A Chorale about Love. Par ROELS STIJN. Close est un choral qui chante les louanges d?un thème universel : l?amour. Les gens qui nous sont chers sont ceux que nous aimons avoir auprès de nous, afin de pouvoir les serrer dans nos bras de temps en temps. C?était particulièrement difficile pendant la période où sévissait le COVID ? une privation que de nombreuses personnes ressentaient profondément. Le besoin de chaleur humaine est exprimé ici par une belle mélodie lyrique accompagnée de chaudes harmonies. Après un début paisible, la musique s?amplifie pour aboutir à un grand climax, avec des moments soit de tendresse, soit d?ardeur. Une pièce parfaite pour se laisser aller à rêver, et à méditer sur les nombreux aspects de l?amour. / Date parution : 2022-07-23/ Répertoire / Concert Band/Harmonie

Par SPARKE PHILIP. Out of the Darkness, Into the Light is about optimism. All of us experience disappointments in our lives, such failed relationships or the loss of loved ones, but the indomitability of the human spirit allows us to overcome such set backs and get through the darker moments. For some, faith and religion may be the answer, but this piece is more about the internal strength that we can all call upon. Opening in sombre mood, the first phase of the work symbolises the doubts we all have about ourselves and our lives. The opening phrase on solo clarinet appears throughout the piece and could be seen as the central idea of the work, the human spirit itself. The faster, centralsection is about the struggle to overcome the pain we experience and at bar 88 the moment of catharsis occurs. This signals a change of mood and from then on, the clarinet motif is transformed into a feeling of joy and optimism. We have entered the light. / Niveau : 5 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie

Par BULLA STEPHEN. Blues to the MAX! With lots of drive and down home blues harmonies, KENNESAW MOUNTAIN BLUES will latch on to your audience for keeps. Very accessible to Grade 2 1/2 bands, this is one of the most enjoyable pieces you’ll find for any level of ability. If you have a kickin’ drumset player, so much the better. Every section has gratifying parts to play, and the easy mixed-meter section sounds so natural but will keep ‘em all thinking. The concert band doesn’t often get the chance to play in styles like this, which is a shame, because it’s so much fun. How about letting your band try a style that’s about as far from John Phillip Sousa as you can get! Get down with some Blues! KENNESAW MOUNTAIN BLUES is a winner! / Niveau : 2.5 / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie

Par SADELER GEORGES. Schola Vitae, dedicated to the former director of UGDA Music School in Luxembourg, Paul Scholer, describes in an 8-minute piece that learning and playing music is a school for life. Starting with popular scales that ascend and descend through various keys, an essential tool familiar to every musician appears: the metronome. It sets the tempo, and musicians practice their themes together or against each other, register by register. In music, however, it's not just about technique and precision, but also about emotions. Music connects people, fosters friendships, and accompanies them through the highs and lows of life. The sense of togetherness in music becomes increasingly audible. Everyone works together and pulls in the same direction to ultimately achieve something great. Georges Sadeler, born in 1988 is a Luxembourgish composer and saxophonist with the Grand Ducal Military Band of Luxembourg. His father kindled his interest in composing and arranging at an early age, a study he later continued under his two teachers Marco Pütz and Claude Lenners, both of whom taught at the Conservatoire of Music, Luxembourg. He gradually began to establish his own style, combining the enormous range of possibilities of contemporary music and classical music and, in the years that followed, he won six first prizes at various national and international composition competitions. His works have since been performed all over Europe. / Date parution : 2023-10-31/ Répertoire / Concert Band / Harmonie

Believe me if all those endearing young charms. Henk Hogestein has created a calm, yet uplifting arrangement of the famous Irish song Believe Me, if all these Endearing Young Charms. The melody displays the very best of Irish tradition with the words coming from a poem by Thomas Moore about love that goes above and beyond physical beauty. Irish Charms will make a wonderful inspirational interlude at any concert. / Niveau : 2.5 / Musique pour célébration / Date parution : 1905-07-01/ Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie

America, the Beautiful. Par CURNOW JAMES. The perfect arrangement for your Beginning Band’s first patriotic performance! There are lots of opportunities for young players to solidify basic skills here. A few easy accidentals, articulations, dynamics, and phrasing can all be taught while rehearsing Sea to Shining Seay. There are many more uses for this arrangement than the typical concert setting, too. Does your student body meet at the flag pole on Monday mornings for a flag salute? Play it there. How about a short performance at a school board meeting? The possibilities are endless! Don’t miss it! / Niveau : 0.5 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Concert Band

Die Entführung aus dem Serail. Par MOZART WOLFGANG AMADEUS. “Wonderful! But, aren’t there too many notes?” asked the emperor Joseph II. “No, all notes are necessary. This is new music, ” replied Mozart. This is a famous anecdote about the premiere of the opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), which took place on July 16, 1782 at the Burgtheater Wien (Vienna). It illustrates Mozart’s ambition and self-confidence. Throughout Mozart’s lifetime, Die Entführung aus dem Serail was his most successful work outside of Vienna. It is still a much-performed opera. Tohru Takahashi has made a lively arrangement of the overture in its original key, C major. It will sound even better if your band has Turkish percussioninstruments at its disposal. / Niveau : 5 / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie

Par CURNOW JAMES. Commissioned by the University of Georgia Bands F. David Romines, Associate Director of Bands Rich modern harmonies and exquisite rhythmic counterpoint make this Grade 3 gem a rich and rewarding project for your ensemble. This remarkable piece is a wonderful and exciting performance piece which at the same allows the director countless opportunities to teach the players about intervals, inversions, and so much more. A nice batterie of Percussion instruments adds lots of color and energy and the contrasts in density and dynamics ensure that Dimensions of Seven will keep the audience fully engaged from the first beat to the last. Unforgettable! / Niveau : 3 / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie

Tanabata. Par SAKAI ITARU. In Japan, July the 7th is a holiday known as Tanabata, for which large celebrations are held throughout the country. The holiday is based on a legend about a young man and a young woman who are separated by the Milky Way and can only see each other once a year on this night. The Seventh Night of July is Itaru Sakai’s musical interpretation of this romantic legend. The alto saxophone and euphonium solos during the middle movement represent the two main themes from the legend. / Niveau : 5 / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie

Variations on a melody by Adriaen Valerius (1575-1625). Par SPARKE PHILIP. Dutch artist and poet Adriaen Valerius (c. 1575-1625) is mostly remembered today for his collection of 79 songs for voice and lute or cittern published posthumously in 1626. The melody used for this set of variations is Merck toch hoe sterck, whose words tell about the War of Independence with Spain. The melody originally derives from an English tune with the title: What if an houre or a moneth. The beautiful slow melody is followed by a series of lively variations to form an extremely entertaining piece that will bring great joy to all who perform and listen to it. / Niveau : 3 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Fanfare

Believe me if all those endearing young charms. Henk Hogestein has created a calm, yet uplifting arrangement of the famous Irish song Believe Me, if all these Endearing Young Charms. The melody displays the very best of Irish tradition with the words coming from a poem by Thomas Moore about love that goes above and beyond physical beauty. Irish Charms will make a wonderful inspirational interlude at any concert. / Niveau : 2.5 / Musique pour célébration / Date parution : 1905-07-01/ Répertoire / Fanfare

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

Par HANNICKEL MIKE. History! Introduce a bit of good old early-Americana to your audiences this year. GEORGE WASHINGTON SUITE is made up of three tunes known to have been composed for (or about) George and Martha Washington in their own time. Probably the best known of the three is the first movement, WASHINGTON’S GRAND MARCH, which is believed to have been written by Francis Hopkinson. He was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. The second movement has the delightful title “Fancy Menuit with figure Dance by Two young Ladies in the presance of Mrs. Washington in 1792. Phila. ” sic (The quaint original spellings and capitalizations are preserved here for historical interest. ) A fife-and-drum style arrangement of the BRANDYWINE QUICKSTEP completes this early American triptych. The stately and moderate tempos that fit the music of this era so well also ensure that the arrangements remain accessible to young bands. Add some good old early-American spirit to your upcoming performance with GEORGE WASHINGTON SUITE! / Niveau : 2 / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie

Par VAN DER ROOST JAN. A spectacular dive via an extended chromatic scale immediately submerges us in a charged and somewhat archaic-feeling atmosphere. Trumpets, horns and trombones resound in rhythmic patterns, buttressed by restless motifs in the percussion. A second theme, in the woodwinds, begins much calmer but is quickly pushed aside by that same brass offensive. This introduction is the musical expression of the sometimes tumultuous early history of the town of Peer in Belgium. It closes with a D scale played over two octaves and repeated three times, symbolizing the church steeples that dominate the townscape. Peer has the credentials of a town, and people should know about it. There followsa rhythmic, turbulent passage: in the course of history, Peer has not been spared the ravages of war, arson, occupation, epidemic and other evils. In contrast, a slow, pastoral, lyrical part expresses the periods of peace and prosperity the town has known, as well as the serene geographic setting that still characterizes the place. Various instruments in groups are developed in solo style while the accompaniment displays vast, painterly images of sound. Now and then an exotic intonation is heard: a variety of peoples and cultures have left their mark on the town. This episode of tranquility and peacefulness comes to a sudden end when, via a surprising, almost chaotic transitional passage, we are in effect transported back to our own time. A hopeful, festive march expresses the confidence in the future that the Royal Concert Band of Peer exudes. This confidence is wholly justified: under the direction of conductor Willy Fransen, the 95 members of the concert band have experienced an extended period of good fortune, and the 75 musicians of the youth band - and the 45 little musicians of the mini-band - are involved in thriving operations. / Niveau : 6 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Concert Band ou Harmonie

Par CURNOW JAMES. Commissioned by the University of Georgia Bands F. David Romines, Associate Director of Bands Rich modern harmonies and exquisite rhythmic counterpoint make this Grade 3 gem a rich and rewarding project for your ensemble. This remarkable piece is a wonderful and exciting performance piece which at the same allows the director countless opportunities to teach the players about intervals, inversions, and so much more. A nice batterie of Percussion instruments adds lots of color and energy and the contrasts in density and dynamics ensure that Dimensions of Seven will keep the audience fully engaged from the first beat to the last. Unforgettable! / Niveau : 3 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Concert Band