Cat No. JM49551
Price £119.95
Composer: Peter Graham
Category: TEST PIECES (Major Works)

Set as the CHAMPIONSHIP SECTION TEST PIECE for the 2015 Regional British Brass Band Championships.

This new work has been jointly commissioned by the Australian & British Brass Band Associations, and has been set as the Championship Section Testpiece for the 2009 British Brass Band Championships in the Royal Albert Hall in London - October 2009.

The work is dedicated :

"To the memory of Eric Ball who knew how to write tunes, and to Geoffrey Whitham who knew how to play them."

Peter Graham writes :
"Some 20 years after his death, in October 1989, Eric Ball is still considered to be one of the most influential figures in the short history of the brass band, as the composer who bridged the gulf between old and new repertoire.

At a time when transcriptions and arrangements formed the backbone of many band programmes, Ball produced a series of original works that went some way to giving brass band composition confidence and integrity. In his early years, as a full-time Salvation Army musician and in SA terms, he was considered something of a revolutionary, his work generally displaying a higher level of sophistication and technical awareness than those of his contemporaries.

The Torchbearer reflects upon these aspects of Ball’s compositional style and, for those well versed with his music, the sound world evoked will be familiar territory. The work is based upon the trio theme from Ball’s SA Torchbearers March, which demonstrates many of the composer’s characteristics – lyrical melody, the rising figure peaking at the interval of the 6th, tonal harmony and so on. As the variations progress, the theme undergoes a series of metamorphoses, which mirror in music a concept very much at the centre of Ball’s broader philosophy - that of transformation.”

COMPOSER’S NOTE
The Torchbearer was commissioned by Kapitol Promotions and the Federation of Australasian Brass Bands as the test piece for the 2009 National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain and the FABB Open Contest respectively. The commission was initiated by the Federation’s Music Advisor, Professor David King, whose support and encouragement for the idea of a piece commemorating the 20th anniversary of Eric Ball’s death is greatly appreciated.
The variations are based upon the first phrase of the trio from Eric Ball’s Salvation Army march, Torchbearers:

After opening statements of the theme,
variation 1 (an energetic allegro brillante utilising fragment A) commences at bar 35. Cadenza passages for Eb Bass and Euphonium lead to variation 2 (an andante appassionato based upon fragment B) at 104. Variation 3 (142 - a vivace featuring C as an ostinato) is followed at 205 by variation 4, the central andante e sciolto molto for solo cornet (utilising D1 as a counterpoint and D2 as a 2nd phrase).
The work culminates at bar 291 in a reprise of the cornet solo, now fully metamorphosised and mirroring in music a concept at the centre of Ball’s broader philosophy, that of transformation.
I have endeavoured to retain the main compositional characteristics and harmonic flavour of Eric Ball’s Salvation Army and contest music. His scoring techniques are a model for any student of the medium and whilst I have aimed for similar colours and clarity of line in texture, concessions have been made in the instrumentation of the 21st century brass band. A slightly more developed percussion section is utilised employing timpani and xylophone in dominant roles.
Eric Ball will be remembered as a composer whose classic works for brass shine through with integrity and sincerity. I have been no less sincere in my efforts to pay musical tribute to the 20th century’s most influential composer of brass band music.
Peter Graham
Cheshire
July 2009

PERFORMANCE NOTE
Straight mutes preferred in cornet and trombone muted passages.

Percussion require three players :
Timpani
Percussion 1 - Triangle, Snare drum, Suspended Cymbal & Tam Tam
Percussion 2 - Suspended Cymbal, Bass Drum Xylophone & Triangle.