Composers not yet 'lost' to brass bands.

[markh]

I would love to hear/play something by Steve Reich

[trumpetmike]

I would love to hear/play something by Steve Reich

I would love to hear/play something by Steve Reich

I would love to hear/play something by Steve Reich

I would love to hear/play something by Steve Reich

I would love to hear/play something by Steve Reich

I would love to hear/play something by Steve Reich

I would love to hear/play something by Steve Reich

I would love to hear/play something by Steve Reich

I would love to hear/play something by Steve Reich

I would love to hear/play something by Steve Reich

I would love to hear/play something by Steve Reich

Yeah, could be interesting.
Definitely in favour of a piece of music that would never be heard on a contest stage.

[PeterBale]

I thought you would have moved each post on a little!

[trumpetmike]

I thought you would have moved each post on a little!

My apologies
Sm yapologie
Es myapologi
Ie smyapolog
Gi esmyapolo
Og iesmyapol
Lo giesmyapo
Ol ogiesmyap
Po logiesmya
Ap ologiesmy
Ya pologiesm
My apologies

[bbg]

My apologies
Sm yapologie
Es myapologi
Ie smyapolog
Gi esmyapolo
Og iesmyapol
Lo giesmyapo
Ol ogiesmyap
Po logiesmya
Ap ologiesmy
Ya pologiesm
My apologies

Phew! At first reading I thought that this was either a list of

a) new pieces composed for fullband, kitchen sink and nose flute

or

b) some imported "deps" for upcoming "regional" contests where "local" pride is at stake


Silly me.

[James Yelland]

You might think I am, but I'm not actually disagreeing with you Jim!

Appreciated. And thanks to you (and everyone) for not pointing out my obvious blunder when I said that my little list contained no works written as testpieces!

The title of this thread is 'composers not YET lost to brass bands'. I took that to mean composers who haven't yet written anything but might yet be persuaded, rather than composers who are merely still alive. My worry is that if upcoming composers don't want their music subjected to the contest treatment, and bands don't play their music in concerts, then they will quickly move from the 'not lost' to 'lost' category despite still being alive. And that' s where I felt things were heading when I listened to the discussion between Lucy Pankhurst, Gavin Higgins, Peter Meechan, Andy Scott and Dan Price at the RNCM festival. I see Mr Meechan is monitoring this thread - I wonder if I'm summing up fairly?

[jockinafrock]

"Others would be Lucy Pankhurst, Andy Scott for starters"

Lucy Pankhurst and Andy Scott have already written a number of significant works for brass bands. In Pankhurst's case, one of them was sufficiently significant to win her a British Composer Award last year.

If, on the other hand, by 'significant work' you really mean 'testpiece', I think you can probably rule Andy Scott out. Anyone present at the composers forum during the RNCM festival in January will have heard what he thought about treating music as a mere technical exercise. I agree with him.

Andy wrote a piece for Fodens, 'Battle of Barossa' - what a fabulous piece! Whilst not written as a 'test-piece' I am certain that it would be a corker if used. It is a demanding piece and would test most bands, but hasn't been written for that purpose. It is, though, very listenable to and full of wonderful sounds. The 'Hymn to Barossa' is just part of the piece and has been played independently of the rest of the work at concerts.

[Dave Payn]

Having heard the UK premiere of her Percussion Concerto yesterday in Glasgow, I'd like Sally Beamish to dip her composing toes into the brass band genre.

[Will the Sec]

Come to think of it - what would it take to get Dave Payn to compose something for band, as opposed to the myriad of qulaity arrangements he has down?

[Dave Payn]

Come to think of it - what would it take to get Dave Payn to compose something for band, as opposed to the myriad of qulaity arrangements he has down?

Nice of you to say so but currently too busy teaching, conducting and trying to fit SOME practice around all that to compose something!

[Thirteen Ball]

Appreciated. And thanks to you (and everyone) for not pointing out my obvious blunder when I said that my little list contained no works written as testpieces!

The title of this thread is 'composers not YET lost to brass bands'. I took that to mean composers who haven't yet written anything but might yet be persuaded, rather than composers who are merely still alive. My worry is that if upcoming composers don't want their music subjected to the contest treatment, and bands don't play their music in concerts, then they will quickly move from the 'not lost' to 'lost' category despite still being alive. And that' s where I felt things were heading when I listened to the discussion between Lucy Pankhurst, Gavin Higgins, Peter Meechan, Andy Scott and Dan Price at the RNCM festival. I see Mr Meechan is monitoring this thread - I wonder if I'm summing up fairly?

Then perhaps we should look at the criteria that the panel use for selecting something as a test-piece, and suggest a certain broadening of the approach in order to accommodate more adventurouse works?

Or potentially look at restructuring the format of contesting altogether to allow the bands themselves to select more adventurous works?

[jockinafrock]

Then perhaps we should look at the criteria that the panel use for selecting something as a test-piece, and suggest a certain broadening of the approach in order to accommodate more adventurouse works?

Or potentially look at restructuring the format of contesting altogether to allow the bands themselves to select more adventurous works?

Not sure who's actually on the panel that selects test pieces, but I would hazard a guess that there are some old war horses there. I'm not knocking them, but I would go as far as to suggest inviting the likes of Lucy, Andy, Peter et al to add a more contemporary outlook on these decisions.

[JR]

I'm not knocking them, but I would go as far as to suggest inviting the likes of Lucy, Andy, Peter et al to add a more contemporary outlook on these decisions.

Correct!

Let's at least ask these people - if we don't ask we might never find out if they're interested

P.S one more plug for Paul "Military Wives" Mealor - I have it on good authority he's interested...

John R

[JR]

As I'm at a loose end this afternoon, which pieces do I think are of real significance in the BB repertoire? Here are the main ones which come to mind:

Denis Wright's Cornet Concerto - the first full scale cornet concerto
Joseph Horovitz's Euphonium Concerto - the first full scale euph concerto which inspired dozens of others
A Moorside Suite (Gustav Holst) - the first original work by a composer of international stature
The Trumpets (Gilbert Vinter) - the first (I think) large scale choral work (c. 45 minutes) in which band, choir, bass and trumpet soloists are given equal prominence
Grimethorpe Aria (Harrison Birtwistle) - the first (I think) atonal work for band
Echoes (Tim Souster) - the first work for band and live electronics
Cataclysm (Paul Patterson) - the first (I think) work which features contemporary notation and aleotoric passages
Songs of the Aristos (Robert Lennon) - the first (I think) work for band and recorded electronics

Two observations. One, none of these pieces (as mentioned above) were written for contests. Two, the most recent of them (Echoes) is already 22 years old.

Besses with Ifor James premiered a work with electronics at the Harrogate Festival in 1974 - I was there - The gigantic reel - to - reel machine broke down half way through....

I can't remember for the life of me the name of the composer - don't think it was Bob Lennon though (who used to play euph for me at Yorks Co-Op - we pemiered his tribute to 9/11 called Fallen Citadel ten years ago)

JR

[Anno Draconis]

Alan Hope, Brian Buckley, John Maines and Richard Evans are the current music panel.