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£72.99Nature's Way - Gunther Schuller
From the composer: Nature's Way for intermediate level band was commissioned by BandQuest, a project initiated by the American Composers Forum. Their mission is for major composers of national reputation to write works of high quality that take into consideration the (still comparatively limited) levels of musical development--both technical and conceptual--typical of such ensembles. I eagerly accepted the commission and the challenges implied thereby--that is, to reign in my creative imagination to some extent and limit the technical/conceptual demands to a more moderate level than is to be found in my previous compositions for band. Nonetheless, since the process of rehearsing, studying and performing a work created specifically for the school student market is--and must be, in my view--primarily educational, it was very clear to me that my work would (and should) challenge the players at least to their top levels, and even a little beyond that. Thus Nature's Way in no way represents a compromise of my personal style, nor my long held concepts of form, continuity, texture, and instrumentation. I have known for a long time that young, inquisitive minds are eager to learn from new experiences, from previously never encountered challenges, that is to say, to be pushed--gently--to rise above their present levels of achievement. That's what education is all about. BandQuest, an exciting series of new music and accompanying curricula for band, is a program published by the American Composers Forum. The series was started as a response to feedback from music educators that there is a pressing need for new, fresh band music. The heart of this program is new works written by a diverse group of leading American composers who have created challenging pieces that are a true departure from standard middle school repertoire. Every BandQuest project includes a residency component in which the composer works collaboratively with a middle school as they create their new piece. Many BandQuest pieces are accompanied by an interdisciplinary curriculum designed to assist students as they learn the music and to integrate each piece with non-music studies. Visit www.bandquest.org to learn more about this innovative series, and email [email protected] to request a free downloadable audio catalog.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£174.10Norge i rdt, hvitt og bltt - Lars-Erik Larsson
Norge i rdt, hvitt og bltt ("Norway in Red, White and Blue") was commissioned by the Oslo Fagott Choir (yes, that is indeed a gay men's choir) for a concert with The Staff Band of the Armed Forces in 2015. I was given artistic licence to write a more modern and somewhat 'eclectic' arrangement for this originally Swedish melody written by Lars-Erik Larsson, which became something of a national liberation anthem when Nazi occupation ended in May 1945 - then with new lyrics by Finn B, Bias Bernhoft and Arild Feldborg.After the premiere in Oslo, and a music video with Oslo Fagott Choir and The Staff Band, broadcasted by Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) on Constitution Day during coronavirus lockdown in 2020, I was approached by many to write an instrumental version of the arrangement for concert band. This version is now available through Norsk Noteservice.- Petter S. Kragstad -
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£252.10Tuba Libre! - Lars Erik Gudim
Tuba Libre! was commissioned by Eirik Gjerdevik, Tubaist with the Norwegian Navy Band Bergen and also widely sought after as a soloist and conductor.The work is the first major work the composer wrote for Brass Band.Eirik Gjerdevik recorded the work on his album "Eirik the Viking", a recording which also feature Stavanger Brass Band conducted by Morten E. Hansen. The album was released by Lawo Classics in 2014 (LWC 1064).The version for Concert Band was also premiered by Eirik Gjerdevik, this time conducted by the composer.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£228.70Fanfares and Fantasies - Stig Nordhagen
"Fanfares and Fantasies" was commissioned by Strindheim Janitsjar for their 40th Anniversary in 2019. The commission was supported by The Composers' Remuneration Fund.With the title "Fanfares and Fantasies", I try to accommodate both the extroverted (represented by fanfares and celebration), with the quiet and introverted in the small interludes I call fantasies.The solitary flute in the fantasies symbolizes something that is very far from brass fanfares, but still, I believe that by this, both the band and the music emerge with even greater depth. And by this span, the music's ability to accommodate all nuances emerges.- Stig Nordhagen
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£149.40O Helga natt - Adolphe Charles Adam
O Holy Night is a very well-known Christmas carol. The origin of the carol is French beginning with the words: "Minuit! Chrtiens, c'est l'heure solennelle". It is about the birth of Jesus and was written in 1843 by a wine merchant and poet by the name of Placide Cappeau (1808 77). He turned to the composer Adolphe Adam (1803 56) and asked him to write a suitable melody. The result was brilliant and the carol was premiered in Cappeau's home town Roquemaure in 1847 by the opera singer Emily Laurey. Based on Cappeau's French text, the English version was written in 1855 by an American Unitarian (Calvinist) minister by the name of John Sullivan Dwight (1813 93). Adolphe Adamwas the son of the pianist and composer Louis Adam (1758 1848), who did not want his son to follow in his foot-steps as a musician. However, Adolphe wanted otherwise, and already at the age of 17 he was accepted to study at the music conservatoire in Paris. He was a student under Franois Adrien Bo eldieu and composed several comical operas that became successful. After the July-revolution 1830 Adam moved to London. He worked for a couple of years before returning to Paris, where he founded a new opera house in 1847, the Th tre national. After the revolution in 1848 it had to close and Adam was ruined, why he had to go back to composing. In 1856 he concluded the ballet Le Corsaire, which together with the ballet Giselle are his most performed works today.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£113.30Fantasy For Winds - Lorenzo Pusceddu
The piece opens with a sumptuous celebratory fanfare dominated by the brass section. In the following Allegro, the woodwind instruments weave their graceful melodious plots, with occasional intense interruptions by the brass section. The piece continues with Valzers where the initial melancholic mood set by the woodwind is superseded by the brass section harkening back to modal musical mode before, once more, being taken up by the woodwind instruments. The piece closes with a gently expressive Andante. The gentle delicacy of this section moves to a moderate Allegro featuring a running dance with light-hearted irregular rhythm. The return to the opening fanfare brings us back to the anniversary celebrations of the Band and a solemn final sequence to the composition. The debut performance took place under the direction of the composer at the Gala Concert on March 28, 2009.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£104.50Echoes of the Morning Trumpet - John Prescott
Echoes of the Morning Trumpet is based on a hymn tune entitled Morning Trumpet by B.F. White that was first published in The Sacred Harp Hymn Book of 1844, a book that was originally printed in shaped notes. The Sacred Harp style of singing is characterized by stark chords with plenty of open fifths and equal participation by all performers who sit and stand in blocks, by section, facing the leader in the middle. This piece features a trumpet solo in the opening, accompanied by the singing of the members of the ensemble. Various treatments of the hymn that highlight the ensemble colors follow before the magnificent close.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£514.99
The Venetian Collection
The Venetian Collection by Johan de Meij consists of four movements which are all a musical reflection of the four paintings of the same names from the Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venice.Voice of Space is the first movement of The Venetian Collection. The picture on which the music is based on was painted by the Belgian surrealist artist Ren Magritte. Along with Ensor, Permeke and Delvaux he was one of the most important painters of the 20th century.The Red Tower was inspired by the painting of the same name (La Torre Rossa) by the Italian artist Giorgio de Chirico, and was awarded first prize in the International Composition Contest in Oman. One of the towers of the mediaevalwalls of the Italian town of Soncino (home to the band for whom Johan de Meij wrote the work for) shows a remarkable resemblance to the tower in the work of De Chirico. Magic Garden contrasts starkly with the other movements of the cycle. As with the painting, Johan de Meij has tried to reflect the colourful, naive dream world of Paul Klee. The transparent texture, in which the woods play an important role, makes a striking impression throughout this serene movement.Empire of Light is also based on a work by Ren Magritte. He was a versatile and productive artist producing over 1100 paintings and 700 gouaches. Johan de Meij used the painting Empire of Light as his theme for the last movement of his Venetian Collection.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£102.99Karachi Boulevard - Willy Fransen
Karachi Boulevard is a piece of music is inspired by the city of Karachi in Pakistan. This composition was made according to the theme-and-variations principle.The main theme of the work consists of a whole musical scale and this immediately gives the arrangement an Oriental flavour. This theme is cleverly disguised in endless, almost unrecognisable variations in a series of short interconnected fragments. Following a brief presentation of the thematic material, a rhythmic allegro part, in 7/8 time, is played by the piccolo. Next, some improvisation by the clarinet are played with vocal accompaniment by a number of "inhabitants" of Karachi. In the following part, anextremely moody and impressionist andante breaks through the hectic confusion when a flute solo brings a totally different variation of the theme. After this variation, a compelling folk dance in 3/4 time is played and the piece ends in a grand finale whereby the theme can be heard once again, albeit reduced to its simplest form and enhanced by rhythmic decorations from the woodwind.Despite the many variations, this exceptional piece is composed of different parts that form a logical sequence and make a very strong musical impression on the audience.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£184.99
Il Cantico - Oliver Waespi
Commissioned by the Stadtharmonie Zurich Oerlikon-Seebach for the 2005 WASBE Conference in Singapore"Il Cantico" was inspired by the poem "Cantico di Frate Sole" (Canticle of Brother Sun) by St. Francis of Assisi. In this famous mystic poem, St. Francis expresses his gratitude to God for the creation of nature, the sun, the earth and the living beings."Il Cantico" is based on specific parts of St. Francis's poem. A slow, dreamlike song in the flute leads gradually to the appearance of the sun, the light energy of which is expressed by radiant, powerful music in the brass instruments. The next, slower part of the work is dedicated to the moon (sora luna), a sort of mirror of thesun, and to the stars (le stelle). The music becomes more thoughtful, leads to a calm sound field in the woodwinds and later to a mystic horn solo. Still during the slow part, several chord fragments flash up, thereby announcing the fast ultimate part of the work. This part is about the fire (frate focu) illuminating the night, some sort of representative of the sun on earth. Towards the end of the work, the sun theme is combined with the fire theme.Besides these images, a purely musical structure guides the development of Il Cantico. Almost the entire piece evolves from a basic four-tone cell which appears in the horns and flute at the beginning. Consequently, the work is mainly monothematic and structured in the form of a metamorphosis. The basic cell gradually leads to a rich melodic and harmonic development. This basic material is later completed by a new chord series belonging to the fire theme. In the conclusion both approaches are combined.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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