This is an ancient Welsh air that was first published in Relics of the Welsh Bards in 1794. Dafydd (David) Owain was a famous Welsh bard who lived on a farm called Gareg Wen (The White Rock) in Eifionydd Carnarnvonshire North Wales. Tradition has it that on his deathbed he called for his harp and composed this lovely melody requesting that it be played at his funeral. Accordingly it was later played at the parish church of Ynys-Cynhaiarn. Lyrics were later added by Ceiriog Hughes which describe the melody's inspiration. This version for fanfare band retains all the beauty and simplicity of the original.

The Odyssee tells the story of Odysseus the undaunted hero. In times long ago the blind poet Homer wrote this famous epic. The 'Odyssey' follows the 'Iliad' the story of the bloody war between the Greek and the Trojans. This battle endsafter ten years thanks to the Odysseys famous trick. the Trojan Horse. The Odyssey is not a war epic but a story about perseverance loyalty adventure and the survival instinct of its ingenious hero. In The Odyssey Homer describes howOdysseus the king of Ithaca had to endure another ten years of affliction after the ten years of war in Troy before he could finally return to his home land. During those years his wife Penelope had to try and keep her many admirers away.These men not only wanted het hand but also the kingship. To prove her husbands worth she played a trick: 'As soon as I have finished weaving this shroud for my father-in-law Laertes I will choose one of you to become my husband' she promisedthem. But during the night she secretly loosened what she had woven during the day prolonging the time until Odysseus would finally return. After twenty long years when he finally stood at the door she wondered: Is this really my husband? Ishe an imposter? Cunningly she asked him to move the bed because only she and her husband know that the bed was immovable and was build around an old three trunk! Odysseus was deeply moved: this really was his wife his Penelope! Nearly threethousands years later the loyalty and strength of this character and all the dangerous adventures that Odysseus survived thanks to courage and intelligence still moves us today. Odyssee by Jan Bosveld is not just an adventure story butrather a characteristic piece in which memories of Homers story can be heard. The composition opens with a firm stirring theme describing our hero Odysseus in detail: This man is not to be taken lightly. The further development of thisshort introduction completes this character sketch: trustworthy perseverant and a genius. After that we can picture Odysseus on the lonely beach of Ogygia. Do the trumpets depict his memories of the war of Troy? Does he think of his wife as werecognise the weaving loom of Penelope in the murmuring eighth? In the solemn plaintive part that follows we can imagine Penelope feeling lonely sitting in the womens room with her servants.One of the girls plays the harp but that does notclear the sombre atmosphere. Then we can imagine seeing the sorceress Circe who changed Odysseus men into swine. After she gives a simple magic sign something follows that reminds us of the sound of pigs grunting. Then the Odysseus theme resounds:the hero comes to savi his comrades. Assisted by Hermes he forces Circe to lift the spell. The piece ends the same way as it began with an animated theme: Odysseus is still the same undefeated and not to be taken lighty!

Une marque de commerce du compositeur australien Percy Grainger sont ses élaborée et artistique, parfois arrangements folk-song ' groovy '. Un exemple bien connu est ' De Berger Hey ', une mélodie anglaise traditionnelle à laquelle les gens dansées dans l'ancien temps, portant des costumes recouverts de bell. Grainger découverte dans la collection folk-song du musicologue Cecil Sharp, qui, pour sa part, avait entendu le violoniste de le Bidford Morris danseurs jouer le festif lively tune en 1906. Une preuve de l'arrangement de Grainger comment populaire est, est le nombre de fréquemment joué différentes versions et nombreux instruments allant du piano à l'Orchestre du vent. ' Hey Shepherd ' est la pièce encore idéal pour chaque orchestre qui souhaite faire quitter la salle de concert avec un sourire sur le visage de son auditoire. / Fanfare

Liberty est une marche contrastante de forme traditionnelle. La première partie développe un thème pétillant qui se fond dans un solo de basse solidement charpenté. Le trio plus lyrique expose quelques nouvelles idées formant un contraste marqué avec le passage d?ouverture. La musique s?enflamme pour un énoncé en fortissimo qui chemine à travers l?ensemble de l?orchestre puis cède sa place à un thème Grandioso dernier épisode de l?œuvre.

Ouverture Festive a été récompensé du Premier Prix du Concours de Composition pour Orchestre d?Harmonie de Troisième Division organisé par la Confédération Musicale de France en 2004. Ouverture Festive développe une structure délicatement charpentée à travers une trame rythmique et sonore pù la juste simplicité est restituée avec fluidité sensibilité et générosité.Trois phases musicales de caractères dictincts constituent le développement de l?oeuvre. L?ouverture est festive élégante et ample. Le coeur de la composition offre une large respiration mélodique qui revêt une allure grandiose sous la forme d?un contrepoint libre. Dans l?Allegro final le rythme et la mélodie secroisent et s?entrelacent en un véritable ballet à la précision exemplaire. La trame chemine vers une conclusion majestueuse et pleine d?allégresse.

This hymn was commissioned by ?Antwerpen 93?. And this city on the banks of the river Schelde has been nominated ?Cultural Capital of Europe? for 1993. The work-group ?animatie? took the initiative and commissioned a hymn which -as the finale to a grand open-air event on 27th March- was premièred by hundreds of musicians from all over Europe. Philippe Langlet (France) was the conductor at this majestic occasion.Musically speaking the piece can no doubt be labeled easy. Indeed it is meant to represent a hymn playable by all in different instrumental combinations. Consequently a variable instrumentation was chosen and a type of music which by native is easily accessible anduncomplicated.The conductor is free -in the instrumentation- to score this piece according to his own taste. It is perhaps advisable to use the sharp brass in the forte parts in order to make the range in the sound of the orchestra as colouful as possible. The percussion parts are not absolutely essential so that the hymn can also be performed without percussion.

Par SPARKE PHILIP. A Little Klezmer Suite est une commande de Rushton Park High School, en Angleterre, pour marquer le cinquantième anniversaire du programme de son harmonie. La pièce a été créée lors d’un concert virtuel en ligne en octobre 2020. La musique klezmer est née dans les ‘shtetl’ (villages) et les ghettos d’Europe de l’Est, où les troubadours juifs itinérants, connus sous le nom de ‘klezmorim’, se produisaient lors de célébrations, en particulier les mariages, depuis le début du Moyen Âge. « Klezmer » est un terme yiddish qui combine les mots hébreux ‘kley’ (instrument) et ‘zemer’ (chanson). Les racines de ce style se trouvent dans les mélodies profanes, les danses populaires, le ‘hazanut’ juif (musique liturgique) ainsi que les ‘nigunim’, mélodies sans paroles entonnées par les ‘Hasidim’ (Juifs orthodoxes). Les mélodies traditionnelles employées dans les quatre mouvements de A Little Klezmer Suite ont toujours été populaires lors des cérémonies de mariage et autres fêtes juives./ Répertoire / Fanfare