A 215th GARLAND OF BRITISH LIGHT MUSIC COMPOSERS
We continue with our tour of modern day composers for
wind and brass bands (the same works were often done of both – for,
hopefully, double sales!). Kevin G. Lamb is a well-respected
arranger whose original compositions include the marches Fortune
Favours the Bold (1993), for NATO’s Rapid Reaction Corps, The
Hills of Korea, for the Korean Veterans Association, and The
Knights of St John and a horn solo Tarantula Tarantella.
Chris Allen’s output includes a Barn Dance and a lively
suite, A Day at the Races, the prolific David Civil’s
Coconut Calypso, Alpine Suite and the march, The Queen’s Guard.
Michael Short has acquired an impressive portfolio,
including Intrada, Song and Dance, three more Suites, Caledonia,
Seven Steps to Heaven (in several! Movements) and Making Tracks,
the single movements Kentish Fire, written for a youth orchestra
in Maidstone, and Stonehenge, an overture, Estonia, based
on traditional Baltic melodies, the fanfare Gaudeamus, a potpourri
Our Fighting Ships including popular tunes, and the march Short
Shrift.
As has been the case with light music composers going
back generations, we can see from Short’s output that topographical
themes remain popular. There are other examples. Ian Laidler has
written a Mendip Suite, whose finale is entitled Wookey Hole,
published separately. Bill McGillivray’s works include (shades
of Eric Coates!) a five movement suite, Streets of London whose
titles are Fleet Street, Old Compton Street, Kensington
Gardens, Carnaby Street and The Mall; and Roger
May’s Three Towers Suite alludes to the church towers visible
from the County Cricket ground at Taunton (it was composed for a Somerset
Youth Band). The light thematic suite is also exemplified by Peter
Brydon’s Toy Box and Nightwaves and Dreams, mentioned
in Garland 214, and David Redston’s concert suite Rogues Galley
which depicts Dick Turpin, Maggie May and Sweeney Todd!
Robert Ely has, in addition to concerted pieces
for oboe and organ with band, produced the marches Airborne Salute,
Corps Célèbré and, with Frank Renton,
Caesar’s Camp, a patrol.
Stuart Stirling’s prolific output includes the
fantasy Daedalus, a suite Cygnus, the English Folk
Song Trilogy (shades of Vaughan Williams, maybe?), Huronia
for piano and band and a march Grand Parade in addition to the
usual arrangements. Denis Burton has produced an overture In
Celebration and a march Pride of Lions, for the Adjutant
General’s Corps; David Harris’s titles include A Cornish Overture,
Praeludium, Biscay Bay, a march Semper-Supremus, in memory
of the Royal Marines School of Music at Deal and the saxophone feature
Sophisticated Lady. Ray Thompson’s Market Day,
Steve Herbert’s up-tempo Southern Cross and Richard
Hubbert’s Burlesca! and Tubador (a Latin American
style tuba solo) are, like, several of the titles we have mentioned,
suitable for less experienced ensembles.
Bands, brass or wind, still thrive in this country
and there seems to be plenty of new music, light or lightish, for them
to play.
Philip L Scowcroft
July 2001
Philip's book 'British Light Music Composers' (ISBN 0903413 88 4) is
currently out of print.
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