SKU: CF.YPS105
ISBN 9780825884870. UPC: 798408084875. 9 x 12 inches. Key: Bb major.
Based on our popular New Bennett Band Book series, we have compiled march-style warm-ups in a separate publication so they may be used by all bands wishing to learn from them. These innovative warm-ups and fundamental drills are the ultimate method of teaching and reinforcing the March style.How To Use the March Warm-upsPlaying in a march style can present difficulties for young students. The most prevalent problem is that students have a tendency to play every note too short. Conversely, accented notes are usually played incorrectly with too much tongue. Do marches contain short notes? Absolutely, but these shortest of notes should be reserved for notes that precede an accent or notes that are specifically marked with a staccato. Think of unmarked notes as being separated, but not short and certainly not clipped or stopped with the tongue. Accented notes should be played with more weight using air and more length, and not just a harder tongue. Accents are given to show emphasis to a note and should be thought of in this manner.The warm-up exercises provided in this collection should give you many opportunities to stress the above-mentioned comments on march performance style. The following gives an explanation on the purpose and use of each of these exercises.No. 1 – Basic Chords and ModulationsOne of the challenges of playing marches with young students is successfully performing the key change at the Trio. This exercise presents the three basic chords (tonic, subdominant and dominant) in each of the three keys in this collection of marches. You can also use this exercise to teach and reinforce the style of accented notes. You may want to have your band play major scales in succession by fourths to reinforce the concept of modulation to the subdominant that occurs at the Trio (i.e. the B≤-major scale, then the E≤-major scale, then the A≤-major scale). I might suggest getting the students to try continuing the pattern all the way around the circle of fourths.No. 2 – March Style in B≤ MajorThis exercise contains many opportunities to teach and reinforce the difference between staccato and accented notes. The melody voices move up and down the B≤-major scale, while other instruments play chords commonly found in the marches in this collection. These include diminished chords, secondary dominant chords (i.e. the V of the V) and other common chromatic chords that Fillmore often used.No. 3 – Cakewalk Rhythm in B≤ MajorThe simple syncopated rhythm in this exercise is common to many marches. This drill gives you the opportunity to teach/ reinforce the standard ar-ticulation and natural accent of this rhythmic pattern. Again, this exercise uses an ascending and descending major-scale pattern as the melodic basis, accompanied by chords commonly found in American- style marches.No. 4 – The March Scale in B≤ MajorI call this exercise “The March Scale,†because often in marches (and especially in these marches) the descending half-step is part of the melodic material. These chromatic figures give the melodies of many marches their charm and flow. Thus, I devised this exercise and others like it in E≤ major and A≤ major to familiarize students with these patterns. I would suggest playing the pattern in a variety of ways different from what is written. Here are some other possibilities:• Tongue one, slur three• Slur two, tongue two• Tongue two, slur two• Tongue one, slur two, tongue oneGradually increase the tempo to the march tempo and the articulation style will fall right into place.Another important consideration is the performance of the bass line and the bass-drum part. Too often, the bass drum and bass instruments play their parts with equal emphasis on both beats in the measure. This is incorrect, and frequently makes the marchNo. 5 – March Style in E≤ MajorThis is a similar to exercise No. 2, but with a different rhythmic pattern. Emphasize the difference between accented and unaccented notes. Also, play the exercise with line direction moving the musical line forward. Experiment and play the exercise with different dynamic choices and with hairpins up and down in different ways.No. 6 – More March Style in E≤ MajorExercise No. 6 comprises more rhythmic patterns and harmonic materials in E≤ major to teach and reinforce the march style. This exercise em-phasizes the sixteenth-note rhythm, as notated in the third measure of the exercise. Young stu- dents have a tendency to “crush†the sixteenths; consequently, they lack clarity. It would be a good idea to work this rhythmic figure on a scale pattern with all of the instruments in the band as an additional warm-up exercise.No. 7 – The March Scale in E≤ MajorSee the information for No. 4 and apply it to this exercise. Use all of the various articulations described above as well.No. 8 – March Style in A≤ MajorSee the information for No. 2 and apply it to this exercise.No. 9 – Cakewalk Rhythm in A≤ MajorSee the information for No. 3 and apply it to this exercise.No. 10 – The March Scale in A≤ MajorSee the information for No. 4 and apply it to this exercise.Other Ideas for March PerformanceA rehearsal practice that has worked very well for me is to start out by having the band play the march very slowly at about Œ = 60 in a chorale/legato style. The slow tempo is a fine opportunity to work on clarity of harmonic move- ment and to work on the balance and blend of the tutti band sound. This will pay great dividends toward improving the sound of your band. Gradually increase the tempo to the march tempo and the articulation style will fall right into place.Another important consideration is the performance of the bass line and the bass-drum part. Too often, the bass drum and bass instruments play their parts with equal emphasis on both beats in the measure. This is incorrect, and frequently makes the march.
SKU: HL.4008043
UPC: 196288114673.
Lord of the Lake is a work in three separate movements which tells the legend of the “Sea of Flines.†Stéphane Coquet, the conductor of the Flines-lez-Râches concert band, wanted to celebrate the 140th anniversary of his band by commissioning this work. The piece can be performed either on its own, or with a narrator who intervenes between each movement, telling this legend where children and their parents thwart the cruelty of a lord holed up in his castle.
SKU: BT.GOB-000554-010
There are people who are capable of planning well. They live their lives in a well-structured manner and know exactly what they have to do. On the other hand, there are also people who are the exact opposite: they want to do too many things at once and are often somewhat absent-minded, which occasionally results in frantic situations. The outcome of one such situation is ‘They are coming’. John Emerson Blackstone had been working on a new composition for some time when he received a telephone call from his editor, who told him that the deadline was approaching rapidly, even worse, that it would expire at the end of that same day and that he would drop by in person to fetch thecomposition! Blackstone set to work in a frenzy and completed the last details. When his editor arrived, the piece was finished ..... and got its definitive title: ‘They are coming’. Er zijn mensen die goed kunnen plannen. Ze leven zeer gestructureerd en weten precies wat ze moeten doen. Er zijn er ook die dat niet kunnen. Ze doen vaak vijf dingen tegelijkertijd, zijn niet zelden enigszins verstrooid met als gevolgdat er af en toe gespannen situaties ontstaan. Het resultaat van zo’n situatie is ‘They are coming’. John Emerson Blackstone was al een poosje bezig met een nieuwe compositie toen de hij zijn uitgever aan de telefoon kreeg.De deadline kwam met rasse schreden in zicht, sterker nog, het einde van die bewuste dag was de deadline en zou de uitgever het materiaal bij de componist ophalen. Blackstone is als een razende Roeland aan het werk gegaanen heeft de laatste puntjes op de i gezet. Toen de uitgever arriveerde was het stuk klaar... en kreeg haar definitieve titel: ‘They are coming’.
SKU: BT.GOB-000554-140
SKU: CN.R10202
Warlike, then noble, Now is the Day is based on the great figure in Scottish history - William Wallace, often called Braveheart. Opening with the woodwinds playing drums along with the percussion section against brass fanfares, this piece will create an air of excitement. An alto saxophone solo provides a brief moment of solace between the battle scenes.This work is based on a great figure in Scottish history - William Wallace, often called Braveheart. The song Scots wha hae wi' Wallace bled, which is Scotland's unofficial national anthem contains the line Now is the day and how is the hour, and this is the source of the title. The opening section is warlike in sound with woodwinds playing tambours of some sort - tom-toms, tambours, even old drum skins will make the kind of noise required to simulate a battle. Noisy brass fanfares are melodic fragments of Scots wha hae melody. Eventually, woodwinds join in and the music slows down to an alto saxophone solo, again based on fragments of Scots wha hae. The battle tempo resumes and percussion then lead the band noisily into an eventual full statement of the theme creating a noble sound against the continuing drum patterns, leading to a triumphant ending.
SKU: BT.AMP-426-010
English-German-French-Dutch.
The Way to Heaven was commissioned by the Royal Air Force Music Services. 2015 was the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, which took place between July and October 1940, when the courageous fighter pilots of the Royal Air Forcethwarted Hitler’s ambitions to launch an invasion on the UK. The Way to Heaven opens with fluttering woodwind figures and brass fanfares, which build to a climax before a change of key introduces a short quotation for the Polish National Anthem - Mazurek Dbrowskiego. This fades and you can hear thesignal to scramble and the throaty sounds of the squadron’s Merlin engines bursting into life before they line up to take off. This leads to the main thematic material of the work, which depicts the heaven-bound flight of 303 Squadron as it climbs tointercept the incoming Messerschmitt 109s. A brief allusion to the Polish national anthem brings the piece to a triumphant close. The Way to Heaven is geschreven in opdracht van de Britse Royal Air Force Music Services. In 2015 was het 75 jaar geleden dat de Slag om Engeland plaatsvond, tussen juli en oktober 1940, toen de moedige gevechtspiloten van de Royal Air Forcede ambities van Hitler om het Verenigd Koninkrijk tot capitulatie te dwingen wisten te dwarsbomen. The Way to Heaven opent met ‘dwarrelende’ motieven in het hout en koperfanfares, die worden opgebouwd tot een climax voordat een modulatie een kort citaat van het Poolse volkslied Mazurek Dbrowskiego introduceert. Dit sterft weg endan horen we het alarmsignaal voor het opstijgen van de vliegtuigen, en het schorre geluid van de Merlin-motoren voordat de gevechtstoestellen de lucht in gaan. Dit leidt tot het belangrijkste thematische materiaal van het werk, dat de ‘vlucht naarde hemel’ van het 303 Squadron beschrijft tijdens de klim omhoog met als doel het onderscheppen van de Duitse Messerschmitts Bf 109. Een toespeling op het Poolse volkslied brengt het werk naar zijn triomfantelijke slot.The Way to Heaven wurde von den Royal Air Force Music Services in Auftrag gegeben. 2015 jährte sich die Luftschlacht um England, die von Juli bis Oktober 1940 stattgefunden hat, zum 75. Mal. Die mutigen Jagdflieger der Royal Air Force hattenHitlers Ambitionen einer Invasion Englands verhindert. The Way to Heaven beginnt mit einer unruhigen Figur in den Holzbläsern und mit Blechbläser-Fanfaren, die sich zu einem Höhepunkt aufbauen, bevor ein Tonartwechsel einen kurzen Verweis auf die polnische Nationalhymne Mazurek Dbrowskiego“ einleitet. Dies verklingt langsam und man hört das Signal zum Kampf und das Dröhnen der Merlin-Triebwerke der Staffeln, die vor dem Start zum Leben erwachen und sich aufstellen. Dies führt zum Hauptthema des Werkes, das den Flug in den Himmel vonStaffel 303 beschreibt, um die herankommenden Messerschmidt 109 abzufangen. Es klingt nochmals kurz die polnische Nationalhymne an, bevor das Stück mit einem triumphalen Schluss endet.The Way to Heaven est une commande des services de musique de la Royal Air Force. 2015 a marqué le 75e anniversaire de la Bataille d’Angleterre qui eut lieu de juillet octobre 1940, et durant laquelle les courageux pilotes de chasse de laRoyal Air Force entravèrent les ambitions d’Hitler d’envahir le Royaume-Uni. The Way to Heaven commence par des motifs tremblants pour bois et des fanfares de cuivres qui se développent vers une apogée ; ensuite une modulation introduit une courte citation de l’hymne national polonais, Mazurek Dbrowskiego. Alorsque ces idées s’affaiblissent, on entend le signal pour décoller en urgence, puis le son rauque des moteurs Merlin de l’escadron mis en marche, avant que les avions ne s’alignent pour décoller. Ceci mène au matériel thématique principal de l’œuvrequi dépeint le vol vers le ciel de l’escadron 303 alors qu’il monte pour intercepter les Messerschmitt 109 entrants. Une brève allusion l’hymne national polonais mène la fin triomphante de l’œuvre.Way to Heaven (La strada per il Paradiso) è stata commissionato dai Servizi Musicali della Royal Air Force britannica. Nel 2015 è stato ricordato il 75° anniversario della Battaglia d'Inghilterra, che ebbe luogo tra luglio e ottobre del 1940, quando i coraggiosi piloti della RAF impedirono le ambizioni di Hitler, che voleva invadere il Regno Unito.
SKU: BT.AMP-426-140
The Way to Heaven was commissioned by the Royal Air Force Music Services. 2015 was the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, which took place between July and October 1940, when the courageous fighter pilots of the Royal Air Forcethwarted Hitler’s ambitions to launch an invasion on the UK. The Way to Heaven opens with fluttering woodwind figures and brass fanfares, which build to a climax before a change of key introduces a short quotation for the Polish National Anthem - Mazurek Dbrowskiego. This fades and you can hear thesignal to scramble and the throaty sounds of the squadron’s Merlin engines bursting into life before they line up to take off. This leads to the main thematic material of the work, which depicts the heaven-bound flight of 303 Squadron as it climbs tointercept the incoming Messerschmitt 109s. A brief allusion to the Polish national anthem brings the piece to a triumphant close. The Way to Heaven<+O> is geschreven in opdracht van de Britse Royal Air Force Music Services. In 2015 was het 75 jaar geleden dat de Slag om Engeland plaatsvond, tussen juli en oktober 1940, toen de moedige gevechtspiloten van de Royal Air Forcede ambities van Hitler om het Verenigd Koninkrijk tot capitulatie te dwingen wisten te dwarsbomen. The Way to Heaven opent met ‘dwarrelende’ motieven in het hout en koperfanfares, die worden opgebouwd tot een climax voordat een modulatie een kort citaat van het Poolse volkslied Mazurek Dbrowskiego introduceert. Dit sterft weg endan horen we het alarmsignaal voor het opstijgen van de vliegtuigen, en het schorre geluid van de Merlin-motoren voordat de gevechtstoestellen de lucht in gaan. Dit leidt tot het belangrijkste thematische materiaal van het werk, dat de ‘vlucht naarde hemel’ van het 303 Squadron beschrijft tijdens de klim omhoog met als doel het onderscheppen van de Duitse Messerschmitts Bf 109. Een toespeling op het Poolse volkslied brengt het werk naar zijn triomfantelijke slot.The Way to Heaven wurde von den Royal Air Force Music Services in Auftrag gegeben. 2015 jährte sich die Luftschlacht um England, die von Juli bis Oktober 1940 stattgefunden hat, zum 75. Mal. Die mutigen Jagdflieger der Royal Air Force hattenHitlers Ambitionen einer Invasion Englands verhindert. The Way to Heaven beginnt mit einer unruhigen Figur in den Holzbläsern und mit Blechbläser-Fanfaren, die sich zu einem Höhepunkt aufbauen, bevor ein Tonartwechsel einen kurzen Verweis auf die polnische Nationalhymne Mazurek Dbrowskiego“ einleitet. Dies verklingt langsam und man hört das Signal zum Kampf und das Dröhnen der Merlin-Triebwerke der Staffeln, die vor dem Start zum Leben erwachen und sich aufstellen. Dies führt zum Hauptthema des Werkes, das den Flug in den Himmel vonStaffel 303 beschreibt um die herankommenden Messerschmidt 109 abzufangen. Es klingt nochmals kurz die polnische Nationalhymne an, bevor das Stück mit einem triumphalen Schluss endet.The Way to Heaven est une commande des services de musique de la Royal Air Force. 2015 a marqué le 75e anniversaire de la Bataille d’Angleterre qui eut lieu de juillet octobre 1940, et durant laquelle les courageux pilotes de chasse de laRoyal Air Force entravèrent les ambitions d’Hitler d’envahir le Royaume-Uni. The Way to Heaven commence par des motifs tremblants pour bois et des fanfares de cuivres qui se développent vers une apogée ; ensuite une modulation introduit une courte citation de l’hymne national polonais, Mazurek Dbrowskiego. Alorsque ces idées s’affaiblissent, on entend le signal pour décoller en urgence, puis le son rauque des moteurs Merlin de l’escadron mis en marche, avant que les avions ne s’alignent pour décoller. Ceci mène au matériel thématique principal de l’œuvrequi dépeint le vol vers le ciel de l’escadron 303 alors qu’il monte pour intercepter les Messerschmitt 109 entrants. Une brève allusion l’hymne national polonais mène la fin triomphante de l’œuvre.Way to Heaven (La strada per il Paradiso) è stata commissionato dai Servizi Musicali della Royal Air Force britannica. Nel 2015 è stato ricordato il 75° anniversario della Battaglia d'Inghilterra, che ebbe luogo tra luglio e ottobre del 1940, quando i coraggiosi piloti della RAF impedirono le ambizioni di Hitler, che voleva invadere il Regno Unito.
SKU: CL.RWS-2012-00
This will be an audience favorite to open or close your next concert! The appeal of this energetic and contemporary march stands out immediately due to playful harmonies and lively melodic lines. Bryce Newton's attention to scoring ensures that all sections will enjoy performing the piece. The concept of living Above the Line lends itself to character development and other valuable teaching opportunities with your students. A fresh and exciting march for your next concert!
SKU: CF.CPS200
ISBN 9781491152355. UPC: 680160909858.
Although some stories in Greek mythology reveal a different side to his character, Apollo was widely regarded to hold a cheerful personality and communicating joy through the music he played on his lyre. Apollo Arise is an energetic and spirited work for band ideal for opening a concert. The uplifting and exuberant melodic material lead the group on a sonic journey to capture the joy and light music can bring to both the audience and the performer.Program NotesAmong the many stories in Greek mythology, Apollo holds a unique place as a complex Olympian god known for truth, prophecy, healing, poetry, plague, knowledge, light and music. Although some stories reveal a different side to his character, Apollo was widely regarded to hold a cheerful personality and communicated joy through the music he played on his lyre. Apollo Arise is an energetic and spirited work for band, ideal for opening a concert. The uplifting and exuberant melodic material lead the group on a sonic journey to capture the joy and light music can bring to both the audience and performer. From the dynamic opening fanfare to the soaring motifs and rhythms that follow, Apollo Arise provides a wonderful opportunity for the ensemble to reach for new musical heights in their performance!   Rehearsal Notes and SuggestionsThe opening twenty-four measures of the work are important for the rest of the work to unfold successfully. Encourage the ensemble to play with a unified articulation style, maintain a proper balance, and establish a consistent tempo through this section as several recurring rhythms must be performed consistently. Measure 38 features a trumpet solo, so be sure that the rest of the ensemble balances their line to support the solo instrument. In the section that begins at m. 67, there is an optional solo opportunity for trumpet and trombone. Both of these sections provide nice contrast against the full ensemble sections that are present in the work. The section at m. 81 includes a call-and-response section between woodwind, brass and percussion groups. Be sure that as groups enter, the tempo remains consistent and that the winds articulation style is unified and complimentary to the percussion. As the opening fanfare returns at m. 101, remind the ensemble to play with consistent style, balance and tempo as they did in the opening. As the ensemble begins the part of the journey with Apollo at m. 110, the music contains unique layers that must work together to be effective and set up the material that begins at m. 127. Encourage the group to play so they can hear all other lines, and allow their energy to grow into a focused musical celebration by the final note. Thank you in advance for your support of this music, and I wish you and your ensemble well as Apollo Arise welcomes the audience to your concert hall.
SKU: CF.CPS200F
ISBN 9781491153031. UPC: 680160910533.
SKU: CF.CPS262
ISBN 9781491161401. UPC: 680160919994.
Carl Strommen, an alumnus of the Bellmore-Merrick CHSD, composed A Walk in the Park for Walter Avenllaneda's John F. Kennedy High School Band. This composition features dynamic brass and sweeping & energetic woodwind lines. Adhere to natural phrases for which the music of Carl Strommen is known, especially in the beginning and end of the piece, to achieve the full sustained chords that are written. Make sure to bring out the three- note motif as it is orchestrated throughout the piece even in the beginning. The fast sections should be vibrant, energetic and with exaggerated dynamics that follow the line shapes. The Waltz in the middle requires a complete change of style and adds a wonderful contrast to the energy of the piece. The transition out of the Waltz into the new tempo will take some time but is well worth the effort to pull it off. The energy returns until we get a wonderful dramatic and bold ending.Carl Strommen, an alumnus of the Bellmore-Merrick CHSD, composed A Walk in the Park for Walter Avenllaneda’s John F. Kennedy High School Band. This composition features dynamic brass and sweeping & energetic woodwind lines. Adhere to natural phrases for which the music of Carl Strommen is known, especially in the beginning and end of the piece, to achieve the full sustained chords that are written. Make sure to bring out the three- note motif as it is orchestrated throughout the piece even in the beginning. The fast sections should be vibrant, energetic and with exaggerated dynamics that follow the line shapes. The Waltz in the middle requires a complete change of style and adds a wonderful contrast to the energy of the piece. The transition out of the Waltz into the new tempo will take some time but is well worth the effort to pull it off. The energy returns until we get a wonderful dramatic and bold ending.
SKU: CF.CPS262F
ISBN 9781491161722. UPC: 680160920419.
SKU: HL.44013334
The Way to Heaven was commissioned by the Royal Air Force Music Services. 2015 was the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, which took place between July and October 1940, when the courageous fighter pilots of the Royal Air Force thwarted Hitler's ambitions to launch an invasion on the UK. The Way to Heaven opens with fluttering woodwind figures and brass fanfares, which build to a climax before a change of key introduces a short quotation for the Polish National Anthem - Mazurek Dbrowskiego. This fades and you can hear the signal to scramble and the throaty sounds of the squadrons Merlin engines bursting into life before they line up to take off. This leads to the main thematic material of the work, which depicts the heaven-bound flight of 303 Squadron as it climbs to intercept the incoming Messerschmitt 109s. A brief allusion to the Polish national anthem brings the piece to a triumphant close.
SKU: HL.44013335
UPC: 888680922948.
The Way to Heaven was commissioned by the Royal Air Force Music Services. 2015 was the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, which took place between July and October 1940, when the courageous fighter pilots of the Royal Air Force thwarted Hitler's ambitions to launch an invasion on the UK. The Way to Heaven opens with fluttering woodwind figures and brass fanfares, which build to a climax before a change of key introduces a short quotation for the Polish National Anthem - Mazurek Dbrowskiego. This fades and you can hear the signal to scramble and the throaty sounds of the squadrons Merlin engines bursting into life before they line up to take off. This leads to the main thematic material of the work, which depicts the heaven-bound flight of 303 Squadron as it climbs to intercept the incomingMesserschmitt 109s. A brief allusion to the Polish national anthem brings the piece to a triumphant close.
SKU: HL.4008044
UPC: 196288114680.
SKU: CL.026-4912-00
The famous Dutch hymn We Gather Together is scored for small bands with limited instrumentation, but will sound great with bands of all sizes! Dedicated to the Frontline Responders and Essential Workers who keep us safe, this is the perfect welcome back piece for both the band and your returning audience. With Build-A-Band scoring, you get to create unique sounds using the strengths of your instrumentation, and by following the suggested flexible interplay between sections. This beautiful arrangement includes optional vocal parts for performers and/or audience. Piano, bass, guitar and percussion can strengthen your sound as well. Flexible works wonders, and it’s perfect for distance learning situations!
SKU: CL.026-4912-01
SKU: YM.GTW01101388
ISBN 9784636110005. 8.75 x 12 inches.
The ultimate full score medley of beautiful melodies from the Studio Ghibli film Princess Mononoke (1997, dir. Hayao Miyazaki), arranged for concert band in the series: New Sounds in Brass (NSB). Grade 3; Duration: approx.8'50; Composed by Joe Hisaishi; Arranged by Takashi Hoshide. Arranger Takashi Hoshide says, I have selected beautiful melodies from the soundtrack of 'Princess Mononoke' (1997, directed by Hayao Miyazaki) and arranged them into a medley. What can be said about these songs as a whole is that they combine a grand continental scale with the delicacy that reflects Japanese emotions. Since there are no upbeat songs in this selection, I had to work hard on the arrangement, but this allowed for creating contrasts and transitions between each scene in the performance. 'Ashitaka Sekki (English title: The Legend of Ashitaka)' - 'Sekki' means a story that is not recorded but passed down orally. In this anime, this can be considered a sub-main theme. The song starts with a feeling that the story is about to begin and, once the theme kicks in, aim for a grand performance to convey its scale. 'Encounter' - This is the music that plays during the scene where the protagonist Ashitaka meets San. Interestingly, the motif of the main theme 'Princess Mononoke' is used in this melody. Here, let's pursue the shifts in the timbre of individual phrases, creating a beautiful and aesthetic soundscape. 'Princess Mononoke' - This is the main title of the anime. The melody line is carried by horns and trumpets.
SKU: CL.012-4691-00
Continuing the line of family pieces dedicated to his children and grandchildren, David Holsinger gives us this happy-busy-spunky composition for his happy-busy-spunky fourth grandchild, Dylan. This will be a great teaching tool for young bands as they master their chromatic fingerings and occasional swing rhythms!
SKU: CL.012-4691-01
SKU: CN.R10004
A slow introduction gives way to the chirpy theme which is developed, inverted, and accents displaced across the bar line to give a 3/2 feel against the written meter. Restlessness leads to a tranquillo presented by the flute and clarinet, weaving a flowing counterpoint around the melody until the original slow introduction returns. A triumphant recapitulation of the main theme brings this wonderful piece to an end.Originally composed for Brass Band in 1934 Comedy Overture is, despite its name, a serious piece of writing. The term Overture does not imply that there is anything else to follow; it is used in the 19th century sense of Concert Overture (like Mendelssohn's Fingal's Cave - in other words, a miniature Tone Poem). The 1930's was a period of Ireland's mature writing - yielding the Piano Concerto (1930), the Legend for piano and orchestra (1933), and the choral work These Things Shall Be (1936-1937). We are fortunate therefore to have both Comedy Overture and A Downland Suite (1932) written for band medium at this time. As with Maritime Overture (written in 1944 for military band) Ireland approaches his material symphonically. The opening three notes state immediately the two seminal intervals of a semitone and a third. These are brooding and dark in Bb minor. It is these intervals which make up much of the thematic content of Comedy, sometimes appearing in inverted form, and sometimes in major forms as well. The concept that some musical intervals are consonant , some dissonant, and some perfect is perhaps useful in understanding the nature of the tension and resolution of this work. The third is inherently unstable, and by bar 4, the interval is expanded to a fourth - with an ascending sem-quaver triplet - and then expanded to a fifth. The instability of the third pushes it towards a perfect resolution in the fourth or the fifth. The slow introduction is built entirely around these intervals in Bb minor and leads through an oboe cadenza, to an Allegro moderato brillante in Bb major. Once again, the semi-tone (inverted) and a third (major) comprise the main, chirpy, theme-inspired by a London bus-conductor's cry of Piccadilly. (Much of the material in Comedy was re-conceived by Ireland for orchestra and published two years later under the title A London Overture.) The expansion of the interval of a third through a fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh now takes place quickly before our very ears at the outset of this quicker section. Immediately the theme is developed, inverted, and accents displaced across the bar line to give a 3/2 feel against the written meter. But this restlessness leads to a tranquillo built around an arpeggio figure and presented by flute and clarinet. Ireland weaves his flowing counterpoint around this melody until the original slow introduction returns leading to a stretto effect as the rising bass motifs become more urgent, requesting a resolution of the tension of that original semitone and minor third. Yet resolution is withheld at this point as the music becomes almost becalmed in a further, unrelated tranquillo section marked pianissimo. It is almost as if another side of Ireland's nature is briefly allowed to shine through the stern counterpoint and disciplined structure. This leads to virtually a full recapitulation of the chirpy brilliante, with small additional touches of counterpoint, followed by the first tranquillo section-this time in the tonic of Bb major. But the instability of the third re-asserts itself, this time demanding a resolution. And a triumphant resolution it receives, for it finally becomes fully fledged and reiterates the octave in a closing vivace. The opening tension has at last resolved itself into the most perfect interval of all.
