Results
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£30.00Homage to Bach - Chris Houlding
Inspired by the master of counterpoint, Homage to Bach was written by Chris as an exercise in simplicity itself, designed to not only test the musicians playing skills and sense of style, but to encourage them to develop their "ensemble radar" through carefully listening, fine tuning, subtle dynamics and variation in articulation. The brass band has a long tradition of using chorales and hymns as a training exercise. As an alternative to existing hymn tunes, I have composed this simple chorale melody in three verses with a short introduction and links to specifically develop a quality 'tutti' band sound. Certain parts are doubled allowing performances by incomplete bands while presenting full outfits with an intonation and stylistic challenge. The printed phrasing is to be adhered to at all times regarding breaths, thus producing a seamless counterpoint. Simple yet satisfying for a quieter and atmospheric concert interlude.
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£30.00Joy to the World - George Frideric Handel
"Joy to the World" is a popular Christmas Carol with words by Isaac Watts. As of the late 20th century, "Joy to the World" was the most published Christmas hymn in North America. The words of the hymn are by the English writer Watts are based on Psalm 98, 96:11-12 and Genesis 3: 17-18. The version of this carol usually heard today is from an edition by Lowell Mason and is named "Antioch" and attributed as "arranged by Handel". This tune has the first four notes in common with the chorus "Lift up your heads" from the Messiah and the third line recalls "Comfort ye" from the same work. But this resemblance is often dismissed as a chance resemblance by Handel scholars today. Another theory is its similarity to a tune called "Comfort" and associated with Charles Wesley's hymn "O Joyful Sound", which was written some three years earlier than Lowell Mason's "Antioch" in 1833. This carol has been recorded by many artists such as Andy Williams, The Supremes, Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Cash, Nat King Cole, Perry Como, Vic Damone and Mariah Carey.
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£30.00Los Canarios - Gaspar Sanz
Gaspar Sanz (1640-1710) "The Master of the Spanish Baroque Guitar" was an Aragonese composer, guitarist, organist, teacher and priest born to a wealthy family in Calanda near Teurel. He studied music, theology and philosophy at the University of Salamanca, where he was later appointed Professor of Music. He wrote three volumes of works and studies for the Baroque guitar that form an important part of today's classical guitar repertory. The ninety guitar works he wrote included works both for the punted (pluck) and rasqueado (strummed) styles. He was also well known as a poet and writer. The Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo composed his famous "Fantasia para un Gentilhombre" on themes taken from Sanz's guitar works.
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£59.99Bofors To The Fore Joseph Knight
This piece was a commission to commemorate the memory of Gunner A. E. Collins who during the second world war was engaged in an action where during an advance through Belgium heavy resistance was met and he and an officer had to cover a retreat using Bofors guns. In the final report the title of this piece was actually used by the commanding officer.The piece its self is in three movements and follows the flow of the battle. The first movement called "Advance" is cautious and has the hint of battle. It starts quietly and then builds up slowly and finishes unresolved. Movement two "Engagement" starts suddenly in 7/8 and uses cyclical rhythms and clustered chords to show the horror and chaos of battle and also the firing the Bofors guns. The third movement "Safe Return" brings all of the themes from the first two movements and finishes with "The End Of The Day". The commission stated that bugle calls and "The End Of The Day" should be included.The piece is suitable for a concert work or indeed the contest stage.J Knight 2022.
Estimated dispatch 5-9 working days
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£32.99Christmas Day - Gustav Holst arr. J Knight
This Gustav Holst piece contains three Carols: Good Christian Men, Rejoice, God Rest ye Merry Gentlemen and Come, ye lofty, come, ye lowly, (Old Breton Melody) with a little The First Nowell thrown in for good measure. It has been arranged here for the full brass band and has had light percussion parts added to complement. It starts with the band in full chord and then pairs down to solo instruments playing Good Christian Men monophonically. This piece has all of the essential elements of Holst's harmony and tension while retaining the joy of Christmas. It ends quietly and reflectively and works very well in large acoustics such as a Church building or large town hall.
Estimated dispatch 5-9 working days
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£29.99Brilliant Bach - Joseph Knight
This is a light concert piece which has been based on the famous BWV 999 prelude in C minor. This is very much a light concert treatment of the piece which includes a lively rock beat from the drums and needs a good xylophone player. It lasts just over three minutes and has been designed to be a rousing, but light moment in the programme. The standard of the piece is fourth section upwards.
Estimated dispatch 5-9 working days
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£27.99Silent Night Franz Xaver Gruber Arr. Joseph Knight
"This is silly!", this was the reaction to one of my band members who enjoyed this arrangement of the classic Silent Night. Imagine, if you would, that Franz Xaver Gruber had known more than three chords on the guitar and that he had been born in in the 20th centaury. Also please imagine the tune in 4/4 rather than 6/8. It is re-arranged here as if it had been a film score. It is a real talking point and is something completely different for your Christmas repertoire.
Estimated dispatch 5-9 working days
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£29.99Thou Comfortedst Me - Tenor Horn Solo Joseph Knight
This Tenor Horn Solo was composed a number of years ago and was inspired by the phrase "Thou Comfortedst Me" from Isaiah 12. The piece is written in concert Bb with a slow introduction. The standard is high for the soloist, who needs to be able to achieve a comfortable written top D to effectively perform it. It lasts for approximately three and a half minutes and would make a superb solo for any standard concert.
Estimated dispatch 5-9 working days
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£25.95African Trio - Kenneth Downie
As it's title suggests, this piece consists of three distinct elements, all of which maximise the stylish creativity of Kenneth Downie's renowned writing talent.After a rich, warm and hymnal opening 'movement' based upon Kum Ba Yah, the work develops and lifts into a fascinating take on 'The Lord's Prayer'. Bringing the piece to an even more positive, up-tempo close is the final section which references the South African traditional song We Are Marching (Siyahamb' ekukhanyen' kwenknos')Kenneth Downie composed this work in support of a charitable project, known in 2005 as Brass Band Aid. The organisation called for original compositions to be included in a follow-up CD release - Into Africato help raise funds for projects in Adet, Africa, and to build awareness of theMake Poverty History campaign. African Trio was featured on the CD with a recording by The National Youth Band of Wales.Now that the original BBA projects are complete, funds raised by the titles we publish from theBrass Band Aidseries continue to support other music-related projects on a regular basis.Look and Listen (performance courtesy of Golden Gate British Brass Band in 2019):
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 3-5 working days
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£45.00Bathgate Hills Trilogy - Andrew Duncan
Composed by Andrew Duncan and written for the West Lothian Schools Band, A Bathgate Hills Trilogy is in three movements, each one dedicated to and representing a different hill.Comments from the composer:Movement 1 - Dechmont LawThe first movement describes the peculiar events which took place in November 1979 when a forestry worker, Bob Taylor, had a close encounter with an alien spacecraft in Dechmont Woods at the bottom of Dechmont Hill. Bob Taylor's account from the time describes a large sphere like object about twenty feet across which pulled him by the legs towards it, caustic smoke then caused him to pass out. He awoke a short time later in the same spot but the spaceship had gone leaving behind marks in the soil. His story caused a great deal of media interest and a great deal of excitement in the local community.Movement 2 - The Knock HillThe Term 'Knock' is Scottish Gaelic for 'hill' and the Knock Hill is the highest peak in the Bathgate Hills being 305 metres above Sea Level. On a clear day the Knock hill has excellent views of the Bass Rock to the East and the distant hills of Arran to the West as well as of the whole of West Lothian and across the Firth of Forth to Fife and beyond to the North.The second movement is a description of a leisurely walk to the summit of this hill and the enjoyment of a pleasant summer's day spent walking and taking in the beautiful panoramic views. However, as is the case with the Scottish Summer, a change in the weather finds a clear blue sky being replaced with dark rain clouds. The changed weather brings a sudden brief but unwelcome cold downpour of rain, drenching anyone out walking! Finally, the clouds pass and the more pleasant summer weather returns.Movement 3 - Cairnpapple HillCairnpapple Hill is a near neighbour of the Knock Hill. It is almost as high but interest in Cairnpapple Hill lies in the outstanding archaeological monument near the summit, an Iron Age burial chamber. The chamber dates back to 25 years BC and was built by a mysterious people known as the Beaker People (so called because they left behind a number of large earthenware beakers). The mysteries of Cairnpapple Hill have always been a source of fascination for me ever since first visiting the hill as a school child.The third movement describes the lives of the Beaker People. The landscape they would have looked out on would have been mostly dense forest which would have contained many perils including dangerous wolves and bears. Life was harsh and short for the Beaker People and they would always have been close to danger and to death. The average life expectancy for the Beaker People was only 31 years of age. The summit of the hill would have been clear of forest and would have afforded the Beaker People some protection as they could see all around the near countryside enabling them to keep a watchful lookout for their enemies - both animal and human!
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 3-5 working days