Results
-
£159.99The Miner's Saga - Otto M. Schwarz
This programmatic piece is about a simple miner by the name of Gottlieb Bumler and his pact with the devil. In the program note one can follow each step of the story so you can almost hear the events as if they were happening in front of you! This cinematic piece is full of sound effects, great brass sequences, solid percussion and virtuosic winds. An ideal piece for a thematic concert, or a challenging choice for a contest. This programmatic piece is about a simple miner by the name of Gottlieb Bumler and his pact with the devil. In the program note one can follow each step of the story so you can almost hear the events as if they were happening in front of you! Thiscinematic piece is full of sound effects, great brass sequences, solid percussion and virtuosic winds. An ideal piece for a thematic concert, or a challenging choice for a contest.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
-
£99.99Marchissimo - Philip Sparke
Marchissimo will make a fantastic opening piece for any concert. It does however come with a twist! It can be played simply as written, but is really designed to be 'staged' with players coming on the concert platform one by one as they begin to play. The piece actually consists of three marches in one, each of which highlights a section of the band. The piece culminates in a final climax where all three march themes are played simultaneously.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
-
£174.99
The Golden City - Jan Bosveld
Prague, also named 'The Golden City', has been the cultural and administrative capital city of the Czech Republic for thousands of years. The city is beautifully situated on the river Moldau. Every year millions of tourists visit Prague. It is one of the most popular cities of Eastern Europe. With it's mysterious little squares, dark alley ways and cobblestone streets, the 'City of the 100 Towers' is a unique mixture of architecture, dominated by monumental buildings, numerous churches and the oldest castle of Europe. The Bohemian capital city remains timeless. Visit the fort and be amazed at the lovely views over the Charles Bridge. Spend your time carefully browsing through the little stalls filled with paintings, photos, jewelery and hand-decorated products, accompanied by the sounds of the street musicians in the background. Notice the famous 15 th century astronomical clock that indicates the time every hour with a parade of the twelve apostles. When composing this piece, it was Jan Bosveld's intention to depict the atmosphere of this metropolitan city with over one million inhabitants, rather than to create a fairly literal musical portrait. One of the many other names of Prague is 'The City of the Clocks'. This can be heard throughout the piece depicted by the tubular bells. The piece consists of three movements (slow-fast-slow) and was written in a rhapsodic format. Jan Bosveld was commissioned to write 'The Golden City' by the Dutch Music Lend and Information Centre (MUI), a department of the library for the province of Gelderland in Arnhem, the Netherlands.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
-
£264.99
Diferencias on an Old Spanish Song - Yasuhide Ito
I am immensely happy that my Gloriosa, symphonic poem for band (1990), has been performed by so many bands in the last thirty years.During this period, the growth of the internet has made it much easier to access information.When I composed Gloriosa, I only had limited information about the period when Christianity and Western music was first introduced to Japan, and had to rely a lot on my imagination.However, nowadays, it is easy to obtain various source materials and to read interesting studies on the music of the past.In recent years, the music of Luis de Narvez (born ca.1500 - died between 1555-1560), Spanish composer and vihuela player, has become increasingly known, and several CDs of his music are now available.Narvez composed the earliest-known set of diferencias, a forerunner of the variation form. One of his works is Seys diferencias sobre el himno "O gloriosa domina" [Six diferencias on the hymn "O gloriosa domina"] (1538), based on the Spanish Marian hymn, and it was this melody I used in the first movement of my Gloriosa.Western music has been my musical roots since childhood, and throughout my career as a composer, it has continued to fascinate me. One could say that this has provided the inspiration for Diferencias on an Old Spanish Song, my own take on the diferencias form.Actually, such music from the early sixteenth century could sound fresh to our modern ears. So I decided to quote the melody from Narvez's Sey diferencias at the beginning and end of the piece, in order that people can get the feel for the period.The main section (bars 42-390) is formed of 13 diferencias, similar to the first movement of the Gloriosa.In the middle section, which begins after the eighth diferencia(from bar 187), one should be totally absorbed in the tranquility and the beauty of the music. Although it's in the style of a sarabande, it should be taken slower and played as pianissimo as possible.This is followed by folk-style dance music. (As only standard percussion instruments are used, try to be creative with tonal colours and sense of rhythm).The structure of the work is simple, but be aware of the connection between the sections when constructing the whole.Also, think about the tonality. Overall, the work is in F minor. The main section is basically in D minor, but from bar 102, it modulates to A flat minor and G minor, and then in the middle section it suddenly switches to A flat major (which is the furthest key from D minor, and the relative major of F minor). From bar 219, it modulates to F minor and then to C minor, then back to F minor by way of A minor.N.B. The Oboe II part can be substituted by the English Horn (as indicated in the parts). One can choose according to the player's skills or preference.Recent new compositions for wind band are often full of rhythm, dynamism, and tonal colour, and compositional techniques and orchestration have also evolved greatly. Yet on the other hand, they tend to feature fewer melodic or expressive elements. Since this work is the test piece for WMC Kerkrade 2022, I had to think about what "tests" or "challenges" to set, and I decided to compose something that doesn't involve a lot of technical display, but requires beautiful sounds and harmonies, and above all, musical expressivity. I didn't put many expression markings in the score, because I wanted the performers to think about how best to express this music. If it is played merely as notated, it's not going to sound very interesting.Christianity was introduced to Japan in the mid-16th century, but it was subsequently banned and Japan entered a period of national isolation, which meant that there was hardly any international exchange for two hundred years. As a result, the Christian hymns that were introduced prior to the isolation became almost unrecognizable over the centuries. This was the theme I explored in my Gloriosa thirty years ago.Now, in 2021, the whole world has been forced to "isolate" due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In such times, it seems pertinent that I've written a work using this melody again. I sincerely hope that people will be able to gather in Kerkrade in 2022.(English Translation:Nahoko Gotoh)
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
-
£64.99Heroic Tribute - James Curnow
The grand and energetic opening, contrasting styles, careful attention to articulations, and rich harmonies make this one sound more advanced than it actually is. Consider using Heroic Tribute as the opening piece for your young band festival performance. The easy but bright and colorful Percussion, along with excellent use of the Woodwind and Brass sections, make this an ideal contest piece. There are plenty of teaching opportunities packed into this majestic new mini-overture for young bands. In fact, even if your band usually plays higher grade level music you should still give this one serious consideration. Occasionally it's good idea to rehearse a high-quality easiercomposition, where your entire ensemble can concentrate fully on ensemble playing, phrasing, tone quality, etc. and not worry about just chasing notes. This piece provides great cross-curricular teaching opportunities with history.A great teaching piece as well as a gem in performance!
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
-
£154.60Blackbird Special
"Blackbird Special" is a song by American band Dirty Dozen Brass Band.The song is an entertainment piece, a good concert opener or encore.When used as a concert opener one may let the different sections of the band enter the stage one by one playing in order of appearance.Percussion section may play their parts ad lib. The most important is the groove of the piece.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
-
£154.60Strilefunk - Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen
The piece was commissioned by the Norwegian Band Federation Hordaland and conductor Arvid Anthun for the 40th anniversary of Hordaland Youth Band in 2021. The piece is dedicated to Arvid Anthun.Several of our collaborations have focused on arranging and performing Norwegian folk music. This includes projects such as the one Manger Musikklag undertook in the late 90s, concerts, and recording sessions with Jlster Musikklag alongside the fiddler Sigmund Eiks, and now, for the anniversary concert of Hordaland Youth Band.Arvid desired folk music in a modern style. We discussed, among other things, Valter Aamodt's "Hordarapsodi," and he mentioned my Norwegian Dance, a funky piece where I incorporate a folk tune as a crucial element. Aamodt uses the melody "Eg rodde meg ut," or "Strilevise," as it is also known, in his rhapsody.The concept for Strilefunk was therefore to utilize one of the melodies Aamodt had used and additionally draw on the rhythmic experiences that we, as modern band musicians, bring from other genres.Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
-
£183.99Five States of Change - Philip Sparke
Five States of Change was commissioned by Kunstfactor for the 4th section of the Dutch National Brass Band Championships (NBK) 2011. It is dedicated to Jappie Dijkstra and the Music Information Centre (MUI), Arnhem, Holland, in acknowledgement of their outstanding work in developing band repertoire.The composer writes: "The idea for the piece came when I was reading an article about a branch of Chinese philosophy which is abbreviated as Wu Xing*, which has no exact translation but can mean, for example, five elements, five phases or five states of change. It is central to all elements of Chinese thought, including science, philosophy, medicine andastrology, and in simple terms tries to create various cyclic relationships between five elements in all walks of life.An example is: Earth - Metal - Water - Wood - Fire - (Earth) etc. where (in one cycle) earth bears metal, metal changes to liquid (water) when heated, water helps trees grow, wood burns to create fire, fire produces ash (earth) and the cycle continues.I was particularly interested in the cycle of emotions:- Meditation - Sorrow - Fear - Anger - Joy - (Meditation) etc. and thought this cyclic principle would provide an effective emotional journey for a piece of music. So Five States of Change has five equal sections which loosely characterise this emotional cycle. I have tried to make the music grow organically, with minimal repetition, and each movement evolves from the musical elements at the end of the previous one, with the opening material appearing, transformed, at the end of the piece to complete the cycle. *in full Wu zhong liu xing zhi chi or the five types of chi dominating at different times
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
-
£149.99Moses and Ramses - Satoshi Yagisawa
This piece was commissioned by Matsudo Citizen Wind Orchestra for their 30th anniversary concert and premired by the band conducted by Kenichiro Hasunuma in July 2009. This piece is typical of Satoshi Yagisawa in that it depicts a magnificent spectacle. This one is set in ancient Egypt and is based on the story depicted in the famous film "The Ten Commandments" (1956, directed by Cecil B. DeMille). One day Moses, who was raised by the rich royal family, found out that he was originally Hebrew. The Hebrews had been forced to live as slaves. Ramses, the prince directly descended from the Pharaoh, envied Moses' strength and popularity. After internal argument Moses decides todeliver the Hebrew from the Pharaoh's tyranny and escape from Egypt with them.The music starts with brilliant royal fanfare and depicts magnificent architecture, the Hebrew people forced into hard labour, and the slaves escaping from the Pharaoh's tyranny. At the climax they are at crisis point, trapped by the sea. Moses waves his staff and the miracle happens; the sea parts and Hebrew people successfully escape. Following on from Perseus - A Hero's Quest in the Heavens, this work Moses and Ramses is another piece written in the dramatic style favoured by Satoshi Yagisawa.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
-
£66.95Quest of the Magi - Brian Beck
The Quest of the Magi was one of the working titles for John Henry Hopkins Jr.'s famous carol, "We Three Kings." Written in 1857 for a Christmas pageant in New York City, "We Three Kings" tells the tale of the Magis' journey to find a newly born king in a faraway land and the precious gifts they brought with them. This piece focuses more on the journey of "following yonder star." Traveling across many countries in the first century was a perilous task, full of danger, thievery, and possible death, not to mention these men were traveling with some of the most precious and expensive cargo one could possess. This piece chronicles the magi acquiring myrrh, frankincense, and gold for their journey. Each treasure is represented by its own motif and woven into Hopkins' original carol. (2:45)
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
View Music