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. Since most of the bands competing in the 4th Section of the Dutch National Championships have many young players, this piece is stylistically youthful especially in the opening and closing sections. An arpeggio pattern appears numerous times in all registers and is the basic musical element of the main melody, alternating with a second theme that has a slightly different melodic character. The middle section is conceived like a chorale, introduced and developed stepwise: firstly with short patterns and gradually in increasingly long snippets, until it’s played in its glorious entirety at measure 216. No real solo passages are included but rather small chambercombinations, thus offering the opportunity to various players to display their technical and performance skills. The finale recaptures musical material from the first section of the piece and provides a majestic conclusion. / Niveau : 4 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Brass Band

St. Michael. Par BOURGEOIS LOUIS. The French composer Louis Bourgeois lived from c. 1510 to 1560. Bourgeois was cantor in Geneva and, commissioned by John Calvin, he composed melodies for metrical (rhyming) versions of the psalms. After completing about a hundred one-part psalms, he made some four-part arrangements, which were denounced and even resulted in his imprisonment for a day. Later, Bourgeois published a number of psalm collections, and judging from his book Le droict chemin de musique he was also an excellent educator. The melodies Bourgeois composed, are (contrary to Gregorian chants) particularly suitable for community singing. This applies to his hymn tune Saint Michael, which is why this melody hasbeen used for various texts, written for many occasions. John Blanken made this arrangement for a wedding ceremony: an occasion in which faith and trust play a large - if not the largest - role. Hence the title Hymn of Faith. The arrangement contains four verses of the hymn. After a majestic opening the hymn follows twice, the second verse being embellished in the tenor register. After a short interlude verse three follows, played by a quartet. The majestic opening is then repeated as a modulation into the fourth verse, which concludes the work in a brilliant tutti. / Niveau : 3 / Hymnes et chorals / Répertoire / Brass Band

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

Par SPARKE PHILIP. La plupart des pays ayant institué la tradition des musiques militaires ont développé un style de marche caractéristique. Ainsi, il est relativement aisé de distinguer une marche américaine d’une marche militaire française ou une marche allemande d’une marche espagnole. À l’intérieur du cadre structurel rigide d’une marche, on réussit à percevoir même les plus subtiles différences de rythme, d’harmonie et de tempo qui caractérisent les traditions de chaque pays. Il existe un, ou plus exactement deux styles de marche typiquement anglais : celui des marches militaires représenté par des compositeurs tels que Kenneth J. Alford, et celui des marches cérémonielles ou de concert quiatteindra l’excellence avec les marches orchestrales d’Elgar et Walton, entre autres. Royal Salute (“Salut royal”) est une marche de difficulté moyenne qui perpétue cette grande tradition. On y retrouve des éléments typiques : des mélodies et contremélodies amples, et un trio nobilmente. / Niveau : 3 / Marche de concert / Répertoire / Brass Band

Par SPARKE PHILIP. In this exciting suite Philip Sparke sets out to capture the essence of his hometown, London, with each of the three movements depicting one of the many characteristics of this fascinating city. Skyline shows the frantic lifestyles of Londoners with millions of diverse people with different hopes and needs. Autumn shows the changes that take place in London during the different seasons and Downtown portrays the exciting nightlife of the West End. / Niveau : 4 / Pièce de concert / Répertoire / Brass Band

Little Suite for Orchestra No. 1: Op 53. Par ARNOLD MALCOLM. Malcolm Arnold is one Britain’s best-loved composers. In 1948 he composed a very short suite for the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain - entitled simply To Youth. Seven years later he took To Youth and made some fairly major revisions, including a complete new movement, and the Little Suite for Orchestra was born. The Little Suite for Orchestra follows a very similar pattern to the later suites for brass band, starting with a bold, strident Prelude, which strangely ends quietly before a lovely, lilting, Dance composed in 3/8 time. Finally a rollicking and militaristic March brings the suite to a conclusion. This arrangement for brass band by Robin Norman is sure tobecome a classic in the brass band repertoire. / Niveau : 4 / Pièce de concert / Date parution : 1905-06-30/ Répertoire / Brass Band

Meditation on 'O come, O come, Immanuel'. The Advent hymn we all know today as O Come, O Come, Immanuel was arranged in its modern form by Thomas Helmore and published in Hymnal Noted in 1856. Both the words and melody, however, predate this version by centuries. The words are based on a 9th century antiphon and the tune, Veni Immanuel, is taken from a 15th century processional of French Franciscan nuns, part of the setting for the funeral hymn Libera Me. This arrangement aims to expand on the power and mystery of the original tune and will be most effective if the solo cornet at the start and end of the piece can be placed away from the band, maybe at the back of the auditorium. / Niveau : 2.5 / Musique religieuse / Recueil / Brass Band