Brass Band (British Style) - Repertoire

Repertoire

Brass Band repertoire is as wide and as varied as one's imagination. For example, a typical brass band could play items from Bach's Air on a G String, to The Bangles' "Eternal Flame", to brand new compositions commissioned for the National Finals held at the Royal Albert Hall. In recent years these have included commissions by Michael Ball – "...All The Flowers of the Mountain..." – and John Pickard – "Eden", which incorporates "irrational" time signatures, a first for band writing.

There are several notable composers in the brass band world. The current favourite is possibly Philip Sparke, who has written many pieces, including Music of the Spheres. A noted Welsh Composer was T. J. (Tom) Powell, born in Tredegar in 1897, also known as "The Welsh Sousa". Powell composed over 500 pieces for brass bands, including marches (such as "The Castle Marches"), tone poems and suites.

Other composers include:

  • Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen
  • Eric Ball
  • Darroll Barry
  • Brenton Broadstock
  • Kenneth Downie
  • Martin Ellerby
  • Percy Fletcher
  • Goff Richards
  • Dean Goffin
  • Marcus Venables
  • William Gordon
  • Barrie Gott
  • Peter Graham
  • Wilfred Heaton
  • William Himes
  • Elgar Howarth
  • James Ord Hume
  • Gordon Jacob
  • Cyril Jenkins
  • Erik Leidzen
  • Henry James Metcalfe
  • William Rimmer
  • Erik Silfverberg
  • Philip Sparke
  • Ray Steadman-Allen
  • Gilbert Vinter
  • Gareth Wood
  • Paul Lovatt-Cooper

Several classical composers have written music specifically for brass band. These include:

  • Malcolm Arnold: Little Suite for Brass
  • Granville Bantock: Prometheus Unbound
  • Judith Bingham: Prague
  • Harrison Birtwistle: Grimethorpe Aria
  • Arthur Bliss: Kenilworth
  • Derek Bourgeois: Blitz, Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 for Brass Band, Concerto Grosso & Apocalypse
  • Arthur Butterworth: Three Impressions for Brass, Odin
  • Simon Dobson: The Drop, Lydian Pictures & Penlee
  • Edward Elgar: The Severn Suite
  • Edward Gregson: Of Men and Mountains, Connotations & Variations on Laudate Dominum
  • Hans Werner Henze: Ragtimes and Habaneras
  • Gustav Holst: A Moorside Suite
  • Joseph Horovitz: Ballet for Band & Sinfonietta
  • Herbert Howells: Three Figures Suite
  • John Ireland: A Comedy Overture & A Downland Suite
  • George Lloyd: Diversions on a Bass Theme & English Heritage
  • Frederik Magle: The Hope for brass band, choir, organ and percussion
  • William Mathias: Vivat Regina
  • John McCabe: Cloudcatcher Fells, Salamander & The Maunsell Forts
  • Edmund Rubbra: Variations on 'The Shining River'
  • Robert Simpson: Energy & Volcano
  • Phyllis Tate: Illustrations
  • Bramwell Tovey: Coventry Variations, Pictures in the Smoke & The Night To Sing
  • Ralph Vaughan Williams: Overture – Henry the Fifth, Prelude on Three Welsh Hymn Tunes & Variations for Brass Band
  • Philip Wilby: Paganini Variations, A Breathless Alleluia, ...Dove Descending..., Vienna Nights, Revelation, Masquerade, Northern Lights, New Jerusalem & Red Priest
  • Thomas Wilson: Processional, Sinfonietta, Refrains and Cadenzas, Cartoon for cornet and brass band, Cartoon for solo cornet and brass band, Cartoon for brass ensemble and optional percussion, Cartoon for cornet and piano

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