Par HESKETH KENNETH. In Danceries , by Kenneth Hesketh, the melodies themselves are a mixture of old and new. Where the old occurs it has been adapted in mood and composition and is often interspersed with completely new material. The contemporary harmonies and rhythms bring a breath of new into these themes and add drama to the suite. The first movement, Lull Me Beyond Thee , is gentle and lilting, almost a barcarole, this movement is very much a reverie. The original tune had the name Poor Robin's Maggot , a rather disconcerting title. Maggot, however, in seventeenth-century parlance meant whim or fancy. The second, Catching of Quails , is a colourful, buoyant scherzo on an original melody. The thematic material is shuttled around the band to contrast with full-blooded tuttis. The last few bars fade to almost nothing, before a final surprise! My Lady's Rest is a tender pavane, also on an original melody, with Moorish leanings. Beautiful solo passages, expressive contrapuntal writing and warm tuttis provide an opportunity to show off the most lyrical of playing. The final movement, Quodling's Delight is a clever combination of the 17th century melody, Goddesses , with an original contrasting melody, creating a rousing and exuberant finale to the work. / Niveau : Assez Facile / Répertoire / Brass Band

Par SPARKE PHILIP. « La plupart des traditions de Noël en Angleterre sont relativement récentes. Montée sur le trône en 1837, la reine Victoria (née de Hanovre) régnera jusqu?à sa mort en 1901. En 1840, elle épousa son cousin, le prince Albert de Saxe-Cobourg-Gotha. Leprince consort, originaire d?Allemagne, importa bon nombre de traditions de Noël allemandes au Royaume-Uni. Ainsi, il fit découvrir aux Anglais la coutume du sapin et les cartes de Noël, entre autres, contribuant largement au Noël typiquement anglaistel que nous le connaissons aujourd?hui. Bien que les chants de Noël font l?objet d?une longue tradition en Angleterre, de nombreuses mélodies que nous chantons proviennent ducontinent européen ou des États-Unis. Je savais bien que le célébrissime Silent Night (Douce nuit) était d?origine autrichienne et que Hark, the Herald Angels Sing (Écoutez le chant des Anges) était d?origine allemande. Pourtant, quelle ne fut pas ma surprise d?apprendre qu? Away in a Manger (Sur la paillefraîche) ou encore We Three Kings nous venaient des États-Unis et que Ding, Dong Merrily on High était un noël d?origine française. Quoiqu?il en soit, j?ai réussi à constituer un canevas de mélodies anglaises pour réaliser cefestival de chants de Noël. »Philip SparkeRemarques sur l?interprétation : Cet arrangement est adapté pour une interprétation avec ou sans Choeur. S?il est joué par un Brass Band, les parties vocales seront doublées par des partiesinstrumentales. Les tempi indiqués correspondent à une interprétation par un Brass Band seul. Si l?oeuvre est donnée avec un Choeur, il est sans doute nécessaire de baisser le tempo en fonction du nombre de choristes et de l?acoustique du lieude concert. Les parties de Choeur (en anglais) sont disponibles séparément (Réf. : AMP 227-050). / Niveau : 3 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Brass Band

Par SPARKE PHILIP. South Down Pictures was commissioned by Millenium Brass 2000, an organisation comprising three brass bands from the county of Sussex, England. The bands (Patcham Silver, Hangleton and Brighton Silver) had got together to organise many events to mark the new millennium and these culminated in a concert in Hove Town Hall on July 9th 2000 when all three bands combined to give the first performance of South Down Pictures. The composer spent much of his childhood amongst the South Downs, a range of hills in Sussex which runs parallel to the sea. Opening with a strong unison passage, interrupted briefly by faster figures based on the interval of a fifth, South Down Picturesdevelops with an often-passionate legato melody. Reaching a climax, this is then followed by the main vivo section of the work, whose main theme is based on the earlier ‘fifth’ figures. A bridge passage leads to a short chorale figure and a rhythmic climax which dissolves into a plaintive cornet solo over staccato chords. This theme is taken up by the whole band and leads back to a recapitulation of the main theme and earlier material. The cornet tune returns triumphantly in the major key before the opening unison passage reappears to provide a stirring coda. / Niveau : 4 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Brass Band

Par LARSSON LARS-ERIK. Norge i rødt, hvitt og blått ('Norway in Red, White and Blue') was commissioned by the Oslo Fagott Choir (yes, that is indeed a gay men?s choir) for a concert with The Staff Band of the Armed Forces in 2015. I was given artistic licence to write a more modern and somewhat ?eclectic? arrangement for this originally Swedish melody written by Lars-Erik Larsson, which became something of a national liberation anthem when Nazi occupation ended in May 1945 ? then with new lyrics by Finn Bø, Bias Bernhoft and Arild Feldborg. After the premiere in Oslo, and a music video with Oslo Fagott Choir and The Staff Band, broadcasted by Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) on Constitution Day during coronavirus lockdown in 2020, I was approached by many to write an instrumental version of the arrangement for concert band. This version is now available through Norsk Noteservice. Reid Gilje has made this instrumentation for Brass Band. / Date parution : 2023-07-31/ Répertoire / Ensemble de Cuivres

Erbarme Dich, mein Gott from St Matthew Passion. Par BACH JOHANN SEBASTIAN. Have Mercy, Lord de la Passion selon St Matthieu de J. S. Bach est l’un des airs les plus beaux du baroque. Dans son arrangement Philip Sparke a prévu que les solistes soient debout en groupe du côté droit du podium, tandis que le reste des musiciens soit debout derrière en formant un groupe tutti. Ce morceau est facile à jouer pour les solistes et le reste de l’ensemble, et va créer un beau moment de réflexion si joué dans une salle de concert ou une église. / Niveau : 4 / Répertoire / Brass Band