Par SPARKE PHILIP. Philip Sparke was so inspired and moved by his first visit to New York, that he had to capture the moment in one of his compositions. At first a general picture of New York is presented as all the sights and sounds are taken it. Eventually the composer finds himself in Manhattan. Walking along a street, music can be heard wafting from one of the jazz-clubs. This musical represen…

Arr. Philip Sparke. Par HOLST GUSTAV. Christina Rossetti wrote the words to this famous Christmas carol in 1872 in response to a request from the magazine Scribner's Monthly for a Christmas poem. They were set to music by Gustav Holst (1874-1934) for inclusion in the first edition (1906) of The English Hymnal, edited by his life-long friend, Ralph Vaughan Williams. Philip Sparke has carefully arra…

Par SPARKE PHILIP. Three Klezmer Miniatures is Philip Sparke’s third work based on traditional Jewish klezmer melodies, after Shalom! and A Klezmer Karnival. Klezmer music originated in the ’shtetl‘ (villages) and the ghettos of Eastern Europe, where itinerant Jewish troubadours, known as ’klezmorim‘, had performed at celebrations, particularly weddings, since the early Middle Ages. In Three Klezm…

Par SPARKE PHILIP. Philip Sparke a composé …the quest for peace… (…la quête de la paix…) à la demande de Jeff Slepak, directeur de l’Orchestre d’Harmonie de l’établissement d’enseignement secondaire Stevenson High School de Lincolnshire dans l’État américain de l’Illinois. L’oeuvre a été donnée en création mondiale par la formation dédicataire dans le cadre de la convention des professeurs de musi…

Rheinfelden Sketches. Par SPARKE PHILIP. In each of the four movements of this major work for concert band, the composer has tried to capture in music something of the spirit of this beautiful Swiss town of Rheinfelden, which lies on the banks of the Rhein. The opening movement, Promenade, sees woodwind and brass alternating short melodic fragments leading to a noble melody from the horns. The dre…

Par SPARKE PHILIP. Prelude on an Irish Folk Tune (“Prélude sur un air irlandais”) est basée sur l'air traditionnel Slane, la version hymnique d’une mélodie irlandaise plus ancienne The Banks of the Bann. La mélodie s’imbrique dans la trame musicale vers la fin de la pièce. Publiée pour la première fois en 1909 dans le recueil Old Irish Folk Music and Songs (“Chants et airs irlandais anciens”) de P…

Three Slavonic Dances for Woodwind Ensemble. Par SPARKE PHILIP. Slavonica! est une commande du Bloomsbury Music Group pour le Bloomsbury Woodwind Ensemble. Le compositeur désirait créer un ensemble de trois danses slaves modernes, fortement inspirées de Dvo ák : une danse d’ouverture, une « sousedská », et une « sko ná » entraînante qui accélère jusqu’à la coda tumultueuse. Ces danses se prêtent à…

Arr. Philip Sparke. Par HOLST GUSTAV. Christina Rossetti wrote the words to this famous Christmas carol in 1872 in response to a request from the magazine Scribner's Monthly for a Christmas poem. They were set to music by Gustav Holst (1874-1934) for inclusion in the first edition (1906) of The English Hymnal, edited by his life-long friend, Ralph Vaughan Williams. Philip Sparke has carefully arra…

Arr. Philip Sparke. Par FRANCK CESAR. Although Cesar Franck won many prizes during his student days his music was generally unrecognised by his contemporaries. His pieces were written in the romantic style whilst retaining a classical structure and his later compositions were referred to as 'cathedrals of sound'. Panis Angelicus is poetic and almost serene and this arrangement by Philip Sparke ret…

Par SPARKE PHILIP. Three Klezmer Miniatures is Philip Sparke’s third work based on traditional Jewish klezmer melodies, after Shalom! and A Klezmer Karnival. Klezmer music originated in the ’shtetl‘ (villages) and the ghettos of Eastern Europe, where itinerant Jewish troubadours, known as ’klezmorim‘, had performed at celebrations, particularly weddings, since the early Middle Ages. In Three Klezm…

Par SPARKE PHILIP. Second to None est un titre qui convient parfaitement à ce morceau, même s’il fait en fait référence à « Nulli Secundus », la devise du British Corps of Army Music, l'orchestre qui a fait la commande auprès de Philip Sparke. La pièce commence par une fanfare, suivie de deux citations courtes de deux de leurs propres marches, et un Vivace festif. Une section plus legato crée un b…

Par SPARKE PHILIP. Cornet Rock takes a look back at the history of pop music in the 1950’s and gives the young band a chance to rock and roll with the cornets taking the lead. Treat your cornets to this lively solo section feature. / Niveau : 3 / oeuvre solo et Orchestre / Répertoire / Brass Band

A Tribute to Jules Verne (1828-1905). Par SPARKE PHILIP. Three Extraordinary Journeys was commissioned to mark the centenary of the death of the famous author Jules Verne. Based on three novels from his Voyages Extraordinaires series of travel stories, the music aims to capture the excitement and adventure of these famous books. A fantastic new major concert or ‘own choice’ contest piece. / Niveau…

A Tribute to Jules Verne (1828-1905). Par SPARKE PHILIP. Three Extraordinary Journeys was commissioned to mark the centenary of the death of the famous author Jules Verne. Based on three novels from his Voyages Extraordinaires series of travel stories, the music aims to capture the excitement and adventure of these famous books. A fantastic new major concert or contest piece. / Niveau : 4 / Pièc…

Par SPARKE PHILIP. This is a little salute to the wonderful music of Duke Ellington, taking Mood Indigo as its model. Something Borrowed, Something Blue will allow the young band to approach this masterpiece?s laid-back style, using chords and harmonies that they may be hearing for the first time. The flexible instrumentation of this work makes it ideal for bands without the full quota of players.…