Description

From the Composer:

DRUMMING THE PLAIN, THE HORSEMAN IS COMING was completed in 1992. It was one of the first pieces I wrote after moving to England to do my PhD at the University of Leeds. My teacher, Philip Wilby, is something of a legend in the British brass band world and he was very adamant that I learn something about the culture of Northern England and the tradition of brass banding in the UK while I was at Leeds. The piece stays very much within the tradition of band music that was prevalent in the 80s and 90s – it has tunes, diatonic harmonies, careful use of percussion, and highlights the sections of the band. It really is a Young Canadian’s Guide to Brass Band! The piece is quite exuberant yet conservative, but I did learn a lot about scoring for band. The title comes from a poem by Federico Garcia Lorca called Romance De La Luna, Luna, Luna. The line seemed to encapsulate for me the charging, surging, chromatic lines that drive the fast moments of the piece. I was already homesick for Calgary – mountains to the west, prairies to the east – after three months in Leeds, so the imagery of plains and horses was a powerful one for me.

LEVEL: D

Sample score

Inner Cover