Looking Up Moving On est une commande du Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra. Cette pièce faisait partie du programme de la tournée effectuée par l?orchestre en mai 2012 qui s?est produit dans de nombreuses régions dévastées par le tremblement de terre et le tsunami de 2011.La composition a pour thème l?immense capacité humaine à surmonter de telles catastrophes et envisager l?avenir de façon positive. Elle débute justement dans un climat optimiste comportant de vives couleurs orchestrales et des passages syncopés. Les cors et les euphonium introduisent bientôt une fanfare en forme de choral à laquelle répondent des bois pétillants. L?ambiance s?apaise jusqu?à ce qu?unsaxophone alto introduise un court extrait de The Sun Will Rise Again du même compositeur une pièce écrite pour collecter des fonds en faveur des victimes du désastre de 2011. Le climat change hâtivement lorsque les cors introduisent un thème noble par-dessus des fioritures exécutées par les bois. Vient ensuite la principale section vivo de la pièce qui se caractérise encore une fois par des syncopes très marquées dans le cadre d?un thème fleuri assuré dans le registre grave des bois. Cette mélodie fait l?objet de divers développements par tous les pupitres de l?orchestre jusqu?au retour triomphant de la fanfare soutenue par les cuivres. Celle-ci se prolonge pour mener à une coda plus rapide qui rassemble les éléments précédents en contrepoint pour clore la pièce dans un climat optimiste.

Looking Up Moving On was commissioned by the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra and featured in their concert programme in their May 2012 tour which took in many areas destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami in 2011.The timeless message of this moving work is the belief in the tremendous capacity of humankind to recover from such disasters and look optimistically to the future.

Major Yvon Ducene wanted a new lush and colourful composition for his Guides military band with André Waignein as its composer. Early in 1979 the composer began his assignement and in October of the same year the finished full score was on the music stands of this prestigious military band of the Belgian Army.The introduction (Grave) mirrors an atmosphere full of serenity in which the theme played by the oboes and the English horn is predominant and immediately holds the listener spell-bound. It is taken up again as central element of the slow movement.The Allegro breaks away from the quiet passion of the introduction. Here the band can really show its capabilities to thefull. Based on a very precise rythm an idiom of sudden desperation and adversity develops which fused with a crushing agression culminates in a kind of eruption soom calmed down by a Lento : peace and quiet has returned thanks to a melody by the horns and soon taken over by the clarinets. In the meantime the saxophone - an instrument full of human emotion - express the main spatial dimension in contemporary psyche. Following a harmonic transition the brass-players take up the theme again in forte whilst the basses and the woodwinds interwine in technical arabesques.The movings of the mind and the heart get an audible and almost touchable shape in the ensuing Allegro a movement characterized by a rhythmic dialogue in which the whole orchestra participates and where the exposition contains a wealth of sound and technical contrasts. The Lento finally uses the central theme of the slow movement again with some occasional references to the two allegros. The last page is of unprecedented grandeur. All the instruments display their most beautiful sound which were named by Jacques Ferschotte when speaking about Honneger 'harmonies d'intensités' harmonies of the unmeasurable.

In Scotland the monster of Loch Ness is a hot issue but the American state of Montana enjoys a comparable phenomenon going by the name of Montana Nessie. In the western part of this remote state lies Flathead Lake: a lake of 45 kilometres /38miles in lenght and 24 kilometres /15 miles breath. At several places its depth exeeds 100 metres.Nessies discovery takes us back to the year 1889 when captain James Kerr aboard the passengership U.S.Grant was startled by a ship unknown to himsuddenly approaching his vessel across Flathead Lake. However it turned out not to be a ship but an undefinable animal of immense size.From that moment onwards life would never be the same again in and around Flathead Lake.The composer wasinspired by the story and summarized the events into a symphonic poem but from a surprising angle:that of the monster. The exiting opening allows us to follow the monster in its natural surroundings.The fast follow-up movement depictsMontana Nessie trotting and frolicking about the Montana woods and prairies.From its abode it thorougly enjoys everything around it. This period abruptly ends in a short climax (Chimes). The solo for cor anglais marks a new period in themonsters life.The presence of people has a paralizing effect and the apprehensive atmosphere of the slow movement may be felt profoundly.The monster observes and mildly teases the ship. Abhor sounds force the ship to a withdrawal.The movingmusical continuation depicts the triumphant monster dancing an ironic waltz. The monsters fear and anger at the intrusion of his freedom run through the piece like continuous threads and develop into the works final theme.

This novelty piece in rondo form features the clarinet section removing one section of their instrument at a time. As the piece progresses, the instruments become smaller and smaller until the main theme they carry is totally absent from the accompaniment part played by the rest of the ensemble. The creative possibilities with this piece are limited only to the director's imagination! (2:10) / Concert Band

‘Dutch Christmas Song’ is an arrangement of the old Dutch song ‘Hoe leit dit Kindeke’ (Vlaanderen 1897). The tender almost fragile words have been movingly honoured by Timothy Travis. The addition of percussion gives this lovely Christmas song a modern touch.

Excelsior was composed by Rob Goorhuis in the year 2000 on the occasion of the 75th anniversary in 2001 of the Amsterdam-based concert-band Jong Excelsior. Excelsior is a one-movement fantasia consisting of contrasting themes. The first theme (the Excelsior theme) is characterized by angular figures moving in an upward direction. The second theme is playful and humorous in nature. Rob Goorhuis who was born and bred in Amsterdan may even have utilized memories of his own juvenile pranks in this second theme. The third theme which is introduced by the cor anglais is melancholy and melodious. The elements mentioned above interchange in a thoroughlycaptivating manner which ultimately results in an attractive composition fully capable of adding lustre to an anniversary. Excelsior werd door Rob Goorhuis gecomponeerd ter gelegenheid van het 75-jarig jubileum van muziekvereniging Jong Excelsior te Amsterdam. Excelsior is een doorgecomponeerde fantasie bestaande uit met elkaar contrasterende themas. Het eerste (Excelsior)thema wordt gekenmerkt door hoekige stijgende figuren. Het tweede thema is speels en humoristisch van karakter. Rob Goorhuis geboren en getogen Amsterdammer verwerkte hierin wellicht herinneringen aan de kwajongensstreken uit zijn jeugd in Amsterdam. Het derde thema ge?ntroduceerd door de Engelse hoorn is melancholiek en zangerig. Genoemde elementen wisselen elkaar op boeiende wijze af zodat een attractieve compositie is ontstaan. Dit werk is opgenomen in het Klein repertorium harmonie - 1e divisie

Excelsior was composed by Rob Goorhuis in the year 2000 on the occasion of the 75th anniversary in 2001 of the Amsterdam-based concert-band Jong Excelsior. Excelsior is a one-movement fantasia consisting of contrasting themes. The first theme (the Excelsior theme) is characterized by angular figures moving in an upward direction. The second theme is playful and humorous in nature. Rob Goorhuis who was born and bred in Amsterdan may even have utilized memories of his own juvenile pranks in this second theme. The third theme which is introduced by the cor anglais is melancholy and melodious. The elements mentioned above interchange in a thoroughlycaptivating manner which ultimately results in an attractive composition fully capable of adding lustre to an anniversary. Excelsior werd door Rob Goorhuis gecomponeerd ter gelegenheid van het 75-jarig jubileum van muziekvereniging Jong Excelsior te Amsterdam. Excelsior is een doorgecomponeerde fantasie bestaande uit met elkaar contrasterende themas. Het eerste (Excelsior)thema wordt gekenmerkt door hoekige stijgende figuren. Het tweede thema is speels en humoristisch van karakter. Rob Goorhuis geboren en getogen Amsterdammer verwerkte hierin wellicht herinneringen aan de kwajongensstreken uit zijn jeugd in Amsterdam. Het derde thema ge?ntroduceerd door de Engelse hoorn is melancholiek en zangerig. Genoemde elementen wisselen elkaar op boeiende wijze af zodat een attractieve compositie is ontstaan. Dit werk is opgenomen in het Klein repertorium harmonie - 1e divisie

Score-'Down the moving line suddenly came the surging chant:Chi Rho Omega Lambda Chi!We meet tonight to celebrateThe Omega Lambda Chi!'''Omega Lambda Chi' was a fictitious fraternity created by some Yale sophomores in the 1870's. Freshmen were pledged to a non-existent society so they would buy the sophomores cigars and drinks. By the 1880's the name 'Omega Lambda Chi' had become applied to a wild May night of campus festivities. Classes paraded (sometimes with a band) singing shooting firecrackers and cheering the buildings of the Old Campus. Climaxing the rough and tumble evening was the 'Pass of Thermopolae.' In this brutal affair theFreshman class ran the gauntlet through the large stone Phelps Gateway while receiving the blows of the three upper classes. March: Omega Lambda Chi was probably written during Ives' Christmas vacation in 1895 and completed upon his return to school. It bears the title 'March on the air: Omega Lambda Chi 76 South Middle Campus January 4 1896.' The Yale Daily News reports that the ceremony took place that spring (May 18 1896) and that one of Ives' best friends D. C. Twitchell (later his brother-in-law) was one of the Omega Lambda Chi marshals. By 1900 the Omega Lambda Chi had become too dangerous and was outlawed by the faculty. Another Ives composition which was inspired by a Yale festive evening is Calcium Light Night.Charles Ives was a Yale student from 1894-1898. He was a popular figure on campus and was very active in social athletic and musical life. In 1928 Ives made a list of his band music on the back of one of his insurance company calendars. At least ten original band works are thought to have existed; there are numerous others that were band inspired. Only March: Omega Lambda Chi and March: Intercollegiate have been found complete in their band form. The tune 'Omega Lambda Chi' is derived from 'Sailing sailing' found in the first strain. The second strain and trio

Written in a D minor/modal tonality this work quickly moves from a singing style of 84 beats per minute to a moving 138. The meter is 3/4 throughout with all the instrumental ranges very modest.

Is your band tired of playing traditional style chorales for warm-ups? John Moss' fresh approach is a unique set of five chorales with contemporary harmonies interesting inner parts and moving lines to teach balance and ensembletechnique. As you'll hear these are sounds that your students hear on TV and movie scores-an innovative way to start a band rehearsal!

Standard US Set (without european suppl. parts)-Taken from Ellington's renowned suite Black Brown and Beige the song Come Sunday has become an acknowledged standard in its own right. With lush scoring and beautiful harmonies here is a marvellousadaptation of this moving ballad featuring a solo Alto Sax with Concert Band. (Grade 4)

Les Marteaux de La Marine was composed in 1999 as a commission by the Marine Band of the Royal Netherlands Navy. The composition contains three static elements which interchange. Static in this case means that development of the material isnot pursued (by the composer). The first element with which the piece begins is tranquil and colourful. The second element is sharp and incisive while the third expresses energy. In all elements a repeated tone is the starting point whichexplains the hammers in the works title.The instrumentation is richly variegated with a harp also determining the palette of colours in the slower movements. The composition opens with an atmospheric Larghetto containing fine harmonies in thesoft and subtly moving wood-winds. The introduction breathes an impressionistic atmosphere in which expressive cantilenas and soloistic agile motifs stand out. A strong setting is followed by an Allegro virtuoso containing fast motifs contrasted withshort and rhythmic stars of the various instrumental sections. Trumpets and horns add a virtuoso bugle-call motif. After a short stringendosection the transparent Larghetto returns with a varied setting of the opening elements. The beautifulleading roles in this section are reserved for cornet (trumpet) and horn. Subsequently the flashing Vivo starts with continuous movements in triplets from both wood-winds and brass. Next the opening Allegro re-appears once again and thus LesMarteaux de la Marine ends with a fast and virtuoso climax. Les Marteaux de La Marine was selected as a compulsory grade 6 contest piece for symphonic bands in the Netherlands.