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Re: What are we going to play?

To: brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: What are we going to play?
From: Andrew Wilson <wilson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 4 Jul 1996 10:19:48 +0100 (BST)
Cc: brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In-reply-to: <v01510100adfcdb88d686@[149.171.153.153]>
Priority: low
Reply-to: brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sender: wilson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

On Mon, 1 Jul 1996, J.Alexander wrote:

> Sorry I can't pop over to play in the internet band, but I can't help
> commenting about Tim Morgan's suggestion:
> 
> >BTW, I think our programme should include at least one test piece.
> 
> No, no! This just encourages propagation of the species!! Of the "test
> pieces" I've played or heard I can't really think of a recent one (past 20
> years?) which was a consistently good piece of music.  Composers of test
> pieces seem to put aside artistic taste in favour of
>						      etc.

I have to say, I couldn't agree more.   I realise that making comments
like this will make a number of enemies within the brass band world, but
it is something I feel strongly about.   Test peices are very difficult
to listen to unless you are listening scientifically, most of them are
a selection of sounds, effects and techniques used purely to see how
clever the performer is, rather than to provide a creditable piece of music.

A couple of years ago our band did a celebration for one of our players who
had been with the band for seventy years, and we played a piece that was
his first test piece, from sixty odd years ago.   It was amazingly hard,
but was a wonderful piece of music, very strong melodies and harmonies and
a real treat for the audience who gave us a great ovation at the end of it.

In the audience were three members of the Southern Counties Amatuer Band
Assoc., who all agreed that it was a more challenging and interesting piece
than anything in the modern programme.   Sadly, Boosey and Hawkes told us
that it went out of print thirty five years ago so it could not be used
again.

Why do brass bands insist on playing test pieces?   Notably in the South,
I have found a lot of people say that they enjoy listening to bands, but
that the music they play does seem to be fairly 'uninteresting', and so
turn away from them.

Sorry to cause such a stir, and I hope I haven't made too many enemies.

Andy Wilson

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Follow-Ups:
- Test pieces and such...
  - From: Matt LaFontaine

References:
- Re: What are we going to play?
  - From: J.Alexander

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