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£126.50Beating Beats (Concert Band - Score and Parts) - Van der Roost, Jan
Beating Beats rhythmically is a rather special piece: more conventional metres are manipulated in such a way that the listener (without score) may be confused and even misled at various points! The 'regular four beat accents in a 4/4 measure for example are often not adhered to, giving the impression of a different metre altogether. However, at the same time it may be that some instruments do follow this "normal" 4/4 metre, thus confusing everyone - performers and listeners alike! On one hand, it is a "simple" piece with very playable and melodic themes, but their mysterious rhythmic makes it not only sound more complicated, but also makes for a greater challenge for both players and the conductor! As is mostly the case with Jan Van der Roost's works, the orchestration is both colourful and contrasting, with every section of the modern wind orchestra used equally. All in all, it's a work full of surprises with some unexpected harmonies and special melodic lines but above all, with metrical and rhythmical sure to catch you unawares! Duration: 7.00
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£139.99Heartbeat of a City (Concert Band - Score and Parts) - Schwarz, Otto M.
A city is founded, it has a heart that beats. But visible achievements such as buildings and infrastructure merely bear witness to what its true heart is made of, the people who have lived, and still live, in the city. The pulse of the city, brought to life by its heartbeat, changes over time. Who hasn't seen those time-lapse images showing twinkling lines of car lights as people make their way to work, while others stand at traffic lights, only moving as if at the push of a button? These are like life flowing in the veins, driven by a strong heart. Leonardo da Vinci had already imagined the rivers as the blood vessels of the Earth. In any city, though, it's not the rivers but the movement and activities of the people who live there. The heart doesn't always beat steadily, however, but its rhythm can be influenced by joy, fear, and many other things. Every city has its own pulse. This is also true of the university city of Marburg, where people from over 100 nations now live together in a cosmopolitan and tolerant community. This work describes the city from its founding in 1222, and the charity of Saint Elizabeth, all the way to the present day.Duration: 9.15
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£134.99Cleopatra (Concert Band - Score and Parts) - Deleruyelle, Thierry
The Last Queen of Egypt. Queen Cleopatra ruled Egypt for over 20 years. She is one of antiquity's best-known women, in particular because of her relationships with Julius Caesar and, above all, Mark-Anthony, but also because the cause of her death remains a mystery. The work is split into three parts and performed without breaks. The first section begins with a bright introduction representing Mark-Anthony. Dynamic in nature and reminiscent of military music, this characterises the Roman general. But soon after, another theme emerges, softer and more melodic, symbolising Cleopatra's femininity. The two characters then combine on a faster tempo. The middle section of the work depicts the love that Mark-Anthony and Cleopatra feel for each other. This passionate relationship lasted ten years and produced three children. This is expressed by a warm and intense theme, just like the beauty of the Egyptian queen. The third and last section opens in a determined and military mood. Mark-Anthony and Cleopatra were often apart, the Roman general was often away on a campaign. They met up in Alexandria to celebrate their triumph. But, as the targets of the jealousy and ambition of Octavius, Julius Caesar's son, the lovers are trapped and await the inevitable conquest of Egypt by the Romans. When Mark-Anthony heard the false news that Cleopatra had committed suicide, he ended his own life. The Queen of Egypt, for her part, was imprisoned shortly afterwards. The two lovers remain one of History's most famous couples. This piece was commissioned by the Wind Orchestra of the town of Antony, near Paris, directed by Philippe Rossignol, to mark its 90th anniversary. Duration: 10.00
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£145.00Circius (Concert Band - Score and Parts) - Aagaard-Nilsen, Torstein
The title refers to a description of the wind of the north made by Olaus Magnus who lived in the 16th century. He drew maps describing people, animals, weather, winds, sea monsters etc. The map Carta Marina was unprecise, but the best they had. But he never visited the places himself. In the map over northern parts of Norway, he describes the wind "Circius" as the worst of all winds. The fast sections refers to the wind. In the middle section I borrow a folksong-like tune by Catharinus Elling (1858-1942). The text by Kristoffer Janson, tells about fishermen in small open boats. When they faced the force of nature they could do nothing but put their lives in the hand of God. - Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£284.99Symphony for Wind Ensemble (Concert Band - Score and Parts) - Stephenson, James M.
The symphony is in four movements. The first movement starts a single triangle note, followed by a guitar strum. The movement anxiously attempts to churn into action, only to be stifled repeatedly by the single triangle note. Finally, with the guitar as inspiration, the main theme gets under way, revealing an almost Spanish, or even Eastern European flavor. Ideas and themes get reworked, developed, repeated and augmented throughout the movement, before finally closing out just as it began, but in reverse: this time guitar followed by triangle. The second movement steals from an angular and shrieking motif of the first, but is presented in opposite fashion: with the warm blend of the low brass. Hints of iconic military symbolism are interspersed throughout this movement, as homage to the commissioning ensemble. The main theme is inverted and awarded to a solo trumpet midway before giving way to a brass fanfare, though not done loudly, but here muted, from afar. The low brass return at the end, fading away to nothing as the bell tolls. The third movement is merely a short interlude - a break, in almost Gershwin-like fashion - from the seriousness of the movements that precede and follow. Lastly, the fourth movement is a wild one: with mixed meters and plentiful percussion penned to propel the movement throughout. The movements' themes are all reworkings of material presented earlier. Duration: 25.00
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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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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£140.00Capriccio (Concert Band - Score and Parts) - Holst, Gustav - Noble, Paul
The following notes have been excerpted by the arranger from those presented in the Introduction by Imogen Holst, daughter of Gustav Holst: Holst wrote this work in the spring of 1932, while he was guest Lecturer in Composition at Harvard University. He had been asked by Nathaniel Shilkret to write 'a short radio piece, not longer than five or six minutes.' for a composers' series on folk music themes. Holst wrote to me on 13 May 1932, saying: 'On May 1 I started sketching a piece for Shilkret's Radio jazz band in New York. I finished the sketch on the 4th and the full score on the 8th... Shilkret wanted something on American airs but I've left them out because I prefer my own so he may reject the thing.' Shilkret was enthusiastic about the piece, but he was unable to use it for his series. 'I hate to give it up,' he told the composer, 'but I cannot play it because it is not based on a definite English or American folk theme.' Holst never revised his hurriedly-written work, probably because he had too many other things to write during the remaining two years of his life, when he was having to spend a good deal of his time in hospital. The autograph manuscript of his original full score is in the British Library, MS Add.47833. The work had no name: Holst referred to it either as his 'Jazz band piece' or as 'Mr. Shilkret's Maggot.' The score needed editing. There were gaps and patches, with incomplete dynamics and phrase marks. I made the version for orchestra and named it 'Capriccio' in spite of the viola's (now saxophone's) expressive opening, because from the moment of the marimba's first animated remark there can be no doubt about the mood of the music. - Imogen Holst (1968)
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£250.00The England of Elizabeth,Three Portraits from (Concert Band - Score and Parts) - Williams, Vaughan - Noble, Paul
This suite was derived from Vaughan Williams' score for the film, The England of Elizabeth, written in 1955. It was the composer's tenth of his 11 cinematic efforts and designed to serve a more descriptive role than other such scores, since the movie was a documentary featuring no action scenes, but lots of images of paintings, buildings, and the like. Composer Muir Matheson adapted this three-movement suite, probably shortly after the composer's death in 1958, though publication of the manuscript would not come until 1964. The first movement is entitled Explorer, and refers to Sir Francis Drake. Its music is mostly festive and colourful, but features interior passages of exotic flavor, similar in style to that of Vaughan Williams' then-recent Symphony No.8. The second movement is entitled Poet and, at about seven minutes, is the longest of the three in this 16 to 17 minute work. It also contains probably the score's best music, hardly a surprising result since the poet in question is Shakespeare, one of the composer's favourites and an inspirational springboard for so many other of his works. The mood is mostly subdued and Vaughan Williams presents lovely, if slightly somber music in the opening, and follows it with a hearty, folk-like dance tune. The latter part of this movement depicts Shakespeare as a noble, heroic figure in English history. The last movement, Queen, is devoted to Queen Elizabeth. It has a regal yet muscular manner at the outset, and features a gentle but somewhat disengaged middle section. It returns to the splendor and colour of the opening to close the work. This suite is important because it distills some of the best music from the film into a logically assembled structure. Program notes extracted from those of Robert Cummings.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£37.95The Year of the Dragon (Prestige Concert Band - Score only) - Sparke, Philip
The 2017 version of The Year of the Dragon was commissioned by the Siena Wind Orchestra and given its world premiere on June 17th 2017 in Bunkyo Civic Hall, Tokyo, conducted by the composer.The original wind band arrangement of The Year of the Dragon was made in 1985, a year after the composer wrote the brass band version. At that time he was still learning the intricacies of writing for wind band (and still is!) and in the 32 years which have elapsed since then, his approach to scoring for the medium has developed and, hopefully, improved.Here are the main differences between the two versions:In the 1980's, the wind band movement was much less international than it is now. British wind bands were still to some extent based on the military band tradition of the time, which tended to use rather smaller instrumentation than the then-dominant American university model. The new version embraces a much more international instrumentation, including low woodwinds and string bass, as well as an expanded percussion section.In the original version there was a touch of naivety in the way the composer wrote for the woodwinds; much of their articulation was transferred too literally from the brass version, resulting in some unidiomatic writing, which he has tried to improve in the new version.In addition to the above, Philip's own compositional style has matured and developed in the intervening 32 years. There are some passages in the original which he simply would not write today - not because they are 'wrong', but because his way of writing has changed. The new version is perhaps how he would have written it today, rather than simply dressing the original version in new clothes.The work is in three movements:Toccata opens with an arresting side drum figure and snatches of themes from various sections of the band, which try to develop until a broad and powerful theme from the middle of the band asserts itself. A central dance-like section soon gives way to the return of this theme, which subsides until faint echoes of the opening material fade to a close.Interlude takes the form of a sad and languid solo for alto saxophone. A chorale for the whole band introduces a brief spell of optimism but the saxophone solo returns to close the movement quietly.Finale is a real tour-de-force for the band with a stream of rapid semi-quavers running throughout the movement. The main theme is heroic and march-like but this is interspersed with lighter, more playful episodes. A distant fanfare to the sound of bells is introduced and this eventually returns to bring the work to a stirring close.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£199.95
The Year of the Dragon (Prestige Concert Band - Score and Parts) - Sparke, Philip
The 2017 version of The Year of the Dragon was commissioned by the Siena Wind Orchestra and given its world premiere on June 17th 2017 in Bunkyo Civic Hall, Tokyo, conducted by the composer.The original wind band arrangement of The Year of the Dragon was made in 1985, a year after the composer wrote the brass band version. At that time he was still learning the intricacies of writing for wind band (and still is!) and in the 32 years which have elapsed since then, his approach to scoring for the medium has developed and, hopefully, improved.Here are the main differences between the two versions:In the 1980's, the wind band movement was much less international than it is now. British wind bands were still to some extent based on the military band tradition of the time, which tended to use rather smaller instrumentation than the then-dominant American university model. The new version embraces a much more international instrumentation, including low woodwinds and string bass, as well as an expanded percussion section.In the original version there was a touch of naivety in the way the composer wrote for the woodwinds; much of their articulation was transferred too literally from the brass version, resulting in some unidiomatic writing, which he has tried to improve in the new version.In addition to the above, Philip's own compositional style has matured and developed in the intervening 32 years. There are some passages in the original which he simply would not write today - not because they are 'wrong', but because his way of writing has changed. The new version is perhaps how he would have written it today, rather than simply dressing the original version in new clothes.The work is in three movements:Toccata opens with an arresting side drum figure and snatches of themes from various sections of the band, which try to develop until a broad and powerful theme from the middle of the band asserts itself. A central dance-like section soon gives way to the return of this theme, which subsides until faint echoes of the opening material fade to a close.Interlude takes the form of a sad and languid solo for alto saxophone. A chorale for the whole band introduces a brief spell of optimism but the saxophone solo returns to close the movement quietly.Finale is a real tour-de-force for the band with a stream of rapid semi-quavers running throughout the movement. The main theme is heroic and march-like but this is interspersed with lighter, more playful episodes. A distant fanfare to the sound of bells is introduced and this eventually returns to bring the work to a stirring close.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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