Cat No. JM69180
Price £114.95
Composer: Oliver Waespi
Category: TEST PIECES (Major Works)

Grade 4
Duration 11:30
Set as the Third Section Test Piece for the 2015 National Finals of the British Brass Band Championships in Cheltenham in September.


The Graces of Love (Le Gratie d’Amore) is the title of a book published in 1602 by Cesare Negri, the famous dance master of the Milan court in the Renaissance. It contains numerous dance tunes and precise descriptions of courtly dances. It also includes the tune Il bianco fior (The White Flower) on which the first movement of the present piece is based. A vigorous dance in three-four, it leads to an acceleration and a sudden shift to an even meter towards the end. The second movement, calm and contemplative in character, features the tune Vaghe bellezze ... (Veiled Beauty …). Widely spaced melodic parts surround two solos during which the tune is varied and developed. Finally, the third movement contains a saltarello with a hypnotic rhythm, ending the work with flair and gusto.