Concert Band - Level 2 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1518069 Composed by Edward Elgar. Arranged by James Symington. 20th Century,Classical,Film/TV,Historic,Patriotic. 29 pages. James Edward Ernest Symington #1092231. Published by James Edward Ernest Symington (A0.1518069). The name of the variation refers to Augustus J. Jaeger, who was employed as music editor by the London publisher Novello & Co. He was a close friend of Elgar's, giving him useful advice but also severe criticism, something Elgar greatly appreciated. Elgar later related how Jaeger had encouraged him as an artist and had stimulated him to continue composing despite setbacks. Nimrod is described in the Old Testament as a mighty hunter before the Lord, Jäger being German for hunter. In 1904 Elgar told Dora Penny (Dorabella) that this variation is not really a portrait, but the story of something that happened. Once, when Elgar had been very depressed and was about to give it all up and write no more music, Jaeger had visited him and encouraged him to continue composing. He referred to Ludwig van Beethoven, who had a lot of worries, but wrote more and more beautiful music. And that is what you must do, Jaeger said, and he sang the theme of the second movement of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 8 Pathétique. Elgar disclosed to Dora that the opening bars of Nimrod were made to suggest that theme. Can't you hear it at the beginning? Only a hint, not a quotation. This variation has become popular in its own right and is sometimes used at British funerals, memorial services, and other solemn occasions. It is always played at the Cenotaph, Whitehall in London at the National Service of Remembrance. A version was also played during the Hong Kong handover ceremony in 1997 and at the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games. The “Nimrod” variation was the final orchestral composition (before the national anthem) played by the Greek National Orchestra in a televised June 2013 concert, before the 75-year-old Athenian ensemble was dissolved in the wake of severe government cutbacks. An adaptation of the piece appears at the ending of the 2017 film Dunkirk in the score by Hans Zimmer. This arrangement for Flex-Band has been adapted to suit the instrumentalists. The key has changed and this makes it much more playable and more secure.

Concert Band - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1285185 Composed by Christian F. J. Buettner, John Tuananh Dang, and Rajan S. Arranged by Stephen Cai. 21st Century,Video Game. Score and Parts. 66 pages. Stephen Cai #876297. Published by Stephen Cai (A0.1285185). Monody - TheFatRat (Christian F. J. Buettner) arr. Stephen Cai for Concert BandProgram Notes:MUSIC As a sequel to Pigstep by Lena Raine and Exodus by Ernest Gold, I have decided to take on the challenge of arranging the ever-famous glitch hop song, Monody by Christian Buettner (known more prominently by his online alias, TheFatRat).Similarly to Pigstep, my first arrangement, I ran into the challenge of instrumentation, as Monody’s original soundtrack almost entirely consisted of electronic instruments. However, I used the same technique I did with Pigstep to overcome this problem: assign basslines to low brass, treble melodies to mid-range instruments, and high parts to upper woodwinds. Unlike Pigstep, Monody pushed me to be more creative with the percussion section, as I had to puzzle out recreating all of the numerous sound effects throughout the piece with traditional percussion instruments. I even decided to notate a conch shell line for the war horn present at the beginning and the coda! At the end, however, it all came together nicely, and I came to realize that both this song and the process of arranging it represent a journey, albeit in different contexts. The word “Monody� refers to, in a literal sense, a song sung to mourn one’s death, which accordingly fits with my view of the piece as a journey where the narrator loses their companion. Writing the introduction measures (M.22) carried me through the genuine feelings of embarking on a mythical undertaking as the original soundtrack intends to portray. The lively middle section (M.70) was enjoyable to write as well, because the music itself is upbeat and full of energy. Finally, arranging the solo section was probably my most memorable experience. The slow and subtly melancholic character of the melody (the oboe solo) very closely alludes to the narrator’s mourning, and the enchanting lyrics originally written for this section further confirms their loss:      I still hear you in the breeze,      See your shadows in the trees;      Holding on, memories never change. The chords and harmonies that the original soundtrack provided were relatively simple to transcribe, and I found joy complementing them with luscious percussion effects. This is my interpretation of Monody, and I believe that it would be best performed as a journey, one which we can relate to as it encompasses the theme of loss; a monody. ARTWORK I also took up the challenge of creating original cover artwork for Monody, and I have to say, my level of appreciation for artists of any kind has skyrocketed ever since that endeavor. It took nearly two months of watching YouTube tutorials, onerous idea crunching, and using my sister’s drawing tablet, but I had nevertheless completed it with advice from some of my more experience peers (including my sister). Formal Credits: Cai, Stephen and Rachel Cai. “Monody� Arrangement for Concert Band cover. 2023 Lastly, I want to say thanks to my friend Matteo Sohn for being such a huge musical inspiration, and thank you for acknowledging my arrangement!