This piece was commissioned by Nordhordland Brass Seminar in 1990 and written for a youth band. The title referes to a story from norse mythology. ?The Binding of the Wolf? is not a programmatic piece of music but I felt that there was a kind of coherence between the music and the dramatic story: ?...The wolf Fenrir was one of the demonic offspring of Loki and as he grew up in Asgard among the gods he became so huge and fierce that only Tyr was willing to feed him. It was decided that he must be bound and Odin in his wisdom caused the cunning dwarfs to forge a chain which could not be broken. It was made from the invisible and yet potent powers ofthe world such as the roots of a mountain the noise of a moving cat the breath of a fish. When completed this chain seemed to be no more than a silken cord but the wolf refused to let it be laid upon him unless one of the gods would put a hand between his jaws as a pledge that it was harmless. Only Tyr was prepared to do this and when the wolf found that the chain was unbreakable the gods rejoiced but Tyr lost his hand. The binding of the wolf may be seen as a means of protecting the world of men as well as that of the gods from destruction. The story of the god losing his hand appears to be one of the fundamental myths of nothern Europe...?

Journey of the Lone Wolf tells the story of the hungarian composer Béla Bartók. It was commissioned by Dr. Nicholas Childs for Black Dyke Band who gave the first performance on Sunday 26 January 2014 at the Bridgewater Hall Manchester as part of the Royal Northern College of Music Festival of Brass. The composer's programme notes for each movement: 1. Capturing the Peasants SongAfter the upheaval of moving to Budapest the young Béla Bartók meets Zoltán Kodály and the pair embark on summertime adventures throughout the Hungarian countryside to collect and catalogue theastonishing variety (both harmonically and rhythmically) of gypsy and folk music heard in the Balkans. The arrival of WW1 plunges Bartók's beloved Hungary into chaos.2. Night MusicBartók was at times a cold man aloof and lonely. The odd moments of tenderness he showed are portrayed here in a series of evocative solos. His brief but intense affairs speak of a love he could only long for. Jazz is my night music and here there are hints of what Bartók may have heard in the USA later in his life.3. Flight and FightHaving been forced by the world's evils to leave his homeland of Hungary for America Bartók the anti-fascist felt isolated and angry. In this movement we hear his longing for a simpler time of gypsy folk dances as well as his maturity and depth as a composer finally exploring deeper colours and darker themes.

of the Bleeding Eyeball and the Blind Werewolf. Par KROON GEERT JAN. / Date parution : 2022-12-12/ Répertoire / Brass Band

The many sided and productive Michael Praetorius (1571-1621) is knwon as a composer of dance music sacred music and music for the advent and Christmas time. He worked as Kapelmeister to the court at Wolffenbuttel but he was also asked to serve in other places includin Dresden. Praetorius was valued for the new impulses he gave to music by means of his use of instrumental accompaniment. His main contribution is his theoretical work 'Syntagma Musicum' one of the most important musical refernce books in connection with instruments and instrumentation in the early 17th Century. 'Es ist ein ros entsprungen' is a well known ancient melody which has inspired numerous composers andarrangers througout the Centuries. Otto M. Schwarz has made a choral arrangement.

Flexible Brass Ensemble-5 Nursery Rhymes fused with Jazz Swing & Rock in big band style.Grade: 5 onwards