Music for 4th section Bands

[katej]

What sort of music would you say is suitable for 4th section bands to be playing?
We've got a concert coming up and will be playing:
Soul Bossa Nova,
Pearl Harbour,
Light of the World,
From Lord of the Dance Breakout and Victory,
Lightwalk.

This is a joint concert with the County band and Wrekin College. pearl Harbour is a massed band peice and we are also playing march from First Suite in Eb en masse. Don't know yet what the other piece is or whether we will be playing anything else.
So responses to this please.

Kate.

 

[drummerboy]

Light of the World,
From Lord of the Dance Breakout and Victory,
Lightwalk.

I would have said they'd be a bit beyond most 4th section bands, having heard certainly heard the latter two being truly butchered by lower section bands (not saying you will!)

The Peter Graham arrangement of How Great thou Art (called Swedish Folk Song or something like that) isn't too hard.
SP&S/World of Brass have also got loads of pieces available (as have plenty of other people).
You said about the band playing pieces, do you mean in a concert situation?

 

[jess the drummer girl!]

What sort of music would you say is suitable for 4th section bands to be playing?
We've got a concert coming up and will be playing:
Soul Bossa Nova

Not sure about the others but we're a 1st section band (champ next year nationally!! :lol: ) and weve bin recently playing soul bossa nova (gr8 perc!)

 

[katej]

Yes in concert situations. I think we play some quite demanding music. This can be off putting as it means you have to really work at it and then when you can't play them right its very demoralising. Would like some suggestions off others I suppose.
Kate

 

[ben.gernon]

When I played with a 4th section band good pieces were (but that was 4/5 years ago):


Ground Force
Wallace and Gromit theme tune!!!!!!
Love is all around
Circle of life
Glen Miller collection
Slaidburn

Have you tried the test piece partita (gregson), you could use a movement out of that?

 

[katej]

Unfortunately I don't get a say in the music! Just wondering what other people's views were. We have some good players but then we have others who are not very confident in their ability, this includes me on rep at mo. I would rather play something well than play it badly. I'm having real trouble with the speed of Victory and Breakout, and think it sounds terrible.
Kate

 

[TheMusicMan]

Yes in concert situations. I think we play some quite demanding music. This can be off putting as it means you have to really work at it and then when you can't play them right its very demoralising. Would like some suggestions off others I suppose.
Kate

Hi Katej,

If you want to be adventurous with your band, you could try some excellent music such as:

Serenade, Bourgeois: Quite difficult in terms of time sigs as it has 7/8, 11/8, 13/8 etc, but is a good piece to learn how to deal with this sort of challenging music.

Die Felsenmhule (Mill on the Cliff): Great traditional concert overture, quite hard for 4th section but yet another great one for your MD to work with you on.

Country Scene (Goff R.): Beautifully descriptive piece, commaning lots of control from band and MD, demanding Euphonium and Principal Ct. but again, a brilliant concert listener for the audience.

Songs of the Quay: Great concert piece, hard for 4th section but playable. Lots of variation and colours.

How's that...

 

[katej]

Thanks John will bear them in mind.

 

[TheMusicMan]

Thanks John will bear them in mind.

You're welcome... anytime...

 

[WoodenFlugel]

Only know Lord of the Dance and Lightwalk. I would of thought both were a little beyond 4th section if you want to do justice to them. The Flugel solo in Lightwalk is both long and high (up to top C more than once if I remember correctly :? )

Having said that I think it's important to play harder music in your concerts as this is a great way to improve your band generally. Some good shouts from TheMusicMan. A country Scene is lovely and Serenade is one of my favourite pieces - very underused these days in my opinion. The trick is to make it sound easy and flowing despite the fact you're all counting like paranoid accountants
You could add North Country Pastorale to the list - another slow melodic piece like Country Scene but pleasant none the less.

Good Luck!

 

[katej]

Our flugel players fine. And we're not doing too badly with that now.(Lightwalk) Its a nice piece.

 

[TheMusicMan]

...Some good shouts from TheMusicMan.

...You could add North Country Pastorale to the list - another slow melodic piece like Country Scene but pleasant none the less.

Good Luck!

Hi WF

Thanks for the comment... :tup ... some great peices there eh! I have loads of ideas for pushing any progressive band in any section... they generate enthusiasm, get players on the edge of their seats, maintains interest, and most importantly - each of those I mention (and others I'd use) are thoroughly enjoyed by audiences... :wink:

Also, is that the one I know as Pastorale by Goff R...? If not, then Katej - you should add that one to the list as well..

 

[WoodenFlugel]

'ello Mr MusicMan sir!
I'm not sure :? I do know the piece I was thinking about was the set test piece for the 4th Section Milton Keynes Entertainment Contest something like 4 years ago (can anyone else help here?).
As I was writing the last post (last post :shock: ) I was trying to think who had written it and had an inkling it was Goff Richards. But A North Country Pastorale, A Country Scene and Pastorale all from the same bloke? Isn't that stretching things a little? :wink: :lol:

 

[TheMusicMan]

'ello Mr MusicMan sir!
I'm not sure :? I do know the piece I was thinking about was the set test piece for the 4th Section Milton Keynes Entertainment Contest something like 4 years ago (can anyone else help here?).

ello to you too Mr WF ...

Nope - then it's not the one I was thinking of, and I think they all are by the one and only Goff R... :wink: The Pastorale I know isn't a test piece, it's another very beautifully descriptive piece...

 

[Okiedokie of Oz]

Can I add an extra criteria???

Music for 4th section bands that may be incomplete
( 3 or 4 cornets, 1 horn, 1 bari/euph, 1 or 2 troms, and 1 tuba)

 

[TheMusicMan]

Can I add an extra criteria???

Of course Chris... haven't seen you online for a few days... everything OK down under...? Hope you had a great Easter in the sunshine...

Music for 4th section bands that may be incomplete ( 3 or 4 cornets, 1 horn, 1 bari/euph, 1 or 2 troms, and 1 tuba)

hmmm... not sure I understand what you're saying there... do you mean not fully scored or specifically written for that group of instruments...?

 

[WoodenFlugel]

ello to you too Mr WF ...

Nope - then it's not the one I was thinking of, and I think they all are by the one and only Goff R... :wink: The Pastorale I know isn't a test piece, it's another very beautifully descriptive piece...

Now this is getting really confusing
I've had a trawl though the dark recesses of my brain (not a good place to go!) and I'm sure the piece is A North Country Pastorale, and I'm also 99% sure it's a Goff Richards piece. It's not a "test piece" as such, if you're not familiar with the old MK contest I can understand the confusion - you have to play a 20 minute programme which had to include a set piece. I remember this one because my then girlfriend (now Mrs WoodenFlugel) was playing with Syston Band in the 4th Section that year.
Anyway it's a pretty little piece about 3 minutes long - well worth finding out IMHO :lol:

 

[WoodenFlugel]

There you go.......just done a search for "A North Country Pastorale" and is a Ray Steadman-Allen piece

Shows you what I know..... :roll: :lol:

BTW it's published by Rosehill.

 

[Okiedokie of Oz]

Of course Chris... haven't seen you online for a few days... everything OK down under...? Hope you had a great Easter in the sunshine...

Been at State champs.....(see Adjudication Section for results). Had a great Easter, in regards to Easter, weather was glorious!!

hmmm... not sure I understand what you're saying there... do you mean not fully scored or specifically written for that group of instruments...?

Music that sounds good if playing with a smaller ensemble due to inavailability of players.

IE: Edelweiss is a nice piece with a full band, or, if desperate, with limited parts......

 

[Dave Euph]

Out of interest, is the county band Shropshire Youth?

Also, maybe not too everyones tastes, but maybe a look at some of the better test pieces of recent years would yield some good pieces - Partita by Gregson which was done this year would be great for the band.

Also, on Gregson again (I like his music ) I always enjoyed Voices of Youth ... another demanding but certainly not unplayable piece for a 4th section band.

But of all 'non-test piece' music my favourite was the James Bond Collection - sadly I can't remember who arranged it, but I'm sure it would be easy to find