Results
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£115.60Dream of the Return - Pat Metheny
Dream of the Return is one of the tracks on Pat Metheny's album of 1989 "Letter from Home".The CD recording is remarkable for its variety, imagination and musical artistry, and the combining of Latin American rhythms with jazz harmonyproduces magical results especially with Pat Metheny's guitar playing.While most tracks on the CD are instrumental, this song stands out because of its beautiful lyrics (by Pedro Aznar) which, roughly translated, are:I tossed a poemto the sea that took my questions and my voice.Like a sinking ship it was lost in the waves.I begged it not to return without having seen the open seaAnd in my dreams, show me what it had seen.Even if it did notcomeback I would know that it had journeyed.Floating all the time on calm or stormy seasEven though some safe haven waits.I waited long for its answer and almost gave up hope,And with a yearning voice I cried desperatelyto the heavens.Much later, somehow, it was washed ashore like an answered prayer.Now the rolling sea beats in my veins and sets my heart free
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£119.99The Lonesome Knight - Saskia Apon
The composition the Lonesome Knight was based on a fairytale. The piece was written by Saskia Apon for the National Brass Band Championships 2001. Once upon a time there was a knight who went to fight and defeat the dragon that had beenkilling the people of his town. There is a short but intense battle between the two and the knight is triumphant. However whilst persuing the dragon the knight has travelled far away from his home and now is lost. He roames around trying to findhis way home, but exhausted and weary he falls to the ground. He awakens startled by a Giant and a group of Goblins who are celebrating the death of the dragon. The knight joins in the festivities but after a long evening is once more leftalone. The sun rises the following morning and he sees a castle on the horizon. He enthousiastcally ventures towards the castle in the hope of meeting other people. However he becomes greatly disillusioned when there is none to be found. Inhis desperation the knight climbs the tower ready to jump off. Suddenly he hears a heavenly voice. Right before him is the most beautiful princess he has ever seen. She graciously thanks him for killing the dragon, a spark ingnites between themand they build a life together and.... live happily ever after! Saskia Apon studied harp at Rotterdam School of music. With this instrument she rounded of her studies by passing with credit, however it was her love of composition thatremained her focus. Self-taught, she began composing at the age of nine. Since then she has written pieces for The Dutch Brass Quintet, The Dutch Brass Ensemble, The Rotterdam Trombone Quartet and the brass band quintet Brass Ability. Atpresent she is the in-house arranger for The Rotterdam Philarmonic Brass Ensemble. Besides the customary attention for the real splashworks she endeavours to add value to the melodic function of the brass wind instruments in her music. Hercompositions and arrangements can be found on many diverse Cds.The composition the Lonesome Knight was based on a fairytale. The piece was written by Saskia Apon for the National Brass Band Championships 2001. Once upon a time there was aknight who went to fight and defeat the dragon that had been killing the people of his town. There is a short but intense battle between the two and the knight is triumphant. However whilst persuing the dragon the knight has travelled far awayfrom his home and now is lost. He roames around trying to find his way home, but exhausted and weary he falls to the ground. He awakens startled by a Giant and a group of Goblins who are celebrating the death of the dragon. The knight joins inthe festivities but after a long evening is once more left alone. The sun rises the following morning and he sees a castle on the horizon. He enthousiastcally ventures towards the castle in the hope of meeting other people. However he becomesgreatly disillusioned when there is none to be found. In his desperation the knight climbs the tower ready to jump off. Suddenly he hears a heavenly voice. Right before him is the most beautiful princess he has ever seen. She graciously thankshim for killing the dragon, a spark ingnites between them and they build a life together and.... live happily ever after! Saskia Apon studied harp at Rotterdam School of music. With this instrument she rounded of her studies by passing withcredit, however it was her love of composition that remained her focus. Self-taught, she began composing at the age of nine. Since then she has written pieces for The Dutch Brass Quintet, The Dutch Brass Ensemble, The Rotterdam Trombone Quartetand the brass band quintet Brass Ability. At present she is the in-house arranger for The Rotterdam Philarmonic Brass Ensemble. Besides the customary attention for the real splashworks she endeavours to add value to the melodic functionof the brass wind instruments in her music. Her compositions and arrangements can be found on many diverse Cds.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 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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£75.00As Above, So Below - Jay Capperauld
An original composition for brass band and brass quintet by Jay Capperauld was commissioned by John Wallace and The Wallace Collection with the support of the PRS Foundation's Beyond Borders. This major work enjoyed its world premiere at The Cumnock Tryst on 30 September 2017 at Cumnock Old Church, performed by The Wallace Collection and Dalmellington Band, conducted by Martyn Brabbins.If you would like to perform this work, please don't hesitate considering The Wallace Collection to provide the brass quintet elements - if you would like to discuss potential performances, please contact us on [email protected] NotesBased on the Hermetic maxim "As Above, So Below", the phrase comes from the cryptic text of The Emerald Tablet, which was purportedly written by a mysterious character who is thought of as an amalgamation of Greek and Egyptian Gods, Hermes Trismegistus. The text first appears in Arabic between the 6th and 8th Centuries and is intended to outline the primitive and hidden sources that constitute the basis of all matter in the universe. The phrase "As Above, So Below" implies an essential "oneness" of all matter and a correlation between the physical elements and supernatural entities that make up our surroundings. The philosophies expressed within The Emerald Tablet have become a founding principle of Alchemy, Occultism, Witchcraft, Theosophy and various other ancient gnostic systems of belief, and this work attempts to explore these forms of so-called "secret knowledge" in a ritualistic trance-like Adagio steeped in the esoteric.The Brass Band is placed at the centre of the stage while the solo Brass Quintet are spread antiphonally around the concert hall and are placed above both the Brass Band and the audience in an attempt to create a direct dialogue between the Above and the Below. Therefore, the piece endeavours to explore the meaning behind the text of The Emerald Tablet as well as the phrase 'As Above, So Below' in a music context while giving particular attention to the 'SOLVE' (Latin for 'Separate' which correlates to the Above) and 'COAGLUA' (Latin for 'Join Together' which relates to the Below) that is depicted in the image of the Baphomet by the French occultist author, Eliphas Levi, which is a visual representation of the phrase 'As Above, So Below'.Additional Note of InterestIt was not until the work was complete that the role of the main melody became clear when an unexpected and inadvertent correlation between this melody and that of the Latin Dies Irae presented itself. The plainchant nature of As Above, So Below's melody became a defining feature of the piece and when compared to the melody of the Dies Irae (a similar melody reminiscent of that contained within As Above, So Below), some interesting and unsettling implications unveiled themselves.The findings of a comparison can be interpreted as follows:Both melodies adhere naturally to the plainchant idiom, which in itself strongly relates to a supernatural (or quasi-religious) element in both cases.Both melodies originate in the key of D; the Dies Irae resides in the Dorian Mode on D while the As Above, So Below melody inhabits the D Octatonic Scale.Both melodies can be divided into three distinct phrases, although the melody to As Above, So Below can be divided into three phrases in a number of ambiguous ways.The most striking and unnerving connection is that, by pure chance, the Latin text to the Dies Irae fits perfectly under both melodies giving an entirely specific context to how the melodies are perceived.By understanding the As Above, So Below melody as an alternative to that of the Dies Irae and by interpreting it in the same context, the connotations of the Dies Irae's otherworldliness, and the suggestion of a dialogue with the supernatural and death adds a richer dimension to the As Above, So Below melody which in turn solidifies the esoteric concept of this work.In conclusion, this unanticipated and purely accidental relationship between both melodies is worthy of note more so from an emotional and contextual perspective rather than from any analytical evaluation concerning the music itself - it is the circumstance of the so-called "secret knowledge" that has presented itself within the inner workings of As Above, So Below.
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 3-5 working days
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£25.00Autumn Bacchanale (from The Seasons) - Alexander Glazunov
A lively, joyous item, ideal as a light interlude in any concert and especially appropriate for late season/Christmas themed events with its jaunty, positive sounds. Sue Hopkins has shown great creativity in crafting this arrangement of Glazunov's 'Autumn' movement, a bacchanale from his ballet The Seasons, hence its fondly referenced title of Autumn Bacchanale.Alexander Glazunov (1865 - 1936) was a Russian composer, music teacher and conductor. He was a child prodigy and was taught privately byRimsky-Korsakov, who said Glazunov's musical progress did not increase day by day but hour by hour. He began composing at age eleven and wrote his first symphony at age 16 in 1881 and it was premiered one year later.His ballet The Seasonswas first performed by the Imperial Ballet in St Petersburg on 20 February 1900 and was choreographed by Marius Petipa.It was written in one act and four scenes, and this piece represents the moment when all The Seasons take part in a glorious dance while leaves from autumn trees rain upon their merriment.
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 3-5 working days
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Laughter In The Rain - Sedaka & Cody - Len Jenkins
In America, this was Neil Sedaka's comeback single. Whilst he had 11 Top-40 hits from 1960-1963, he could not score a hit after the British Invasion of the 60's. His fortunes were such in America that this song was at first released only in England, where it went to No. 15. However, whilst recording with 10cc in London, Sedaka reconnected with his friend Elton John who offered to put out a Sedaka single in America under his own record label, Rocket Records. Since "Laughter In The Rain" was already a hit in the UK, that was the choice, and anything with Elton John's name on it was sure to get some spins. So, later in 1974, "Laughter" was released on Rocket Records with liner notes and endorsements by Elton, and the song took off, becoming his second million-seller 12 years after his first, which was "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do."
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£124.95Hyperlink - Peter Graham
Hyperlink was commissioned by the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain (funded by Arts Council England and the Department for Education) for its 70th Anniversary Year. Since the anniversary coincided with other significant celebrations in 2022 (including the Royal Albert Hall/Ralph Vaughan Williams 150th and the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II) it was requested that these also be recognised in some way.
Where better to begin this challenging brief but with a computer search for the NYBBGB founder Dr Denis Wright (coincidently born in Kensington, home of the RAH). The subsequent rabbit warren of hyperlinks led me to structure the work through a series of "associations":
Movement I - The Voice of Jupiter.
Alongside the discovery that Denis Wright had been a church organist was the realisation that while the RAH has hosted thousands of musical events the fabric of the building actually incorporates a musical instrument, the famous Henry Wills organ (aka The Voice of Jupiter).Organ and J S Bach are synonymous (e.g. Toccata in D min) and so both become fundamental to the content of the movement. An opening 7 note quote from the Toccata leads to a mammoth sound cluster, as if every note on the huge RAH organ is sustained. The material which follows is based upon the notes BACH (in German notation). The notes are manipulated in various ways in a 12 tone matrix; reversed, inverted and so on. Other techniques employed in the movement are ones of which Bach was master, including ground bass and fugue.
Movement II - Remember Me.
The lives of Salvationist composer Ray Steadman-Allen (born 1922) and Ralph Vaughan Williams are remembered here, with "RSA" in musical notation and fragments of RVWs famous Tuba Concerto providing the source material.While writing the movement my father passed away and to close his funeral service the family chose the uplifting Robert Lowry hymn They'll sing a welcome home. It seemed fitting to conclude the movement with a reflective setting of the chorus, the repeated phrase "Welcome, welcome home" eventually disappearing into the ether.
Movement III - Vivat.
The finale takes the form of a short fantasy upon Hubert Parry's marvellous coronation anthem I Was Glad, truly a celebratory note with which to conclude.The first performance of Hyperlink was given by the NYBBGB conducted by Martyn Brabbins at the Royal College of Music, London on August 6th 2022.
Estimated dispatch 3-5 working days
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£22.50Edward Gregson: Concertante for Piano and Brass Band
DescriptionProgramme NoteThe Concertante for Piano and Brass Band was written in 1966, when the composer was an undergraduate student at the Royal Academy of Music in London. It received its first public concert performance in 1967 at the Royal Festival Hall, London, when the composer was the soloist with the International Band of the Salvation Army, conducted by Bernard Adams. It was one of the first major works to be written for this particular combination.The Concertante is unashamedly romantic in idiom and is in three movements: Prelude, Nocturne and Rondo. The Prelude is cast in sonata form and opens with a short cadenza-like flourish from the soloist, followed by two main ideas - the first sweepingly dramatic, the second highly lyrical. The interplay between these two themes forms the main focus of the movement, and after a return to the opening theme, an exuberant codetta brings the music to a close, albeit a quiet one. https://morthanveld.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Gregson-Concertante-1st-movt-clip.mp3The tender Nocturne opens with an introduction from the band that contains precursors of the two main ideas to follow. The solo piano announces the main theme, which has a slightly 'bluesy' character with its flattened third and seventh notes of the scale, and is a love song dedicated to the composer's wife-to-be. The band enters with phrases of a chorale already hinted at in the introduction - Ray Steadman-Allen's hymn tune 'Esher' - but never quite presented in its complete state. Both ideas are developed alongside each other, with eventually the first theme returning, this time with piano and band together, and building to a majestic climax, before subsiding to a peaceful coda - a return to the very opening of the movement. https://morthanveld.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Gregson-Concertante-movt-2-clip.mp3The final Rondo is full of energetic rhythms and changing time patterns. The main theme is playful in character, with much interplay between soloist and band, whilst the middle section presents a new theme, and one that has more than a hint of the hymn tune 'Onward Christian Soldiers', in what amounts to a good humoured parody. The opening Rondo theme returns, this time leading to a powerful and dissonant climax from the band. This is followed by an extended piano cadenza, underlying the virtuoso aspect of the work, and leading to an energetic and life-affirming coda, which brings the work to a triumphant conclusion. https://morthanveld.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Gregson-Concertante-movt-3-clip.mp3Duration: 18 minutesInstrumentation:Please note that there is no 1st/Repiano Cornet part in this work. The 1st/Repiano Cornet player should join the Solo Cornet bench. As such an extra Solo Cornet part is provided in the set of parts.Version for two pianosA version of the Concertante for two pianos is available for rehearsal purposes. Piano 1 is the solo part and Piano 2 the band reduction. However, for those pianists not needing to rehearse the work in this way, a solo piano part is also provided with the main set of band parts.To view a preview of the solo part for the first movement click here.The youthful Gregson (his work was written as a third year undergraduate) was seemingly a bit of a musical magpie - but one heck of a skilful one at that.These were shiny baubles of poise, panache and pastiche, with affectionate, remarkably mature nods of appreciation towards Gershwin, Rachmaninov, Ireland and even Elmer as well as Leonard Bernstein.The rich colour palette and flowing lines (with the tenderest of central Nocturnes) were a joy - as were the little buds of motifs that dotted the score like seeds ready to be planted on a future fertile brass band compositional field. - Iwan Fox, 4Barsrest.com, June 2019For more information on Edward Gregson's music please visit the composer's website: www.edwardgregson.com
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£29.95Adam Zero, Suite from (Brass Band - Score only) - Bliss, Arthur - Childs, Robert
Selected as the Section 2 test piece for the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain 2025Following his ballet Checkmate, Bliss composed another score for the, by then, Sadler's Wells Ballet, Miracle in the Gorbals, which was choreographed by Robert Helpmann, to a scenario by Michael Benthall. Premired in 1944, the ballet made a considerable impact and was a box-office success. It was followed in turn by a further collaboration with Helpmann and Benthall, Adam Zero. This would serve Helpmann, in the eponymous role, as a vehicle in two respects: demonstrating his gifts as a dancer-actor and as a choreographer. First performed at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, on 8 April 1946, Adam Zero was conducted by Constant Lambert, the work's dedicatee. Bliss considered it 'his most varied and exciting ballet score'. Benthall provided a synopsis for the programme:There is a philosophy that life moves in an endless series of timeless cycles. As Nature passes through Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, so man is born, makes a success in his own particular sphere, loses his position to a younger generation, sees his world crumble before his eyes and only finds peace in death. This age-old story is told in terms of a Company creating a ballet and calling on the resources of the theatre to do so. Lighting, stage mechanism, dance conventions, musical forms and costumes and scenery of all periods are used to symbolize the world of 'Adam Zero'.Apart from Adam, as the Principal Dancer, other main roles included the Stage Director (representing Omnipotence), and Adam's Fates (Designer, Wardrobe Mistress, and Dresser). 'The Woman in this allegory', wrote Bliss, 'under the symbol of the Choreographer, was both the creator and destroyer of Adam: his first love, his wife, his mistress, and finally the figure of beneficent Death.' When the curtain rose, the 'audience saw the Covent Garden stage right back to the wall, completely empty except for the protagonists, 'the Company poised, still and expectant, as they await the birth of... Adam Zero.'Unfortunately, soon after the premire, Helpmann injured himself and had to withdraw from the remaining performances. Despite generally positive reviews, the ballet did not capture the imagination of audiences and, to Bliss's considerable disappointment, was not revived. Seventy years would elapse before its first major return to the stage, in 2016, performed by the ballet company of Stadttheater Bremerhaven with choreography by Sergei Vanaev.Bliss extracted a concert suite from the ballet, conducting its first performance with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra on 28 October 1948. For his own suite, arranged for brass band in 2023, Dr Robert Childs chose three dances linked to the seasons, book-ending them with the ebullient 'Fanfare Overture' and 'Fanfare Coda'. After Adam has grown to manhood, his Fates clothe him in a costume synonymous with confident youth, appropriate for the virile, ardent 'Dance of Spring'. In the 'Approach of Autumn', Adam, now wearing a sombre costume, has grown older: his Fates have streaked grey in his hair and put lines on his face. But they had earlier raised Adam to the zenith of his power, and the 'Dance of Summer' depicts him in the prime of life, in music of sweeping grandeur. The 'Fanfare Coda' signals that the next cycle of life is about to begin.Duration: 10.30
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£19.65
Adam Zero, Suite from (Brass Band - Study Score) - Bliss, Arthur - Childs, Robert
Selected as the Section 2 test piece for the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain 2025Following his ballet Checkmate, Bliss composed another score for the, by then, Sadler's Wells Ballet, Miracle in the Gorbals, which was choreographed by Robert Helpmann, to a scenario by Michael Benthall. Premired in 1944, the ballet made a considerable impact and was a box-office success. It was followed in turn by a further collaboration with Helpmann and Benthall, Adam Zero. This would serve Helpmann, in the eponymous role, as a vehicle in two respects: demonstrating his gifts as a dancer-actor and as a choreographer. First performed at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, on 8 April 1946, Adam Zero was conducted by Constant Lambert, the work's dedicatee. Bliss considered it 'his most varied and exciting ballet score'. Benthall provided a synopsis for the programme:There is a philosophy that life moves in an endless series of timeless cycles. As Nature passes through Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, so man is born, makes a success in his own particular sphere, loses his position to a younger generation, sees his world crumble before his eyes and only finds peace in death. This age-old story is told in terms of a Company creating a ballet and calling on the resources of the theatre to do so. Lighting, stage mechanism, dance conventions, musical forms and costumes and scenery of all periods are used to symbolize the world of 'Adam Zero'.Apart from Adam, as the Principal Dancer, other main roles included the Stage Director (representing Omnipotence), and Adam's Fates (Designer, Wardrobe Mistress, and Dresser). 'The Woman in this allegory', wrote Bliss, 'under the symbol of the Choreographer, was both the creator and destroyer of Adam: his first love, his wife, his mistress, and finally the figure of beneficent Death.' When the curtain rose, the 'audience saw the Covent Garden stage right back to the wall, completely empty except for the protagonists, 'the Company poised, still and expectant, as they await the birth of... Adam Zero.'Unfortunately, soon after the premire, Helpmann injured himself and had to withdraw from the remaining performances. Despite generally positive reviews, the ballet did not capture the imagination of audiences and, to Bliss's considerable disappointment, was not revived. Seventy years would elapse before its first major return to the stage, in 2016, performed by the ballet company of Stadttheater Bremerhaven with choreography by Sergei Vanaev.Bliss extracted a concert suite from the ballet, conducting its first performance with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra on 28 October 1948. For his own suite, arranged for brass band in 2023, Dr Robert Childs chose three dances linked to the seasons, book-ending them with the ebullient 'Fanfare Overture' and 'Fanfare Coda'. After Adam has grown to manhood, his Fates clothe him in a costume synonymous with confident youth, appropriate for the virile, ardent 'Dance of Spring'. In the 'Approach of Autumn', Adam, now wearing a sombre costume, has grown older: his Fates have streaked grey in his hair and put lines on his face. But they had earlier raised Adam to the zenith of his power, and the 'Dance of Summer' depicts him in the prime of life, in music of sweeping grandeur. The 'Fanfare Coda' signals that the next cycle of life is about to begin.Duration: 10.30
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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