Results
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£124.95SWORD AND THE CROWN, The (Prestige Concert Band - Score and Parts) - Gregson, Edward
In 1988 I was commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company to write the music for The Plantagenets trilogy, directed by Adrian Noble in Stratford-upon-Avon. These plays take us from the death of Henry V to the death of Richard III. Later, in 1991, I wrote the music for Henry IV parts 1 and 2, again in Stratford. All of these plays are concerned with the struggle for power (the crown) through the use of force (the sword) and they portray one of the most turbulent periods in the history of the British monarchy.This work quickly became established in the mainstream repertoire and has received performances worldwide as well as five commercial recordings and many broadcasts. In 2002 I was approached by the Parc and Dare Band regarding their summer festival and commissioned to do a version for brass band. This was given its first performance in Treorchy Hall by the combined bands of Black Dyke and Parc and Dare conducted by Nicholas Childs.When the Royal Air Force Music Services commissioned me to write a work especially for their British tour in 1991 I immediately thought of turning to this music and transforming some of it into a three-movement suite for symphonic band.The first movement opens with a brief fanfare for two antiphonal trumpets (off-stage), but this only acts as a preface to a Requiem aeternam (the death of Henry V) before changing mood to the English army on the march to France; this subsides into a French victory march, but the English army music returns in counterpoint. Finally, a brief reminder of the Requiem music leads to the triumphal music for Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, father of Edward IV and Richard III (the opening fanfare transformed).The second movement takes music from the Welsh Court in Henry IV (part 1) which is tranquil in mood; distant fanfares foreboding battles to come are heard, but the folktune is heard three times in different variations and the movement ends as it began with alto flute and gentle percussion.The final movement starts with two sets of antiphonally placed timpani, drums and tam-tam, portraying the 'war machine' and savagery of battle. Trumpet fanfares and horn calls herald an heroic battle theme which, by the end of the movement, transforms itself into a triumphant hymn for Henry IV's defeat of the rebellious forces.- Edward GregsonPerformance time 13'54"Recorded on QPRM117D FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 1991, Massed Bands of the Royal Air ForceRecorded on QPRM120D THE SWORD AND THE CROWN, Central Band of the Royal Air Force'Finale' recorded on QPRM142D FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2002, Massed Bands of the Royal Air Force)
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£164.95The Kings Go Forth (Concert Band - Score and Parts) - Gregson, Edward
This work was commissioned jointly by the Royal Air Force Music Service and an American Universities Consortium and received its world premiere during the 1996 RAF British Tour. It is scored for large symphonic wind band, with the addition of voices.The work is a sequel to the highly successful The Sword and the Crown which was premiered in 1991 by the mass bands of the RAF (and also was an RAF commission). That work was based on music written for the Royal Shakespeare Company productions of The Plantagenets and Henry IV, parts 1 and 2 (for productions between 1988 and 1991).The Kings go Forth is similarly based on musical material for those productions. It uses different thematic elements and incorporates them into a three-movement suite entitled: The Church; The People; The State.This reflects the fact that in Henry IV Parts 1 and 2, Shakespeare introduces The People as an important element in the dramatic structure. The Church and The State are, of course, both leitmotivs throughout the entire plays. An Agnus Dei is heard at the outset from a solo voice. The ensuing Dies Irae is a fast and, at times, quite violent dance. The two sections which form the basis of the second movement, The People, concentrate on popular elements and reflect to some extent the tavern scenes in the plays. The two ideas presented are a harvest hymn reflecting the country scenes set in Gloucestershire, and a jazzy, 'up-tempo' dance based on the medieval song, Sumer is icumen in. The third movement, The State, deals with the Kings theme in the title of the piece. The juxtaposition of battle music with funeral music for Henry IV and Henry VI leads to a reworking of the leitmotif from the beginning of the work. The final section is Coronation music for Henry V, eventually leading to a triumphant climax.- Edward GregsonDuration: 17.15Recorded on QPRM 125D Festival of Music 1996, Massed Bands of the Royal Air ForceRecorded on QPRM 134D The Kings Go Forth, Royal Northern College of Music Wind Orchestra
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£87.95St. Francis Variations (Concert Band - Score and Parts) - Wheeler, Alastair
Variations on St Francis is a set of four contrasting movements based on the sturdy 17th century hymn tune Lasst uns erfreuen, best known as St Francis after its composer with associated words "All creatures of our God and King". Although often notated in various metres, the tune's original unbarred freedom and Vaughan Williams' later 3/2 setting both inform this work's flexible approach to rhythm and stress.The piece is built from three ideas: the bold opening line of the tune, descending peals of Alleluia, and the answering response phrase.A grand March opens the work, with open-fifth fanfares and flowing Alleluia countermelodies. The Dance that follows shifts the response into a minor key, driven by syncopation and playful overlapping lines. A lyrical Cantabile / Intermezzo, led by cor anglais (or alto saxophone), offers contrast before a Rondo Scherzo reimagines the tune in a quirky modal style, featuring falling thirds and bright harmonic colour. A confident Coda brings the work to a close with chorale statements launched from the percussion section.Duration: 7.30
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£74.95Coloured Glass (Concert Band - Score and Parts) - Wiffin, Rob
In this cheerful, minimalist piece, the composer seeks to capture the effects of light shining, refracting, and reflecting through glass of various colours and densities. While adopting familiar minimalist features - repetition, consonant harmony, and a steady pulse - the composer is mindful of the inherent risk in the style of allowing ideas to linger for too long. To avoid this, the patterns and colours shift subtly, creating a sense of gentle transition alongside an impression of dance and energy. Most of the woodwind instruments take on fluid semiquaver movement at some point, though the music itself is not technically demanding.Duration: 3.45
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£87.95Phoenix Fanfare & Journey Into Light (Concert Band - Score and Parts) - Holmes, Chris
A Phoenix Fanfare opens with bold, rhythmic motifs built around the interval of a perfect fourth, a musical gesture symbolising strength and renewal. These rhythmic ideas are energetically passed around the wind band, creating a sense of movement and vitality. As the piece progresses, textures build and interplay intensifies, culminating in a striking moment where glissando horns soar above the ensemble--this feature should be given due prominence, as it evokes the mythical rise of the phoenix and adds a dramatic flourish to the conclusion.In contrast, Journey into Light captures the feeling of a 'return to normality' following the lifting of COVID restrictions. The music begins with a short passage in a reflective minor key, representing the uncertainty and isolation of lockdown. Gradually, optimism emerges as the harmony brightens and the tempo increases. The arrival of the presto section marks a turning point--joyful, exuberant, and full of life. From here, the music remains uplifting, celebrating the renewed freedom to rehearse, perform, and connect through music.This piece would make an ideal concert opener or start to a second half of a concert.Duration: 3.30
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£99.95Sinfonietta No.2 - A Sign of the Times (Concert Band - Score and Parts) - Wiffin, Rob
It was an interesting challenge to return to the form of a sinfonietta some twenty years after the last one. This work is not hugely problematic to play but was written without regard for technical demands, following a series of compositions that needed to take difficulty level into consideration. The work has five percussion parts but the tuned percussion, although desirable, can be omitted. As for the band parts, Oboe 2 is largely covered elsewhere but the colour of the cor anglais would be a definite enhancement to the overall sound. The work was written in 2025 when it seemed as if the world was a particularly volatile place.The first movement 'Foment' seeks to capture that menacing mood of unrest and the potential for violence that seemed to erupt without warning and without efforts to contain it from warmongers posing as peacemakers. The music is severe and focussed with just a short scherzo-like episode of levity to balance the quasi-military mood.'A Dream of Peace' takes a few moments to contemplate a different, more peaceful world and several ideas are considered before settling on the slow waltz-like melody. This uses a very tonal language but is given a particular hue by its use of sevenths and ninths and there are moments of stress which disrupt the tranquillity.In 'Call to Arms' the warlike mood returns with a sense of restless energy that drives the music to its conclusion.- Rob WiffinDuration: 14.00
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£118.99De Oppresso Liber (Concert Band - Score and Parts) - Murtha, Paul
A heroic and triumphant work commissioned in honour of the U.S. Special Forces and the U.S Army's 250th birthday. Glorious brass fanfares and dazzling woodwind lines open the piece with a reflective and reverent theme of remembrance taking over before transitioning back to a soaring closing of hope and glory.Duration: 5.00
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£47.50Rainforest (Concert Band - Score and Parts) - Buckley, Robert
Experience the sounds of the rainforest. This fun and creative work for beginning band opens and closes with an aleatoric section that features rainsticks, finger snaps and random notes. The gentle melody uses only the first 6 notes of the Bb scale and it teaches legato playing and dotted quarter note rhythms. An excellent choice for your band's first concert.Duration: 2.45
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£99.99The Very Best of Cher (Concert Band - Score and Parts) - Schaars, Peter Kleine
Let yourself be swayed by Cher's irresistible energy with this sparkling pop medley arranged by the versatile arranger Peter Kleine Schaars.In a musical celebration full of glitter, power, and emotion, five great hits of the American pop diva come together. From the revolutionary dance sounds of Believe, the sultry, Mediterranean Dov' l'amore and the rock classic If If I Could turn Back Time to the swinging joyfulness of The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)) and the powerful Strong Enough: every note exudes Cher's iconic sound and flair.Peter Kleine Schaars has masterfully managed to translate the essence of her music into the rich colour palette of the band, in an arrangement that is both challenging for the musicians and irresistible for the audience. This medley is a delightful sing-and-dance-along!Duration: 8.00
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£104.99Arioso Cantabile (Concert Band - Score and Parts) - Van der Roost, Jan
This composition exudes serenity and tranquillity, but also intensity and expressiveness - giving it similar qualities to earlier works by Van der Roost, like Canterbury Chorale and Adagio for Winds. Long melodic lines characterize the main themes that arise in different registers and develop through varying keys. The band rather sounds like an organ: the varying timbres and broad musical phrases fully justify the comparison with this majestic instrument. There is no bombast, and the work contains no exaggerated technical or rhythmic tours de force. On the contrary, from a lush richness it moves towards a softening final passage that culminates in a slowly fading final chord: following the many warm harmonies and grand melodies, this work concludes in a contemplative mood.Duration: 7.45
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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