This piece was commissioned by Swiss euphonium virtuoso Eich Schmidli.
Bert Appermont dug deep into Celtic music for inspiration and created a fantasy that shows off the incredible, but often overlooked, versatility of the euphonium. Charming lyrical melodies, virtuosic runs and exciting, colourful tuttis create plenty of contrast in this exciting work. The difficulty level for the soloist and band means almost any band to perform this piece and showcase their euphonium player.
This piece was commissioned by Swiss euphonium virtuoso Eich Schmidli.
Bert Appermont dug deep into Celtic music for inspiration and created a fantasy that shows off the incredible, but often overlooked, versatility of the euphonium. Charming lyrical melodies, virtuosic runs and exciting, colourful tuttis create plenty of contrast in this exciting work. The difficulty level for the soloist and band means almost any band to perform this piece and showcase their euphonium player.
Categories: SOLOS - Euphonium, NEW & RECENT Publications Composer: Philip Sparke
Grade 3 ( Soloist 5 ) Duration 5.40
The Green Hills of Tyrol was commissioned by Jrena and Beat Knüsel for their son, Swiss euphonium player Joel Knüsel, to celebrate his 20th birthday in 2019. The request was for a piece suitable for use in a solo competition, possibly using a Scottish or Irish melody, and composer Philip Sparke suggested an ‘old-fashioned’ air varie might be a suitable idea. The piece follows the well-established formula of a theme followed by four variations. The history of the original melody is fascinating and, although it is now well-known as a bagpipe tune, its background is Austrian or Italian, rather than Scottish. The tune appears as a chorus of Swiss soldiers in Rossini’s 1829 opera William Tell but was possibly an existing Tyrolean folk tune. In 1854, during the Crimean War, Pipe Major John MacLeod of the 93rd Highlanders heard a band of the Sardinian contingent playing selections from the opera in camp before the Siege of Sebastopol. He was struck by the melody and arranged it for his pipers, calling it The Green Hills of Tyrol, referring to Tell’s visit to that corner of Austria in the opera. It has since become universally popular among pipe bands who usually refer to it as A Scottish Soldier, following the addition of new lyrics in a 1961 hit by Andy Stewart.
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