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£69.95Aylesbury Dances (Concert Band - Score and Parts) - Wiffin, Rob
The suite Aylesbury Dances was commissioned by the Aylesbury Concert Band to mark the occasion of their 25th Anniversary in 2019. Its three movements depict different aspects of Aylesbury: I. Pavane: The Town - Having read something of the town's history and its architecture I decided I wanted to write something ceremonial with the feel of music from Tudor times. Aylesbury was given its charter and borough status in 1554 by Mary Tudor so I took that as my starting point but then added some harmony that moves forward in time. This fits with the town's motto: Semper Prorsum (Always forward) and also with the Band's evolution from Aylesbury Town Band to Aylesbury Community Concert Band to Aylesbury Concert Band. The music can be defined as a pavane, or a cortege. The sense of procession is slightly disturbed by a 'Blue Leanie' moment. The Blue Leanie is an iconic Aylesbury building, an oblique rhombic prism which stands at an angle of 17% inclination. I took a quaver out of the time signature (I know the maths don't work!) to reflect this and added some bluer harmony at that point. This opening movement gives a sense of the grandeur and heritage of Aylesbury town and a chance for my friends from the brass section to warm up! II. Siciliana: Waterside - To balance the outer two movements, the middle movement of the suite has a slow lilting 6/8 rhythm. It is in the style of a Siciliana, a dance form originating in the baroque era. It is a graceful, tender and melancholic dance, cast here in a minor key and featuring the dark voice of the cor anglais. The Siciliana was often linked with pastoral scenes and Aylesbury itself sits amid some beautiful countryside. It may, therefore, seem a bit of a stretch to call this movement 'Waterside', especially as Aylesbury is so far from the sea, but the town has a theatre of that name and that was the genesis for this particular music. There is a statue of Ronnie Barker in the grounds of the Waterside theatre as he started his career in repertory theatre in Aylesbury, so I included a fleeting reference to the theme music of the comedy programme 'Open all Hours'. III. Frolic: Ducks in a Row - It was impossible to write a piece connected with Aylesbury without considering the famous Aylesbury ducks. Duck rearing was a major industry in the town in the 19th century. The white Aylesbury Duck is a symbol of the town, appearing on its coat of arms and in the logo of the Aylesbury Concert Band! This movement is all about trying to get the little darlings in a row so they can sing their 'Duck Chorus' together but they keep on scattering, flying off or swimming away as quickly as they can manage. It's a bit like watching ducks disperse when my dog jumps into the stream after them. Eventually we get more of them in a row - even though they protest. Hidden amongst the ducks is a reference to Erica Miller, saxophonist and chairman of the band, and there's even a veiled reference to a shark in the hope of getting them out of the water. Ducks in a Row is a fun romp bringing this suite of Aylesbury Dances to a suitably celebratory conclusion.- Rob Wiffin.Duration: 9.15
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£49.95A Life Well Lived (Concert Band - Score and Parts) - Wiffin, Rob
A Life well lived was commissioned by the Morrish family in 2023 on the death of Ian Morrish. It is dedicated to them with the inscription in loving memory of Ian.I knew Ian from early days at Southall Citadel Salvation Army Corps and then our paths crossed again briefly when I joined the Central Band of the Royal Air Force. Ian had been a euphonium player in the band for many years and was about to leave to take up a teaching post in Surrey. He was always very involved in choral music, conducting choirs throughout his life. I therefore wanted to keep this piece song-like and actually started with the song which appears from letter D to the end, which can always be performed on its own. From there I used the rising octaves that introduce the song to form the beginning of the work, with the feeling in the back of my head of a river starting to flow. There is nothing referential in the more dramatic sections towards the beginning, but every life has its dramas and I wanted something to give some balance to the tranquil nature of much of the piece. In the middle of the work I use a little motif taken from a song I remember Ian singing in his floating tenor voice. I develop the motif a little as an accompaniment to a new line which has, for me, a sense of purpose and directness and has an oblique reference to the RAF March Past. This builds to the aforementioned song and from there the music flows with its highs and lows to its peaceful conclusion.- Rob WiffinDuration: 3.30
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£64.95Pioneers of the Medway (Concert Band - Score and Parts) - Phillips, Richard
The Salvation Army Band in my home town of Chatham, part of a conurbation of 5 towns in the South East of England known as the Medway Towns, celebrated their 135th anniversary in 2016 and this piece was composed as part of those celebrations. I suppose to some degree all composers and lyricists are pioneers, always striving to write something different and new. Well, there has been a number of 'creatives' who at one time or another have been members of the Chatham Corps and this piece includes songs from some of those. The opening motif is based on the 1st 3rd and 5th notes of the scale and after a short 'fanfare-like' introduction the tune of Blacklands (Ray Steadman-Allen) is heard in 4/4 time. This is followed by a song from Ray Jones, a former Bandmaster of the Corps entitled 'On resurrection day', a song for children's voices published in 1971 and for mixed voices in 2009. Rosemary Steadman-Allen's 'To know and do thy will' is at the heart of the link into 'Everywhere', a new setting of John Gowans' words by Andrew Maycock (both former members) which is proving to be very popular at the moment. Finally, an arrangement of this composer's setting of 'Praise the Lord' is used to bring this piece to its conclusion. It was first performed on October 1st 2016 by the Chatham band under the leadership of Bandmaster Ray Maycock.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£12.95
Pioneers of the Medway (Concert Band - Score Only) - Phillips, Richard
The Salvation Army Band in my home town of Chatham, part of a conurbation of 5 towns in the South East of England known as the Medway Towns, celebrated their 135th anniversary in 2016 and this piece was composed as part of those celebrations. I suppose to some degree all composers and lyricists are pioneers, always striving to write something different and new. Well, there has been a number of 'creatives' who at one time or another have been members of the Chatham Corps and this piece includes songs from some of those. The opening motif is based on the 1st 3rd and 5th notes of the scale and after a short 'fanfare-like' introduction the tune of Blacklands (Ray Steadman-Allen) is heard in 4/4 time. This is followed by a song from Ray Jones, a former Bandmaster of the Corps entitled 'On resurrection day', a song for children's voices published in 1971 and for mixed voices in 2009. Rosemary Steadman-Allen's 'To know and do thy will' is at the heart of the link into 'Everywhere', a new setting of John Gowans' words by Andrew Maycock (both former members) which is proving to be very popular at the moment. Finally, an arrangement of this composer's setting of 'Praise the Lord' is used to bring this piece to its conclusion. It was first performed on October 1st 2016 by the Chatham band under the leadership of Bandmaster Ray Maycock.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£309.99Ninth Symphony (Concert Band - Score and Parts) - Barnes, James
Premiered on 21 September, 2018 in Lawrence, Kansas by The University of Kansas Wind Ensemble (Dr. Paul Popiel, conducting), James Barnes' Ninth Symphony was composed between January and late June of that same year. This large work was commissioned by a consortium of twenty-one college bands, community bands, professional bands and individuals to help mark the 70th birthday of the composer (b. 1949). It is an expansive forty-minute work in four movements, of which the composer writes, "This is my last symphony...this work represents a compendium of all that I have learned during the fifty years of composing and scoring for this wonderful new medium: the modern wind band." The first movement, subtitled Elegy, is based around G minor. It is the longest movement of the symphony. Tragic and despondent in character, it is cast in sonata-allegro form. The second movement is entitled Scherzo. Barnes claims that "I have always wanted to write a waltz," and that is how this movement is cast, in a modified rondo form in D minor. In contrast to the mood of the first movement, the scherzo is a delightful posy of expansive melody, splashy color, humor and rhythm. The third movement, which is in a modified tertiary form, is entitled Night Music. In contrast to the scherzo, this movement begins with a mysterious incantation, first displayed by solo Alto Flute. The music becomes even darker and more mysterious, while overall the movement effectively expresses an "otherworldly" mood, ending with a solo soprano offstage which suddenly emerges, eerily singing a modified version of the opening incantation. Cast in sonata-allegro form, the fourth movement is most definitely a rousing Finale, beginning with a brilliant fanfare and undergoing several mood transformations before emerging into the final coda, ending the symphony with an energetic splash of color. Duration: 40.00
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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