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£10.00The Once and Future King
DescriptionThe Once and Future King is a suite of three movements; each movement was inspired by an Arthurian legend. The first movement, 'Tintagel', concerns the famous Cornish promontory said to be the birthplace of King Arthur. In Arthur's time, Tintagel was part of the court of King Mark of Cornwall and the music imagines a visit by the King of the Britons to his Cornish neighbour and the place of his birth, reflecting the ceremony and drama of such an occasion; the music is strongly antiphonal, contrasting the more strident fanfares of the cornets and trombones with the warmth of the saxhorns and tubas.The second movement, 'Lyonesse', takes its inspiration from the mythical land which once joined Cornwall to the Isles of Scilly. One legend claims that after the disastrous battle of Camlan where Arthur and Mordred were both killed, the remnants of Arthur's army were pursued across Lyonesse to Scilly, whereupon Merlin cast a spell to sink Lyonesse behind them and drown the pursuers. Some say the bells of the 140 churches inundated that day can still be heard ringing. All the material in this movement derives from two short motifs heard in counterpoint at the very beginning, which are intentionally dissonant and bitonal in character.The final movement, 'Badon Hill', takes its title from the legendary site of Arthur's last battle with the Saxons and is a lively toccata based on the medieval secular song L'Homme Armee ('The Armed Man'). The music uses a number of medieval devices including "hocketing" (passing melody from one voice to another). The actual site of Badon Hill is unknown but it has been associated with Badbury Rings in Dorset and a lot of evidence now points towards the town of Bath. Arthur's victory at Badon Hill was the last great victory for Celtic Britain over the Saxon invaders, but in the end only set the conquest back by a few decades. Arthur himself was dead by then, betrayed and defeated by his nephew Mordred, but it is said that Arthur only sleeps and will return in a time of dire need - hence the legend that Arthur's dying words were: Bury me in Britain, for I am the Once and Future King.Performance NotesWhere space and practicality permits the opening movement should be played with cornets and trombones standing behind the band facing the audience; they should retake their seats for the second and third movements.PercussionConcert Bass Drum (ideally NOT Kit/Pedal Bass Drum), Suspended Cymbal, pair of Clash Cymbals, Glockenspiel, Snare Drum, Tambourine, 2 x Timpani (Eb-G, Bb-D), 2 x Tom-toms, Triangle, Tam-Tam* (only if available), Tubular Bells *(only if available).MutesBaritones, all cornets and trombones will require metal straight mutes; all trombones and cornets will require cup mutes.*The Once and Future King was set as the test-piece for the 3rd section of the Swiss National Championships in 2007. The score was then slightly revised in July 2008, the main alteration being the exclusion of the tubular bells part for the Regional Championships of Great Britain in 2009. Some parts which were optional (or cued on other instruments) at the request of the Swiss Brass Band Association were restored to their original octaves and instruments. In 2015 the tubular bells part was restored in the optional Percussion 3 part; all parts in Percussion 3 are optional, although some are cued in the percussion 1 & 2 parts (and the cues should be played if only two players are available).Listen to a preview and follow along with the score below!
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£25.00Ring'd with the Azure World
DescriptionRing'd with the Azure World was commissioned by the Harmonia Brass quintet for their final recital at the University of Huddersfield in 2016.He clasps the crag with crooked hands;Close to the sun in lonely lands,Ring'd with the azure world, he stands.The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;He watches from his mountain walls,And like a thunderbolt he falls.- The Eagle by Alfred, Lord TennysonThe music was inspired by Tennyson's poem reproduced above; it seeks simply to reflect the spirit of the poem. It opens in sparse, lonely mood as the eagle surveys the world beneath. The work quickens in three bursts using metrical modulation to disguise the actual moment of acceleration, reflecting the lazy energy stored in the circling raptor before concluding dramatically in a fall 'like a thunderbolt'. Tennyson's poem, although brief, has inspired much analysis and writing, and is notable for being written in the (then somewhat unfashionable) iambic tetrameter, indicating a foursquare emphasis reflected in the main theme of the music. This is heard first in an octatonic version and later in a purely tonal (if somewhat modal) version. The instrumentation reflects that of Harmonia Brass, a quintet composed of brass band instruments (two B flat cornets, an E flat tenor horn, tenor trombone and E flat tuba). However the music is also available for the more conventional brass quintet of two trumpets, french horn, trombone and tuba.To listen to an audio export preview and follow the music, click play on the video below!Performance Notes1st cornet/trumpet requires a cup mute, ideally with an adjustable cup (the marking "tight" denotes that the cup should be adjusted closer to the bell), and a harmon mute with the tube removed (denoted by "TR" in the score). 2nd cornet/trumpet requires a fibre straight mute and a harmon mute with the tube removed. Tenor horn require a fibre straight mute and a practice mute (any sort) - in the orchestral brass version the french horn requires a stop mute. Trombone requires a cup mute (only). Tuba requires a fibre straight mute and a practice mute (of any sort).Metronome marks should be closely observed - starting either too fast or too slow will have a disproportionate effect on the tempi later in the piece due to the metrically controlled tempo changes.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£34.95Pound the Streets
This piece was commissioned for the National Youth Band of Scotland by the Scottish Brass Band Association for the Tartan Heart Festival 2010.The Tartan Heart Festival is a huge musical festival that took place in the picturesque Belladrum Estate in Inverness-shire. It features many famous pop and rock artists including Feeder, Amy MacDonald, The Levellers, Divine Comedy and Badly Drawn Boy to name but a few.Special guests to open the festival were the National Youth Band of Scotland who performed a programme of music that started with this piece Pound The Streets. As they were playing at a rock festival I wanted to compose a piece that didn't follow the more traditional types of concert openers I have written in the past. So instead I opted for a fast paced piece that has a pounding rock rhythm from the drum kit and relentless riffs and ostinati from the brass ensemble.I had lots of fun composing this piece as it is so different to a lot of music I have composed in the past. It gave me the opportunity to incorporate musical styles that I enjoy listening to when I am away from brass bands and to write in a pop/rock style.So the end product is a brass rock piece that has lots of energy, a feel-good factor and is lots of fun to play and listen to. I hope you enjoy, Pound The Streets.Paul Lovatt-Cooper
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£34.95Life in the Sun (Brass Band - Score and Parts) - Wiffin, Rob
This bright and attractive concert overture was written while the comp0ser was living in Spain and enjoying life in the sun - a rare experience for an Englishman! It is intended to be an effervescent and cheerful piece, enjoyable both to play and to listen to. There are no great technical challenges in the music but it is essential that the performers play with a firm grasp of the rhythmic nature of the piece.It opens with a bold fanfare, giving the first statement of a theme that is to be used throughout. Once the broad opening is over the music has a feeling of energy and joy that drives all the way through the piece. The style is light and jazz-inflected and owes much to the compositional idiom of Goff Richards, the guru of entertaining band music.Duration: 5.00
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£35.92With the heart (Brass Band) Andrew Batterham
With the heart is a fanfare full of energy and celebration. The title references a quote from the book The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery: "it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye". This aesthetic links the passion of music to the giving ethos of the Rotary organisation, whose District 9800 commissioned the work for their 2024 District Conference. With the Heart was premiered by the Victorian Youth State Brass Band directed by Phillipa Edwards in Bendigo in April 2024. To listen to a performance by Victorian State Youth Brass Band please click here. Duration: Approx. 3.15 minutes Difficulty Level: 4th Section + PDF download includes parts and score. 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 Bb Percussion 1-3
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 1-3 working days
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£38.00
Finale from Symphony No. 2 (The Resurrection) - Mahler, G - Harper, P
One of the most life-affirming pieces of music ever composed, Mahler's 2nd Symphony, subtitled 'The Resurrection', was first performed in Berlin in 1895. Mahler's interest in the mysteries of the afterlife is well-known and is a recurring theme throughout all his nine symphonies. Philip Harper has arranged the final passages of the 2nd Symphony, which begins with a profound hymn set to the words of Friedrich Klopstock-- 'Rise again, yea, thou shalt rise again'.The music contains one of Mahler's magical transitionary passages, building in intensity, before the hymn is restated in all its majesty at the moment of glorious resurrection. This arrangement was performed as the finale to Cory Band's winning Brass in Concert programme in 2012.Listen to Cory BandCourtesy of World of Brass
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 1-3 working days
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£45.00
Finale to Act I of Tosca - Puccini, G - Harper, P
The spectacular Te Deum from the Finale to Act I of Tosca, it begins quietly with the tolling bell as worshippers gather for Mass. The euphonium plays the part of the villainous Scarpia as the music gathers strength. Finally the doors of the church are thrown open and the glorious Te Deum fills the hallowed space.Featured on the CD Cory in Concert Volume V.1st SectionDuration 5 minsListen to Cory BandCourtesy of World of Brass
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 1-3 working days
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£55.00
The Brigand's Orgy - Berlioz, H - Harper, P
In his memoirs the composer wrote: 'I long to go to the mountains and put myself in the service of a brigand chief. That's the life I crave: volcanoes, rocks, rich piles of plunder in mountain caves, a concert of shrieks accompanied by an orchestra of pistols and carbines, blood and wine, a bed of lava rocked by subterranean tremors: voil la vie!'Championship SectionDuration 7 minsListen to Cory BandCourtesy of World of Brass
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 1-3 working days
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£45.00
The Rings of Saturn - Harper, P
This piece attempts to convey the vastness of time, space and the universe, and mankind's miniscule and fleeting existence within it. It features lyrical solos for solo cornet, repiano and flugel horn, placed spatially in the performance space.Click here to listen to a short excerpt2nd Section +Duration 5 mins
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 1-3 working days
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£22.50
The Rings of Saturn (Score) - Harper, P
This piece attempts to convey the vastness of time, space and the universe, and mankind's miniscule and fleeting existence within it. It features lyrical solos for solo cornet, repiano and flugel horn, placed spatially in the performance space.Click here to listen to a short excerpt2nd Section +Duration 4 mins
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 1-3 working days
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