Results
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£78.99Agua's Whelm - C. McBride
A very exciting and contemporary work that is descriptive of the tragedy that occurred in Central America in 1541 when a long quiet volcano that had filled with water suddenly erupted, sending mud and water covering the city of Ciudad Vieja killing many and completely wiping out the city. The name of that volcano was Agua, which on that day brought whelm on to everything that its waters touched. This is the second published work by young composer Cory McBride and was written when he was a 16 year old high school student. Bold, unique and distinctive, includes solos for flute, tenor sax, bari sax & horn and it's an excellent programming choice for any festival or concert performance by better bands.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£137.99Odyssee - Jan Bosveld
The Odyssee tells the story of Odysseus, the undaunted hero. In times long ago the blind poet Homer wrote this famous epic. The "Odyssey" follows the "Iliad", the story of the bloody war between the Greek and the Trojans. This battle endsafter ten years thanks to the Odysseys famous trick. the Trojan Horse. The Odyssey is not a war epic, but a story about perseverance, loyalty, adventure, and the survival instinct of its ingenious hero. In The Odyssey, Homer describes howOdysseus, the king of Ithaca, had to endure another ten years of affliction after the ten years of war in Troy before he could finally return to his home land. During those years, his wife, Penelope, had to try and keep her many admirers away.These men not only wanted het hand but also the kingship. To prove her husbands worth, she played a trick: "As soon as I have finished weaving this shroud for my father-in-law, Laertes, I will choose one of you to become my husband", she promisedthem. But during the night, she secretly loosened what she had woven during the day, prolonging the time until Odysseus would finally return. After twenty long years, when he finally stood at the door, she wondered: Is this really my husband? Ishe an imposter? Cunningly, she asked him to move the bed, because only she and her husband know that the bed was immovable and was build around an old three trunk! Odysseus was deeply moved: this really was his wife, his Penelope! Nearly threethousands years later, the loyalty and strength of this character, and all the dangerous adventures that Odysseus survived thanks to courage and intelligence, still moves us today. Odyssee by Jan Bosveld is not just an adventure story, butrather a characteristic piece in which memories of Homers story can be heard. The composition opens with a firm, stirring theme describing our hero, Odysseus, in detail: This man is not to be taken lightly. The further development of thisshort introduction completes this character sketch: trustworthy, perseverant, and a genius. After that we can picture Odysseus on the lonely beach of Ogygia. Do the trumpets depict his memories of the war of Troy? Does he think of his wife, as werecognise the weaving loom of Penelope in the murmuring eighth? In the solemn, plaintive part that follows, we can imagine Penelope feeling lonely, sitting in the womens room with her servants.One of the girls plays the harp, but that does notclear the sombre atmosphere. Then we can imagine seeing the sorceress Circe, who changed Odysseus men into swine. After she gives a simple magic sign something follows that reminds us of the sound of pigs grunting. Then the Odysseus theme resounds:the hero comes to savi his comrades. Assisted by Hermes, he forces Circe to lift the spell. The piece ends the same way as it began, with an animated theme: Odysseus is still the same, undefeated and not to be taken lighty!
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£113.30Moderate Dances - Angelo Sormani
This piece is a tribute to dance music, especially passionate, intense and meditative dance music. "Moderate Dances" is divided into three movements: a "Tango", a "Slow Waltz" and a "Bossa Nova". Each movement and each dance has its own particular characteristics but, when combined, these different rhythmic beats and times give the piece a feeling of completeness and uniformity. The Tango started to flourish in the suburbs of Buenos Aires in around 1880. There is still some doubt as to its origins, which may be Cuban (Habanera) but are probably African. It was most popular in Argentina and Brazil: here the male protagonist was originally the "gaucho" with his inseparable guitar, later to be replaced by the proud, elegant "compadre". By around 1910 the Tango had spread to Italy and France. New clubs opened, where the upper classes could watch and dance the Tango. Here the dance also underwent some rapid transformations. The exaggerated and extravagant gestures and body movements disappeared. Slow, gliding steps replaced the old rotational movements. The women's red ankle-boots and the partners "staring into each other's eyes" accentuated the erotic nature and sensuality of this dance. So much so that, in 1913, the German government banned soldiers from dancing the Tango. Those who broke the law were immediately discharged from the army. From a strictly musical perspective, the basic instruments were a flute, a harp (the diatonic harp typically played by the Indians of Paraguay) and a violin, or flute, guitar and violin or even clarinet, guitar and violin. These instruments were easy to transport, ideal for playing at parties, in the streets and in courtyards. The musicians played by ear, frequently improvising: there were no scores, no records, which is the main reason why it is impossible to trace the Tango back to its exact origins. However, the Tango's evolution (and growing popularity) was once again fostered by its fundamental ability to absorb "other" cultures, languages and sounds. And it was the arrival of the "bandoneon" (an accordion-like instrument that was invented in Germany and brought to Rio de la Plata by some immigrant), which replaced the flute, that marked the beginning of the Tango's huge success outside Argentina. A number of talented composers, above all the great Astor Piazzola (1921-1992), transformed the bandoneon from a simple accompanying instrument to a solo instrument that was to become the distinguishing feature of the 20th century Tango. The Slow Waltz originated from the Waltz, the typical dance of the Bavarian and Tyrolese peasants in the 1700s. It was composers like Johann Strauss, father and son, who carried the Waltz to its zenith in the 1800s, creating the sensual and melancholy yet joyful and charming dance we are all familiar with. When the Waltz first became popular in Germany, the members of respectable society were shocked at the closeness of the dancing partners, who had always previously danced apart. The main difference between the Waltz and Slow Waltz is that the latter has a slower, more expressive rhythm: the men wear tails and the women wear ball gowns decorated with beads and feathers and couples dance in graceful rotational movements. "Bossa Nova" is the title of the last movement in the piece. Jobim, the great Brazilian musician, described this musical genre as a combination of modern Jazz and Samba. Bossa Nova means "new wave". This was the name of the artistic and musical movement that evolved in Brazil in the late Fifties and was extremely popular throughout the Sixties. The songs are usually about love or social matters, drawing inspiration from the slums of Rio De Janeiro and the lives of their inhabitants. Bossa Nova, with its original compositions and the artistic talent of its musicians, also became hugely popular in the United States and Europe, and top Jazz musicians (Ella Fitzgerald, Stan Getz, Bob Cooper, Charlie Bird, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, Dizzy Gillespie) started to include Bossa in their repertoires.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£159.99
Fantasia Per La Vita E La Morte - Bert Appermont
The mystique surrounding life and death formed the starting point of this composition. I wanted to write a work without a story, mixed up in a kind of musical quest for a new world of sound, original rhythm sequences, melodies filled with suspenseand distinct orchestral tones.The indirect cause was the birth of my first child which took place during this time, followed by the death of a close family member. At such a moment you experience just how close life and death are to each other, anddespite one being the antithesis of the other, they are incredibly similar. Both radical events are passages into new worlds and have great emotional impact. Moreover, the work was commissioned by "New Life", an orchestra that lost one of itsmusician in a plane crash, which also led me to believe that this approach would be appropriate.I would prefer not to comment on which passages in the composition concern life (birth) and which refer to death. It seems to me that it is moreinteresting to question traditional conceptions and leave it open for the listener. If you think that a passage is about birth, and this idea then shifts, it is this that raises fascinating questions, on both a musical and metaphysical level.Music isin an indirect but incredibly persuasive way in which to express the endless striving and seeking of mankind. Music can even touch eternity, as it were, and give us the feeling that we can transcend death. This endless search (and also longing) canbe heard throughout the work; as much in the sound fields and accent shifts in the first part as in the enormous tension curves and compelling themes of the second part. The semi-tone functions in this way as a guide or something to hold on to,running through the whole work and upon which much of the musical material is based. Traces of profound love resound with quiet simplicity in the slow section's melodious solos, after which the work contemplates life and death one last time, musesupon joy and sadness, on the possibilities and limitations of people and on the why of all things.I would like to dedicate this work to my dearest daughter Paulientje, to Meterke and to Johan de Jong of the "New Life" orchestra. May it fare themwell, here or in another dimension...
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£317.99Music of the Spheres - Philip Sparke
The piece reflects the composer's fascination with the origins of the universe and deep space in general. The title comes from a theory, formulated by Pythagoras, that the cosmos was ruled by the same laws he had discovered that govern the ratios of note frequencies of the musical scale. ('Harmonia' in Ancient Greek, which means scale or tuning rather than harmony - Greek music was monophonic). He also believed that these ratios corresponded to the distances of the six known planets from the sun and that the planets each produced a musical note which combined to weave a continuous heavenly melody (which, unfortunately, we humans cannot hear). In this work, these six notesform the basis of the sections MUSIC OF THE SPHERES and HARMONIA. The pieces opens with a horn solo called t = 0, a name given by some scientists to the moment of the Big Bang when time and space were created, and this is followed by a depiction of the BIG BANG itself, as the entire universe bursts out from a single point. A slower section follows called THE LONELY PLANET which is a meditation on the incredible and unlikely set of circumstances which led to the creation of the Earth as a planet that can support life, and the constant search for other civilisations elsewhere in the universe. ASTEROIDS AND SHOOTING STARS depicts both the benign and dangerous objects that are flying through space and which constantly threaten our planet, and the piece ends with THE UNKNOWN, leaving in question whether our continually expanding exploration of the universe will eventually lead to enlightenment or destruction.
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£53.95Operation Invictus (Concert Band - Score and Parts) - Webb, Amy
Operation Invictus is a rising band work that checks all the boxes: exciting parts for all players, commanding rhythms, and challenging, yet surmountable melodies that will leave your band feeling great about themselves and their performance. Each instrument gets to play snappy little licks that are so engaging they'll want to practice. Even the low brass gets some fanfare-like material that will sound powerful. The very word invictus is Latin for "undefeated." A tremendous piece at the easy level that can be played either at the beginning or end of your next concert or festival. Duration: 3.00
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£159.99In Nomine (Concert Band - Score and Parts) - Schwarz, Otto M.
How often has something been justified by, declared to be, or blessed as 'in the name of' some cause or other? How can it be that opposing armies and the use of weapons are ever 'in the name of...'? This is a common thread in the history of different faiths. Good was created but evil was committed and all 'in the name of...' This thread is also found in the history of the Premonstratensian Abbey at Wadgassen. The abbey was built in the 12th century on unfertile, desolate moorland, which later evolved into the most powerful religious community in the Saarland. The history of the abbey records quite astounding achievements under the motto desertum florebit quasi lilium ('the desert will bloom like a lily'); but also the harsh treatment of delinquents. The order had its own school, in which children were taught the seven liberal arts (which included music as well as geography and astronomy), but the poor were left to starve outside the abbey walls and were only allowed to eat from the members' leftovers on feast days. The medieval witch trials demanded their pound of flesh, and one group that fell victim were ecstatic dancers who moved wildly to music, which was interpreted as the devil's work. The result: a show trial that sentenced the dancers to death by fire. All in the name of... The year is 1789: Abbot Bordier is in the tenth year of his command. He does not yet know that he is to be the last abbot of an almost 700-year tradition. Not far from the abbey is the French border, which has long been making itself felt with the sound of gunfire, and the brothers continue to keep a nervous eye on it. The first portents of the French Revolution loom, but no one wants to believe it, that is, until the French pound the door down, storm the abbey and come right into the brothers' chambers. In a blind fury, all the pipes of the abbey organ are torn out, icons beheaded with swords and brothers beaten death while numerous buildings are set on fire. The abbey church is in flames. A frantic and desperate escape begins. Abbot Bordier and a handful of brothers make their getaway via the River Saar, adjacent to the abbey, to the neighbouring village of Bous. They survive, but their life, the Premonstratensian abbey, is destroyed. While they flee towards Prague and the sanctuary of the Strahov Monastery, the abbey at Wadgassen is razed to the ground and becomes a stone quarry. The desert blooms once more, however. A few short decades later, a glasswork arises from the foundations of the abbey. As peace returns to the region, it brings jobs and a new vision for its people.Duration: 11.15
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£175.0060 Warm-Up Chorales (Concert Band - Score and Parts) - Cesarini, Franco
During his experience as a band conductor and teacher of wind orchestra conducting at university, Franco Cesarini has dealt with the topic of warm-ups very frequently. Throughout these long years of conducting he has had the opportunity to try many existing methods, evaluating their advantages and disadvantages. After a long time, he has decided to compile a collection of chorales for warm-ups, which are organised according to the criteria that he considers most effective. While working on his60 Warm-up Chorales for Concert Band, Franco Cesarini has always borne in mind that amateur musicians play for pleasure. He feels that it is extremely important that they have satisfaction at every moment of the rehearsal and not to start the rehearsal with needless "punishing" exercises. Nobody is really motivated to start playing with scales, long notes, or tricky rhythmical exercises. There is often a distinguished absentee in band rehearsals, namely music itself! Although this publication does not foresee a specific tempo for the chorales, they should often be performed rather slowly but without dragging. Dynamics are not indicated, so that the conductor has the opportunity to draw the attention of the musicians to his gestures and to make them react according to his indications. Timpani and bell parts have been added with the aim of not leaving the percussionists completely inactive during the warm-up phase, but can also be omitted. The chorales are written in four parts (SATB) and are also playable in smaller groups. The four voices can be played in different combinations of woodwinds or brass quartets or in mixed combinations. The collection includes ten chorales for the following keys: D flat major, A flat major, E flat major, B flat major, F major and C major. With his 60 Warm-up Chorales Franco Cesarini would like to convey the message to play the chorales in a musical way, thus raising the musicians' awareness of phrasing, the right interpretation of cadences, rubato and agogic. Above all, never do anything without putting the musical aspect in the foreground. 60 Warm-up Chorales for Concert Band: A perfect collection to warm-up and improve tuning of a concert band!
Estimated dispatch 7-14 working days
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£140.00Conclusions, A Trilogy for Band (Concert Band - Score and Parts) - Brakstad, John
Conclusions is inspired by three of the worlds greatest astronomers; their lifes, work and pioneering conclusions. 1: Copernicus. Nicolaus Copernicus lived in the 15th century. He introduced the idea that the planets rotate around the Sun rather than the Earth. This was a new and controversial world view which was not accepted in his lifetime. 2: Galileo. Galileo Galilei lived about a hundred years later and is sometimes called "the father of modern science". He is credited with the discovery of Jupiter's four largest moons. His discoveries supported Copernicus' model of the Solar System, and also showed that objects rotate around other planets than the Earth. Galilei was charged with heresy, and had to recant his claim that the Earth revolved around the Sun. "And yet it does move", he is supposed to have said. 3: Newton. Isaac Newton is known for his theory about the law of gravity and how it affects motion. This theory enabled him to accurately calculate the paths of the planets in the Solar System, and was a third conclusion in the astronomical tradition. In the same way that the three astronomers' independent conclusions build on ideas that are common to all three, Conclusions is built up of three independent movements which all include references to each other (melodic, harmonic, inversions etc.) Duration: 11.00
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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