17 Graded Solos for Oboe and Piano- Sounds Classical for Oboe is a collection of graded solos selected specifically for the developing oboe player. Designed to correlate with grades 1-4 of the exam syllabus of the Associated Board of the royal Schools of Music the pieces are drawn from four centuries of classical repertoire ranging from Susato to Sullivan and will provide ideal material forpractice or recital. Also available: Sounds Classical for Bassoon AMP 362-400 Sounds Classical for Oboe is a collection of graded solos selected specifically for the developing oboe player. Designed to correlate with grades 1-4 of the exam syllabus of the Associated Board of the royal Schools of Music the pieces are drawn from four centuries of classical repertoire ranging from Susato to Sullivan and will provide ideal material for practice or recital. Also available: Sounds Classical for Bassoon AMP 362-400.

Concerto for Brass Band- Perihelion was commissioned by the Cory Band as their own-choice piece for the 2013 European Brass Band Championships held in Oslo Norway. Winning the set piece section of the contest and coming second to Eikanger-Bjorsvik Musikklag with their own choice selection Cory went on to become European Champions for the fifth time.Cory MD Philip Harper had asked for a ‘Concerto for Band’ to fully exploit his outstanding band of virtuosi and composer Philip Sparke created a one-movement work with contiguous sections first featuring horns and flugel then trombones followed by cornets and a slower central section for percussion and baritones euphonium andbasses.The piece is abstract in nature without a specific programme and the title merely reflects the fact that the piece was begun on January 2nd 2013 the day of Earth’s perihelion - the point in its orbit when it is closest to the sun. It could also be argued that the piece weaves between moments of brilliant optimism and dark shadow both of which can be the result of bright sunshine.

Symphony No. 3-Philip Sparke’s third symphony A Colour Symphony was commissioned by “sinfonischen blasorchester wehdel” conducted by Thomas Ratzek. In the five movements ( white yellow blue red and green ) the composer creates links betweenthe instrumentation and harmonic elements and the actual colour of the spectrum the movement stands for. In order to create the greatest richness possible Philip Sparke used a very large instrumentation including low woodwinds harp piano andcelli. A Colour Symphony is an impressive and iconic addition to the standard repertoire for large symphonic bands.

Reflections on an Old Japanese Folk Song is based on the tune Suiryo-Bushi which comes from the shamisen tradition and opens with two contrasting statements of the melody followed by several variations each in an own style based uponthe same tune or sometimes only fragments of it. In one of the variants the pentatonic scale is used. The final section is in the form of a scherzo which eventually forms the accompaniment to a final presentation of the folk tune.

These 30 Original Chorales and Warm-Ups have been designed to develop the most important aspects of band playing by providing material that can be used at the start of a rehearsal to test balance dynamics tuning flexibility and articulation. Band directors are encouraged to adapt them to address the specific needs and challenges of their ensembles. Dynamics and tempo indications are not given and should be chosen by the director as required. All the chorales are strictly four-part. This multi-purpose collection is an essential purchase for every ambitious band!

Ludwig van Beethoven quitte Bonn sa ville natale à l’automne 1792 pour tenter sa chance dans la Vienne impériale. Il a vingt-deux ans. En plus des cours avec Haydn il travaille avec Albrechtsberger et Salieri et réussit à se forger une solide réputation de pianiste virtuose.Le bal annuel organisé par la Caisse des pensions des artistes des Beaux-Arts de Vienne était alors un événement très prisé de la haute société viennoise. À cette occasion les grands compositeurs de l’époque comme Haydn Kozeluch Dittersdorf ou Eybler étaient sollicités pour écrire de nouvelles musiques de danse. En 1795 Ludwig van Beethoven composa une série de Douze menuets et Douzeallemandes une danse villageoise en vogue en Bavière et en Autriche et qui donnera naissance à la célèbre valse viennoise à la fin du XVIIIe siècle. Originellement pour orchestre Beethoven en réalisa une réduction pour piano également plébiscitée par le public. Philip Sparke a choisi d’arranger deux danses de cette série en prenant le soin de conserver le caractère coloré et rustique des pièces originales.

Cette marche de Noël a été réalisée spécialement pour permettre aux Orchestres Juniors d’ouvrir ou de clore avec éclat un concert autour de la Nativité. Le thème principal est un thème original sur lequel viennent se greffer deci delà de nombreux courts fragments mélodiques extraits de célèbres noëls tels qu’ Adeste Fidelis Deck the Halls Good King Wenceslas et Jingle Bells . God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen constitue la ligne mélodique du trio.

Its title Hail the Dragon! references a work Philip Sparke wrote in 1984 The Year of the Dragon. The piece opens with a lively and energetic fanfare. The mood becomes more subdued in the centre section as the cornet introduces a new theme that builds to an emotional climax. This leads into a recap of the opening fanfare which acts as a type of descant to short quotations from the last movement of The Year of the Dragon before reaching a thunderous finale.

In 2006 a long-time dream of Philip Sparke finally became reality: to compose a set of variations on the famous chorale from Saint-Saëns’ renowned Organ Symphony. In 2009 the composer reworked the piece for brass band. The resulting Saint-Saëns Variations has been simplified shortened and in many places completely recomposed to distill the essence of the symphony even further and allow younger bands to enjoy the power of Saint-Saëns’ masterpiece in an approachable yet completely faithful work.

for Eb Horn and Brass Band- Sunday in the Park was written for tenor horn virtuoso Sheona White and commissioned by her partner Matt Wade as a Christmas present. Composer Philip Sparke had known and admired Sheona’s playing for many years having produced her firstsolo CD and written pieces for her previously. Both composer and performer are huge fans of the late Karen Carpenter Sheona in part modelling her sound on the singer’s sultry voice; so it was decided that this new solo would be a piece which whilstnot being a ‘Carpenters’ pastiche paid tribute to their relaxed style and rich harmonic language. Sunday in the Park opens with an accompanied cadenza for the soloist which leads to a gentle rhythmic melody with a laid-back feel. This istaken up by the band but the soloist sparks a change of mood by introducing a faster light rock interlude. This reaches a climax at which point the music unwinds until the original mood returns. A variation on the original melody leads to a shortcadenza from the soloist which brings the work to a peaceful close. Sunday in the Park was written for tenor horn virtuoso Sheona White and commissioned by her partner Matt Wade as a Christmas present. Composer Philip Sparke had known and admired Sheona's playing for many years having produced her first solo CD and written pieces for her previously. Both composer and performer are huge fans of the late Karen Carpenter Sheona in part modelling her sound on the singer's sultry voice; so it was decided that this new solo would be a piece which whilst not being a Carpenters' pastiche paid tribute to their relaxed style and rich harmonic language. Sunday in the Park openswith an accompanied cadenza for the soloist which leads to a gentle rhythmic melody with a laid-back feel. This is taken up by the band but the soloist sparks a change of mood by introducing a faster light rock interlude. This reaches a climax at which point the music unwinds until the original mood returns. A variation on the original melody leads to a short cadenza from the soloist which brings the work to a peaceful close.

Sinfonietta: The Town Beneath the Cliff was commissioned by Holmestrand Ungdomskorps from Vestfold in Norway. The work is in four movements: a spectacular fanfare followed by a ‘moto perpetuo’-like toccata. The third movement Hymn is a beautiful piece of music allowing the band to show its musicality and sound. The last movement Scherzo Finale opens with a short phrase from Holmestrand’s own ‘town song’ – Holmestrandsangen which comes again in full at the end of the piece accompanied by a florid passage based on the opening theme.

Part of the Anglo Music Play-Along Series Philip Sparke’s 15 Easy Christmas Carols is aimed at the young instrumentalist who can play just over an octave. Specifically tailored to suit the individual instrument this book introducesthe beginning player to the world’s most popular Christmas tunes by selecting simple yet attractive melodies that fit their limited range. This book will provide invaluable additional material to complement any teaching method and includes both pianoaccompaniment and a demo/play-along CD.

20 Progressive Pieces with Piano Accompaniment-Philip Sparke’s Skilful Solos is the second volume of a progressive series of solo books that takes the young wind player from beginner to accomplished musician. Following on from the first book in the series Starter Solos this collection generally contains longer pieces suitable for the developing young musician. Specifically tailored for each instrument Skilful Solos introduces the concept of phrasing by suggesting suitable breathing points and takes the player into new keys with extended instrumental ranges new notes being introduced in a gradual and logical manner. Skilful Solos comes with a play-along CD. The advantages of playing eitherwith piano or CD accompaniment are that the beginning player can now experience the important aspects of ensemble playing from their earliest lessons thus developing the essential skills of listening while they play and maintaining strict tempo which is not always achieved when playing alone. Philip Sparke’s Skilful Solos is the second volume of a progressive series of solo books that takes the young wind player from beginner to accomplished musician. Following on from the first book in the series Starter Solos this collection generally contains longer pieces suitable for the developing young musician. Specifically tailored for each instrument Skilful Solos introduces the concept of phrasing by suggesting suitable breathing points and takes the player into new keys with extended instrumental ranges new notes being introduced in a gradual and logical manner. Skilful Solos comes with a play-along CD. The advantages of playing either with piano or CD accompaniment arethat the beginning player can now experience the important aspects of ensemble playing from their earliest lessons thus developing the essential skills of listening while they play and maintaining strict tempo which is not always achieved when playing alone.

Part of the Anglo Music Play-along Series Philip Sparke’s 15 Easy Classical Solos is aimed at the young instrumentalist who can play just over an octave. Specifically tailored to suit the individual instrument this book introduces the beginning player to the world of the classics by using simple yet attractive melodies that fit their limited range. The carefully selected pieces include music from the 16th to the 20th century and cover a wide variety of styles from Bach to Grieg and from Purcell to Satie. This book will provide invaluable additional material to complement any teaching method and includes both piano accompaniment and a demo/play-along CD. Part of the Anglo Music Play-along Series Philip Sparke's 15 Easy Classical Solos is aimed at the young instrumentalist who can play just over an octave. Specifically tailored to suit the individual instrument this book introduces the beginning player to the world of the classics by using simple yet attractive melodies that fit their limited range. The carefully selected pieces include music from the 16th to the 20th century and cover a wide variety of styles from Bach to Grieg and from Purcell to Satie. This book will provide invaluable additional material to complement any teaching method and includes both piano accompaniment and a demo/play-along CD.

Five States of Change was commissioned by Kunstfactor for the 4th section of the Dutch National Brass Band Championships (NBK) 2011. It is dedicated to Jappie Dijkstra and the Music Information Centre (MUI) Arnhem Holland in acknowledgement of their outstanding work in developing band repertoire.The composer writes: The idea for the piece came when I was reading an article about a branch of Chinese philosophy which is abbreviated as Wu Xing* which has no exact translation but can mean for example five elements five phases or five states of change . It is central to all elements of Chinese thought including science philosophy medicine andastrology and in simple terms tries to create various cyclic relationships between five elements in all walks of life.An example is: Earth - Metal - Water - Wood - Fire - (Earth) etc. where (in one cycle) earth bears metal metal changes to liquid (water) when heated water helps trees grow wood burns to create fire fire produces ash (earth) and the cycle continues.I was particularly interested in the cycle of emotions:- Meditation - Sorrow - Fear - Anger - Joy - (Meditation) etc. and thought this cyclic principle would provide an effective emotional journey for a piece of music. So Five States of Change has five equal sections which loosely characterise this emotional cycle. I have tried to make the music grow organically with minimal repetition and each movement evolves from the musical elements at the end of the previous one with the opening material appearing transformed at the end of the piece to complete the cycle. *in full Wu zhong liu xing zhi chi or the five types of chi dominating at different times

40 Progressive Duets for Flutes-Philip Sparke’s Skilful Duets is the second volume of a progressive series of duet books that takes the young wind player from beginner to accomplished musician. Following on from the first book in the series ( Starter Duets ) this collection generally contains longer pieces suitable for the developing young musician. Specifically tailored for each instrument Skilful Duets introduces the concept of phrasing by suggesting suitable breathing points and takes the player into new keys with extended instrument ranges; the concept of tempo and style indications is also introduced. Skilful Duets provides invaluable additional material to complement anyteaching method. Philip Sparke’s Skilful Duets is the second volume of a progressive series of duet books that takes the young wind player from beginner to accomplished musician. Following on from the first book in the series (Starter Duets) this collection generally contains longer pieces suitable for the developing young musician. Specifically tailored for each instrument Skilful Duets introduces the concept of phrasing by suggesting suitable breathing points and takes the player into new keys with extended instrument ranges; the concept of tempo and style indications is also introduced. Skilful Duets provides invaluable additional material to complement any teaching method.

Jubiloso s’inscrit dans la lignée des marches Slipstream et The Bandwagon : un style « broadwayien » des mélodies fortement syncopées un trio cantabile assez conventionnel et quelques surprenantes mesures irrégulières qui viennent troubler le rythme régulièrement cadencé de la marche. Une marche idéale pour une ouverture de concert.

Everyone will instantly recognize this great patriotic hymn that is often thought of as the second English national anthem. This fanfare band arrangement by Philip Sparke is sure to be used over and over again at your band’s performances. Your audience will not be able to help themselves from joining in with this rousing song everytime you use it as the final item in any concert.

A feature for flugel and tenor horns based on the Passion Chorale-This timeless melody by Hans Leo Hassler (1564-1612) is now chiefly remembered because of its inclusion in J S Bach’s St. Matthew Passion (hence its title) where it is treated to a variety of rich harmonisations. It is mostly sung to Paulus Gerhardt’s words O Sacred head! sore wounded .This setting features the flugel and horns who first play a lyrical descant to the famous hymn tune and then the melody itself against a Bach-like obbligato in the accompaniment.

In Classic Hymns Philip Sparke has taken 10 of the best-loved hymn tunes popular around the world and used them as the basis of a collection of short recital pieces ranging from simple descant arrangements to a full-blown theme and variations. Ideal for concert or contest use these charming pieces range in mood from triumphal to reflective and can provide that ‘musical moment’ and a time for meditation in church services and religious occasions of all kinds.