Category: BIGGIES - Grade 6.0 Composer: Stephen Foster Arranger: Donald Hunsberger
Grade: 6.0 (plus)
As part of the Butler/Geyer performance and recording project [See Carmen Fantasia (DHM0406) and Under Gypsy Skies (DHM 0403) and Carmen Fantasia (DH002CD), A Stephen Foster Sett was created to provide settings of three differing styles of Foster's music: parlour music - Come Where My Love Lies Dreamin," theatrical music - I Dream of Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair and work songs - The Glendy Burk. The accompaniment for Come Where My Love... is scored for a small chamber ensemble, Jeanie.. for an expandable chamber orchestra and Glendy Burk for a Civil War era brass band.
Category: BIGGIES - Grade 6.0 Composer: Stephen Foster Arranger: Donald Hunsberger
Grade: 6.0 (plus)
As part of the Butler/Geyer performance and recording project [See Carmen Fantasia (DHM0406) and Under Gypsy Skies (DHM 0403) and Carmen Fantasia (DH002CD), A Stephen Foster Sett was created to provide settings of three differing styles of Foster's music: parlour music - Come Where My Love Lies Dreamin," theatrical music - I Dream of Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair and work songs - The Glendy Burk. The accompaniment for Come Where My Love... is scored for a small chamber ensemble, Jeanie.. for an expandable chamber orchestra and Glendy Burk for a Civil War era brass band.
Category: BIGGIES - Grade 6.0 Composer: Oliver Waespi
Grade 6.0 Duration 19:55
Audivi Media Nocte is based on the eponymous motet by Thomas Tallis from the 16th Century - a work that holds great fascination for Oliver Waespi. During the process of composition, various chord sequences and rhythmical structures emerged that led the work in the direction of a musical drama, with elements of a concerto grosso and solos for different soloists. An innovative, virtuoso and gripping work that can also take you far in competitions!
Category: BIGGIES - Grade 6.0 Composer: Thomas Doss
Grade 6.0 Duration 11.30
The piece portrays the hustle, bustle, harshness and excessiveness of a city. Stocks and shares, banking, the Internet, consumerism and wanton materialism drive people to the very limits of their physical and mental well-being. A sudden blackout abruptly interrupts the hectic pace and then immediately all is calm…
Category: BIGGIES - Grade 6.0 Composer: Philip Sparke
Symphony No. 3
Grade 6 Duration 26:04
Philip Sparke’s third symphony, A Colour Symphony, was commissioned by “sinfonischen blasorchester wehdel” conducted by Thomas Ratzek. In the four movements (white, yellow, blue and red) the composer creates links between the instrumentation and harmonic elements and the actual colour of the spectrum the movement stands for. In order to create the greatest richness possible, Philip Sparke used a very large instrumentation including low woodwinds, harp, piano and celli. A Colour Symphony is an impressive and iconic addition to the standard repertoire for large symphonic bands. Philip Sparke’s third symphony, A Colour Symphony, was commissioned by “sinfonischen blasorchester wehdel” conducted by Thomas Ratzek. In the five movements (white, yellow, blue, red and green) the composer creates links between the instrumentation and harmonic elements and the actual colour of the spectrum the movement stands for. In order to create the greatest richness possible, Philip Sparke used a very large instrumentation including low woodwinds, harp, piano and celli. A Colour Symphony is an impressive and iconic addition to the standard repertoire for large symphonic bands.
Coogee Funk is a wild and fast paced exploration of funk riffs and rhythms, inspired by a trip to Sydney in 2005. It was commissioned by James Gourlay and the Royal Northern College of Music Wind Orchestra, who gave the premiere at the 2005 Resonances season.
Category: BIGGIES - Grade 6.0 Material: Sparke, Philip
Grade 6.0 Duration 20.30
Dance Movements was commissioned by the United States Air Force Band and first performed by them in February 1996. A tour-de-force for a large band, the work is in four continuous movements which have dance rhythms and moods as their basis. The second movement features the woodwinds and the third is for brass.
Winner of the prestigious "Sudler Award" for new music for wind band 1997.
Dance Suite displays a variety of historical dance forms from a twentieth century viewpoint by this composer of distinction. The six dances move forward historically from the ancient Hey, through Waltz and Polka, to the sophisticated Tango and the jazz tradition. The rhythm that typifies each dance is constantly under attack, sometimes from a different dance style altogether. These intrusive elements are most obvious in the final dance, Break Dance, and prompts the double meaning of the title.
Dance Suite was commissioned by the Colleges Consortium with the BASBWE Education Trust, and the first performance was given by Warwick University Symphonic Wind Ensemble on 25th November 1996 conducted by Colin Touchin. The piece has been performed in major venues in the UK and USA and was featured in conference programmes at BASBWE in Manchester and WASBE 2001 in Lucerne. Grade 5.5 duration 17 minutes
Dance Suite displays a variety of historical dance forms from a twentieth century viewpoint by this composer of distinction. The six dances move forward historically from the ancient Hey, through Waltz and Polka, to the sophisticated Tango and the jazz tradition. The rhythm that typifies each dance is constantly under attack, sometimes from a different dance style altogether. These intrusive elements are most obvious in the final dance, Break Dance, and prompts the double meaning of the title.
Ravel's ballet, Daphnis and Chloé, was commissioned by Sergei Diaghilev and premiered with the Ballets Russes in Paris in 1912. The ballet is now rarely performed, but its Suite No. 2 remains popular.
It consists of three movements,
01. Lever du jour, 02. Pantomime 03. Danse générale, that are played without interruption. Tohru Takahashi makes no compromises in his transcription, which calls for at least 60 musicians and an optional mixed chorus!
Ravel's ballet, Daphnis and Chloé, was commissioned by Sergei Diaghilev and premiered with the Ballets Russes in Paris in 1912. The ballet is now rarely performed, but its Suite No. 2 remains popular. It consists of three movements, Lever du jour, Pantomime and Danse générale, that are played without interruption. Tohru Takahashi makes no compromises in his transcription, which calls for at least 60 musicians and an optional mixed chorus!
Der Aufstand (German for ‘riot’) is not a descriptive work, nor is it solely based on the riots of 2011. It does, however, draw on the idea of opposing forces and escalating anger. The work falls into two contrasting sections that are linked by a series of repeated, ‘screaming’ chords. A slow build drives the first section from a single pitch to a blazing orchestral tutti. The second section is a fast and wild series of fanfares and driving rhythms that ultimately cannot be sustained. In many ways this mirrors the first. Both sections open on single tones (Bb and E) and grow to a climax of brass and hammered chords. The first performance took place on the last day of the 2012 Olympic Games. Der Aufstand is a noisy antithesis to the celebratory fanfare.
As a very young musician, Kenneth Hesketh was spellbound by the sounds and colours of the ballet music commissioned for the Ballets Russes company by Serge Diaghilev (1872 -1929) — the great ballets by Stravinsky, Debussy, Ravel and Prokofi ev. Diaghilev Dances is Hesketh’s homage to this great legacy, which he describes as ‘a miniature ballet consisting of an introduction, three dances and three entr’actes’.
Category: BIGGIES - Grade 6.0 Composer: Oliver Waespi
Difficulty: 6
Duration: 16m25s
This grand work contains four contrasting movements. The first movement, Prelude, takes the form of an overture: it raises the curtains and marks the beginning of the piece. The brilliant motifs of the opening are contrasted by a calmer and more lyrical central section, after which the triumphant opening returns for the movement’s end. The second movement, Meditation, explores the intimate sounds of the oboe, as well as those of the flute and French horn, backed by a rich orchestral accompaniment. The third movement presents a more upbeat Procession, but not a Procession of the Nobles, as written by Rimsky-Korsakov. Quite the opposite, Procession resembles a “second line” procession from New Orleans, whose up-beat rhythms invite everyone to dance in the streets rather than the measured pacing of a march. Divertimento ends with a Hoedown, the tradition American folk dance idiom, when the band has the opportunity for both vivacity and virtuosity and may play as fast as it can. It is important to play all four movements with precision, clarity and, most importantly, enthusiasm.
Category: BIGGIES - Grade 6.0 Composer: Johan de Meij
Grade 6.0 Duration 16.30
Extreme Make-over consists of a number of musical metamorphoses on a theme from Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s well-known Andante cantabile (the second movement of his String Quartet No. 1 in D, Op. 11, written in 1871). “Never in my life have I felt so flattered, never have I been so proud of my creative powers as when Lev Tolstoy sat in the chair next to mine listening to my Andante, and the tears ran down his cheeks,” wrote the composer in the winter of 1876 on the occasion of a special concert organised for Tolstoy at the Moscow Conservatory. In 1888 Tchaikovsky arranged this movement for cello and orchestra.
The main theme of the Andante cantabile is based on a Russian folksong. In Extreme Make-over this theme is introduced in its original form by a brass quartet consisting of two comets, alto horn and euphonium. At the theme’s reprise, muted comets sneak, almost inaudibly, alongside the four soloists and elongate each note of the melody, as though the sustaining pedal on a piano has been depressed. The first metamorphosis emanates from a single tone, to which the two successive tones from the theme are added in bell-like chords. The addition of the lower second results in a completely new sound world, completing the first metamorphosis.
Anticipating the canonic theme from the finale, a timpani solo forms the transition to the Alla marcia. This movement is composed in a robust neo-classical style and is peppered with quotes, including fragments from Tchaikovsky’s Fourth and Sixth Symphonies and the Fantasy-Overture Romeo and Juliet. The following movement features a rather unconventional instrumental group: ten tuned bottles, played by members of the cornet section. This group eventually provides the accompaniment for an extensive marimba solo, gradually producing a sort of gamelan effect. In composing for the tuned bottles I have applied the ‘hoketus’ technique: each player produces a single note of the melody or the chord. This fragile movement is joined seamlessly to the finale, a canonic treatment of the theme. Hurtling through each instrumental group, it leads us to a festive conclusion.
Performance suggestions * The opening movement can be performed without conductor, emphasizing the chamber music aspect of the piece and allowing the four soloists to exhibit their ensemble skills. The conductor can then take over at either measure 33 or measure 51 (Poco piii animato). * The preparation and playing of the tuned bottles requires some explanation. Fill the bottles almost to the brim with water and then tune them accurately to the following concert pitches: D, E, G#, A and B over two octaves (in the score these notes are transposed for the B-flat and E-flat instruments). Adding or removing even a few drops can make a considerable difference in the pitch.
The precise shape or size of bottle does not matter much, provided the neck of the bottle is not too wide to comfortably produce a sound. Use a cork or a screw top to prevent evaporation (and thus affect the pitch) and take a spare prepared bottle on stage in case of accidental spillage. You never know! The method of producing a sound on the bottles is comparable to a flute or pan flute embouchure. A certain amount of practice is required to be able to produce a full, pleasant sound. Overbiowing will result in unwanted overtones. Once the player has established the optimum angle of his embouchure, his sound will resemble a somewhat breathy flute tone. A large dynamic range is possible. This will all take some getting used to and is usually accompanied by general mirth and the customary raucous jokes. But once the players have mastered the technique and the balance, the result is extraordinary: an entirely new sound emerges from the ensemble. The composer hereby also affords the players a legitimate excuse to empty as many bottles as they see fit, before or after rehearsals. Cheers!
Johan de Meij Amsterdam, September 2004
NB. An extra synthesizer part is added to the set, to be used only as a substitute for the bottle section, or as a rehearsal aid. JdM
The Gilded Theatre was commissioned by the National Youth Wind Orchestra of Great Britain. The first performance was given by the National Youth Wind Orchestra of Great Britain, conducted by James Gourlay at St John’s Smith Square, London on August 10 th 2000.
Category: BIGGIES - Grade 6.0 Composer: Peter Graham
Grade 6.0
The sea, with its many facets and moods, has long held the attention of numerous composers: Felix Mendelssohn and his overtures, The Hebrides and Calm Seas and Prosperous Voyage; Claude Debussy’s monumental La Mer; Ralph Vaughan Williams with his Symphony No. 2, a sea symphony for orchestra and chorus; and Benjamin Britten’s two operas, Billy Build and Peter Grimes, the latter of which contains the wonderful Four Sea Interludes. In the wind band world, one finds Anthony Tannaccone’s Sea Drjft, based on poems by Walt Whitman (ABAI Ostwald Award winner in 1996), and Francis McBeth’s Of Sailors and Wales: Five Scenes From Melville, op. 78. In this tradition, Peter Graham has composed an exciting yet contemplative work based on the historical development of a clock that would enable a ship’s crew to ascertain their exact location on the high seas through knowledge of exact time on shore and on the ship. Graham’s own composer’s notes provide the background for this musical depiction of this monumental undertaking:
At 8:00 p.m. on the 22nd October, 1707, the Association, flagship of the British Royal navy; struck rocks off the Scilly Isles with the loss of the entire crew. Throughout the rest of the evening the remaining three ships in the fleet suffered the same fate. Only 26 of the original crewmembers survived. This disaster was a direct result of an inability to calculate longitude, the most pressing scientific problem of the time. It pushed the longitude question to the forefront of the national consciousness and precipitated the Longitude Act. Parliament funded a prize of £20,000 to anyone whose method or device would solve the dilemma.
For carpenter and self-taught clockmaker John Harrison, this was the beginning of a forty-year obsession. To calculate longitude it is necessary to know the time aboard ship and at the homeport or place of known longitude, at precisely the same moment. Harrison’s dream was to build a clock so accurate that this calculation could be made, an audacious feat of engineering. [Harrison’s search eventually resulted in the first chronometer, a time-measuring instrument that keeps accurate time at all temperatures. —Ed.1
This work reflects aspects of this epic tale, brilliantly brought to life in Dava Sobel’s book Longitude. Much of the music is mechanistic in tone and is constructed along precise mathematical and metrical lines. Aural echoes of the clockmaker’s workshop alternate with nightmare dream pictures: Harrison was haunted by the realization that countless lives depended on a solution to the longitude problem. The emotional core of the work reflects on the evening of October 22, 1707, culminating in the sounding of eight bells and the ascension of the mariners’ souls in the sounding of the handheld bells.
Though the distance of almost two centuries may separate us emotionally from the horror of that evening, the metaphor that Harrison’s Dream conveys remains timeless.
Harrison’s Dream was commissioned by the United States Air Force Band, Washington, D.C., Colonel Lowell E. Graham, Commander/Conductor. It was awarded the prestigious ABAI Ostwald Award for Original Composition in 2002; it is highly identifiable with Graham’s personal British heritage as well as in recognition of his roots in the Salvation Army Brass Band movement.
Harrison’s Dream contains many rapid articulated passages that contrast with tender oboe and horn solos. A middle section calls for several small bells rung in aleatoric fashion to commemorate the Eight Bells signal aboard ship. Donald Hunsberger.
Category: BIGGIES - Grade 6.0 Composer: Kevin Houben
Grade 6 Duration 17:30
In The Lost Labyrinth, Kevin Houben portrays the persistent search for an ancient Egyptian mortuary temple. In this work, the theme from Gregorio Allegri’s moving Miserere becomes a leitmotif for the archaeologists’ quest and, given a contemporary transformation, brings the Ancient and Modern together.
Category: BIGGIES - Grade 6.0 Composer: Peter Graham
Grade 6.0
The Symphonic Peter Graham at his very best. Originally conceived as a Brass Band Championship section testpiece, there are three movements (i) Arch (ii) Circles (iii) Arrow.
Category: BIGGIES - Grade 6.0 Composer: Philip Sparke
Grade 6.0
The piece reflects the composer's fascination with the origins of the universe and deep space in general.
The title comes from a theory, formulated by Pythagoras, that the cosmos was ruled by the same laws he had discovered that govern the ratios of note frequencies of the musical scale. (‘Harmonia’ in Ancient Greek, which means scale or tuning rather than harmony – Greek music was monophonic). He also believed that these ratios corresponded to the distances of the six known planets from the sun and that the planets each produced a musical note which combined to weave a continuous heavenly melody (which, unfortunately, we humans cannot hear). In this work, these six notes form the basis of the sections MUSIC OF THE SPHERES and HARMONIA.
The pieces opens with a horn solo called t = 0, a name given by some scientists to the moment of the Big Bang when time and space were created, and this is followed by a depiction of the BIG BANG itself, as the entire universe bursts out from a single point.
A slower section follows called THE LONELY PLANET which is a meditation on the incredible and unlikely set of circumstances which led to the creation of the Earth as a planet that can support life, and the constant search for other civilisations elsewhere in the universe.
ASTEROIDS AND SHOOTING STARS depicts both the benign and dangerous objects that are flying through space and which constantly threaten our planet, and the piece ends with THE UNKNOWN, leaving in question whether our continually expanding exploration of the universe will eventually lead to enlightenment or destruction.
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