Results
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£104.00A Future Celebration - Kevin Houben
Future Celebration was composed on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the Royal Socialist Wind Band 'De Toekomst' from Sint-Niklaas (Belgium). In this colourful compostion Kevin Houben succeeds in evoking the bustling textile and cigar industry of the nineteenth and twentieth century in this East Flemish city Sint-Niklaas.After all, these crafts were characteristic for the wealth they brought to the city. Still testimony of this are the 2 unique (niche)museums in Sint-Niklaas: the Knitwear museum and the Pipe and Tobacco museum. Even in times of great crises eg. during the Interbellum the city continued flourishing proving the unique collection of classified art deco houses, amongst others the former People's House, in which the Royal Socialist Wind Band still rehearse.This historic background of Sint-Niklaas and of the Wind Band in particular has been musically presented by Kevin Houben in Future Celebration. The brief, but energetic and powerful opening of the work by the brass instruments gives musical expression to Sint-Niklaas as a prosperous city. After the presentation of a majestic and lyrical theme by the woodwinds an allegro with a cheerful theme takes a look at the future, hopefully looking at the next milestones/ celebrations the city and its orchestra are still expecting in the future.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£435.40Goldberg 2012 - Svein H. Giske
The first time I heard Bach's Goldberg Variations was in the movie Silence of the lambs, in the early 1990s. I noticed the beautiful background music in one of the scenes, but at that time I didn't know what it was. A few years later, when I was studiying at the Grieg Academy, I got to know the entire piece. For me, this is a piece of music which I can listen to countless times. I think it sounds as fresh today as it did more than 15 years ago and it never ceases to inspire me. Both Bach's composition and Glenn Gould's famous 1955 recording (which was the first one I heard) still makes a great impression on me. Before Gould recorded it at age 22, it wasn't a highly ranked piece amongst pianists and Bach was by many viewed as a bit old-fashioned. The young Canadian turned all this around. He managed to portray Bach in a reformed way, producing fine nuances in phrasing and making the many layers in Bach's music more transparent than anyone before him. Thus he plunged both himself and Bach (back) onto the international music scene. When The Norwegian Band Federation (NMF) asked me to write the test piece for NM in 2012, it was only natural for me to use the Goldberg Variations as a starting point and inspiration for my work. Since I was a teenager at NMF's summer courses in the mid eighties I've always listened to many different styles of music. Growing up in Sunnmre with the Brazz Brothers as teachers and mentors, jazz-, pop/rock- and folk music were early on a natural part of my musical background. I also have my classical education from the Grieg Academy on trumpet. As the title of my piece implies, I've wanted to bring Bach to the present and put his music into various modern musical landscapes. I think you can bring about a special kind of energy when music from different genres are mixed and I've tried to do this by mixing Bach with artists and musical styles from the present. In Goldberg 2012, the music is often constructed by several layers, which in a way are living parallel musical lives. They are seemingly moving or floating freely, almost unaware of each other, but bound together by the same basic pulse. The rythms, however, are often notated on a different rythmic subdivision level than the usual 8th- or 16th note levels. By doing this, I hope to achieve transparent sounds that rythmically are perceived as more free and detached from each other. In large sections of the piece, pop/jazz is fusioned with elements from Bach. I guess you could have this little scene as a synopsis for the piece: picture a group of musicians meeting: some are classical performers, some are jazz. They start to improvise together, each in their own voice or musical dialect and I'm sort of in the middle, trying to write down what they are playing. This is what I feel much of Goldberg 2012 is about. The foundation of the piece, in addition to Bach and references from pop/jazz music, lies also in my own material. This material, basically two chords, is heard in it's purest form in the 1st movement. I use these chords to create scales, new chords and different motifs which contribute to blend together the different moods of the piece. It has not been my intention to copy Bach's form (theme and 30 variations), but rather to use the bits and pieces that I like the most as an inspiration for my own variations. The 1st movement, Aria 2, is for my 3rd son, Olav, who was born on the 21st of April 2011, and the 5th movement, From long ago, is dedicated to the memory of my father, Svein J. Giske, who passed away on the 6th of June 2011. -Svein H. Giske, January 2012-
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£109.99Catedrales - Bert Appermont
Cathedrals have always appealed to the imagination. Hundreds of years of manpower have been invested in their building and it is not for nothing that today they represent imposing symbols of architecture and history. The cathedral is also a great source of inspiration for compositions, drawing on a full palette of acoustic echo effects, Gregorian melodies and organ based choral themes.The work "Catedrals" opens with a five tone motif using double tonguing which resonates through space. Then comes a Gregorian antiphonal theme "Salve Regina" which is heard in the euphonium and later combines with the opening motif. The quicker passage that follows is basedentirely on the intervals in the motif which by now has added rhythmic variations and develops in different forms, including a fugue. The work then builds towards its first climax, from which unusual muted sounds emerge creating an atmosphere shrouded in mystery.Gradually, more melodious fragments are added to the Gregorian antiphonal theme which develops into an expansive choral, emulating the organ and which rises above the sound mass. The work grows more powerful and brilliant in sound until it culminates in a short and explosive finale wherein elements from the whole work come together.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£68.99
Celtic Fantasy - Keiichi Kurokawa
"Celtic" is a widely used term. Its history and culture expands to modern day Spain, Portugal, and North America.However, in this piece, I have based my music on the typical "Celtic" areas of Ireland and Scotland.The Bagpipe drone at the beginning reappears several times.After the introduction, the music transitions to an Irish Reel, The Wind That Shakes The Barley. Reel is a fast tempo dance, often in 4/4 or 2/2 time.Next is the Scottish folksong Auld Lang Syne, known as "Hotaru no Hikari" in Japan.The third movement is called Scotland the Brave. It is often performed by military bagpipe ensembles. Once air is blown into the bag, there is a constant reservoir of sound for Great Highland Bagpipes.A Part (advanced) is a grade 2.5-3 in American grading system. B Part (beginner) is 1-1.5.B Part is accessible for elementary school and junior high school beginning band students in Japan. However, the drone-sounding sections require a certain technique to hold the sound steady.It is my sincere desire that beginning musicians understand the importance of fundamentals through performing good music.Keiichi Kurokawa
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£51.60Sakura Variations - Kees Vlak
The blooming of the cherry trees each spring is a great event in Japan. In the evening friends meet under the pink and white cherry blossoms for a picnic. It is a striking sight, especially in big cities. Vendors sell Japanese food, entertainers andclowns perform, and the typically cautious Japanese seem to be more relaxed during the cherry blossom, or "Sakura". Kees Vlak captured this atmosphere with his "Sakura Variation"; its theme employs a subtle drum rhythm. The first variation is titled"clowns" and opens with three bass drum strikes. The theme appears in 3/4 time and is repeated several times with surprising changes. An impetuous tempo with dissonant elements suggests a clown's mischievous behaviour. The second variation in a minormode sounds very sad and dramatic. Is this the sadness when thinking of the end of the cherry blossom, as all the petals "snow" down from the trees? The cherry trees will bloom again next year, so the finale celebrates a joyful "Sakura".
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£67.95Knights Of Chivalry - Randy Navarre
One can easily imagine in the days of Castes and Kings, how this composition may spark the feeling of what it may have been like for Knights of the Kingdoms to not only protect the Lords of the Castle, but also be chivalrous to the Ladies of the Court. Dancing at the feasts and festivals, escorting the royalty to various events. Knights had much more to do than fight. They were allowed to have fun. Sometimes. Like all of our Grade compositions, its main purpose besides giving good and interesting music for young musicians to play, is that it is an opportunity for the band director to teach some aspect of music. This is a great composition for introducing eighth notes and following dynamics. No clarinet crosses the break, and the 1st trumpet's highest note is A (in the staff). Everyone plays rhythmically together. Only the drum part may vary. All chords of the diatonic scale are used to make the harmony more interesting with no accidentals.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£115.60
Marche pour la crmonie des Turcs - Jean-Baptiste Lully
Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687) moved from Italy to Paris and started as a kitchen boy. Alongside he also composed music and was a dancer and actor. He soon became leader of the court orchestra, and wrote music for the parties at the court. At aconcert in 1687 he hit his foot with his conductor pole, got gangrene in the wound and died three months later. Lully is the first known composer of French baroque operas and had great influence on the development of the European music towards theend of the 1600s. Turkish march is used in the 1991 movie "All the mornings of the world" (Tous les matins du monde) starring Grard Depardieu. The action takes place in France in seventeenthcentury where we follow the relationship between the violplayer Marin Marais and his mentor Sainte Colombe.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£149.40
Dancing Trolls [Norwegian Dance] - Øystein Olsen Vadsten
"Dancing Trolls" is a sequel to "The Battle of the Hats", which was published in 2015. Like "The Battle of the Hats", "Dancing Trolls" is a piece of music based on Norwegian traditional dances. This time around,its the reinlender dance which takescentre stage.The music is composed by ystein Olsen Vadsten who keeps the strong melodic and tempo, which is dear to this kind of dance. Admittedly given a make-over with a more rhythmic accompaniment and more excitingharmonization.This makes it a fun piece, both to Listen to and play. The reinlender dance derives from the Rhineland in Germany,and is also known as the German Polka.To the conductor:Because this is a dance form whichisdependent on the right "swing", it is of great importance to keep as close to the metronome mark as possible. A steady groove, primarily specified by the drum set, is also essential for a good result. Remember to keep a good balance between themelody carrying instruments and the accompaniment. Good luck and have fun with this "crazy" little tune.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£91.20King Arthur - Antonio Petrillo
The legendary figure of Arthur, British leader, is mainly the result of folklore and literary invention. According to the tales Arthur, who in the most ancient sources is called "Warlord," defended Great Britain from the Saxon invaders between the fifth and sixth centuries. In the introductory measures of the piece, we can hear the basic themes developing freely one after the other. The first movement (Allegretto - march) describes Arthur with his most faithful riders galloping on his horse for simple rides in the woods or hunting moments. The second movement (Vivace - gigue), describes court dances to celebrate his victories over the Saxons. The third and last movement (Moderato - grandiose) portrays the special relationship between Arthur and Excalibur, the magical and mysterious sword that only he managed to extract from the rock before being proclaimed king. Excalibur's scabbard is said to have the power to protect King Arthur from being wounded in battle.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£98.20Space Lab - Giuseppe Ratti
A long pedal-note of evanescent chords, based on empty parallel fifths, announces the theme;flutes and reed instruments exploit some almost imperceptible micro-fragments, supported by muted trumpets, creating what is an almost surreal and spatial atmosphere. This was Giuseppe Ratti's starting point for his "Space Lab", a laboratory of sounds and, later (when the main theme is taken up once more), of rhythms. Although it may sound complicated, this piece is ultimately based on a single motif: the descending fourth played on the second beat by the woodwinds. In this piece, Giuseppe Ratti, with his usual pallet of clear, transparent colours at hand, appropriate for the general public, together with simple, effective themes, has sought to experiment with new atmospheres and rhythms. First of all we hear the entire theme in the Allegro. Then the rhythm changes in a simple but at the same time complex manner: almost a genetic mutation. The part leading up to the final Lento flows smoothly for the listener but requires great skill and experience on the part of those performing it. In the final lento the main theme reappears in all its simplicity and sincerity, purified of all contrasts. A metaphor for a life that leads us towards unimaginable frontiers but which, in the end, always brings us back to the point from where we started.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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