Results
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£94.95Of Men and Mountains - Edward Gregson
Of Men and Mountains was commissioned by the Netherlands Brass Band Championships for their tenth anniversary contest in Drachten in December 1990. In July the previous year, Edward Gregson and his wife took the Trans Canadian Railway from Toronto to Vancouver. The journey through the Rocky Mountains was the starting point for Of Men and Mountains. Gregson writes that: 'its high peaks and shafts of sunlight breaking through the clouds, its canyons and ferocious rapids made me understand a little more about the majesty of nature and the fragility of humanity. The eternal struggle between man and nature was personified in the building of this incredible railway... hence my title (after Blake).' The work is dedicated to the memory of Eric Ball, who died shortly before the writing of the work was commenced. Of Men and Mountains is in one continuous movement with a duration of approximately 17 minutes. Its form is difficult to describe because of its motivic and accumulative nature, but it is essentially a symphonic tone poem in search of a theme, which eventually comes in its final and complete state in the majestic ending after an ever-increasing paced scherzo. Of Men and Mountains has been selected as the test pieces for the 2023 National Brass Championships of Great Britain at the Albert Hall.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£89.95
Of Distant Memories - Edward Gregson
Parts only. Of Distant Memories pays homage to the brass band composers that form the backbone of the brass band repertoire and their music, and in the process summons up a kind of subconscious memory bank of the musicallanguages, styles and forms used by them. The music is conceived in the form of a 'traditional' tone poem, reflecting certain aspects (e.g. melodic, harmonic, textural)of those early test pieces. Although fairly traditionalconcepts have been kept in planning the architecture of the work, certain aspects of the instrumentation, or scoring, are more contemporary in colouristic terms, as befits a composer writing in the 21st century. However, thepercussion requirements are fairly modest, similar to those used in the works of that period. The brass band tradition owes much to the composers of that period, for through their music they established a truly homogenous'British' brass band sound which has spread throughout many parts of the world. That tradition flourishes today and remains important for today's composers, even if their musical language is far removed from that of theirpredecessors. Of Distant Memories is the composers own way of repaying that gratitude.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£76.99On Wings of Liberty - Rob Goorhuis
On Wings of Liberty shows us that Rob Goorhuis, one of Holland's greatest contemporary composers of music for wind instruments, is a natural when it comes to writing concert marches. His first work of this type is suitable for just about every event.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£106.99Manhattan - Philip Sparke
Manhattan was commissioned by the United States Army Band for their solo cornet player Woodrow English and first performed by them in Carnegie Hall, New York, in November 2003. The two-movement work demonstrates both the lyrical and technical abilities of this outstanding player. The 'theme' is a weekend in New York and the opening bluesy movement, Saturday Serenade, describes the city on a Saturday night. While writing the second movement, Sunday Scherzo, the composer pictured an early morning jog in Central Park. This vivaciously rhythmic second movement ends with an even quicker coda bringing the work to a brilliant close. Each movement can also be playedindividually when a shorter solo is required.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£34.95Water Lilies - Jonathan Bates
DURATION: 5'00". DIFFICULTY: 1st Section+. 'Water Lilies' is a setting of a short poem by the American War poet Sara Teasdale from 1937. Teasdale's evocative writing is steadily becoming a renowned influence for composers - particularly in the choral scene, and this was where my first introduction to her work was founded in a work by Eriks Esenvalds entitled 'Stars'. . The percussion writing in this depicts a gentle ripple on a lake as water lilies float by at dusk, whilst the band writing explores a deep and personal interpretation of Teasdale's words which whilst on the face seem quite dark and brooding, yet really seem to express a feeling of longing and determination. . Water Lilies . If you have forgotten water lilies floating . On a dark lake among mountains in the afternoon shade, . If you have forgotten their wet, sleepy fragrance, . Then you can return and not be afraid. . But if you remember, then turn away forever . To the plains and the prairies where pools are far apart, . There you will not come at dusk on closing water lilies, . And the shadow of mountains will not fall on your heart. . Sara Teasdale (1937). .
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 1-3 working days
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£41.77Verklarte Nacht (Brass Band) Arnold Schoenberg arr. Rob Bushnell
Composed in just three weeks in 1899, Verklarte Nacht (Transfigured Night) is a string sextet in one movement by Arnold Schoenberg. Whilst known better for tone rows, his dodecaphonic music and the Second Viennese School, Schoenberg was a master of harmony (writing a number of books on the subject) and, in his early life, was inspired by the music of Brahms and Wagner. This is his best-known tonal work. Its description as a tone poem is not surprising given it takes its inspiration from Richard Dehmel's poem of the same name, as well as Schoenberg's strong feelings towards his future wife, Mathilde Zemlinsky, sister of his teacher, Alexander von Zemlinsky. The work is said to have five sections, one for each of the stanzas in the poem. The poem, from 1896, describes a man and woman walking through a dark forest on a moonlit night. The woman shares a secret with him, that she is pregnant but not with his child. The man reflects upon this before warmly accepting (and forgiving) the news. The work premiered on 18 March 1902 in the Vienna Musikverein by the Rose Quartet. As was normal at the time, Schoenberg produced a string orchestra version that was premiered on 29 November 1916 in Prague, conducted by Zemlinsky, which was later revised in 1943 to better support the soloists, also adding more articulation and tempo markings. Whilst the piece was controversial at the time, both musically and due to the poem's "inappropriate" subject matter, Richard Dehmel himself was impressed, writing "I had intended to follow the motives of my text in your composition, but soon forgot to do so, I was so enthralled by the music." This arrangement is for the British-style brass band, with alternative parts for horns in F and bass-clef lower brass. To view a recording of the original composition please visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqODySSxYpc. Difficulty Level: 2nd Section + Duration: approx. 6.40 minutes Sheet music available from www.brassband.co.uk 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 BbTimpani Percussion 1-3
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 1-3 working days
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£79.95Corineus - Christopher Bond
Corineus, in medieval British legend, was a prodigious warrior, a fighter of giants, and the eponymous founder of Cornwall. The first of the legendary rulers of Cornwall, he is described as a character of strength and power. It is on the medieval ruler that this new work, Corineus, is based, presented in three contrasting sections. The work opens with heraldic fanfares and a sense of jubilance before presenting musical material which changes and develops organically, portraying the journey taken by Corineus, Brutus, and the Trojans from modern-day mainland Europe to Britain. The central section of the work is slower, creating a feeling of longing. Brutus' son, Locrinus, had agreed to marry Corineus' daughter, Gwendolen, but instead fell in love with a German princess. In writing this part of the work, the composer portrays the longing of Gwendolen for her husband, knowing he is in love with somebody else. After Corineus died, Locrinus divorced Gwendolen, who responded by raising an army in Cornwall and making war against her ex-husband. Locrinus was killed in battle, and legend suggests that Gwendolen threw Locrinus' lover into the River Severn. This dramatic battle provides the inspiration for the final part of the work. In writing this work, the composer hopes to flare the imagination of young brass players around the country, in an engaging new take on a firm fixture in British folklore.
Estimated dispatch 10-14 working days
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£188.00The Maestro - Andrew Pearce
The Maestro, a concertino voor trompet en band, was commissioned by Philip Cobb, principal trumpet of the London Symphony Orchestra. I spent most of Summer 2011 in Prague and London composing this demanding piece, for this was a wonderful opportunity to write a large scale work for one of the world's finest Trumpet virtuosos and I accepted the assignment with great enthusiasm. I also felt a great responsibility to deliver a tour de force for this world class player that was both challenging and enjoyable. Phil was seeking melodies and themes in the piece and had enjoyed my album 'Cinema Symphony', and the dramatic vistas it conjured up. Before writing began, I listened to his beautiful album 'Life Abundant' many times, ensuring I had his sound in my head while writing. The piece represents the many aspects of a contemporary trumpeter's musical life from; brass band chorale (a homage to Phil's musical roots), to the symphonic concert hall to the film recording studio. I am delighted to have had Phil and the International Staff Band record this work under the baton of Dr Stephen Cobb. Its a tour de force not only for the soloist but also for the band and should be an exciting challenge for the very best bands out there.
Estimated dispatch 10-14 working days
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£25.00Christmas Concerto
DescriptionThis arrangement of Corelli's famous "Christmas Concerto" features soprano cornet, two solo cornets and solo euphonium. Arcangelo Corelli was one of the first masters of the baroque period, a skilled violinist much admired by fellow composers like Bach and Handel. He was born in Fusignano, near Ferrara in Northern Italy in 1653. He studied in nearby Bologna where he became an extremely competent violinist. By the 1670s he was working in Rome and building a reputation as a composer at the important and powerful Papal court. By the late 1600s he was widely famous all over Europe, regularly invited to important courts and palaces. Although he had a huge influence on the virtuoso writing of later composers, his writing for string instruments was designed to be playable by average, often amateur players.His set of Concerti Grossi known as Opus 6 was not published in his lifetime. We think they were written around 1690, and they were first published in Amsterdam in 1714, a year after Corelli's death. A 'Concerto Grosso' is a concerto for a group of soloists (the "concertino" group) accompanied by an ensemble (the "ripieno" group) and was an important form in the Baroque era. Handel's very successful examples were modelled on Corelli's example. Number 8 from the Opus 6 set was commissioned by the Venetian Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni and bears the inscriptionFatto per la notte di Natale('made for the night of Christmas'). It was used as part of the soundtrack for the 2003 film 'Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World".Performance Notes.In this arrangement the 'Concertino' group are the soprano cornet, solo cornets 1 & 2 and the solo euphonium. If logistics allow they should stand either at the front of or some distance away from the band. There is no percussion in this arrangement. All tutti cornets will require cup mutes.Duration approximately 3'15".You can listen to a preview while following the score below:
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£15.00Symphony in Two Movements (Brass Band - Study Score) - Gregson, Edward
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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