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£22.50
Trailblazers (Brass Band - Score only) - Mackereth, Andrew
This overture draws its inspiration from the story of the first Household Troops Band. It tells the story of the 1887 band, the subsequent lull of nearly a hundred years and the re-awakening of the Troops phenomenon in 1985. It was originally written in 1995 and featured prominently by the band on its North American tour of 2002. Given the history of the Household Troops Band, it is fitting that this composition is preoccupied with marching. It begins with a marching song played by a solitary muted cornet, symbolic not only of the call to bandsmen to join the evangelical effort but also a muso-dramatic device to indicate the steady increase in members and technical ability! The music quickly develops into stirring versions of 'A robe of white' and 'Storm the forts of darkness' with two early day Salvation Army tunes crucially adding to the narrative; 'Marching on in the light of God' and 'Soldiers of our God, arise!' The second section is a reflective setting of the Herbert Booth song, 'The penitent's plea'. This song serves to represent the many people who were 'saved' during those early day campaigns. The expressive music transports the listener through a period of uncertainty and angst until finally reaching the song, 'There is a message, a simple message, and it's a message for us all'. The final section deals first with the emergence from the annals of history with the muted cornet figure again before, symbolically, the present day band bursts forth with an emphatic statement of 'Would you be free from your burden of sin? There's power in the blood'. The stirring climax represents a fitting tribute to those gallant pioneering musicians and their equally impressive and dedicated contemporaries.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£87.99Sunday in the Park - Philip Sparke
Sunday in the Park was written for tenor horn virtuoso Sheona White, and commissioned by her partner, Matt Wade, as a Christmas present.Composer Philip Sparke had known and admired Sheona's playing for many years, having produced her first solo CD and written pieces for her previously.Both composer and performer are huge fans of the late Karen Carpenter, Sheona in part modelling her sound on the singer's sultry voice; so it was decided that this new solo would be a piece which, whilst not being a 'Carpenters' pastiche, paid tribute to their relaxed style and rich harmonic language. Sunday in the Park openswith an accompanied cadenza for the soloist, which leads to a gentle rhythmic melody with a laid-back feel. This is taken up by the band but the soloist sparks a change of mood by introducing a faster light rock interlude. This reaches a climax, at which point the music unwinds until the original mood returns.A variation on the original melody leads to a short cadenza from the soloist, which brings the work to a peaceful close.
Estimated dispatch 5-14 working days
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