Category: TEST PIECES (Major Works) Composer: Paul Lovatt-Cooper
Skylines was written for the National Youth Brass Band Championships of Great Britain 2009.
Duration approx. 7.00
Programme Notes At the time of writing this piece, the majority of my compositions have featured, as their inspiration, various countries, places and images from around the world, animals, major events, disasters and matters of both fiction and reality.
This is the first musical opportunity I have had to visit my roots in Lancashire and thanks to Lancashire Contests, who have commissioned me to write this piece, I am able to paint my own personal portrait of this great county. Lancashire boasts hundreds of fantastic places to go and visit and great celebrities and personalities. In particular the way the music scene has developed has made a real mark on me - from The Beatles to Take That, some amazing Lancashire bands have hit the music world. Great concert venues such as the Bridgewater Hall, the MEN arena, Preston’s Guild Hall and Winter Gardens Blackpool to name a few have hosted an amazing array of musical talent that have travelled to Lancashire to perform.
Famous places and events in Lancashire have made their mark in musical history, including concerts and live events at the Reebok Stadium, Old Trafford and the City of Manchester Stadium. Also, Manchester’s famous Hacienda Night Club and the world famous Wigan Jazz Festival have shaped Lancashire’s musical input and output.
The vision I had when composing Skylines was of looking out, at dusk over the various skylines that Lancashire has to offer and imagining hearing music from the various events mentioned above. Of course if you heard every sound at the same time it would just be chaos, so for this particular piece I’ve opted for music heard at events like the Wigan Jazz Festival and at various jazz and blues clubs around Lancashire.
Skylines is composed in a funk style with a rigid bass line allowing various soloists to shine. It is composed in a style that many brass band traditionalists won’t find stereotypical. That doesn’t mean it won’t challenge the youth bands who attempt to perform it though!
Skylines will test all of the sections of the band and will provide a great opportunity for ensembles to develop their rhythmic playing, soloistic style and general ensemble skills. It is fresh and different and I hope that both bands and audiences enjoy each performance.
Performance Notes The piece is in a funk style and shouldn’t be rushed. Bands should stay within the tempo markings ( = 106- 114) for their performances. There are obvious cues within the parts (small notes) where performers can play certain notes or group of notes either an octave higher or lower if desired. Also in some of the tutti sections where there are quite difficult running semi-quaver lines, some of the parts are marked optional for players (small notes) who may struggle with those lines and wish to omit them.
Solo Passages : The middle of the piece has a great opportunity for bands to show off their talented soloists. This starts at rehearsal letter J and continues through to N. The section gives the opportunity for the conductors and bands to choose four different soloists to play the solos marked. There are tour 8-bar solos at J, K, L and M respectively. The solos may be played by anyone apart from the BL? bass who along with the drum kit and other E bass players play the rhythmic pulse indicated. It is at the conductor’s discretion who they want to play each solo but it must be only one player each time, and they must stand at the front of the band (as they would when performing as a soloist) each in turn to play their solo and return to their seat at the end of their solo. Separate B, EL and C solo parts are provided for use at the solo stands. Bands can have any combination of soloists (e.g. Euphonium then Trombone, Horn and finally Soprano Cornet, or B Bass then Repiano Cornet, Flugel Horn and Solo Cornet). However, each solo must be played by a different player each time and one player cannot play two solos during this section. After the solos, the parts then return back to their normal scoring which takes us to a new section at rehearsal figure N. This section is lead by a solo cornet duet played with harmon mutes. The duettists (like the previous soloists) must stand out at the front during this section and return to their seats at the end of their duet where marked at P. The duet players at rehearsal figure N are allowed to play this section even if they played one of the previous solos between J and N.
Band Formation : The bands can either perform this piece in their normal band formation or if they wish, may opt for a ‘big band’ set up to suit the style of the music. Paul Lovatt-Cooper, December2008
Category: TEST PIECES (Major Works) Composer: Paul Lovatt-Cooper
Set as the Championship Section Test Piece for Butlins 2010.
Paul Lovatt Cooper writes : Programme Notes
I have been very fortunate in my life to have visited many wonderful countries and places around the world as a musician, whether it is as a composer. performer, conductor or soloist. From my experiences I wanted to compose a piece of music that showcases cities that never stop and have a constant hubbub of energy.
The ‘Sleepless Cities’ that have influenced the basis of this work are New York, London, Sydney, Tokyo, Istanbul, Amsterdam, Zurich, Cairo and Dubai. However, when composing this piece I decided it would be impossible to assign a particular musical theme that sums up each city, as they all have such a rich and diverse cultural establishment. Therefore I opted not to compose this piece in separate movements to identify each city. Instead, I composed a piece where each city blends into one another, almost as if you were taking a speedy cab ride through each bustling metropolis without a break and without the constraints of time or distance. With each metaphoric turn round a street corner you arrive in a different city and before the listener can get used to the surroundings the cab turns again into another conurbation.
Sleepless Cities is composed using melodic lines that follow in the traditional western classical style. However, as some of these places are so culturally diverse, you will also hear other cultural musical influences; for example the opening uses elements of an Indian Raga and the euphonium cadenza at bar 126 is based on the Middle Eastern Islamic call to prayer. You will also hear examples of gamelan music and the use of consecutive 4th and 5th intervals including the pentatonic scale which is a trade mark of Chinese, Japanese and Indonesian traditional music. There are also a number of occasions where both the western and eastern musical styles amalgamate highlighting the natural harmony that the differing genres share in one place.
Programme Notes : Mutes — in the parts where a mute is not specified the conductor can decide which mute to use. Harmon mutes — when harmon mutes are used then it is in all cases for the plunger to be pushed in and for the player to use their hand to cover the end of the mute with their hand (represeruied by the symbol +), or alternatively to leave opeh (represented by the symbol o). At bar 130 and 131 in the soprano and repiano cornet parts, the players should start in the closed ‘÷‘ position and gradually change to the open position ‘o’ during the playing of the first four semiquavers.
Euphonium Cadenza Half Valve Glissando — the two occasions where the euphonium is required to use a half valve glissando appear at bar 126. The first is simply to gliss. without pitch using the valves pressed half way down from the Bb to the G note. On the second occasion the euphonium is required to just gliss. away from the Bb to no particular note.
Shaker/Maraca Roll — the roll at bar 117 in the shaker should be a motion shaking from side to side rather than a circular motion giving the impression of a rattle snake.
Categories: NEW & RECENT Publications, TEST PIECES (Major Works) Composer: Daniel Hall
Grade 3/4 Duration 8.00
Smoke Sketches was composed at the invitation of Brass Bands England for the Intermediate Section of the 2017 National Youth Brass Band Championships of Great Britain.
This colourful, jazzy suite draws inspiration from the ancient art of gazing into smoke from fire to find stories through the act of divination. Into the Blaze suggests someone briskly fire-walking, barefoot, with unexpected sparks fizzling from the ground. A Lonesome Ember captures the fleeting life of a small ember, beginning insignificantly and gradually evolving into a larger being before disappearing into ash, while Spark of Light bristles with life and energy.
Category: TEST PIECES (Major Works) Composer: Stephen Roberts
Set as the Second Section Test Piece for the 2015 National Finals of the British Brass Band Championships in Cheltenham.
A musical story about young Maui, the Polynesian demi-god, who captured the sun to stop it crossing the sky too fast. Originally written for the National Youth Brass Band of New Zealand and premiered in January 2015. To be premiered in the UK at the 2nd section National Finals in September 2015.
Categories: TEST PIECES (Major Works), NEW & RECENT Publications Composer: Fredrick Schjelderup
Grade 5.00 Duration 11.30
SOLLICITUS FOR BRASS BAND AND PERCUSSION
The latin title «Sollicitus» means upset or uneasy is important in terms of the character and form of the work.
This work contains several different pcarts, all of them based around a fanfare-like theme which is presented several times.
This theme change it’s character, form, tonality, rhytmic and tension throughout the piece which triggers the turbulence of the music.
«Sollicitus» is a commission for Midtun Skoles Musikkorps and their conductor Christian Breistein for their participation in the Norwegian Championships for School Bands in 2017.
The version for Brass Band was written to Laksevåg Musikkforening for their participation at the Norwegian Brass Band Championships 2018.
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