Par CURNOW JAMES. Contrasting colors and varied orchestration techniques make this majestic setting of OH LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM come alive for Christmas. Of the three different tunes that are commonly associated with the original carol text, this arrangement uses the melody that’s best known in England. ENGLISH CAROL FANTASY remains entirely accessible to bands at this level and plenty of cueing makes sure it’s useful for ensembles of all shapes and sizes. Feature your deserving young cornet section leader on the easy solo, or let the entire first cornet section play it soli. The low brass also get some “well doubled” exposure, so playing this one will be fun for all. Try it! / Niveau : 2 / Répertoire / Brass Band

Sleigh Ride. Par CURNOW JAMES. Troika is a Russian word that means a group of three but it also means a light Russian sleigh pulled by three horses. Christmas Troika portrays the joy of Christmas via a musical sleigh-ride. Listen as the glistening snow crinkles beneath the weight of the sleigh and the hooves of the prancing horses as it travels through the countryside. One can almost see the frost on the trees and hear the wind blow and the sleigh-bells ring as the tune O Come, All Ye Faithful winds its way through the music. / Niveau : 3 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Brass Band

Par CURNOW JAMES. What a way to open any concert. Fanfare and Flourishes is a spectacular short work that mixes all the pageantry of a military tattoo with the well-known Charpentier (1634-1705) Te Deum, a tune everyone will recognise as the theme tune for the Eurovision Song Contest! A brilliant piece to start a concert with a bang! What a way to open any concert. Fanfare and Flourishes is a spectacular short work that mixes all the pageantry of a military tattoo with the well-known Charpentier (1634-1705) Te Deum, a tune everyone will recognise as the theme tune for the Eurovision Song Contest! A brilliant piece to start a concert with a bang! / Niveau : 4 / Ouverture / Répertoire / Brass Band

Par DE HAAN JACOB. In this composition, Jacob de Haan sees the 'Ross Roy' as a metaphor for the years spent at school (a monument in time), where one's personality is formed. So, the opening theme the artist calls the Ross Roy theme initially has monumental characteristics. The rhythmic motion, which strides along in the lower register and percussion at the beginning of the next section is typical of 'Tempo di Marcia'. This movement, accompanied by repetitions of sound, is a metaphor for the structure and discipline in school. This is the introduction to a march theme, symbolic of 'passing through' the classes up to the final examinations. Then, the Ross Roy theme is dealt with again, now in aplayful, humorous variation. As if the composer is saying there should also be time for a smile in school. The same theme can be heard in major key and a slower tempo in the following section, expressing pride and self-confidence. This is also the introduction to the expressive middle section that represents love, friendship and understanding. We then return to the march theme in a slightly altered construction. The oriental sounds, constituting the modulation to the final theme, are symbols of the diversity of cultures in the school. The characteristic final theme first sounds solemn, but turns into a festive apotheosis. It is no coincidence that the final cadence is reminiscent of the close to a traditional overture, for the school years can be considered the 'overture' to the rest of one's life. / Niveau : 4 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Brass Band

Par HOSAY JAMES L.. This regal and stately fanfare-opener is a sterling new offering for band. Sixteen opening bars of thrilling fanfare lead inexorably to a theme expressing dignified momentum. Frequent but simple meter changes help to make this an interesting and educational piece that both the band and the audience will enjoy. A recap of the opening fanfare brings the piece to an exciting finish that will set a noble yet festive tone for your concert or special event. It even makes a great graduation recessional. Let FANFARE BRITANNICA be the crown jewel of your next performance! / Niveau : 2.5 / Ouverture / Répertoire / Brass Band

Par DE HAAN JACOB. Utopia is the name of a book written by the English author Thomas More and was published in 1516. The title is a word thought up by More himself, after the Greek language, meaning 'Nowhereland' and leading to the invention of the words utopian scheme and utopian. Utopia pictured an ideal state on an island far from the inhabited world. This idea was the basis of the composition. It makes one think of Oregon in variety of themes and style. Utopia also exists of a combination of styles that breathe the atmosphere of film music. However, Utopia sounds less American. The slow and stirring middle part for example is closer to the European romanticism: the chord signals in the brasssection remind of Wagner's music. / Niveau : 4 / Musique légère originale / Répertoire / Brass Band

Partly based on the hymn tune Laudate Dominum. Par DE HAAN JACOB. This work is based on a well-known myth about the city of Zwolle in the Netherlands. In the waters surrounding Zwolle lived a dragon that regularly emerged. Time and time again he threatened to destroy the city with his fiery breath if he was not given a living sacrifice. The archangel, Michael, who manifested himself as a young knight, saved the city. In a fight he beheaded the monster with his sword. Later, Saint Michael fighting the dragon, which was a symbol of evil and injustice, acquired a permanent place on the city coat of arms. For this composition, the hymn tune Laudate Dominum has been chosen as a central musical theme for the archangel. The dragon isreflected in a series of chords that evoke a somewhat ominous association. / Niveau : 3 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Brass Band

Par DE HAAN JACOB. Pacific Dreams describes the experience of Miguel, a traveling composer from Spain who, feeling somewhat alienated from his homeland, is wandering through an area of Sydney known as The Rocks. At a small outdoor market in a typical street of this oldcolonial neighbourhood, he discovers a print of William DeShazos painting 'Pacific Dreams' Portrayed in the painting is the surf of one of the exotic islands in the Pacific. Next, with the impressive Sydney Harbour Bridge looming over the narrowstreets of The Rocks, he envisions sultry Pacific beaches. Suddenly a theme he once composed about the lakes in Japan comes to him. Is it the Asian influences present in cosmopolitan Sydney that bring this theme to mind? Or perhaps the waters aroundSydney, over which he could sail to Tahiti? He is uncertain. Could this same theme be used to create a new composition about his feelings for the metropolis Sydney? How then to work his Pacific Dreams into the mix? Miguel is certainly no fan ofHawaiian music. Mayby he could use the vocabularies of islands like Hawaii and Tahiti, their beautiful vowel combinations being sung ad libitum by a mixed choir. With these ideas and his newly purchased print of 'Pacific Dreams', he boards the Metroat Circular Quay. He has a final glimpse of the harbour and the Sydney Opera House as the train races into the ground. On to the hotel! To work! He must compose!Maestoso : Miguel is impressed as he gazes upon the Sydney Harbour Bridge. And yet, hewants to go away from this city. Away, to an exotic island in the Pacific. Steady Rock : In the Rocks, musicians are playing at a square. Miguel basks in the atmosphere but at the same time he is fantasizing about Hawaii and Tahiti. Andante Lamentoso :In his hotel room, Miguel is feeling sad and lonely in this big city. He takes comfort in his 'Pacific Dreams'. Allegro : Miguel boards the boat that takes him from Darling Harbour to Circular Quay. In his mind he is traveling on to Hawaii. Or is ithome, where the bolero is playing? He is pulled back to reality by the skyline of Sydney. / Niveau : 3 / Musique légère originale / Répertoire / Brass Band