Brass Band Logo

NJH Music Logo

Some of the contents of the pages on this site are Copyright © 2016 NJH Music
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: Own choice contests

On Wed, 24 Jun 1998, A. Dalton A9750388 wrote:

> Can anyone tell me why so few 'progressive' bands (i.e. ambitious 1st/Champ 
> bands) do not use the wealth of new contest works written over the last 10 
> years.  Pieces like Connotations, Contest Music, The Year of the Dragon, 
> Dances and Arias, are all extremely popular and if you went to an own choice 
> you would be sure to hear them, but they're all 70/80's pieces.

Playing in a band which seems to fit your description, I can say the
reason we do not use them is because they take a bloodly huge amount of
rehearsing.  Think about it, how much time goes into preparing stuff for
contests, spend this long on a concert work and where have you got to?  Jo
public (or whatever phrase Cameron prefers) likes to here his music played
well, he doesn't care whether it's the floral dance or "Fornications for
band"

Think realistic ratio of rehearsal time to playing time...

> Lets take for example the RAH pieces set over the last 10 years.  How many 
> of these have you heard played since?
> 
> Alderley Edge.  To early to tell if this will be in common use in years to 
> come.

I think this looks "easy" from the score - yes there's tricky stuff, but
it's all fairly musically obvious.  Go on, someone flame me.... (well, I'm
off home soon, so no matter)

> Isaiah 40.  Wonderful piece and Congratulations to the Reading BB Guild for 
> using it for their annual contest last year, but has it been used anywhere 
> else or by anyone else?

Oxford and Sovereign played it as an own choice at Leamington Spa,
coincidentally our next contest after Reading.

And the year at Reading was marked by a mass withdrawal, we ended up with
only 8 bands from ?over 20.  Basically everyone knew it was a good piece
of music, but lots of bands panicked when it came to playing it.

> Songs for BL.
> Theme and Co-operation.

Nothing to add

> Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.  Heard it about two months afterwards at 
> Leamington Spa Contests (I think it was Banks' Brewery, who had played it 
> one the day at the RAH).  Perhaps the most technically difficult piece ever 
> used for London, but not impossible.  The performance I heard at Leamington 
> was technically flawed and didn't win, but it made a change from hearing 5 
> performances of Connotations.

Another Mabonism, "musically insincere" but reasonable fun.  I think you
could get away with a lot of finger widdleage and general tonking, and it
would hold together.  I think Oxford are considering it as an own choice
in the future.

> The New Jerusalem.  Is this really only ever going to be Grimethorpe's 
> piece?.  Used a year or two later at the Mineworkers, but again, has been 
> avoided like the plague at own choice!!!

I love this piece, very effective, er, effects.

Hampshire Youth played it (in a slightly cut version) at the NFMY about 3
years back.

> Energy.  I know wasn't written specifically for that years contest, but I've 
> never heard it before or since.

Reasonable, but I've never tried to 'get into it'

I hear that the year it was written for didn't go down to well, as there
was no oportunity for big "contest winning" ralls, hairpins etc.

> English Heritage.  A great piece, but why should it be the only one of the 
> ten that been used to any great extent.  (BTW, the start of the middle 
> movement, am I the only one who thinks George Lloyd was watching an episode 
> of 'Blackadder' when he was writing it!!).

Manstyle top Eb-age....

> Odin.
> Seascapes.

Havn't a clue....

> I could say the same about the Open pieces.  Masquerade, Salamander etc...

Masquerade has been used a few times at the very highest level (Faireys at
the European?!)  Whilst Salamander was used at the European 2 years back.
Masquerade is deliberatly a bit "silly", I think Salamander ought to be
approachable.

> What's the story?
> 
> Adrian Dalton
> BBb (Hepworth and Hudds Uni Band)

Dyke???

-- 
  Alastair Wheeler	 
  Euphonium & Trombone				   Fundamental Brass
  Bass Trombone				  City of Oxford Brass Band
  alastair@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx       http://www.new.ox.ac.uk/~alastair
  "I am following my fish"


--
unsubscribe or receive the list in digest form, mail a message of 'help' to
listserver@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[Services] [Contact Us] [Advertise with us] [About] [Tell a friend about us] [Copyright © 2016 NJH Music]