Par BACEWICZ GRAZYNA. Studying the sketches for works which a composer considers to be finished, perfected, is a fascinating activity. It enables one to penetrate the secrets of creative work, to compare the initial outline of a composition with its final version. A sketch is generally left untitled, but it does occur that a composer enhances the status of such a draft by giving it a title, before…

Par GRIME HELEN. Composed during the coronavirus lockdown of 2020 and scored for mezzo-soprano and pierrot ensemble, Prayer is a setting of Carol Ann Duffy’s poem describing the unexpected resonance that can be sparked by small, everyday moments. This idea is captured in the singer’s relationship with the ensemble, which at times describes external events (such as the passing of a train) and at ot…

Bach composed his oratorio for the Feast of the Ascension in Leipzig in 1735. Though this work has the duration of a cantata, the choice of text places it among the oratorios. It combines the biblical account of the Ascension with chorales and free madrigal poems.As in other works which were composed during this same year (e.g. the 'Christmas Oratorio?), Bach reveals a special fondness for colourf…

Scored for chorus, children's choir, organ and chamber orchestra, St Luke Passion adopts a pared-back focus on choral voices over its 75-minute span. Seeking a more spiritual, inward approach to match Luke's text, the composer eschews settings of interpolated texts as arias and the customary Evangelist and Christ soli: everything is sung by choral forces. A children's choir grants a measure of inn…

Tuneful melodies of broad contours and long-breathed phrases characterize this setting of the Thomas H. Troeger text. A sense of rubato will expressively shape each phrase. Though scored for piano, the accompaniment can be easily adapted for organ with equal effect. / Choeur Mixte (SATB) Et Piano

Par SCHAARS PETER KLEINE. Melodia Blues, a swinging composition by PeterKleine Schaars begins with a robust intro. Fourbars follow, which can be repeated ad lib. toallow for an optional announcement (this is theso-called VAMP). The blues theme follows alongwith two written-out improvisations. These can beexpanded - depending on the resources withinyour band. After a richly scored reprise of thethe…

Par BRIDGE FRANK. Frank Bridge was one of the finest English composers of the first half of the 20th century. The Pageant of London is his only work for wind band, comprising of two marches, one scored from Bridge’s best known organ piece and including the chimes ofBig Ben, plus three short renaissance pastiche items, one arranged from Playford (later used by Peter Warlock in Capriol Suite). The m…

Brass Band Series. Par VAUGHAN WILLIAMS RALPH. In partnership with Oxford University Press and authorized by the Vaughan Williams Charitable Trust, this major new initiative brings the incredible catalog of Ralph Vaughan Williams to the wind band community, with scholarly transcriptions by leaders in wind band composition. As the name suggests, all titles in the Brass Band Series are scored for br…

An American Tapestry is a continuous medley of three American folk songs: the happy-go-lucky The Girl I Left Behind Me, the somber and reflective He's Gone Away, and the foot-stompin' hoedown Ol' Dan Tucker. The setting was originally composed for chamber winds (11 players) and has been completely re-scored by the composer in this new edition for full wind ensemble. The contrasting tempi and senti…