Instrumental Pieces for Concert Band

Saint-Saëns also contributed voluminously to the French concertante literature. He wrote five piano concertos, three violin concertos, two cello concertos, and about twenty smaller concertante works f...

Nowadays, Carmen is probably the most famous opera in the whole opera-repertoire, although its premiere in 1875 was a great disappointment because of the misunderstanding of the very realistic plot. C...

Maurice Ravel finished In 1905 his piano cycle "Miroirs" of which some parts are orchestrated by the composer himself. Especially the fourth part, "Alborada del gracioso", created in 1919 in Paris for...

Czech composer Leos Janácek (1854-1928) has been inspired by Moravian and other Slavic folk music to create an original, modern musical style and along with Dvorák and Smetana, he is considered one of...

'Die Moldau' (Vltava) is the second movement of the the symphonic poem cycle 'Ma Vlast' by Czech composer Bedrich Smetana. In this piece, Smetana uses tone painting to evoke the sounds of one of Bohem...

Johann Strauss jr. composed in 1864 the 'Persischer Marsch' (Persian March), Op. 289. It was dedicated this to his Majesty Nasir-ad-Din imperial Shah of Persia (1831-1896). The melody of the trio is t...

The Planets by composer Gustav Holst is a seven-movement orchestral suite in which each movement is named after a planet of the Solar System and its corresponding astrological character. The orchestra...

Besides operettas Franz Lehár also wrote sonatas, symphonic poems, marches and a number of waltzes. The most popular of these waltzes is 'Gold und Silber' (Gold and Silver) which he composed for Princ...

On 14 September 2021, Luc Craps died of cancer at the age of 59. He was a true pacesetter, extremely funny when he could, serious when necessary. Some time after his death, Luc's wife Erika asked clos...

In music, a drone is a repeated or sustained pitch that provides a harmonic foundation for melodies and harmonies to build around it. This definition describes this piece perfectly as the entire piece...

Echoes in the Tundra was composed to paint a musical picture of someone trying to survive in a dark, vast, snowy plain. Much of the piece uses call and response to represent the echoes in this environ...

Serenity is the perfect word to describe this lyrical piece: calm, peaceful and simple to perform. This selection was composed with the intention to introduce very beginning musicians to lyrical music...

The Call of the Summit is a heroic and stately piece which uses call and response between a solo trumpet and the remainder of the ensemble to establish "the call". With simple rhythms and limited rang...

Of Fate and Fortune is a great piece to introduce beginning students to more challenging music. The music focuses on one theme that is manipulated to take on several forms throughout.

Beneath the Golden Sky is a lyrical song that allows an ensemble to develop its skills playing in 3/4 metre. Each part is given the opportunity to play melodic material at some point in the piece.

The Spectacle is a fast and energetic piece composed to reflect the excitement of witnessing something astonishing or 'spectacular' for the first time. This feeling is carried from the opening measure...

Storm the Keep is a fun, energetic piece that is perfect for introducing young musicians to playing in 6/8 time. The rhythmic figures used are simple enough to help performers learn the feel for the t...

Vida del Sol (Life of the Sun) is a straight ahead Latin chart with a catchy groove and interesting parts for all players. With lots of opportunity to work on both technical and jazz skills, young mus...

Fearless and aggressive, with independent melodic lines across the ensemble, Prolation originates from the Latin word prolatio, meaning to bring forward. Intense yet playable, this composition will be...

This lyrical piece was composed to reflect the open plains and nature of the Prairie province of Saskatchewan, Canada. The melodies are moving, singable and memorable with many sections featured at so...

Two Celtic-like airs float through this very expressive, gentle composition. The opening is poignantly beautiful, with opportunities for expressive freedom. Moving into a delicate dance, the music wan...

The title, A Rift in Time, represents this piece perfectly, as it is a great way to introduce developing musicians to the 7/8 (2+2+3) metre, with the 'rift' being the extra beat in the 'time' signatur...

The Allegro con Spirito movement of the Divertimento No. 1 is from the Six Feldpartiten (open air suites), composed by Haydn in the early 1780s. Originally scored for two oboes, two French horns, thre...

The Girl With The Flaxen Hair and Golliwog's Cakewalk are two of Claude Debussy's most popular piano works. Full of dense impressionistic harmonies and lightened with rag-time rhythmic elements, this...

These are two excellent character pieces originally written for piano. Each of these short pieces is full of interest, color and energy with melody found in all parts. These short works would make an...