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£25.00...and the winter moon rises
Description...and the winter moon riseswas inspired by a winter's evening car journey across the Pennines from Manchester to Huddersfield, through the brass band heartland of Saddleworth. There was recent snow on the ground, and the sun had just set. A bright clear moon was rising into a sky coloured with orange from the setting sun, and the moonlight made all the snow and ice sparkle.The work is the fourth movement of a larger 5 movement suite entitled "North!", but can be (and has been) performed in isolation. This work was a finalist in the 2012 Ohio Brass Arts Festival composition competition.Performance NotesThe percussion parts should be playable by three players; the "arco" parts of the vibraphone parts should be played by drawing a cello or double bass bow up the side of the bar. Motors should be left off throughout.Three of the brass players are asked to double on triangles for the first part of the piece; ideally these should be of different sizes giving clearly different sounds. The easiest solution is to tie a triangle to the music stand, rather than try to hold it and then swap instruments later in the piece.Click below to watch a playback preview of the score!
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£20.00Christmas Concerto
DescriptionThis arrangement of Corelli's famous "Christmas Concerto" features soprano cornet, two solo cornets and solo euphonium. Arcangelo Corelli was one of the first masters of the baroque period, a skilled violinist much admired by fellow composers like Bach and Handel. He was born in Fusignano, near Ferrara in Northern Italy in 1653. He studied in nearby Bologna where he became an extremely competent violinist. By the 1670s he was working in Rome and building a reputation as a composer at the important and powerful Papal court. By the late 1600s he was widely famous all over Europe, regularly invited to important courts and palaces. Although he had a huge influence on the virtuoso writing of later composers, his writing for string instruments was designed to be playable by average, often amateur players.His set of Concerti Grossi known as Opus 6 was not published in his lifetime. We think they were written around 1690, and they were first published in Amsterdam in 1714, a year after Corelli's death. A 'Concerto Grosso' is a concerto for a group of soloists (the "concertino" group) accompanied by an ensemble (the "ripieno" group) and was an important form in the Baroque era. Handel's very successful examples were modelled on Corelli's example. Number 8 from the Opus 6 set was commissioned by the Venetian Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni and bears the inscriptionFatto per la notte di Natale('made for the night of Christmas'). It was used as part of the soundtrack for the 2003 film 'Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World".Performance Notes.In this arrangement the 'Concertino' group are the soprano cornet, solo cornets 1 & 2 and the solo euphonium. If logistics allow they should stand either at the front of or some distance away from the band. There is no percussion in this arrangement. All tutti cornets will require cup mutes.Duration approximately 3'15".You can listen to a preview while following the score below:
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£30.00strange geometry
Descriptionstrange geometrywas commissioned by Morgan Griffiths and the Hammonds Saltaire Band for their performance at the Brass in Concert Championships of 2015.As a bit of a space/sci-fi geek, as well as a musician, two events during the summer of 2015 had a particular effect on me. The first was the tragic early death in a plane crash of the famous film composer James Horner. Horner's music, particularly in films like 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan', 'Avatar', 'Apollo 13' and even his debut in Roger Corman's 1980 budget film 'Battle Beyond the Stars', defined for a generation the sound of sci-fi at the cinema. Along with John Williams he created the vocabulary for those who wish to express other-worldly wonder in music and his inventive talent will be much missed in an industry where originality has become something of a dirty word in recent years.The second event was the epic flyby of Pluto by the NASA New Horizons spacecraft. There are many reasons to find this mission inspiring - for example, the scientists and engineers behind it created a craft that has travelled at 37,000 mph for nine years and three billion miles to arrive within seventy-two seconds of the predicted time for the flyby. That they achieved this with such accuracy is an outstanding tribute to humanity's ingenuity and insatiable curiosity. However, the most exciting aspect of the mission was the clear, high resolution pictures of this unthinkably remote and inhospitable world beamed back to mission control. The best previous image of Pluto was an indistinct fuzzy blob - suddenly we could see mountains made of ice, glaciers of methane and carbon monoxide and nitrogen fog - features previously unimagined on a world thought to be a slightly dull ball of cold rock. The BBC's venerable astronomy programme 'The Sky at Night' waxed lyrical about these newly discovered features, referring to "the surprising discoveries of mountains and strange geometry on the surface of this cold distant world".I like to think that Horner would have been as inspired as I have been by this real-life science story, and this piece uses some of the vocabulary of the sci-fi movie soundtrack in a tribute to the memory of a great musician and to the inspirational geeks at NASA who have boldly taken us where no-one has gone before.Note: This work comes with a B4 portrait score. Listen to a preview and follow the music below!
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£34.00Edward Gregson: Postcard to Grimethorpe
DescriptionComposer's NoteI composed the original version of Postcard to Grimethorpe in 1993 at the request of Elgar Howarth, for a concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, given by the Grimethorpe Colliery Band. This was at a time when after the Grimethorpe Colliery pit closed the future of the band was in severe jeopardy. The concert was given in aid of the band, both through publicity and funding.Then in late 2022 Jack Stamp, the American composer, conductor and educator, and at that time international composer-in-association with Grimethorpe, contacted me to say that he had discovered my short piece in the band library, and asked if I might extend it for a recording he was sponsoring for the band - the repertoire to consist entirely of music specially composed for Grimethorpe.I agreed and decided to extend the piece by using the miner's hymn Gresford, as a symbolic gesture of protest at the many thousands of miners in the UK who were made redundant from their jobs. After an angular (atonal) first section, the hymn enters, softly at first, but with each phrase it becomes more powerful and insistent, ending with the final phrase triumphantly accompanied by melodic percussion (replacing the drums and cymbals of the earlier phrases, as if the band were then on the march). However, this short work ends softly and gently, as if anger has been replaced by quiet resolution and determination, looking to the future with confidence.For 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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£12.00Kopanitsa
DescriptionKopanitsa was commissioned by Gavin Pritchard, who is also the work's dedicatee and gave the first performance with the Tongwynlais Temperance Band conducted by Gareth Pritchard at the Butlins Mineworkers Championship on 20 January 2008, winning the prize for best soloist as a result. He has recorded it on the CD "Enter the Galaxies" accompanied by the Cory Band conducted by Robert Childs.Gavin had requested a virtuoso showpiece featuring as many instruments as possible. The solo part is therefore written for vibraphone (bowed and struck), 10 x tuned tom toms, 5 x suspended cymbals plus hi-hat and a xylophone. The soloist's 'choreography' therefore forms an integral part of the performance. This can be seen to great effect in Gavin's performance of the work at the 2013 Brass in Concert Championship with Tredegar Band, available on the DVD of the event from World of Brass. A 'kopanitsa' is a Bulgarian folk dance that traditionally features two slow beats and two quick beats, reflected in the central 10/8 section. The music is deliberately Balkan in character, using the characteristic modes of Greek and Bulgarian folk music, and accelerates regularly to finish at breakneck speed. The tom-tom section marked 'ad lib.' after [D] can be improvised if the soloist wishes.You can view a sample PDF file of the score here and the solo percussion part here.PercussionThe band percussion parts are written for timpani, snare drum, suspended cymbal, tambourine on a stand and bass drum. It is possible to combine these with the soloist part to make the work a feature for percussion trio and parts for this can be made available on request.MutesSoprano cornet, solo and 1st horn, 1st and 2nd baritone and euphoniums will require straight mutes (metal ideally). Soprano cornet, principal cornet, repiano and 1 x 2nd cornet, plus all trombones, will require cup mutes. Repiano, 2nd and 3rd cornet require harmon mutes with the tubes removed (indicated by 'TR').
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£15.00Harrison's Dream (Brass Band - Study Score)
At 8.00pm on the 22nd of October 1707, the Association, flagship of the Royal Navy, struck rocks off the Scilly Isles with the loss of the entire crew. Throughout the rest of the evening the remaining three ships in the fleet suffered the same fate. Only 26 of the original 1,647 crew members survived. This disaster was a direct result of an inability to calculate longitude, the most pressing scientific problem of the time. It pushed the longitude question to the forefront of the national consciousness and precipitated the Longitude Act. Parliament funded a prize of �20,000 to anyone whose method or device would solve the dilemma. For carpenter and self-taught clockmaker John Harrison, this was the beginning of a 40 year obsession. To calculate longitude it is necessary to know the time aboard ship and at the home port or place of known longitude, at precisely the same moment. Harrison's dream was to build a clock so accurate that this calculation could be made, an audacious feat of engineering. This work reflects on aspects of this epic tale, brilliantly brought to life in Dava Sobel's book Longitude. Much of the music is mechanistic in tone and is constructed along precise mathematical and metrical lines. The heart of the work however is human - the attraction of the �20,000 prize is often cited as Harrison's motivation. However, the realisation that countless lives depended on a solution was one which haunted Harrison. The emotional core of the music reflects on this, and in particular the evening of 22ndOctober 1707. Peter GrahamCheshireJuly 2000
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£77.00General Series Brass Band Journal, Numbers 2246 - 2249, August 2024
2246: Christmas Prelude - David's City (Noel Jones)In 2 Samuel 5, we read of David's anointing as King of Israel at the age of thirty, a reign that lasted for forty years. Bethlehem was known as 'David's city' because he was born there and worked as a shepherd on the nearby hills. Verses 1, 2 and 5 of Once in Royal David's City (C.C. 68) are featured in this Christmas Prelude. There are also brief references to the carols O come, all ye faithful and O little town of Bethlehem between verses.2247: Cornet and Euphonium Duet - This Kingdom (Stephen Bulla)Geoff Bullock's song, This Kingdom, has been made well known by the American gospel singer Ron Kenoly. Stephen Bulla wrote this duet for a Brass Spectacular concert held in Basel, Switzerland, in May 2019.2248: Wonder (Stephen Gibson)When we stop to consider the mystery of God's love for each one of us, its enormity can only cause us to wonder. The opening bars of this music create an atmosphere, using a rolling accompaniment underneath sustained, music and chromatic Cornets, setting the style for the entire piece. Occasional references to Albert E. Webber's chorus Can you wonder? are heard throughout.2249: O to love thee! (Michael Davis)This piece takes its title from the first verse of Francis Bottome's words, Precious Jesus, O to love thee! The introduction establishes the baroque form of a prelude which leads into the tune Glory to the lamb (T.B. 327). Following a brief interlude, the melody is passed through several sections of the band, with delicate countermelodies in the Flugel and Horns. The majestic ending eventually comes to rest on the final tonic chord.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£77.00General Series Brass Band Journal, Numbers 2242 - 2245, April 2024
2242: Fanfare Prelude - Faithful in every way (Simon Gash)Lord, I come before your throne of grace (S.A.S.B. 378) has become a popular song for Sunday worship. These words of great assurance are married to a strong tune which, unlike many contemporary worship songs, suits the brass band idiom well. Although this piece will work without Percussion, the Snare Drum part, which underpins a lot of the piece, will help drive the music forward.2243: The wonders of thy grace (Norman Bearcroft)Herbert Booth's song Within my heart, O Lord, fulfil (S.A.S.B. 211) was the inspiration behind Lieut-Colonel Norman Bearcroft's three-verse setting of the hymn tune Wareham, with the title being taken from the lyrics of verse two.2244: Trombone Solo - I will wait (Andrew Mackereth)Major Leonard Ballantine has an astonishing gift for contemporary song writing. This song is a brilliant example of this, taking the idea of Jesus waiting patiently for us to accept the fullness of his offer of love.This arrangement was made at the request of Andrew Justice, former Principal Trombonist of The International Staff Band. For many years, Andrew has used this song with piano accompaniment. In making this arrangement, the composers aim was to capture the transparency you can create in piano playing.2245: The battle cry! (David Edmonds)Inspired by Lorne Barry's Trinity (F.S. 599), this piece would be well suited as a concert opener but would work in many settings as a contribution to worship. Its main feature is the driving rhythmic pattern in the Bass and Percussion sections. The music needs to be played with confidence and purpose. As the title suggests, it is a strong, inspiring battle cry, corralling the troops. This is a setting of the song by Stuart Townend and Keith Getty, O Church, arise (S.A.S.B. 819), which has become popular in recent years, not only within The Salvation Army, but also the wider Christian church.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£44.95Powerhouse (Brass Band - Score and Parts)
Spirit divine, come as of old. So begins the song by Brindley Boon (S.A.S.B. 311), and that phrase becomes the message of this piece, and an important motif in the music. It appears at the very beginning of the work and recurs at important points during the piece. The theme of the need for spiritual power is further underlined by the use of the hymns Show your power (S.A.S.B. 365), Wonder-working power (S.A.S.B. 451) and the very old chorus Send a new touch of power on my soul, Lord (S.A.S.B. 785).The composer first heard Boon's song Spirit Divine when it was sung by Parkhead Songsters in the Sunday morning meeting at his home Corps of Greenock Citadel. They were visiting for the weekend from Glasgow, and were conducted by Songster Leader Walter Chalmers, himself a beautiful lyric tenor soloist. They sang it in a moving fashion, unaccompanied, and such was the impact that, at the conclusion, many people went to the mercy seat. It made a huge impression on the young composer. It was the first time that Downie discovered the enormous power of music in worship. It also serves as a reminder to us all that young people of a tender age are very capable of grasping deeply significant events happening around them. This music was written for the 2020 UK Territorial Youth Band course.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£12.00Of Men and Mountains (Brass Band Study Score)
Of Men and Mountains was commissioned by the Netherlands Brass Band Championships for their 10th Anniversary Contest, held in Drachten in December 1990.The title of the work and its genesis came about as a result of a train journey the composer took in July 1989 across Canada from Toronto to Vancouver. The awe-inspiring journey through the Rocky Mountains, with its high peaks and shafts of sunlight breaking through the clouds, with its canyons and ferocious rapids, made the composer understand a little more about the majesty of nature and the fragility of humanity. The eternal struggle between man and nature was personified in the building of this incredible railway, hence the title (after Blake).The work is dedicated to the memory of Eric Ball, who died shortly before the writing of the work commenced.Of Men and Mountains is in one continuous movement and lasts about 17 mins. Its form is difficult to describe because of its motivic and accumulative nature, but it is essentially a symphonic tone poem in search of a theme, which eventually comes in its final and complete state in the majestic ending after an ever-increasing paced scherzo.Duration: 17.00
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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