Christmas 2021

A Christmas medley for Windband I wrote about a year and a half ago, primarily based around Carol of the Bells and Away in a Manger, but with plenty of other traditional carols hidden throughout, some more obvious than others. How many can you hear?

Carols Of The Bells (Sibelius Version)

At the start of December I put out posts on Instagram and Facebook asking if people wanted to come together and perform this piece, to try and bring some kind of cheer to the festive period. This was the result. 

This is a medley I wrote in 2019, and consists of various traditional Christmas carols. How many can you hear??

Performers:
Piccolo - Bethan Edlin
Flutes - Katherine Duffy, Bethan Edlin
Oboe - Tammy Sullivan
Clarinets - Chloe Fielding, Livi Mortimer, Cerys Stephens
Bass Clarinet - Me on trumpet down an octave
Bassoon - Kirsty Porter
Alto Saxophones - James Dennis, Chloe Fielding, Josie Howie, Cerys Stephens
Tenor Saxophone - Hannah Prince

Trumpets - Jack Brooker, William Forrest, Elliot Moore, Sam Thompson
Horns - Amy Lammiman, Ali Treanor
Trombones - Matthew Lee, George Lewis, Joseph Mills
Euphoniums - Emily Hurst, Diana Strickland
Tuba - Jonathan Beresford

Timpani - Matthew Nicholls
Drum Kit - David Vellacott
Triangle - Charlotte McKenzie
Tambourine - Georgie Rose

Thank you to all musicians who joined in!

Carols Of The Bells

Elemental - Part One
Written for solo vibraphone.

“You cannot step in the same river twice” - Heraclitus

Water is deceptively powerful. It can mix materials together and transport it across the entire world. It
can eradicate fire, it travels through the air, wears down mountains, erodes the very land we live on:
Water always wins.

Yet it is patient. It doesn’t have the destructive intensity of air or fire. It destroys things over
millions of years. It constantly moves around the planet, always changing, never remaining the same.

This piece reflects the way water mixes materials, and is in fact a mixture of chemical
elements itself, with the extensive use of pedal. As it is always moving, changing, the piece does the
same, with no repeated sections.

This is the shortest piece in this suite, and only contains one instrument, as most of us will
only ever see a tiny fraction of water’s destructive ability in our lifetimes. And yet, it’s immense
power is hinted at throughout the piece.

This is not a live performance, this is a MIDI track.

Water

Elemental - Part Two
Written for Piano Quartet.

Fire is a complex element, with many different aspects to it: it can be beautiful yet deadly at the same time; it can destroy, yet can also be the saviour of others. Depending on the context of the fire, it has the power to save someone’s life, or destroy it.

This piece attempts to showcase a few of these features. The opening reflects how fire can grow from nothing into something huge and powerful, yet equally can return to nothing as shown in the closing section. Throughout the piece there are rapidly moving sections, with many contrasting rhythms and pitches, reflecting the chaos and horror fire can bring about. The middle section reflects the impact fire can have on people’s lives, the sadness it can bring, as well as how majestic and beautiful it can be despite its destructive power.

This original piece was recorded by The Gould Piano Trio and clarinettist Robert Plane during a composition workshop at Cardiff University School of Music, March 2019. Please go and check out these fantastic musicians!

The Gould Piano Trio - https://www.gouldpianotrio.com/
Robert Plane - https://www.robertplane.com/

Fire

Elemental - Part Three (1)
Written for Wind Quintet.

There have been many different variations of air as an element. One common interpretation was by the Greek philosopher Plato, who split the idea of ‘air’ into two distinct categories:
- Aer is the dimmer, lower atmosphere that humans and animals breath; 
- Aether is the brighter high atmosphere above the clouds, a kind of air breathed only by the gods.

This first movement, Aer, reflects the idea of the lower atmosphere by focussing on the lower ranges of the higher instruments such as the flute, and is also quite slow in tempo, as if the instruments themselves are floating. The piece replicates the sound of air that we recognise by having some of the players blow air through their instruments without producing notes.

This original piece was recorded by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales Wind Quintet during a composition workshop at Cardiff University School of Music, March 2019.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcnow

Air - I. Aer

Elemental - Part Three (2)
Written for Wind Quintet.

There have been many different variations of air as an element. One common interpretation was by the Greek philosopher Plato, who split the idea of ‘air’ into two distinct categories: 
- Aer is the dimmer, lower atmosphere that humans and animals breath;
- Aether is the brighter high atmosphere above the clouds, a kind of air breathed only by the gods.

This second movement "Aether" opens with a triumphant fanfare, to represent the benevolent Greek gods. The full range of the higher instruments is unleashed in this movement, with a dance like melody that slowly becomes more and more distorted throughout, reflecting the idea that the gods aren’t always kind, sometimes they can be deadly…

This is not a live performance, this is a MIDI track.

Air - II. Aether

Elemental - Part Four
Written for Brass Band

When the Ancient Greeks were classifying elements, they called Earth ‘the heaviest of the elements’. In many cultures, the element Earth is replaced by metal. It is not surprising then that this piece is written for a large ensemble, that being a Brass Band. The heaviness is also explored by the more dominant lines appearing in the lower brass.

Earth is said to hold the power of life and death, which is explored in this piece in multiple tonalities, tempi, and many other aspects. 

Earth is not just an element: it is the name given to the planet we live on, truly holding the power of life and death, and encompasses all four elements. For that reason, various motifs and references from Water, Fire, and Air, can be found within this piece. 

The very end section acts not just as an end to this piece, but a finale to the portfolio as a whole entity, quoting the primary motifs from all the pieces (including both movements of Air).

This original piece was recorded by the Hampshire County Youth Band during a performance at The Anvil, Basingstoke, in early March 2020.

http://www.hcyb.org.uk/

Earth

Changes is a very simple piece of music that I wrote during my first year of university, and always liked so I decided to upload it. 

Changes is based on a five-note motif heard in the opening two bars. Throughout this piece the motif is altered, or should I say ‘changed’, by many different techniques, including augmentation, diminution, change in time signatures and musical styles. There are constant changes in accompaniment, tempi, and dynamics. While most interpretations of the theme only appear once, there are a couple of variations that reoccur.

Changes

This piece is dedicated to Mr. Bob Isaac, who taught me not to settle, inspired me to be comfortable with myself, believe in myself and follow my passion no matter the odds.

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Reflections is a collection of music I wrote in 2020. I wrote these pieces at a time in my life where I’m trying to look back at the past with positivity. I’ve always focussed too much on the negatives in my life, and I want to focus on all the good things. This project is being completed in many forms, such as printing photos and putting them into albums, playing old pieces I haven’t played in years, and more. 

Each piece in this portfolio represents and is inspired by some of the best aspects and influences throughout my life. Each piece is dedicated to the particular person that was the primary influencer of the piece.

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The idea behind The Meadow came from a funny moment during my GCSE music class. One lesson, the teacher stated that the name of a piece is important, and how one shouldn’t use a random name such as The Meadow. This resulted in every time he asked for ideas for another pupil’s piece, someone would suggest The Meadow as a joke.

This piece therefore has two roles: the piece’s simplistic nature intends to reflect the innocence and tranquillity of a meadow. However, it also represents the simplicity of life when I was in school, as well as the support and influence from that teacher. 

Another funny moment involving that teacher was that they would constantly talk about Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, and used it in many examples, which was very helpful when by pure coincidence it appeared in the final exam. As another nod to the teacher, the composer has included some subtle references to the fanfare.

This piece also reminds us that as happy as the journey through school can be, eventually it has to end. But despite this, the story never ends...

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I had the same music teacher from Year 9 all the way through to Year 13. At our very first parents evening, he asked me if I knew what I wanted to do with my life, and I responded saying I wanted to be a secondary music teacher. He stared at me for a few moments, and then said “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I think you would be wasted as a teacher.” This was the first time in my life anyone had said anything like that to me. He was the first teacher to ever really believe in me, and for the next six years he continued to encourage me, but never tried to change my dream. 

In our penultimate lesson of Year 13, I was the only student to attend. He and I had a long discussion about what was next, and he told me that he had seen a growth those past six years, not just in my musical knowledge but whom I was as a person. He could see that I had become more comfortable with myself, choosing to dress the way I want rather than what was common, doing things not because there was some strategic value in them but because I enjoyed them. He encouraged me to continue to do that later in life, and that is what I have tried to do. 

He was, and still is one of my biggest inspirations, and so this piece is for him.

The Meadow | Reflections

Composer
MA Music Student
Trumpet/General Brass Player
Singer
Occasional Conductor

Jack Brooker - Composer

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