Concert Band - Level 4 - Digital Download
SKU: A0.891956
Composed by A.E.Williams. Arranged by Stephen Davies. 20th Century,Standards. Score and Parts. 74 pages. Stephen Davies #6094485. Published by Stephen Davies (A0.891956).
  CLARINET CONCERT CONCERTINO FOR WIND BAND
I don’t normally enter long descriptions of my arrangements, nothing worse than seeing that little sign on the bottom right saying ‘see more’, however this piece has a rather interesting story that I’d like to share with you!
It was maybe 8 or 9 years ago that I helped in the library of the Band Of The Guards Association, a group of musicians who were all members of the Household Division Bands
in London, that is to say the Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Irish, Welsh, Life Guards and Blues & Royals bands, chiefly known the world over for Changing The Guard at Buckingham Palace and many other ceremonial occasions.
The Band Of The Guards Association were privileged to rehearse at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, home of the famous Chelsea Pensioners, renowned for their Redcoats and medals as veterans of the British Army. Our library of music for the band at the time was held in an air raid shelter deep in the cellars underneath the labyrinthine corridors of the old building built by Sir Christopher Wren back in the 1680’s.
When I say ‘air raid shelter’, that is exactly what it was like! Can’t go into too much detail, but suffice it to say that it was like being transported back in time!
But this is where the library was kept, complete with dusty shelves, blackout warnings, obsolete bulb replacements and tunnels to the Thames!
The man in charge of the library was Mr.Gordon ‘Joe’ Stafford, former Solo Clarinet with HM Band Of The Welsh Guards (ret’d), a fine player of that instrument in his day, and revered as such even now.
About 8 years ago, our ‘underground ‘ library was deemed a fire hazard, and we were ‘invited’ to move it elsewhere.
As we had our practice room nearby in the Chelsea Hospital, we decided to relocate the whole library there, shelving being built and constructed by enthusiastic band members.
Joe Stafford and myself were not particularly enthusiastic about this, but it had to be done. Having looked at the enormous amount of music to be moved, we thought about ditching some of the scores which would never be played again, for instance selections of musicals long forgotten, scores with multiple missing parts etc.
Lots of that music went to local music organisations simply for sight reading purposes, and the more complete versions went to bands and orchestras to bolster their stock of scores.
After the laborious sorting out in the air raid shelter, Joe and I had the unenviable task of discarding the scores and parts that were incomplete, defaced, or just basically useless.
It was an arbitrary case of ‘keep or throw’, and at the time we were doing this, Joe was desperate for a pint in the bar!
I agreed, and was anyway on my last batch of throwaways when I found a piece titled ‘Clarinet Concerto’, by A.E.Williams.
Written in pencil, with ancient sellotape, and signed by all the people who played it many years ago, including the Soloist and composer, I thought that that should not be binned, so I kept it!
Joe Stafford suggested that I should ‘get it out there’ , so I have. Incidentally it has a cracking Cadenza towards the end, it was a bit smudged in the original score, but I’ve filled in the gaps!!
This would be an ideal addition to the band repertoire for Clarinet!
