'Never look at the trombones, it only encourages them'
Richard Strauss
BRASS
BAND MUSIC
It has been the general
consensus that 'minor' composers have been more successful at scoring for brass bands as
they usually have years of experience either playing or conducting in the brass band
circle. Often, their resources are greater, as they have loyal bands who are willing to
play through draft pieces for hours on end whilst the composer makes minor changes. This
page follows the development of brass band music and some composers of brass repertoire.
There are, of course, 100's of composers who have contributed greatly to the movement..
However, I have chosen 5 of those who may be classed as pioneers in their work.
History
of Repertoire
| The brass band
repertoire is rather young compared with that of classical music. When brass bands
started, it was the bandmasters job to arrange and orchestrate all the music they
required. The early arrangements were a mixture of traditional hymns and popular musical
numbers from George Gershwin and Irving Berlin. Most major works are in some way connected
with major contests, either through being written as a test piece or commissioned by
the organisation. Later on, when arrangers started to become more confident, they would
embark on orchestrating classical and operatic pieces. In a way, this played a very
important role in society as it was the first time many people from the working classes
had the chance to experience the music of Mozart, Strauss and Rossini amongst others. |
GIACCCHINO ROSSINI
CLICK ON IMAGE TO HEAR BRASS ARRANGEMENT OF
WILLIAM TELL OVERTURE |
GUSTAV HOLST |
1913 saw the first original
piece of brass band work written by Percy Fletcher. A
commission for the National Brass Band
Championship, the composer 'played
safe' by writing a tuneful melody with cadenzas for the lead cornet player. By the end of the 1920s, well known classical
composers were beginning to consider the brass band as a serious musical ensemble. Holst
was the first ' major' composer to write for bands when the'Mooreside Suite' was published
in 1928, followed by Elgar's 'Severn Suite' in 1930. Although both of these composers did
not continue writing major pieces for brass bands, many of their orchestral works have
been arranged to become popular repertoire for brass bands. |
 EDWARD ELGAR |
| However, rather than use
current musical styles employed by Igor Stravinsky or Bella Bartok, composers were
influenced by 19th century concepts of melody and structure. It was not until the 1960s
and 1970s that composer started to investigate the musical possibilities of brass bands.
With the success of competitions, conductors and musicians were now looking for a
repertoire that would contain more challenging aspects and enable them to show off their
skill. Major music festivals were also taking an interest in brass bands, and were
requesting that they played pieces that were more in tune with the styles of the decade,
such as minimalism and the use of tone poems. Another influence was the Arts Council of
Great Britain who would fund and commission up and coming composers such as Martin
Dalby to create something that
'little bit different'. |
MARTIN DALBY |
| Percy Fletcher, 1879-1932 On the 12 of December 1879, Percy Fletcher was born in Derby and took
lessons in the organ, violin and piano. Although a Musical Director for Theatre was his
main profession, he was responsible for the first piece to be specifically written for a
brass band. 'Labour and Love', commissioned for the National Brass Band Championship in 1913 lead the way for other composers
such as Holst, Elgar and Vaughan Williams to write original composition for the brass band. His work was an
instant success and he was duly asked back to compose a contesting piece in 1926, 'The
Epic Symphony'. |
 FIRST PAGE OF THE SCORE FOR 'LABOUR AND LOVE' |
Even
today bands and audiences all around the world enjoy these two pieces in concerts and
competitions. However, more important than the pieces themselves, was the fact that Percy
Fletcher opened up the possibility for potential composers and band masters to write Brass
Band pieces from scratch which could take into account the instruments of the band in its
melody and structure. |
Ralph
Vaughan Williams 1872-1958
| From Gloucestershire, Vaughan
Williams studie a postgraduate at the Royal College of music after completing a history
degree at Cambridge. Although only producing 2 major brass band pieces, he pioneered the
way for serious composition from established classical composer. His lesser known piece is
a collection of popular sea songs, aptly named ' Sea Songs' was published in 1923 and went
on to be arranged for classical orchestra in 1942. Rather short at 4 minutes long, it was
celebrated as a masterpiece due to some highly intricate passages which even challenged
the performers when premiered at the 1924 British Empire Exhibition. |
RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS |
Vaughan Williams was attracted to the folk
song idiom, having collected over 800 examples in his lifetime. No surprise that he chose
to use this as a subject for one of the most famous brass band pieces of the 20th Century.
'English Folk Song Suite', composed in 1923 consists of 2 movements: a March, 'Seventeen
come Sunday' , followed by a slow Intermezzo based on 'My Bonny Boy', then returning to a
final March, 'Folksongs From Somerset'. As in his orchestral works, he manages to provide
a balance between the heaviness of the lower brass such as tuba with the buoyant
characteristics of folk music through careful scoring and rhythmic contrasts.
Malcolm
Arnold, 1921 -
MALCOLM ARNOLD |
Originally from Northampton,
Malcolm Arnold was a brilliant performer and went on to become principal trumpet for the
London Philharmonic Orchestra. However, his love was always for composition and arranging,
to which he has dedicated most of his life. His contribution has not always been
appreciated by his musical peers. Composing in a time when music is extremely challenging
and often rather abstract, his brass band music is light tonal and has a distinctive
dance-like nature. Although not one of the most popular composers within the contesting
repertoire, his pieces are favoured by community bands as well as school Ensembles and has
been commissioned by the National Youth Brass Band of Scotland. In a long term relationship with the brass band
movement he been involved with many bands such as the Black Dyke Band and Grimthorpe
Colliery, the bands who recorded the sound track to 'Brassed Off'. |
In 1993, Malcolm Arnold received a
Knighthood for his service to British music and continues to write for Brass bands to this
day. His view of music as a 'social act of communication among people, a gesture of
friendship, the strongest there is' conveys the familiarity and warmth of his pieces and
may be one reason why they are popular with players and audiences years after they were
written.
James
Curnow, 1943 -
| Although not British,
Michigan-born James Curnow has played an integral part the brass band repertoire in
Britain and all over the world. Since graduating from Wayne State University in Detroit,
where he studied the Euphonium, James Curnow is one of the few composers who has been
successful by being heavily involved in the Salvation Army bands, where he is the editor
for all American Salvation Army music published in America, and in the secular brass band
movement through teaching and conducting, as well as composition. The sheer quantity of his brass band music is covers
all ranges of ability, although he is especially popular among school and university brass
bands. Some pieces are deliberately written for educational purposes, where he
concentrates on developing a certain techniques, such as rhythm or playing as an ensemble,
whilst other his other compositions, such as Mutanza, written in 1980, includes extremely
challenging exposed passages for all sections of the ensemble. |
JAMES CURNOW
CLICK IMAGE TO HEAR OPENING OF 'MUTANZA' |
CLICK PICTURE OF ERIC BALL TO HEAR HIS PIECE
'CEREMONY' |
Eric
Ball, 1903-1989 Without
a doubt, Eric Ball is the father of the Brass Band. Born on October the 31st, 1903,
he was given music and harmony lessons from a private teacher who was alot the local
church organist. After World War I he went on to study the organ at Staines and
Dartford Churches, writing for mobile organs and voices. However, from a background
with strong Salvation Army ties, Eric was drawn to the sound of the brass band from an early
age.
As well as a
supreme master in writing melodies built on simple melodic blocks he uses innovative
harmonies and careful orchestration to create different timbres and sounds within the
brass band. Eric Ball's music is clearly influenced by the likes of Brahms and
Elgar, and his melodies often extremely lyrical, whether they are simple Salvation Army
tunes or test pieces for the National Championships, such as 'Ceremony'. |
Eric Ball
has also been editor of the 'British Bandsman' for 15 years (1952 to 1967) and has written over 150 pieces for both
the brass band movement and the Salvation Army, even though he left the 'Army' in 1946. Most importantly, he has
shown that it is possible to become a successful composer by exclusively composing for
brass bands.
