In the tripartite 'Cowboy Suite' Alan Laken takes us to the Wild West the domain of cowboys indians trappers and other fortune hunters. Around 1890 the west coast of America was reached which in effect meant the end of the Wild West. Its stories however survived and have been a source of inspiration for many books films and of course music. Some characters such as Jesse James Billy the Kid and Buffalo Bill are forever linked to these tales. In the 'Cowboy Suite' we first hear the 'Hoedown'. At the end of an exhausting workday the labourers used to lay down their tools among others the 'hoes' and spontaneously began to play music on the instruments which they then possessed (guitars fiddles and banjos) and to dance. After being jolted on the 'Wagon Trail' we reach the third part the 'Cowboy Roundup'. In this last part it becomes clear that as a cattle driver it is imperative to stay firmly seated in the saddle. As the cattle are rounded up i.e. driven together spectacular things happen.

Sleigh Ride-Troika is a Russian word that means a group of three but it also means a light Russian sleigh pulled by three horses. Christmas Troika portrays the joy of Christmas via a musical sleigh-ride. Listen as the glistening snow crinkles beneath the weight of the sleigh and the hooves of the prancing horses as it travels through the countryside. One can almost see the frost on the trees and hear the wind blow and the sleigh-bells ring as the tune O Come All Ye Faithful winds its way through the music.

The composition the Lonesome Knight was based on a fairytale. The piece was written by Saskia Apon for the National Brass Band Championships 2001. Once upon a time there was a knight who went to fight and defeat the dragon that had beenkilling the people of his town. There is a short but intense battle between the two and the knight is triumphant. However whilst persuing the dragon the knight has travelled far away from his home and now is lost. He roames around trying to findhis way home but exhausted and weary he falls to the ground. He awakens startled by a Giant and a group of Goblins who are celebrating the death of the dragon. The knight joins in the festivities but after a long evening is once more leftalone. The sun rises the following morning and he sees a castle on the horizon. He enthousiastcally ventures towards the castle in the hope of meeting other people. However he becomes greatly disillusioned when there is none to be found. Inhis desperation the knight climbs the tower ready to jump off. Suddenly he hears a heavenly voice. Right before him is the most beautiful princess he has ever seen. She graciously thanks him for killing the dragon a spark ingnites between themand they build a life together and.... live happily ever after! Saskia Apon studied harp at Rotterdam School of music. With this instrument she rounded of her studies by passing with credit however it was her love of composition thatremained her focus. Self-taught she began composing at the age of nine. Since then she has written pieces for The Dutch Brass Quintet The Dutch Brass Ensemble The Rotterdam Trombone Quartet and the brass band quintet Brass Ability. Atpresent she is the in-house arranger for The Rotterdam Philarmonic Brass Ensemble. Besides the customary attention for the real splashworks she endeavours to add value to the melodic function of the brass wind instruments in her music. Hercompositions and arrangements can be found on many diverse Cds.The composition the Lonesome Knight was based on a fairytale. The piece was written by Saskia Apon for the National Brass Band Championships 2001. Once upon a time there was aknight who went to fight and defeat the dragon that had been killing the people of his town. There is a short but intense battle between the two and the knight is triumphant. However whilst persuing the dragon the knight has travelled far awayfrom his home and now is lost. He roames around trying to find his way home but exhausted and weary he falls to the ground. He awakens startled by a Giant and a group of Goblins who are celebrating the death of the dragon. The knight joins inthe festivities but after a long evening is once more left alone. The sun rises the following morning and he sees a castle on the horizon. He enthousiastcally ventures towards the castle in the hope of meeting other people. However he becomesgreatly disillusioned when there is n

If there is one set of music any beginner band should own this is it. It is made up of 24 short contrasting pieces which are a mixture of folk songs well-known classics Christmas items and original works each of which is aimed to reinforce an aspect of learning. A must for all beginner bands.

This work for Tuba and Brass Band was commissioned by and written for internationally renowned tuba soloist Steve Sykes. The Tuba plays four notes (F Bb G C) during the opening. All the themes and much of the harmonic structure are based on these fours notes and their permutations. The soloist receives ample opportunity to showcase his or her technical prowess and expressive capabilities. Fantasia for Tuba also provides plenty of interaction between the soloist and brass band.

This splendid Christmas work gives you a three verse setting of the ancient melody In Dulci Jubilo which is generally associated with the text Good Christian Men Rejoyce. There is however a slight twist to this version in that each verse is a setting by three different composers covering over 300 years. The first setting is by the German composer Michael Praetorius (1571-1621) the second by JS Bach (1685-1750) and the third by the English romantic composer Sir John Stainer (1840 - 1901). The different verses are a fascinating study in the development of harmony and rhythmic style and give a brief glimpse into the personality and compositional styles of each composer.

South Down Pictures was commissioned by Millenium Brass 2000 an organisation comprising three brass bands from the county of Sussex England.The bands (Patcham Silver Hangleton and Brighton Silver) had got together to organise many events to mark the new millennium and these culminated in a concert in Hove Town Hall on July 9th 2000 when all three bands combined to give the first performance of South Down Pictures. The composer spent much of his childhood amongst the South Downs a range of hills in Sussex which runs parallel to the sea.Opening with a strong unison passage interrupted briefly by faster figures based on the interval of a fifth South Down Picturesdevelops with an often-passionate legato melody. Reaching a climax this is then followed by the main vivo section of the work whose main theme is based on the earlier ‘fifth’ figures. A bridge passage leads to a short chorale figure and a rhythmic climax which dissolves into a plaintive cornet solo over staccato chords. This theme is taken up by the whole band and leads back to a recapitulation of the main theme and earlier material. The cornet tune returns triumphantly in the major key before the opening unison passage reappears to provide a stirring coda.

Exceptionally useful! This collection of 24 etudes is specifically designed to help develop good individual and ensemble tone production and intonation. Citing tone production as one of the most important facets of good playing Jim Curnow starts beginning players with material they have learned in their beginning method books and then moves on to new and more advanced concepts. A great aid for your program!

A fascinating parade of people passing by. 1. A drum major who cannot control his platoon. 2. An unhandy clown who has known better times. 3. A robot that comes to life and dances of pleasure. 4. A charming princess displays her exceptional charms. 5. A funky guy who goes berserk literally and figuratively. 6. A priest conducts a service and clearly enthrals his audience. 7. The old acrobat tries it one more time however not always with success. 8. A spy who is shy but a master of his profession. 9. And who are you? That is the big question.

Véritable symbole de la période de Noël la musique entonne son chant joyeux et résonne tant dans les lieux sacrés que dans les rues. A Christmas Celebration (« Célébrons Noël ») de James Curnow est un arrangement de huit noëls qui convient à différents ensembles grâce à son instrumentation variable.

À partir de 776 avant J.-C. et pendant plus d?un millénaire les Jeux Olympiques antiques ont eu lieu dans le site sacré d?Olympie en Grèce. L?année 1896 voit la renaissance de l?olympisme. Le baron Pierre de Coubertin organise les premiers Jeux modernes à Athènes. En 1996 Atlanta célèbre avec faste le centenaire des Jeux. James Curnow compose à la demande du Comité Olympique d?Atlanta cette œuvre brillante idéale pour débuter un concert.

À partir de 776 avant J.-C. et pendant plus d?un millénaire les Jeux Olympiques antiques ont eu lieu dans le site sacré d?Olympie en Grèce. L?année 1896 voit la renaissance de l?olympisme. Le baron Pierre de Coubertin organise les premiers Jeux modernes à Athènes. En 1996 Atlanta célèbre avec faste le centenaire des Jeux. James Curnow compose à la demande du Comité Olympique d?Atlanta cette œuvre brillante idéale pour débuter un concert.

In Theme Park Fun! your orchestra pays a visit to an amusement park. During your visit you will experience some spectacular rides and attractions this theme park offers. The uniqueness of Theme Park Fun! is the interplay between music and(moving) images. Animations and illustrations support the visual composition (downloadable after ordering a set on www.gobelinmusic.com).Part 1: The Entrance & Parade [with animation]The opening of the park is a fact. A day fullof fun and pleasure awaits! You and the other visitors will be confronted with all the rides attractions and adventures the theme park has to offer. Which ride shall we do first?! There is so much to do and experience on this day in the park! Aparade of colorful floats and park figures is passing by.Let the fun begin!Part 2: The Haunted House [with animation]The only ride in the park that is not related to fun is the Haunted House. Here visitors will be challengedto visit a house full of ghosts creepy figures and other ominous things. The clock strikes twelve there is no turning back. Ghosts are whispering yelling screaming... Fortunately it is almost one oclock so we can leave this creepy placequickly.Part 3: The Swinging Galleon [with illustrations]What a huge pirate ship! Each time you swing back and forth you will feel that weird feeling in your stomach. When you are thrown completely into the top you will have afantastic view over the park but you can not enjoy it for long. Before you know the ship swings back the other way.Part 4: The Fairy Tale Ride [with illustrations]After all those exciting and spectacular rides and attractions it is time for a peaceful tour in The Fairy Tale Ride. Surrounded by a fairytale setting you will discover fable figures talking animals and colorful designs. Such a beauty and tranquility. Having had this experience we are ready again for thebig rides in the park!Part 5: The Bumper Cars [with illustrations]Now its time to crawl behind the wheel of the Bumper Cars! Shall we all chase the conductor?! Before you know you are hit by another visitor or you will bumpagainst someone else. In this tough ride you can prove yourself as a real driver or perhaps as a really bad one.Part 6: The Roller Coaster [with illustrations]The largest fastest and scariest ride in the park ... we shoulddefinitely do the Roller Coaster! All together in the train the over-the-shoulder restraints are lowering... be ready to ride. The train leaves the station and is heading for the big lift hill. It will be very scary when the train reaches the topand the train will be plunged down the first drop! Loops corkscrews and other spectacular coaster elements will follow... Before you know it the ride of your life is over. Shall we ride it again?!Part 7: Leaving the Park [withanimation]Unfortunately everything comes to an end.

The word ‘tsunami’ is of Japanese origin. When you look it up in a dictionary you will find that it means ‘a great sea wave produced by submarine earth movement or volcanic eruption’. A megatsunami is the superlative of this awesome expressionof power that nature can create and has catastrophic consequences. When Carl Wittrock completed this composition not many such big earth movements had occurred but since then we have become all too familiar with the disastrousconsequences which a tsunami may have. On the 26th of December 2004 a heavy seaquake took place near the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Tidal waves 10 meters in height ravaged the coastal regions of many countries for miles around. The tsunamitook the lives of thousands of people and destroyed many villages and towns. There are more areas which run the risk of being struck by a tsunami such as the island of La Palma one of the Canary Islands. This island is based on oceaniccrust at a fracture zone and as such is one of nature’s time bombs. The consequences of a natural calamity like a megatsunami are immense. In the case of La Palma the tidal wave will move in the direction of South America where it may reach 50km inland destroying everything on its way. In his composition Wittrock describes an ordinary day which will have an unexpected ending. Right from the beginning there seems to be something in the air the music creating an oppressiveatmosphere of impending disaster. Themes are interrupted broken off suddenly followed by silence suggesting the calm before the storm. Suddenly a short climax (glissandi in the trombone part) indicates the seaquake and the megatsunami isa fact. Hereafter follows a turbulent passage symbolising the huge rolling waves. After nature’s force has spent itself resignation sets in and the composition ends with a majestic ode to nature.

‘Circus Delight’ is a five-part suite which is set how could it be otherwise in a big circus tent. The suite starts with a part called ‘Entrance’. The orchestra positioned above the entrance of the ring asks for the attention of the audience and then the ring announcer enters. The show can begin! The elephants play a central role in the first act. These colossal grey animals are rather slow and perform their tricks in a moderate tempo. (‘Elephant Blues’) How different are ‘The Acrobats’. At high speed they run jump and fly through the ring until ....... It gets very exciting. Fortunately all’s well that ends well and they take their leave of the audienceat a trot. Everyone knows and yet it is mostly not spoken about that when a clown has taken off his red nose and rubbed off his make-up his face off-stage is not always a happy one. (‘Tears of the Clown’) The piece ends on a cheerful note with ‘The Parade’ in which all the artists make their entrance in the ring once again to gratefully acknowledge the audience’s overwhelming applause.