(December 7 1941)-Premiered at Pearl Harbor this new work from Jay Bocook is a musical remembrance of that fateful day that launched our country into WWII. Opening with a beautiful and flowing melody featuring the woodwinds the day begins with alone bugler but with ominous undertones foretelling the chaos to follow. The attack is depicted using inventive scoring textures dissonances and percussion. In the final segment the opening melody returns juxtaposed over astrong rhythmic pulse in a hopeful look to the future. A powerful musical statement from one of today's most gifted composers!

Michael's exciting new piece for developing groups is one of his best - filled with tone clusters percussive effects and a driving rhythmic feel and a sizzling climatic coda. Each season directors look to Michael for theircontest or festival work that will keep students intrigued and motivated. Beyond the Seven Hills is certain to be a choice of teachers who insist on top quality teaching literature for their bands.

In this composition William Vean takes you on a journey through the fascinating and exciting world of animals. Apart from it being a composition filled with 'special effects' Animal Kingdom contains many educational elements such as playing inswing (triplets feeling) chromatics flutter tonguing gypsy tuning varying keys and of course dynamics and articulation. The melodic lines occur in all four voices as well as in all percussion parts providing each musician with theopportunity to play a solo or to accompany. Highly recommended for your youth band! William Vean is an educational composer. He knows how to musically shape the special elements from our daily lives. His music is therefore veryexpressive containing creative solutions to possible problems. Special ways of playing make his music particularly interesting for the winds but the percussion section is also featured in his special effects. The world of the animalsalways plays on ones imagination. In Animal Kingdom William Vean has portrayed a number of animals in a special manner: Kevin Kangaroo - The jumping character of this animal can be heard in different voices. The swing style alsoemphasizes the characteristic movements of the kangaroo. Playing in swing style can be practised by using scales. Eddy Elephant - For some of his smaller fellow fauna friends this can be quite an ordeal but for Eduard (Eddy for friendsand intimates) it is his daily walk. Baldrick Bat - Baldrick the Bat is a mysterious character. This can be heard in the fast moving valves and keys accompanied by special effects in the percussion section. Curtis Camel - Curtisthe Camel trudges across the desert feeling bored. The idea that the horizon will never change does not affect him anymore. He has accepted his fate. The distinctive tones from the gypsy scale provide the suitable oriental sounds. BettyButterfly - Butterfly Betty elegantly and without worries flutters from flower to flower in the garden. Her motto: Carpe Diem (Seize the Day). Betty is a one-day butterfly. Marvin Monkey - A 'swing' monkey stirs up the feelings. Evenmembers of the orchestra will look like real monkeys. How about your audience? Each part has its own difficulties and challenges. Important in the first part is playing 'in swing' (triplets feeling). This can be practised usingscales. In the second part ensemble playing and balance are important. In Baldrick additional information on the effects that have to be played might be useful. 'New' sounds are of course welcome. Curtis the Camel introduces thegypsy scale. Additional explanation of the use of the scale might be useful. Key changes are interesting in this part. A slight accent on the first beat of the bar will add to the charm of this part. Marvin the Monkey brings back the swingrhythm that was introduced in the first part altern

This major concert work cosists o five movements.1st movement: La Laguna del ShimbeSituated high up in the Andes mountains in Northern Peru are the Huaringas a group of lagoons in isolated and mysterious surroundings. The water has healing powersand for centuries traditional healers have settled there in small villages. From far the sick come to the Huaringas to be treated in nightly rituals in which the hallucinating juice of the San Pedro cactus gives the prophet a look inside hispatient. The biggest lagoon is the ?Laguna del Shimbe? one of the countless wells of the immense Amazon stream.2nd movement: Los AguarunasFurther downstream in Northern Peru we come across the rain tribe of Los Aguarunas. It?s a proud beautiful andindependent race which has never succumbed to domination not even from the Incas. They live from everything the forest has to offer: fish fruit plants ... . They also grow some crops and live as semi-nomads. They take their fate into their ownhands and after having made contact with modern civilisation they have integrated new elements into their lives without betraying their own ways.3rd movement: MekaronMekaron is an Indian word meaning ?picture? ?soul? ?essence?. The Indians are theorigina inhabitants of the Amazon region. They either live in one place as a group or move around a large region. They all have their own political system their own language and an intense social life. At the same time they are master of music andmedicine. ?Everywhere the white man goes he leaves a wilderness behind him? wrote the North American Indian leader Seatl in 1885. As a result of these contacts with the whites the disruption of most Indian societies began. (In this century alone 80 tribes have vanished completely).4th movement: KêêtuajêThis is the name of the initiating ceremony of the Krahô tribe in the Brazilian state of Goias in which young boys and girls enter adult life. They are cleansed with water painted with redpaint and covered with feathers after which the ritual dance holds the entire tribe spell-bound.5th movement: Paulino FaiakanIn 1988 the Indian chiefs Faiakan and Raoni Kaiapo came to Europe to protest against the building of the Altamira dam inBrazil. As a result of the dam the Indians would be driven from their traditional land and enormous artificial would be created. The project was supported financially by amongst others the European Community. In February 1989 the Indian tribesaround Altamira held a protest march for the first time in their history together. Amongst other things they paid tribute tot Chico Mendez who murdered in 1988 was the leader of the rubber syndicate and a fierce opponent of the destruction of theBrazilian rain forest. Brazilian and world opinion was awakened. The building of the dam was -albeit temporarily - stopped.

Following a successful appearance at a national competition a leading Japanese concert band commissioned the composition of this new work. The presentation of the main theme at the beginning of the piece along with its eventual development and variations in the middle section represents a very personal message for the band. It symbolises both the joy felt following the success at the competition and looks forward to further successes in the future. An inspiring work which celebrates the success of any band.

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 expression of 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 disastrous consequences 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 ofmany countries for miles around. The tsunami took 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 oceanic crust 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 50 km 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 oppressive atmosphere 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 is a 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.

Complete with drones and a coda reminiscent of Irish dance music you will want to look closely at this outstanding work!

Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Model T Ford-What fun you’ll have with this descriptive tone picture by Timothy Johnson! All kinds of creative rhythmic and orchestration effects bring the old Model T to life once again. Young musicians will revel in the fun of interpreting this joyous look at the 'old days.' It’s a perfect contrast to lighten up your concert and refresh the audience. There’s also plenty to teach in the realm of style articulation phrasing and much more let alone the opportunity for cross-curricular teaching in U.S. history. It makes learning fun.

Par HOSAY JAMES L.. Blackbeard and his crew of ruffian freebooters, aboard the ship Queen Anne’s Revenge, were the terrors of the Atlantic and the Caribbean in the early 18th century. Composer James L. Hosay captures those turbulent times in music with his vivid and exciting new tone poem, SWORDS AGAINST THE SEA. This presents an excellent opportunity for cross-curriculum teaching with history. SWORDS AGAINST THE SEA carves out new territory all its own. A rollicking sea chantey and the emotions of impending battle are described in the first two movements. Your audience will thrill to the sound and fury of battle in the final movement, as the most feared Pirate of his day finally meets his match. Go ahead! Raise your spyglass! Look ahead, look astern, look a’weather and a’lee! / Niveau : 3 / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie

Up Where We Belong - Unchain My Heart - With a Little Help - You Can Leave Your Hat On-Joe Cocker is considered the most successful white blues singer; he is especially well-known for his rough striking voice. In 1968 With a Little Help from My Friends became his first number one hit in the UK. With this song he had his great breakthrough at the legendary Woodstock festival in 1969. He can now look back on 40 years of performing and he still is very successful. His records are almost selfselling and his tours easily fill stadiums. Wolfgang Wössner a true Joe Cocker fan from early childhood has collected the singer?s most beautiful and successful songs and arranged them in a great medley for concert band.

Recognized by many as one of the all-time most beautiful melodies Greensleeves has long been associated with the Christmas season. The bold and powerful introduction gradually melts away to a tender Woodwind statement of the timeless theme. You’ll find a whole new way to look at this Christmas classic as it gradually builds with intriguing harmonies. Rich and rewarding this well may be the most beautiful new concert band piece you’ll discover this year.

Recognized by many as one of the all-time most beautiful melodies Greensleeves has long been associated with the Christmas season. The bold and powerful introduction gradually melts away to a tender Woodwind statement of the timeless theme. You’ll find a whole new way to look at this Christmas classic as it gradually builds with intriguing harmonies. Rich and rewarding this well may be the most beautiful new concert band piece you’ll discover this year.

An Astrological Composition. Astrology is based on the principle that each sort of time has its own quality. In order to determine the quality of a particular moment an astrologer looks at the position of the planets in the solar sustemat that moment. Each planet has specific types of energies and its location provides unique information for a certain moment on Earth. Thus: its position in the sky tells something about what happens on Earth. In this composition the typesof energies of four planets are musically translated. The four planet were not randomly chosen. There are two pairs whose influence and energy are opposite. Venus and Mars. Venus represents the feminine principle: harmony beauty art and the ability to make relationships and to keep the peace. Venus connects and communicates in order to maintain the balance. Mars represent the masculine principle: winning impulsiveness enthusiasm and sexual energy for procreation.He creates war enabling the strongest to triumph. Mars is musically depicted in a stirring march in which enthusiasm characterises the masculine character. Saturn and Jupiter. Saturn represents concentration and withdrawal: the strongnotion of responsibility seriousness self-discipline and melancholy. Saturn is the hermit who will conquer his fears and worries in minimal conditions and by self-chastisement. This contemplative character is depicted in the music as if it isalmost standing still which also reflects the given character of this planet. Jupiter represents growth and expansion: the positive self-confidence the good Samaritan the healer. Jupiter is the philosopher who will make the world a betterplace sees future possibilities and searches for eternal values. He is the prophet who sometimes rants and raves his doctrine and proclamations resulting musically in a whirling and upbeat finale. not looking back at what has been but searchingfor new challenges. 'Heaven and Earth' was commisioned by the Music Lending and Information Centre (MUI) a department of the library for the province of Gelderland in Arnhem The Netherlands.Een astrologische compositie. Astrologie is gebaseerd op het principe dat elke tijd zijn eigen kwaliteit heeft. ''Tijd voor koffie'' of ''het was je tijd nog niet'' als bijvoorbeeld een baan aan je neus voorbij is gegaan. Om de kwaliteit van een moment te lezen kijkt deastroloog naar de stand van de planeten in ons zonnestelsel op dat tijdstip. Elke planeet heeft specifieke energieën en de plaats aan de hemel geeft unieke informatie over een bepaald moment op aarde. Oftewel: de stand aan de hemel (Ouranos) verteltiets over wat er op aarde (Gaia) gebeurt. In deze compositie worden de energieën van vier planeten muzikaal vertaald. De vier planeten zijn niet lukraak gekozen. Het zijn twee paren die qua invloed en energie tegenovergesteldzijn. Venus en Mars.

This may be John Moss' best contribution to young band literature to date. His use of ancient Scottish folk styles coupled with his unmatched skill for musical drama has resulted in this fabulous new work that will find its wayto many state contest lists. Your band will thoroughly enjoy John's approach and this one deserves a special look.

Astor Piazzolla with his bandoneon is not only the undisputed master of the Argentine tango but also an exceptional exponent of southern music in general. He is the inspiration of many artists and composers and has performed with world-music formations as well as stars from the world of classical music.Oblivion is a slow and melancholic piece that can be played with or without the accordion, depending on your requirements. We recommend this arrangement if you are looking for something different.