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£154.99The Divine Right - Philip Harper
At the time of composing this piece, the Arab Spring was sweeping through the Middle East. It seemed that almost every week a new countrys people had risen up against the regimes and dictatorships which had prevailed for generations, leaving manynations at a defining crossroads in their history. There were so many possible ways ahead: so many hopes, yet so many uncertainties.My music is a depiction of these revolutionary times, and several musical themes are in turn presented, discussed, considered, fought over, altered, rejected or accepted. Most nations have had, or probably will have, their own Arab Spring, including my own, the United Kingdom. Events of 17th Century Britain provide the context for this piece, particularly those following the execution of the tyrant King Charles I on30 January 1649. The regicide was in part due to Charless steadfast belief in the Divine Right of Kings, and led to a tumultuous interregnum, where England stood at its own defining crossroads.The music begins turbulently, before King Charles appears and is led to the gallows outside Banqueting House in central London where he is brutally decapitated. From the assembled crowd rose, according to one observer, a moan as I never heard before and desire I may never hear again.The music descends to emptiness. The musical argument which follows is not strictly programmatic, but a number of musical themes are all thrown into the melting pot, representing ideas such as: religion; military force; reasoned Parliamentary debate; and the chattering,irrepressible voice of the people. Additionally, there are some quotations from the music of royalist composer Thomas Tomkins (1572-1656), who was often in tune with the feeling of the times. This defining episode in Englands history was brought to a close with the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, and as the exiled King Charles II rode back into London the diarist John Evelyn wrote: Never was so joyful a day seen in this nation. I stood in the Strand and beheld it, and blessed God.At the end of the piece the bells ring out, and the musical appearance of the King has transformed from turbulent to triumphant. Philip Harper, 2013
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£105.00Danceries. Set II - Kenneth Hesketh
Danceries Set II, arranged for brass band, was first commission by Keith Allen for the Birmingham Symphonic Winds. This second set of Danceries continues the format, established in the popular Danceries (Set I), of using tunesand dances from Playford s Dancing Master (17th century) to form the basis of an extended dancesuite. In this set, the melodies have become more abstracted and project only a distant echo of their original forms. As before, eachmovement is self-contained, colourful and direct, with its own distinct mood.The outer movements Jennie s Bawbee and Peascod s Galliarda share driving percussion with a military air. Tom Tinker s Toye and Heart sEase(movements two and three) are both settings of original melodies. All movements are more extended than in the first set, with a freer use and approach to the material; melodies now occur in various keys and are supported by agreater variety of harmonic colouring. The result is a richer, even more exhilarating set of dances.Brass Band Grade 5
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£149.99A Tribute to Henk Badings - Rob Goorhuis
The motivation for composing this test piece for the Concert Division Brassband of the 2001 WMC was Rob Goorhuis's deep respect for one of the greatest Dutch composers of the 20-th century who also enlarged the wind band repertoire in a most valuable way. Goorhuis wanted to light up the "soft and kind" side of the brassband and wrote about this composition : "The basis is a theme of twelve tones wich Badings once played at an International Organ Improvisation Contest in Haarlem.My organ teacher participated in that contest and so the theme remained somehow in the back of my mind." The composer worked out a series of variations and clustered them into bundles ofthree and so the melody kept its diversity while remaining easy to recognise.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£54.99A Spanish Christmas Carol - Patrick Millstone
Rondeau of the Shepherds," so ran the official title of the famous Dutch Christmas carol 'Midden in de winternacht'. In 1948 wrote Dutch poet and writer Harry Prenen this text. The melody is known by the 17th/18th- century organ composers of suites Daquin, Balbastre and Dandrieu. "Rondeau of the Shepherds" was subtitled "Catalan Christmas Carol". The song itself is because its origins in a Spanish (Catalan probably) Christmas song from the late Middle Ages, "El Desembre congelat. The motives of this song (shepherds, flutes, drums) demonstrate knowledge of the Bible and give a picture of the late medieval Christmas experience. . Perfect as an uptempo intermezzoin a church service.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£69.99Pastime with Good Company - King Henry VIII - Philip Sparke
The English King, Henry VIII (1491-1547), is mainly remembered for disposing of his wives on a regular basis and breaking with the Catholic Church when the Pope Clement VII refused to grant him a divorce so he could marry Anne Boleyn. He was, however, a gifted athlete, dancer and composer, writing many songs, poems and consort pieces (though not Greensleeves, as is often believed). Pastime with Good Company is undoubtedly the best-known of these, written in the first years of the 16th century while he was still a handsome prince, newly married to Catherine of Aragon and the envy of Europe. The lyrics tell of the joys of hunting, dancing and singing andwould have been sung as part of the court entertainment.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£94.9920,000 Leagues under the Sea - Philip Harper
Frenchman Jules Verne was a pioneer in science fiction during the late 19th Century, penning some classic stories such as Journey to the Centre of the Earth and Around the World in 80 Days - both of which have already been the subject of brass band test-pieces. It was therefore natural for me to choose Verne's 1869 watery magnum opus as the subject for this piece to which there are five sections, as well as an introduction and a finale.I. THE NAUTILUS. After a mysterious introduction we are introduced to The Nautilus - a fantastical submarine.II. THE CORAL KINGDOM. We visit awe-inspiring underwater coral formations.III. SQUID ATTACK. The Nautilus is attacked by a school of giant squid, or 'devilfish'.IV. CAPTAIN NEMO. Captain Nemo is a loner and an eccentric. Some say he is a madman. Soloists of the band help to uncover the character of this enigmatic but powerful figure.V. MAELSTROM. The Nautilus is dragged into the ocean's deadliest whirlpool but Captain Nemo lives to fight another day.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£94.99
The Devil's Bridge - Bertrand Moren
The "Teufelsbrucke" (devil's bridge) is a very old bridge connecting the Goschenen and Andermatt valleys in the canton of Uri, central Switzerland. Legend has it that in the 13th century the people of Uri made a pact with the devil to build a bridge across the canyon. When the people only delivered a goat in payment of the soul demanded by the devil he was angry and decided to knock down the bridge. An old woman painted the sign of a cross on the rock the devil was intending to destroy the bridge with and the devil, unable to lift it, disappeared forever. The rock remains to this day at the northern entry of the Gotthard tunnel.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£125.00New London Pictures - Nigel Hess
New London Pictures represents elements of London in the 21st Century. The Millennium Bridge describes the pedestrian's journey across this wonderful new landmark bridge over the Thames,starting at the imposing Tate Modern, crossing the busy river, and onwards to St. Paul's Cathedral with its bells ringing out over the great city. London Eye is an incredibly large ferris wheel situated onthe South Bank of the River Thames. This movement depicts a 'flight' on this riverside wheel, at the top of which the panoramic view of London is breath-taking and the expanse of the music is a suitable depiction oftheview. As with all modern cities, London is over-crowded with motor vehicles. London is the first major city in Europe to adopt a Congestion Charge, and this piece (with its stop and go traffic lights) is both racyand comical. Here are Londoners attempting to go about their business in the face of overwhelming odds.....Brass Band Grades 4/5: Premier Youth and 2nd Section Duration: 15 minutes
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£115.60Deck the Halls - John Philip Hannevik
The original Welsh song Nos galan dating back to the sixteenth century, has become an international Christmas carol with the English lyric Deck the hall with boughs of holly.The song does not offer much in terms of variation, but I have tried to construct a short piece where one can see that the song still offers itself to a wide array of stylistical treatments.The opening is almost like a Christmas Overture, before it wanders in to a renaissance-like style.The middle section offers a much more lush and lyrical rubato treatment, with lots of color and thick harmonization.The end then turns the tempo even more up than at the start of the piece, and brings us through a big band ending with long soaring lines.- John Philip Hannevik -
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£57.50Erin's Isle - Philip Sparke
Erin's Isle was commissioned by euphonium player Micah Parsons and premiered by him in June 2024. The idea was to write a slow melody with an Irish flavour and the title is a romantic, 19th century name often used to refer to the island of Ireland itself. The work opens with fluttering, muted cornets, under which a tentative theme appears. This leads to an accompanied cadenza for the soloist, out of which the main theme emerges. This is a long and expansive melody, which winds through several related phrases with a folk-like flavour. A change of key heralds snatches of the theme by the band with interjections from the soloist, leading to a second cadenza. Eventually the band takes up the main theme again, over which the euphonium weaves an elaborate counter melody. The fluttering cornets return to allow the soloist to close the work with a brief and flowery coda.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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