Par SPARKE PHILIP. Prelude on an Irish Folk Tune (“Prélude sur un air irlandais”) est basée sur l'air traditionnel Slane, la version hymnique d’une mélodie irlandaise plus ancienne The Banks of the Bann. La mélodie s’imbrique dans la trame musicale vers la fin de la pièce. Publiée pour la première fois en 1909 dans le recueil Old Irish Folk Music and Songs (“Chants et airs irlandais anciens”) de Patrick Joyce, cette mélodie traditionnelle tient son nom d’une colline située à environ 16 kilomètres de Tara, dans le comté de Meath. Selon un extrait des Confessions de Saint Patrick, le saint irlandais aurait allumé le cierge pascal sur la colline de Slane, le Samedisaint de l’an 443. Cet acte de défi provoqua la fureur de Laoghaire, un roi païen, qui avait promulgué un édit interdisant d’allumer un feu autre que le feu royal sur la colline de Tara. Le feu royal célébrait la coutume païenne du retour du Printemps après l’Hiver, du triomphe de la lumière (saison claire) sur la pénombre (saison sombre). Dans Prelude on an Irish Folk Tune, des fragments de la mélodie font allusion au canevas futur de la pièce. Un autre thème, écrit dans le style traditionnel, domine le contexte avant de servir de contrechant lorsque la mélodie Slane se dévoile. / Niveau : 3 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie

Par GYORFFY ISTVAN. Hungarian-style dance music which flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries - generally referred to as ungaresca - represents a valuable part of European musical tradition. István Gyorffy's work (2007-2010) is a late successor of this tradition. It was written with the intention of embodying the eastern-central European tradition in order to present an alternative to the current fashions of music for wind instruments. The composer's approach to this style utilizes traditional forms of music. Both the first and third movements effectively optimize a concert band's tonal possibilities by using solos and small chamber groups in a varied manner. The slow and melodic second movement transfers a characteristic playing technique of Hungarian instrumental folk music to the concert band. István Gyorffy composed Ungaresca for young people preparing for careers in music. The work provides an excellent opportunity for students not only to display their instrumental skills, but also to gain orchestral playing experience./ Répertoire / Concert Band

Par BUCKLEY ROBERT. The rich heritage of French-Canadian folk music dates back several centuries. Robert has chosen three of these songs to create a musical portrait of this colorful culture. The opening piece is the jaunty and dance-like Monsieur Lecuré, followed by the hauntingly beautiful Blanche Comme la Neige. The piece concludes with the spirited march Vive la Canadienne!, which features a drum break and builds to an exciting, rousing finish. The creative use of harmonizations, key changes and dynamic contrasts gives this piece a sophisticated sound and intensity of a much more advanced piece. Dur: 3:35 / Date parution : 2022-09-14/ Répertoire / Concert Band

Arr. Steven Verhaert. Par FOLK ROBERT. / TV, Film, Comédie musicale / Répertoire / Fanfare

Arr. James Curnow. Par CHOSTAKOVITCH DIMITRI. Energy for DAYS! As a frenetic encore piece or a joyous sparkler for any place on the program that needs real pep, FOLK DANCES is a great choice! The fascinating shifting harmonies of 20th century music give this one even more breathtaking momentum. This excellent transcription gives your band the thrill of playing Shostakovich at his humorous best. / Niveau : 3 / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie

Anton Bruckner (1824-1896). Par BRUCKNER ANTON / DOSS THOMAS (Arr.). Anton Bruckner (b. 4.9.1824, Ansfelden, d. 11.10.1896, Vienna) didn?t have it easy. Throughout his life, the Austrian composer was plagued by self-doubt. Anton Bruckner came from a simple, rural background. After the death of his father, he was accepted as a choirboy at the monastery of Sankt Florian in 1837. After several years as a school assistant and his own organ and piano studies, he first worked as organist in St. Florian, then from 1855 as cathedral organist in Linz. Introduced to music theory and instrumentation by Simon Sechter and Otto Kitzler, he discovered Richard Wagner as an artistic role model, whom he admired throughout his life and also visited several times in Bayreuth. In 1868 Anton Bruckner became professor of basso continuo, counterpoint and organ at the Vienna Conservatory; ten years later court organist; and in 1891 finally honorary doctor of the University of Vienna. He was considered an important organ virtuoso of his era, but had to wait a long time for recognition as a composer. It was not until Symphony No.7 in E major, composed between 1881 and 1883, with the famous Adagio written under the effects of Wagner's death, that he achieved the recognition he had hoped for, even if he was reluctant to accept it given his inclination towards scepticism and self-criticism. Anton Bruckner was a loner who did not want to follow a particular school or doctrine. He composed numerous sacred vocal works, such as his three masses, the Missa Solemnis in B flat minor (1854), the Te Deum (1881-84) and numerous motets. As a symphonic composer, he wrote a total of nine symphonies and many symphonic studies from 1863 onwards, tending to revise completed versions several times over. Bruckner's orchestral works were long considered unplayable, but in fact were merely exceptionally bold for the tonal language of their time, uniting traditions from Beethoven through Wagner to folk music, on the threshold between late Romanticism and Modernism. Anton Bruckner composed about 40 motets during his lifetime, the earliest a setting of Pange lingua around 1835, and the last, Vexilla regis, in 1892. Thomas Doss has compiled some of these motets in this volume for symphonic wind orchestra. These motets show many characteristics of personal expression, especially Bruckner's colourful harmony in the earlier works, which is in places aligned with Franz Schubert (changes between major and minor; and movements in thirds). Later works are characterised by many components which, in addition to the expanded stature of the movements, include above all a sense of the instrumentation as an outward phenomenon and the harmony as a compositional feature that works more internally. Some aspects of Bruckner's work are the result of his long period of study, which familiarised him not only with the tradition of his craft, but also gave him insights into the 'modernity' of his time in such composers as Wagner, Liszt and Berlioz. From this developed his personal standpoint, which always pursues the connection between the old and the new. / Date parution : 2023-08-12/ Répertoire / Concert Band/Harmonie

Anton Bruckner (1824-1896). Par BRUCKNER ANTON / DOSS THOMAS (Arr.). Anton Bruckner (b. 4.9.1824, Ansfelden, d. 11.10.1896, Vienna) didn?t have it easy. Throughout his life, the Austrian composer was plagued by self-doubt. Anton Bruckner came from a simple, rural background. After the death of his father, he was accepted as a choirboy at the monastery of Sankt Florian in 1837. After several years as a school assistant and his own organ and piano studies, he first worked as organist in St. Florian, then from 1855 as cathedral organist in Linz. Introduced to music theory and instrumentation by Simon Sechter and Otto Kitzler, he discovered Richard Wagner as an artistic role model, whom he admired throughout his life and also visited several times in Bayreuth. In 1868 Anton Bruckner became professor of basso continuo, counterpoint and organ at the Vienna Conservatory; ten years later court organist; and in 1891 finally honorary doctor of the University of Vienna. He was considered an important organ virtuoso of his era, but had to wait a long time for recognition as a composer. It was not until Symphony No.7 in E major, composed between 1881 and 1883, with the famous Adagio written under the effects of Wagner's death, that he achieved the recognition he had hoped for, even if he was reluctant to accept it given his inclination towards scepticism and self-criticism. Anton Bruckner was a loner who did not want to follow a particular school or doctrine. He composed numerous sacred vocal works, such as his three masses, the Missa Solemnis in B flat minor (1854), the Te Deum (1881-84) and numerous motets. As a symphonic composer, he wrote a total of nine symphonies and many symphonic studies from 1863 onwards, tending to revise completed versions several times over. Bruckner's orchestral works were long considered unplayable, but in fact were merely exceptionally bold for the tonal language of their time, uniting traditions from Beethoven through Wagner to folk music, on the threshold between late Romanticism and Modernism. Hymns for four-part mixed choir a cappella (1846, St. Florian) No. 1 in E flat major (WAB 41/3): Quite Slow No. 2 in C major (WAB 41/4): Andante No. 3 in B flat major (WAB 41/1): Slow No. 4 in A flat major (WAB 41/2): Slow Hymn for five-part (2 S, A, T, B) mixed choir and organ No. 5 in D major: Solemnly They are simple works, completely subordinate to their liturgical use, which nevertheless already show numerous characteristics of personal expression. These small pieces were able to stand up to the harsh scrutiny of the mature master: in 1888, Bruckner subjected them to a revision in which he made only minor corrections. / Date parution : 2023-08-12/ Répertoire / Concert Band/Harmonie

Par SPARKE PHILIP. Reflections on an Old Japanese Folk Song est basé sur la mélodie Suiryo-Bushi, qui est issue de la tradition de shamisen. L’oeuvre commence par deux versions différentes de la mélodie, suivies par plusieurs variations sur le thème enentier ou en partie, chacune dans son propre style. La section finale est dans la forme d’un scherzo, qui prend le rôle d’accompagnement à la fin, lors de la dernière présentation du thème folklorique. / Niveau : 5 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie

Par SPARKE PHILIP. Norfolk is one of the most beautiful counties in England, famous for its charming villages and boundless broads, a popular centre for sailing holidays. It is also the home of one of the best known of all British composers, Sir Malcolm Arnold. The date of the premiere of this piece was to fall close to his 80th birthday, so Philip Sparke decided to write something of a birthday tribute. Some of Arnold’s best-loved orchestral works are his sets of dances: there are two sets of English Dances, Four Scottish Dances, Four Cornish Dances etc. , most of which have been arranged for concert band at one time or another. Philip Sparke thought it would be appropriate for the concert band tohave its own set of dances and wrote Four Norfolk Dances very much in the style of Arnold’s suites. / Niveau : 4 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie

Par . Here we present 'Griffenfeldt», a folk-dance in the style of a Norwegian «reinlender». This arrangement can be used as the first item in a concert, or after an interval. The musicians can come on stage as they join in. That is why two of the measures are notated 'repeat till ready', here you have to wait until everyone is in place! If everyone is ready from the start, the repetition can be omitted. Be sure to play with a bouncy but singing style, not with short and harsh articulations. Do the trills on the beat, but these can also be omitted if it makes it too difficult. To bring out the folk music style a little extra, you can ask the musicians to play on the 'backbeat', i.e. emphasize the last half of each quarter-note. In addition, the music will really come to life if all 'solo' places are done standing up. The musician Ånon Egeland tells this story: «This song got its name from a party where it all just got a bit too lively: one of the party-goers started shooting into the ceiling with a gun just as this reinlender was being played. The fiddler - or was it the man with the gun? - was called Griffenfeldt, and that gave the name for the song.» / Date parution : 2023-07-31/ Répertoire / Ensemble de Cuivres

Par VAN DER ROOST JAN. This 4-movement suite is based on authentic folktunes from the beautiful southern province in France: the 'Provence'. The composer used an harmonic language respecting the popular characteristics, but on the other hand also contains some 'spicy' notes (. . . just like the wellknown 'Provençal sauce'! . . . ). The instrumentation is very colourful, paying a lot of attention to the different timbres of both brass and wood winds as well as to the percussion section. Every movement has its own character: 'Un Ange a fa la crido' (= An angel brought the creed / credo) is like a bourrée, 'Adam e sa Coumpagnou' (= Adam and his companion) is an old love song, 'Lou Fustié' (= the carpenter)a fast dance and finally 'Lis Escoubo' (= a whistle tune / popular ballad) is a farandole. In the latter, the old tradition of folk musicians who play a whistle with one hand and a drum with the other hand, is clearly represented during the first presentations of the one and only theme)Although this piece is not too demanding, a well balanced band is necessary to perform it successfully. Thanks to the contrasts and the varying colours, it keeps on holding the attention. / Niveau : 3 / Répertoire / Fanfare

Par CURNOW PAUL. The musical heritage of the United States is rich with folk songs from across the country. We can understand a great deal about society, culture and traditions through these folk songs. The folk tune used in this work has had many lives, from early church singing to pub songs to a marching song. / Niveau : 1.5 / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie

Par WAIGNEIN ANDRE. Roland Kernen has developed a true fascination for the traditional music scene and for Celtic folk music in particular. The Celts fed on a rich blend of legend and myth which is skillfully portrayed in Celtic Gathering. This lyrical piece embraces two musical atmospheres. The first melodic line, written in a minor key, expresses the cheerful character of a group dance, whilst the second line, written in a major key, portrays perfectly the joyful mood of a Celt village. Why not add a touch of Celtic magic to your band repertoire. / Niveau : 2.5 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Concert Band

Par HANNICKEL MIKE. Based on the Italian folk song 'Tiritomba' this entertaining work is a musical vehicle to take you on a ride on an 'Italian Carousel'. / Niveau : 1 / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie