Results
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£44.95Masquerade (Score Only)
The first performance took place on the 4th. September 1993 at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester during the British Open Brass Band Championships.Note by Philip Wilby:Masquerade is a centenary tribute to Verdi's last opera Falstaff and takes its final scene as the basis for my own piece. Thus I have used some of Verdi's music, and some of Shalespeare's plot, and woven them into a fabric with highly demanding music of my own to produce a work in the great tradition of operatically-based brass band pieces. Such scores date from the very beginnings of band repertory and are often not direct arrangements in the established sense but new compositions produced in homage to a past master. They may still offer performers and audience alike something familiar interwoven with something new. My own piece reuses some elements from the original story: . .Falstaff has been caught in a web of his own lies by the ladies of the town, who propose to teach him a lesson. The story opens at night in Windsor Great Park. The plotters, variously disguised in Hallowe'en fashion (as fairies,elves hobgoblins etc!) assemble in the park to await Falstaff's arrival (musicologists will, perhaps, note a rare use of 'large bottle in F' being used during this scene of suppressed alcoholic revelry!). Falstaff's companions, Bardolph,Piston and Robin, enter (represented here by the three trombones!), and are variously abused by the masqueraders. At the height of the Tout an alarm sounds and Falstaff (euphonium cadenza) enters as Midnight strikes. From a safe hiding place he watches as the disguised Nanetta (principal comet) sings a serene solo as the moon appcars above the trees. With sudden force the others seize him and drag him from his hiding place. As in the traditional game 'Blind Man's Buff', he is roughly turned seven times (a sequence of solo accelerandi) until, at last, he recognizes his assailants as his sometime friends. Far from complaining, Verdi's character concludes the opera with a good-humoured fugue on the words.... 'All the World's a Joke... Every mortal laughs at the others, But he laughs best who has the final laugh. Philip Wilby.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£29.95
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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£64.95Platform to the Heavens
The piece takes its inspiration from the mountain ranges from one of my favourite countries, Switzerland.I have visited the Swiss Alps on many occasions and I am still taken back by its sheer awesome beauty with every visit. This commission gave me the opportunity to pay homage to this wonderful landscape and paint my own musical picture of it.The piece opens with what I imagine daybreak would be like at one of its many peaks. With the sun growing behind the mountain range, the piece builds from a single note to a huge climatic chord revealing Mother Nature's creation.Then at rehearsal figure 'C' the tempo changes dramatically as we fly through the many slopes of the mountains as if on a manic skiing expedition, revealing the many dangers within the Swiss Alps.The twists, turns and climaxes begin to die away as we enter rehearsal figure 'M' - nightfall over the mountains. As the sun disappears, the sky darkens to reveal the beautiful starlit sky above the mountain range. This middle section starts with the various cadenzas that serve as echoes around the Alps. It then leads to a lyrical solo at rehearsal figure 'O' as the moonlight illuminates the icy mountain peaks. A final cadenza to conclude this section highlights the end of nightfall as the sun starts to rise again.This recapitulation from the opening, signals a new dawn as the sun rises above the snowy peaks once again. The music at this point in its slightly altered state highlights the dawn of a new day in the Alps. The fast manic ski ride follows which takes the piece to its grand finale conclusion.The idea behind the title of this piece is that the Swiss Alps are so beautiful and vast; I can only imagine that they could be a platform connecting the earth to the heavens above.Paul Lovatt-Cooper
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£74.95Eden (Score and Parts)
This work was commissioned by the Brass Band Heritage Trust as the test piece for the final of the 2005 Besson National Brass Band Championship, held at the Royal Albert Hall, London.The score is prefaced by the final lines from Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost (completed in 1663), in which Adam and Eve, expelled from Paradise, make their uncertain way into the outside world:"...The world was all before them, where to chooseTheir place of rest, and providence their guide:They hand in hand with wandering steps and slow,Through Eden took their solitary way."My work is in three linked sections. In the first, the characters of Adam, Eve and the serpent guarding the Tree of Knowledge are respectively represented by solo euphonium, cornet and trombone. The music opens in an idyllic and tranquil mood and leads into a duet between euphonium and cornet. Throughout this passage the prevailing mood darkens, though the soloists seem to remain oblivious to the increasingly fraught atmosphere. A whip-crack announces the malevolent appearance of the solo trombone who proceeds to engage the solo cornet in a sinister dialogue.The second section interprets the Eden story as a modern metaphor for the havoc mankind has inflicted upon the world, exploiting and abusing its resources in the pursuit of wealth. Though certainly intended here as a comment on the present-day, it is by no means a new idea: Milton himself had an almost prescient awareness of it in Book I of his poem, where men, led on by Mammon:"...Ransacked the centre and with impious handsRifled the bowels of their mother earthFor treasures better hid. Soon had his crewOpened into the hill a spacious woundAnd digged out ribs of gold."So this section is fast and violent, at times almost manic in its destructive energy. At length a furious climax subsides and a tolling bell ushers in the third and final section.This final part is slow, beginning with an intense lament featuring solos for tenor-horn, flgel-horn and repiano cornet and joined later by solo baritone, soprano cornet, Eb-bass and Bb-bass.At one stage in the planning of the work it seemed likely that the music would end here - in despair. Then, mid-way through writing it, I visited the extraordinary Eden Project in Cornwall. Here, in a disused quarry - a huge man-made wound in the earth - immense biomes, containing an abundance of plant species from every region of the globe, together with an inspirational education programme, perhaps offer a small ray of hope for the future. This is the image behind the work's conclusion and the optimism it aims to express is real enough, though it is hard-won and challenged to the last.John Pickard 2005
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£29.50Eden (Score Only)
This work was commissioned by the Brass Band Heritage Trust as the test piece for the final of the 2005 Besson National Brass Band Championship, held at the Royal Albert Hall, London.The score is prefaced by the final lines from Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost (completed in 1663), in which Adam and Eve, expelled from Paradise, make their uncertain way into the outside world:"...The world was all before them, where to chooseTheir place of rest, and providence their guide:They hand in hand with wandering steps and slow,Through Eden took their solitary way."My work is in three linked sections. In the first, the characters of Adam, Eve and the serpent guarding the Tree of Knowledge are respectively represented by solo euphonium, cornet and trombone. The music opens in an idyllic and tranquil mood and leads into a duet between euphonium and cornet. Throughout this passage the prevailing mood darkens, though the soloists seem to remain oblivious to the increasingly fraught atmosphere. A whip-crack announces the malevolent appearance of the solo trombone who proceeds to engage the solo cornet in a sinister dialogue.The second section interprets the Eden story as a modern metaphor for the havoc mankind has inflicted upon the world, exploiting and abusing its resources in the pursuit of wealth. Though certainly intended here as a comment on the present-day, it is by no means a new idea: Milton himself had an almost prescient awareness of it in Book I of his poem, where men, led on by Mammon:"...Ransacked the centre and with impious handsRifled the bowels of their mother earthFor treasures better hid. Soon had his crewOpened into the hill a spacious woundAnd digged out ribs of gold."So this section is fast and violent, at times almost manic in its destructive energy. At length a furious climax subsides and a tolling bell ushers in the third and final section.This final part is slow, beginning with an intense lament featuring solos for tenor-horn, flgel-horn and repiano cornet and joined later by solo baritone, soprano cornet, Eb-bass and Bb-bass.At one stage in the planning of the work it seemed likely that the music would end here - in despair. Then, mid-way through writing it, I visited the extraordinary Eden Project in Cornwall. Here, in a disused quarry - a huge man-made wound in the earth - immense biomes, containing an abundance of plant species from every region of the globe, together with an inspirational education programme, perhaps offer a small ray of hope for the future. This is the image behind the work's conclusion and the optimism it aims to express is real enough, though it is hard-won and challenged to the last.John Pickard 2005
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£74.95Radio City (Trombone Solo with Brass Band)
As youngsters growing up on the west coast of Scotland, my brother and I fell heir to an old valved radiogram which provided us with our first experiences of radio broadcasts. On the short wave signal, and through the static, we could pick up a whole range of programmes from across the Atlantic. I particularly recall the baseball games, the American accents of the announcers providing a window to a evocative world far removed from our small Ayrshire town. These memories form the basis of Radio City.The work is set in three movements, each introduced by a pastiche radio announcer narrative written by Philip Coutts. The first, City Noir, is a nod towards Raymond Chandler's eponymous private eye Philip Marlow and the dark cityscape of 1940s California.Movement two, Cafe Rouge, takes its title from the main restaurant in New York's famous Hotel Pennsylvania. Two of the most famous band leaders of the 1940s, trombonists Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey, broadcast live from the cafe on numerous occasions and the movement echoes with a collage of imagined sounds from the period.The finale, Two-Minute Mile, derives from an event dubbed in the USA as "the most exciting two minutes in sport", namely the Kentucky Derby. The virtuoso soloist figurations have their roots in Kentucky bluegrass fiddle music, with the galloping bluegrass clog-dancing rhythms providing the backdrop.- Peter Graham, Cheshire, January 2013
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£29.95Song for the Skies
Song for the Skies was commissioned by Tuba virtuoso Les Neish and was given its world premier on the December 9th 2010 with the James Madison University Brass Band in Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA.Les asked me to compose a slow melody that highlights the wonderful sonorous sound of the Tuba. I am a big fan of Les and of the instrument and knowing the capabilities of Les as a soloist I wanted to experiment with the range and colour of the instrument in this solo.After a warm introduction from the ensemble the soloist enters almost timeless over the muted cornets. The melody when it is first heard has a somewhat haunting Celtic feel to it. It is intentionally marked as con rubato so that the soloist can really put their own musical stamp on the music. As the haunting melody repeats again this time in a change of key the accompaniment takes more of a role within the piece of music performing counter melodies within this second section.The middle of the piece introduces a new secondary melodic device that serves as an introduction to the original melody played in all its glory by the ensemble. This dies away to leave the second half of the melody in the euphoniums and baritones as the soloist plays a soaring counter melody in the highest register of the instrument.The piece starts to return home with a recapitulation of the introduction followed by the second part of the original melody by the soloist. After a momentary reflective solo from the soloist the introduction is used for a final time before the tuba guides us home to conclude.For the soloist, there are a number of occasions where the opportunity to play in the upper register of the instrument arises. However, I have also given the opportunity for the soloist to play various passages down the octave so it suits the performers playing style and range.Song for the Skies is very simple yet beautiful and I feel it suits the playing of the Eb Tuba perfectly. I hope you enjoy performing it.Paul Lovatt-Cooper
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£55.00Triumph Series Brass Band Journal, Numbers 1359 - 1362, March 2024
1359: Festival March - Coastal Celebration (Sam Creamer)Coastal Celebration was commissioned in 2019 by Nambour Salvation Army Band for the Corps' 125th anniversary celebrations. Nambour was the birthplace of The Salvation Army's work on the Beautiful Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. Firring with this theme are subtle tributes to iconic Sunshine Coast landmarks, referenced with small phrases of popular secular melodies intertwined with the main tunes What a faithful God (S.A.S.B. 378) and All through the years (S.A.S.B. 826).1360: He's always been faithful (Craig Woodland)This meditative selection is an arrangement of the song by American singer and record producer Sara, Groves, He's always been faithful. The words express the joy and thankfulness in having a relationship with Jesus and knowing his presence in life. The melody and motifs of the traditional hymn, Great is thy faithfulness (S.A.S.B. 26), are heard throughout.1361: Christ's living water (Dean Jones)Christ's sacrificial love has been beautifully portrayed through the imagery of water in many songs, none more so that the skilfully crafted words we find in the chorus of I know a fount (S.A.S.B. 197), written by Oliver Cooke. To enhance the sentiments expressed, the pure sounds derived from Handel's Water Music fit perfectly in terms of music and imagery.1362: March - Fear Not! (Avelan Ntsiete)The Salvation Army continues to proclaim its music ministry in all corners of the world and, with this item under review, we introduce a new composer, originally from Congo Brazzaville, Central Africa. Avelan Ntsiete is currently a Bandsman at the Lilas Corps in Paris but has previously served in the Congo Brazzaville Territorial Band. This march, in traditional format, was written for an evangelistic campaign in Kindamba, where civil war has brought upheaval to the area and uncertainty for the local Salvationists. The composer was part of a small brass group which travelled for over 24 hours by truck and on foot to reach Kindamba and bring encouragement to the Salvationists within that community.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£38.95Unity Series Band Journal - Numbers 526 - 529, February 2024
526: March - Summit Cross (Beat Hari)This exciting and energetic work introduces a new contributor to our journals. Beat Hari helps lead the band at Frutigen Corps, Switzerland. This march was composed with the intention of featuring it in an open-air concert beside the ski slopes. Members of the corps regularly join the band, instigating conversations with skiing guests by distributing bible verses and sweets. The composer has named this march because of the many Swiss mountains that have crosses on their summit as symbols of God's protection over the population living in the valleys below. The march follows a traditional format with a solid rhythmic construction built from the bass line.527: Christ is all (Olaf Ritman)The Salvation Army song, Christ is all (S.A.S.B. 588) is one that is cherished by the composer. The verses by Herbert Booth are both powerful and vulnerable and the melody by William A. Williams really touches the soul.528: My all to follow (David Edmonds)This piece pays tribute to all who have accepted the call to become Salvation Army officers and envoys. Such a calling involves significant change and can be difficult when leaving their comfort zone or moving away from family.529: We shall win (Alan Williams)William Hodgson's song We're a band that shall conquer the foe (S.A.S.B. 990) is one of confidence and encouragement in our daily fight against evil, sin and injustice, both in the world and in our lives. As such, this music should be full of that same confidence.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£50.00Judd: Beulah Land
Wilfred Heaton began to assemble material for 'Beulah Land' in the early 1990s following a request from the Amsterdam Staff Band for a new work. Despite reminding himself on the manuscript that he should either complete or destroy the work before his death, ultimately he did not manage either. This edition was subsequently realised in 2003 for the tour of the USA Western States by the Amsterdam Staff Band. 'Beulah Land' is Heaton's vision of the joy that awaits the Christian in Heaven and, according to his family, is reminiscent of the kind of music he often improvised at the piano. The three movements are as follows; 1. Better World; a waltz sequence on the tune 'Zealley' to which the words 'There is a better world, they say' are sung.2. Heavenly Home; an elegiac cortege using the tunes 'My home is in Heaven', 'I have a home that is fairer than day' and 'The home over there'.3. Happy Land; Beginning in waltz rhythm this soon gives way to a sequence of free variations on the song 'There is a happy land, Far, far away'.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days