Categories: NEW & RECENT Publications, TEST PIECES (Major Works)
Composer: Philip Wilby
SAINTS TRIUMPHANT
for Brass Band
Saints Triumphant was commissioned by Brass Bands England as the set test in the championship section for
the 43rd European Brass Band Championships, held in Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Saturday 30 April 2022.
The commission was supported by the RVW Charitable Trust to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the great
English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 - 1958).
William Walsham How's great processional hymn 'For all the Saints' was written in 1864, twenty four years
before he became the first Bishop of Wakefield in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Known as 'The People's
Bishop' he was held in great esteem by working people for his pastoral concern, first in the East End of
London, and later in the pits and mill towns of Yorkshire. His great text, as set by Vaughan Williams in his
'English Hymnal' of 1906, has travelled the world and remains the signature hymn of Wakefield Diocese to this
day.
My composition 'Saints Triumphant' follows the text closely with a sequence of musical episodes, some
combative, and some valedictory. It ends, as does the final verses of the hymn, with a triumphant close.
Ralph Vaughan Williams was born in Down Ampney in Gloucestershire 150 years ago in 1872. His music
forms a lifetime's backdrop for many musicians, and this composition for brass band, written under his
shadow, is my tribute to his mighty example. Described by a recent Archbishop of Canterbury as 'A Christian
Agnostic', Vaughan Williams was born the son of an anglican clergyman, and was related to both the
naturalist Charles Darwin and the potter Josiah Wedgewood. His music for the church, and his 'English
Hymnal' in particular has made an indelible mark on English musical life. He was amongst the pioneers of
folksong collectors, preserving the songs and dances of rural people in the period before the First World War's
industrial carnage changed the landscape of Europe forever. He preserved many of these ancient melodies for
posterity in the congregational hymnody of the Church of England.
His ashes were buried in Westminster Abbey in 1958.
Performer's Notes.
In common with Vaughan Williams' 'Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis', my score uses a small group of
players who form an 'Echo Choir'. They may be placed on a slightly raised platform at a distance, but are also
required to play with the main band at times. To accommodate their dual function, please consult the attached
seating plan.
The Organ Part may be omitted.
The fifth section, 'Epitaph' contains a dialogue between an offstage cornet and a soloist standing onstage. In
this section, there are passing references to Vaughan Williams' two wartime symphonies, Nos 3 and 5.
At the final 'Jubilus' section, all players are requested to stand, and to project their sounds to different parts of
the auditorium as directed.
Philip Wilby. Skelton Windmill. May 2021
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