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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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£29.95
Rhapsody in Brass (Score Only)
Rhapsody in Brass is in three movements and was written for the British Open Championships in 1949, held at Belle Vue in Manchester. The contest winners were Fairey Aviation Works Band under the baton of Harry Mortimer. Eric Ball came second with Ransome & Marles and Stanley Boddington 3rd with Munn and Felton Band. Rhapsody in Brass had the unusual distinction of being written as a test piece by a Salvation Army composer. Eric Ball's Resurgam was the only other piece to achieve that dual personality in that era.Dean Goffin was born in 1916 in Wellington, New Zealand, son of Henry Goffin, a Salvation Army officer and composer. At 19 he was appointed Bandmaster of the Wellington South Band and when World War II started, he enlisted in the New Zealand Armed Forces where he became Bandmaster of the 20th Infantry Battalion and later the 4th Brigade Band. During the time he served with them in the Middle East and Europe, he composed and arranged numerous pieces among which Rhapsody in Brass and the march Bel Hamid, later adapted for Salvation Army use and renamed Anthem of the Free.After the war, Dean kept on composing and his work was featured by the Wellington South Band. Later he transferred to Timaru for another job and became Bandmaster there. He was studying music at the time and as he wanted to take part in a competition for devotional selections for Salvation Army use, he sent some of his compositions to the International Headquarters. When Rhapsody for Brass was chosen as the test-piece for the British Open Championships, people at the Salvation Army started asking questions about the lack of publications of his work. It was discovered that the pieces submitted for the competition didn't meet the exact criteria. Among these pieces was one of his most appealing works The Light of the World which was published a year later, in 1950, the same year as he completed his Bachelor of Music studies at Otagu University.After entering the Salvation Army Training College in Wellington with his wife, Marjorie, Dean was in 1956 appointed National Bandmaster in the British Territory. Later he became National Secretary for Bands and Songster Brigades and in this period he organised the yearly festival in the Royal Albert Hall and was responsible for the national music schools in the UK. Dean returned to his home country in 1966 and to mark the centenary of the Salvation Army in New Zealand he was knighted by the Queen in 1983. Sir Dean Goffin died on 23 January 1984.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£75.99Dreamcatcher - Otto M. Schwarz
Once upon a time in North America, there lived a mother and her small daughter in a tribe of Ojibwa Indians. The girl suffered from constant nightmares. The mother sought help from Spider Woman known as Asibikaashi, who took care of the children and people on the land. Asibikaashi span a magic web to protect the girl from these evil dreams using a branch from the meadow bent into a sacred circle, with a web woven from cord that had dried on sacred herbs, and with a hole in the middle to let good dreams pass through. The dreamcatcher, decorated with sacred feathers, only allowed good dreams to pass through; the bad dreams were caught in the web. If one awoke early in the morning and the rest of the sun's rays touched the dreamcatcher, the bad dreams would be burnt and turned into invisible stardust.This work contains well-known dream images: the dream of flying, the transcendental meeting with a deceased person, and the dream of running away on legs that won't run. Everything turns out well in the end, as the sun's rays burn off the evil and everything is forgotten.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£30.00Finale from Tosca, Act 1 (Te Deum)
DescriptionPuccini's opera Tosca, one of his most successful and popular works is set in 1800 in Rome, as Napoleon's invading army is approaching. There are rebels in Rome who see Napoleon as a liberator from Neapolitan rule and are plotting secretly. One of those is the young firebrand artist Cavaradossi. He and his lover, the beautiful and tempestuous Tosca, are being pursued by the evil chief of the secret police, Scarpia. At the end of Act 1, Scarpia is revelling in his plot to capture Cavaradossi and trick Tosca into sleeping with him to buy her lover's freedom, all inside a church in Rome while a Te Deum service is being sung; in the background the bells are tolling and we hear distant cannonfire from the approaching army.In this arrangement the part of Scarpia is played mostly by the solo trombone. There is an optional organ part, although all of the organ part is covered in the band parts.This arrangement was first performed by the Harrogate Band conducted by Andrew Baker in 2022. Watch a video preview of the score below!
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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Saviour's Day - Chris Eaton - Len Jenkins
Chris Eaton wrote "Saviour's Day" in October 1989 and took the original version of the song to a Christmas party to show Cliff Richard, despite having been told that his songs had already been selected for the following year. Nevertheless, they listened to the tape in Cliff's Rolls Royce. He liked it and predicted it could be a 'number one'. The following year it became just that; the second Christmas solo 'number one' for Cliff, following the success of "Mistletoe and Wine" in 1988. Since then it has variously been voted into lists of both the best and the most annoying Christmas songs. A music video of the song was filmed at Durdle Door near Swanage in Dorset, in warm, sunny September weather but with extras wearing winter clothes as if at Christmas. Enjoy!
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£19.95Dynamite (Brass Quartet)
Dynamite! (2012) is a work in four parts for trumpets or cornets, premiered by sixty players at the 2012 Black Dyke Brass Festival with Richard Marshall.The work is in one continuous movement, comprising many styles as the work continues. Opening and closing with striking rhythmic material, the music explodes with excitement and character, influenced by its title Dynamite! With lyrical passages and a fugue in the central sections, the work is engaging whilst easy-listening for any audience.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£89.99
Elegy and March - Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen
Commissioned by the Norwegian Band Federation and Tom Brevik. Composed in 1991. The composer:Elegy and March was one of my first original compositions (no quotations, no folk-tunes) and it was one of my earliest attempts to experiment with form. The elegy-part is quite obvious, but the march is not quite a march. If the elegy-part tells a sad story, then the march should tell a happy story. My problem is that I don?t think life is like that. Result: the march collapses! De liefhebbers van de muziek van de Scandinavier Aagaard-Nilsen kunnen hun hart ophalen bij dit bijzondere werk. In de tweedelige compositie zijn de delen thematisch aan elkaarverwant. De Elegy is een verstild werkje met prachtige klankvelden. Alle instrumenten komen aan bod maar nooit tegelijk. Hoe anders is dat in de mars waarbij ragfijn orkestspel wordt gevraagd. De componist: Elegy and March was een van mijn eerste originele werken (geen citaten, geen volksliedjes) en het was een van mijn eerste pogingen om te experimenteren met vorm. De elegie deel is vrij duidelijk, maar de mars is niet helemaal een mars. Als het elegie-deel een triest verhaal vertelt, dan zou de mars een gelukkig verhaal moeten vertellen. Mijn idee is dat dat in het echte leven ook niet zo is. Resultaat: de mars stort totaal in!Weer iets totaal anders van de Noorse meester!
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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£69.99Pagan Songs (Brass Band - Score and Parts) - Crausaz, Etienne
Written in three movements without a break, this work was inspired by melodies of a popular nature. The first movement features two opposing modal melodies: one is very bright and lively, the other dark and tuneful. Various motifs are developed to offer highly contrasting musical events. The second movement is very peaceful, with a melody resembling a lullaby. To conclude the piece, the last movement delivers a festive dance with a swing feel. Commissioned by the Swiss Music Association, this very accessible work is mostly intended for small ensembles or those with mixed instrumentation. The duration and conception of this piece makes it ideal for competitions and concerts alike.Duration: 7.00
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£41.04A Fugal Overture (Brass Band) Gustav Holst arr. Rob Bushnell
A Fugal Overture was written in 1922 by Gustav Holst. It was first performed at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden on 14 May 1923 and was used as an opening work to Holst's one-act opera The Perfect Fool. It received its concert premiere on 11 October 1923 at one of Henry Wood's Queen's Hall Promenade Concerts. It is an early example of neoclassicism and was influenced by the counterpoint of J. S. Bach, despite its unconventional use of the fugal process. Holst began writing the piece in the summer of 1922, having hoped to develop it into a ballet. It is divided into three sections, the fugal subject with its distinct 3+3+2 pattern, a slower section with solos at the end, and a third section where the subject returns. Although reviews of the piece were mixed at the time of its premiere, the likes of Adrian Boult have said it was "an invigorating work that could effectively start any [...] concert". In more recent years, it has been compared to John Adam's A Short Ride in a Fast Machine. This arrangement is for the British-style brass band, with alternative parts for horns in F and bass-clef lower brass. A recording of the original composition can be found here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8xfwJyFq2E. Duration: Approx. 5.40 minutes Difficulty Level: 1st 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 BbTimpani Percussion 1-2
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 1-3 working days
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£34.95Storyteller - Christopher Bond
2016 marked one hundred years since the birth of iconic children's author, Roald Dahl. Storyteller, inspired by the imagination of Roald Dahl, is an ideal opener, with fizzing rhythmic motifs, forward-momentum, and a feeling of excitement through to the close. As with Dahl's magical imagination, ideas are presented boldly and developed throughout the work, with solo contributions from euphonium and baritone, and optional standing moments for soloists and sections. The work was commissioned by and written for Brighouse & Rastrick Band as the opening item to its podium-placed 2016 Brass in Concert programme, premiered at The Sage, Gateshead, on 20th November 2016.
Estimated dispatch 5-10 working days
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