SKU: CN.S11042
This symphonic sketch for concert band is packed full different motives thrown around the ensemble hinting at the programmatic leitmotifs of Wagner. Every section of the ensemble gets a workout in this delightful 10-minute work.A Symphonic Sketch for Concert Band. The resurgence of interest in George Lloyd's music must give us faith that such talent will ultimately prevail against sometimes unhappy circumstances. Lloyd was Cornish and showed precocious gifts at an early age - he had completed his first symphony by the age of nineteen. During the 1930s he completed two operas, one of which - The Serf - was produced at Covent Garden in 1938. He was set for a glittering career as a composer. The Second World War intervened and he was invalidad out of the Navy in a shell-shocked state, and having written very little serious music since 1937 went to Switzerland to recuperate, looked after by his wife, Nancy. Painfully, he began writing again - symphonies Nos. 4 and 5 - and then returned to England. He needed to earn a living and he set up a mushroom farm in Dorset. But slowly he began to compose again and drafted more symphonies in short score. By this time he was virtually unknown - despite being considered the equal of Walton, Britten, and other young stars of English music some 30 years earlier. Lloyd decided to embark on a series of recordings of his symphonies, and slowly popular acclaim enabled him to regain his position. The Forest of Arden was written in 1987 as a result of a commission by the Solihull Youth Wind Band. Although Lloyd's music feels instinctively written one should not be misled - it is carefully crafted, but the craft and structure are always subordinated to create a flow with a strongly melodic content. Instead of two or three themes, The Forest of Arden contains an abundance of ideas which can be described in two groups. The first group contains the opening rhythmic motif, quickly developed into a short rising quaver passage in the woodwinds, and later then a chromatic ostinato bass - only 8 bars at this stage but later expanded. The second group is broad and expansive, initially based on intervals of rising fifths introduced by euphonium, tubas, and baritone saxophone, immediately echoed by horns. Low brass and winds expand the theme into rising sixths and octaves. There is a hint of development, bit this is arrested as the music moves to a piu tranquillo section introduced by the alto saxophone which further develops the rising sixth theme. There follows a true development of the opening material, starting with the ostinato bass and gradually passing through different tonal centers until the rising fifths of the second theme group are heralded - fortissimo and poco piu largamente shortly before the end. The structure is almost Wagnerian (albeit on a much smaller scale), with themes being used as leitmotifs, but this is music which, even within the space of ten minutes is conceived on a grand design.
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.
SKU: MH.1-59913-054-8
ISBN 9781599130545.
Royal Coronation Dances is the first sequel to the Fanfare Ode & Festival, both being settings of dance music originally arranged by Gervaise in the mid 16th-century (the next sequel is The Renaissance Fair, which uses music of Susato and Praetorius). Fanfare Ode & Festival has been performed by many tens of thousands of students, both in high school and junior high school. I have heard that some of them are amazed that the music they are playing was first played and danced to over 400 years ago. Some students tend to think that music started with Handel and his Messiah to be followed by Beethoven and his Fifth Symphony, with naught in between or before of consequence. Although Royal Coronation Dances is derived from the same source as Fanfare Ode & Festival, they are treated in different ways. I envisioned this new suite programmatically -- hence the descriptive movement titles, which I imagined to be various dances actually used at some long-ago coronation. The first movement depicts the guests, both noble and common, flanked by flag and banner bearers, arriving at the palace to view the majestic event. They are festive, their flags swirling the air, their cloaks brightly colored. In the second movement, the queen in stately measure moves to take her place on the throne as leader and protector of the realm. In the third movement, the jesters of the court entertain the guests with wild games of sport. Musically, there are interesting sonorities to recreate. Very special attention should be given to the tambourine/tenor drum part in the first movement. Their lively rhythms give the movement its power. Therefore they should be played as distinctly and brilliantly as possible. The xylophone and glockenspiel add clarity, but must not be allowed to dominate. Observe especially the differing dynamics; the intent is to allow much buzzing bass to penetrate. The small drum (starting at meas. 29) should be played expressively, with attention to the notated articulations, with the brass light and detached, especially in a lively auditorium. It is of some further interest that the first dance is extremely modal. The original is clearly in G mixolydian mode (scale: G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G). However, other editors might put in F-sharps in many places (changing the piece almost to G major), in the belief that such ficta would have been automatically put in by the 16th-century performers as they played. I doubt it. I have not only eschewed these within the work, but even at the cadences. So this arrangement is most distinctly modal (listen to the F-naturals in meas. 22 and 23, for instance), with all the part-writing as Gervaise wrote it. In the second movement, be careful that things do not become too glued together. In the 16th century this music might have been played by a consort of recorders, instruments very light of touch and sensitive to articulation. Concert band can easily sound heavy, and although this movement has been scored for tutti band, it must not sound it. It is essential, therefore, that you hear all the instruments, with none predominating. Only when each timbre can be heard separately and simultaneously will the best blend occur, and consequently the greatest transparency. So aim for a transparent, spacious tutti sound in this movement. Especially have the flutes, who do this so well, articulate rather sharply, so as to produce a chiffing sound, and do not allow the quarter-notes to become too tied together in the entire band. The entrance of the drums (first tenor, then bass) are events and as such should be audible. Incidentally, this movement begins in F Major and ends in D Minor: They really didn't care so much about those things then. The third movement (one friend has remarked that it is the most Margolisian of the bunch, but actually I am just getting subtler, I hope) again relies upon the percussion (and the scoring) to make its points. Xylophone in this movement is meant to be distinctly audible. Therefore, be especially sure that the xylophone player is secure in the part, and also that the tambourine and toms sound good. This movement must fly or it will sink, so rev up the band and conduct it in 1 for this mixolydian jesting. I suppose the wildly unrelated keys (clarinets and then brass at the end) would be a good 16th-century joke, but to us, our put-up-the-chorus-a-half-step ears readily accept such shenanigans. Ensemble instrumentation: 1 Full Score, 1 Piccolo, 4 Flute 1, 4 Flute 2 & 3, 2 Oboe 1 & 2, 2 Bassoon 1 & 2, 1 Eb Clarinet, 4 Bb Clarinet 1, 4 Bb Clarinet 2, 4 Bb Clarinet 3, 2 Eb Alto Clarinet, 1 Eb Contra Alto Clarinet, 3 Bb Bass & Bb Contrabass Clarinet, 2 Eb Alto Saxophone 1, 2 Eb Alto Saxophone 2, 2 Bb Tenor Saxophone, 2 Eb Baritone Saxophone, 3 Bb Trumpet 1, 3 Bb Trumpet 2, 3 Bb Trumpet 3, 4 Horn in F 1 & 2, 2 Trombone 1, 4 Trombone 2 & 3, 3 Euphonium (B.C.), 2 Euphonium (T.C.), 4 Tuba, 1 String Bass, 1 Timpani (optional), 2 Xylophone & Glockenspiel, 5 Percussion.
SKU: MH.1-59913-070-X
ISBN 9781599130705.
Program Notes: Stylistically diverse -- tranquil, spirited pastoral, sensitive, energetic -- exhibiting a remarkable palette, the five movements of SINFONIA IX form a unique symphonic statement. Movement I, Prelude, is about contrasts: A lazy, smooth, motive in brasses alternates with, and then joins, an active and detached motive in woodwinds. The spirited Movement II, Morley's Ghost, is an intricate canonic collage and homage to that venerable theoretician & composer, Thomas Morley. By contrast, movement III, Dialog, speaks in a relaxed, lyrical, and pastoral language as it develops its gently rising and falling motives. Movement IV, Waltz, innocently celebrates the joys of childhood with a lilting melody and rondo form. For the rousing Finale, Movement V begins with a martial call of repeated-notes, heralding a headstrong journey of power and excitement. Like a number of the composer's other works, SINFONIA IX is based on earlier material: A brass sextet, written in 1966 when the composer was nineteen years old, forms the raw material for the first, third and fifth movements, while a later work, Martin's Waltz (a children's piece for flutes and clarinets composed in 1975) is the basis of the fourth movement. The second movement, however, is a fanciful contrapuntal commentary on Thomas Morley's 16th-century canzonet, Fire and Lightning. SINFONIA IX is dedicated to John Raforth, a distinguished band director and music educator at West High School in Madison, Wisconsin. The work was commissioned by his friends and former students, and was completed in 1977. Its first publication some twenty years later is a result of the increasing attention paid by university band directors to the earlier Sinfonias, particularly Sinfonia III (Hymns and Dances); Sinfonia V (Sinfonia Sacra et Profana); and now, Sinfonia IX. Whereas the first two works are wind ensemble compositions that have been championed equally by the concert band, Sinfonia IX is the composer's first college-level Sinfonia written especially for concert band. Ensemble instrumentation: 1 Piccolo, 8 Flute 1-2, 2 Oboe, 1 Eb Clarinet, 4 Bb Clarinet 1, 4 Bb Clarinet 2, 4 Bb Clarinet 3, 3 Bb Bass Clarinet, 2 Bassoon, 4 Eb Alto Saxophone, 2 Bb Tenor Saxophone, 1 Eb Baritone Saxophone, 3 Bb Trumpet 1, 3 Bb Trumpet 2, 3 Bb Trumpet 3, 2 F Horn 1-2, 2 F Horn 3-4, 3 Trombone 1, 3 Trombone 2, 3 Baritone B.C., 2 Baritone T.C., 4 Tuba, 3 String Bass, 2 Timpani, 5 Percussion.
SKU: MH.1-59913-071-8
ISBN 9781599130712.
SKU: MH.0-931329-53-1
ISBN 9780931329531.
Journey back to ancient Greece and view a place of long-gone legend. Follow the trail to the Kingdom of Ithaca, from the heroic palace, to a place of tranquility, to a reckless dance of abandon, to the return of Odysseus. The melodic material used in 200 B.C. is from a two thousand year old Greek hymn to Apollo. The legendary adventures of Odysseus as described by Homer in the Odyssey (ca. 700 B.C.) provide the programmatic material. The music is freely based upon the First Delphic Hymn (or Paen to Apollo), composed ca. 200 B.C. The source is a transcription appearing on pages 363 - 367 of Ancient and Oriental Music, Edited by Egon Wellesz (Oxford University Press: London, 1957). Each movement of the work depicts a key event in the epic Homeric poem, as described below. Movement I: Intrada - The first four notes of this movement, C - Bb - G - Bb, are the melodic and harmonic foundation for the entire work. These pitches, introduced in a simple and direct manner, are subsequently developed in more complex fashions throughout the suite. Following this stately introduction is a militaristic fanfare that introduces the dotted-eighth and sixteenth-note figure later reprised in the second and fourth movements. Indeed, all the musical ideas which will be central to the remaining movements first appear in the Intrada. This movement depicts the grandeur of Odysseus and his kingdom in Ithaca, and establishes the heroic mood of the entire work. Movement II: Ballad - After a brief restatement of the opening dotted-eighth-and-sixteenth fanfare, the second movement extracts the falling third (Bb to G) from the C - Bb - G - Bb motif and extends it and expands it into a haunting solo for alto saxophone. The C - Bb - G - Bb motif appears again (see measures 23 - 33 in trumpets) as counterpoint to this melody, now pulsing through the thick texture of the band. Many performers have come to view the Ballad as the emotional epicenter of the entire suite; my conception of the Ballad is to achieve a union of pathos and strength. Programmatically, this movement depicts Odysseus's son, Telemachos, as he both longs for Odysseus's return and stoically defends his father's kingdom. Movement III: Dance - It will take Odysseus twenty years to return to Ithaca. During his absence, noblemen besiege his palace, violating the sanctity of the household and seeking the hand of his wife, Penelope. This movement depicts the wanton revelries that result. The original four-note motif is chromatically altered and the meter is made irregular. The rapid tempo, driving percussion, and angular meter and melodies combine in an explosion of reckless abandon. Movement IV: March Building from a delicate woodwind ensemble accompanied by finger cymbals to a fully orchestrated statement replete with thundering percussion, this is a resounding march of victory. Odysseus has returned in triumph to restore dignity to his household and to reclaim the throne of the Kingdom of Ithaca. Ensemble instrumentation: 1 Piccolo, 8 Flute 1 - 2, 2 Oboe 1 - 2, 4 Bb Clarinet 1, 4 Bb Clarinet 2, 4 Bb Clarinet 3, 1 Eb Alto Clarinet, 3 Bb Bass Clarinet, 2 Bassoon 1 - 2, 3 Eb Alto Saxophone 1, 3 Eb Alto Saxophone 2, 2 Bb Tenor Saxophone, 1 Eb Baritone Saxophone, 3 Bb Trumpet 1, 3 Bb Trumpet 2, 3 Bb Trumpet 3, 2 F Horn 1-2, 2 F Horn 3-4, 2 Trombone 1, 2 Trombone 2, 2 Trombone 3, 3 Euphonium (B.C.), 2 Euphonium T.C., 4 Tuba, 1 Timpani, 2 Mallet Percussion: Bells, Xylophone, 2 Percussion 1: Snare Drum, Tambourine, 2 Percussion 2: Crash Cymbals, Suspended Cymbal, Tom-Tom, Finger Cymbals, 1 Percussion 3: Bass Drum.
SKU: CN.S11238
Inspired by Saint-Saens' Carnival of the Animals, this work depicts many of the insects we know and love using interesting effects like tapping small sticks. Bands may like to perform the Carnival as a complete suite or to play individual movements on their own.Carnival of the Insects was commissioned by the National School Band Association and was first performed at the Scottish Festival organized by NSBA and Brian Duguid of West Lothian Arts on May 12, 2001. The music letters SBA were used to form the basis of the melodies to personalize the piece for the Association. (S can be Eb, B can be Bb using European note names.) The Carnival is inspired by Saint Saens Carnival of the Animals and derives a lot of the rhythmic structures from it. March of the Ants - The Thin Black Line The composer was reminded of a French holiday when a line of ants would march every night from the gate of the house, past the pool and up into the garden. Crickets and stick insects Here the composer remembered balmy Mediterranean nights and the sound of crickets. An interesting effect is to have small groups of players around the performance venue randomly tapping small sticks throughout this movement. Insectivores These are the creatures which eat insects and the music has a dramatic scary feel to it with a chase in the middle. Metamorphosis This is where the caterpillar changes into a butterfly. The Euphonium melody will strike the listener as being very similar to The Elephant. The Bug Parade This is a grand finales where we can imagine many of the insects in a Disney-like parade. Bands may like to perform the Carnival as a complete suite or to play individual movements on their own.
SKU: CF.CPS216
ISBN 9781491152423. UPC: 680160909926.
Cosmic Expedition takes performers on a musical journey far across the galaxy via three main sections. This fanfare composition would be perfect for opening a concert. It has bold brass fanfare figures over textural woodwinds to start and then takes the listener on a sonic journey through a variation of harmonic colors, tambural and textural shifts.Cosmic Expedition takes performers on a musical journey far across the galaxy via three main sections. The first, a rather celebratory and triumphant fanfare in Bb major begins with the upper woodwinds and percussion creating a sound-screen, that is a busy texture consisting of a flurry of repeated notes over which the horns and alto saxophones present the opening theme. The sound-screen should be carefully balanced and give way to the melody at m. 5, which should be played extremely marcato. The timpani solo beginning in m. 11 must not be understated. A brief percussion interlude separates a restatement of the opening theme, this time with the addition of the trumpet, tenor saxophone, and euphonium, and a counter melody by the low winds. The percussion interlude is playful, light, but full of vigor and energy. An Ab in the low winds pulls the harmony towards G minor in m. 40 to start the second section, a more serious fanfare. Here, the marimba repeats an ostinato that is complemented by the bass drum and woodblock. The upper woodwinds with the xylophone and snare drum dance over the stern secondary fanfare. A longing call lead by the trombones, interrupted by a subtle snare drum beckons to the clarinets and horn who begin the third section of the piece at m. 68. This haunting melody in C minor is legato, and starkly contrasts all which came before it. A relentless concert tom-tom played with hard mallets keeps the momentum persistent, and a heartbeat-like pulse is felt from the tuba and baritone saxophone. The melody rises towards m. 84 when the brass harken back to the fanfare style before fading back into another lush woodwind strain.A recapitulation of the low winds’ call is heard at m. 100 which in this occasion intensifies into an emphatic statement by the battery percussion instruments. Now in Eb major, the opening fanfare theme is heard again once more before fading into the beginning of the piece’s conclusion.To end, the counter melody from the opening section duels with chromatic tension above before swelling to an arrival in the original key of Bb major. The full ensemble celebrates the piece’s resolution, and after a few crunchy power chords the journey is completed.
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