Prismatic Light

​Alan Fernie was raised in a Scottish mining town, where he was exposed to the culture of Brass Bands at a young age. A lifelong trombone player, Fernie became a music teacher and eventually moved on to conducting, composing, and adjudicating for brass ensembles across the UK. Prismatic Light was written in 2012 for the Loanhead Youth Band and has since become a beloved concert opener. 

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Irish Tune from County Derry

Percy Grainger was a noted concert pianist and conductor in his time, but is today best known for his arrangements of English folk tunes, which sparked a renewed interest in the genre in the early 20th century. Irish Tune from County Derry was first collected by Jane Ross in the mid-19th century, and Granger’s first settings were published in 1918. Today, the tune is most often associated with the lyrics to “Danny Boy,” which were written in 1910 for a different tune and were reworked to fit Irish Tune several years later. 

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Life’s Pageant

Terry Camsey was a prolific composer and cornet soloist for several Salvation Army bands. He composed Life’s Pageant in 2007 in the style of a traditional brass band cornet solo. The piece is based on Camsey’s setting of lyrics by Peter Cooke: “...my unfolding years, Just like a pageant seem to be […] I prepare to play my part, Thy word alone shall be my script, And with its precious truth equipped, I'll venture forth with steadfast heart.”

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Labour and Love

Labour and Love was written by Percy Fletcher for the Irwell Springs Band, who used it to win the 1913 National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain. It is considered a seminal work in the development of brass band repertoire in the early 20th century and remains a popular work for both concerts and contests to this day. The piece is a tone poem which evokes the story of a man toiling endlessly at his tasks who, over time, comes to develop a sense of pride and purpose in his work – a “Labour of Love.”

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Suite from Maria de Buenos Aires

María de Buenos Aires is a surrealist tango opera written by Argentinian composer Astor Piazzola. The opera tells the story of the titular Maria, a sex worker who is killed and journeys through the underworld, pursued by her lover. The work is an example of the nuevo tango style Piazzola pioneered, drawing inspiration from multiple musical genres - listen for a ballad, a habanera, and a fugue. 

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October

October was written in 2000 for the Nebraska Wind Consortium. In the original program notes, Whitacre writes:

October is my favorite month. Something about the crisp autumn air and the subtle change in light always makes me a little sentimental, and as I started to sketch I felt that same quiet beauty in the writing. The simple, pastoral melodies and subsequent harmonies are inspired by the great English Romantics [...] as I felt that this style was also perfectly suited to capture the natural and pastoral soul of the season.

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Balkan Dance

Etienne Crausaz is a contemporary Swiss composer who has written works for a wide range of instrumental and vocal ensembles. Balkan Dance is an original piece for brass band which combines characteristics of traditional Balkan brass music - strong rhythms,  energetic climaxes, and a high degree of technical proficiency - with elements of Western Rock. 

 

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Auld Lang Syne March

Karl King wrote Auld Lang Syne March in 1944, late into his career as conductor of the Fort Dodge (IA) Municipal Band and one of the most popular American composers of band music. The march was dedicated to his friend Art Taylor, a Scotsman, and contains several Scottish tunes before ending with “Auld Lang Syne,” which, in King’s words, is “the best known song of friendship in the world.” This setting for brass band was transcribed by TCBB’s own “March King,” Kelby Stine.