first movement has a sonata form shell with two contrasting themes, the first one being rhythmic in character, the second lyrical. There is a reference made in passing to the Vaughan Williams Tuba Concerto, but this merges into the other material in the development section.The second movement begins with a chorale, but after the entry of the tuba it leads to a cantabile theme, softly unfolded by the soloist. The opening chorale passage returns, this time briefly on muted brass, and leads to a middle section which is more chromatic in style and soon builds to a powerful climax, where the opening cantabile theme triumphantly returns. The music subsides, returning to the opening chorale and ending peacefully.The finale is light and breezy in style, and is cast in rondo form. After a brief introduction the tuba announces the main rondo theme, which is dance-like and a little jaunty. There are two episodes: the first a broad sweeping tune, the second a slowish waltz and a little jazz-like. After a virtuoso cadenza reference is made to the very opening of the concerto before the work ends with a triumphal flourish.The Tuba Concerto has established itself as one of the main works in the solo tuba repertoire. It has been performed and broadcast in over 40 countries all over the world. There are currently six commercial recordings of the concerto in its various versions.resolution in C major, pointed by a simple but expansive melody towards which the piece has been heading, and ending in a blaze of joyful colour.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days