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£35.00The Cistercians
DescriptionThe Cistercianswas written during December 2003 and January 2004 as an entry for Morecambe Band's Centenary New Music Competition, which it went on to win. The first two performances were at the final of this competition, part of the band's 100th Anniversary Concert at The Dome in Morecambe on 9 July 2004.The music was inspired by visits to three of Britain's great Cistercian Abbeys; Valle Crucis, Fountains and Rievaulx. The Cistercian Order was founded at Citeaux in France in the 11th Century and was based on the principles of austerity, humility and piety. Cistercian Abbeys were deliberately sited in remote, difficult areas. Despite this many of them, especially Rievaulx, became immense centres of commerce and power, with ever more complex administration and hierarchies.In a way the music reflects this; all the material in the piece is derived from two simple motifs played by flugel and solo horn in the opening bars and becomes more complex and further removed from the original material as the piece develops. After a tranquil opening section a fugal chorale develops over a medieval-style "tenor" - a stretched out version of one of the original motifs. A burst of semiquavers leads into a faster, folk-dance type section - our medieval abbey has become a bustling trade centre - before rhythmic quaver pulses in the horns and cornets accompany powerful chords in the low brass; this is another "tenor" derived from the opening motifs. A short development section, including the folk dance "hocketing" round the band and a slightly disjointed 10/8 section leads to a restatement of the fugal chorale from the beginning before a frenetic coda brings the work to a triumphant conclusion.Performance Notes:Percussion instruments required are Bass Drum, Suspended Crash Cymbal, Glockenspiel, 2 x Tom-toms, Snare Drum, Tambourine, Tam-Tam, 2 x Timpani (G-C, C-F), Triangle, Wood Block. All cornets will require metal stratight mutes and all except soprano require cup mutes. All trombones require cup and metal straight mutes.Playable by 2nd section upwards; to view a sample PDF file of the score click here.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£35.00Ascension - Lucy Pankhurst
A major work written for the RNCM Brass Festival Competition 2005, and inspired by the nature of Ascension - creating a Musical depiction of the spiritual journey towards enlightenment, sanctuary and ultimate inner peace.As aninitial muse for this work, the 'Tibetan Singing Bowl' is utilised with the Brass Band in order to represent this path to Serenity, together withBaoding Balls(Chinese Health Balls) to mark the point of Final Ascension.Programme notes from the composer, Lucy Pankhurst:Ascension is a Musical depiction of the Spiritual Journey towards enlightenment, sanctuary and ultimate inner peace.As my initial muse for this work, the Singing Bowl is utilised with the Brass Band in order to represent this path to Serenity. "Tibetan" Singing Bowls date back to the 8th Century A.D., originating in the pre-Buddhist shamanic Bon Po culture in the Himalayas and are still used in modern Monasteries. The original purpose of them still remains a mystery, with accounts stating that it is forbidden to disclose the true function of the Bowls, as the "secrets of sound" yield so much Power, that they must be kept hidden.Listening to the tones created by the Singing Bowl effectively silences the internal dialogue of the listener, making it an excellent tool for Meditation, Centering and entering trance-like states. In Buddhism, as with many cultures, sound is an important part of Spiritual Practice. There are 9 methods to reach Enlightenment in the Buddhist Doctrine ; the seventh is SOUND.These Bowls are used by Healers in a similar way to help balance the body's residual energies. The Bowls are usually made from seven different sacred metals, intended to correlate directly to the seven sacred "Planets" : GOLD (Sun), SILVER (Moon), MERCURY (Mercury), COPPER (Venus), IRON (Mars), TIN (Jupiter), ANTIMONY (Saturn). Any one Bowl can create up to seven different frequencies (tones) simultaneously. In Healing, the Singing Bowl is played whilst balanced on the palm of the hand, struck three times to stabilise the surrounding energies, before rotating the wooden "beater" around the outer circumference of the Bowl to create the "singing" effect.I have included an optional Vibraphone part (to be played with a Double Bass Bow) with Tubular Bells, to be used only in performances where a Singing Bowl cannot be acquired. However, a traditional Bowl should be used whenever possible, to create this specific and unique sound.Baoding Balls or Chinese Health Balls are also utilised in this work. Their appearance in the Music here, however, is to mark the point of Final Ascension, where the music reaches its ultimate goal. These delicate cloisonne iron Balls are said to stimulate the acupressure points on the hand, thus improving the Chi and Energy Paths (Life Force) throughout the entire body. The delicate "tinkle" produced by these spheres is hypnotic and captivating. For this reason, where no Baoding Balls are obtainable for performance, only delicate metallic percussion should be used in replacement (i.e. Crotales, Antique Cymbals or (liberal) single strikes on a Triangle etc.). Bell Trees, Wind Chimes and Cow Bells should not be used.As in many cultures, the number three is important in Ascension, as it represents not only the purification from the Singing Bowl, but also it is a number of confirmation, reiterated throughout the music in the metallic percussion in addition to the Brass, re-affirming the correct path to Enlightenment.
In Stock: Estimated dispatch 3-5 working days
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