Download Drayton Methodist Church, Sunday 16th October 2011

Highbury Area Band
The Highbury Area Band, or HAB, is a symphonic youth wind band with an extensive
repertoire from classical through film and show tunes to marches. The musicians are of Grade
5 standard or above, and range in age from around 11 to 21 – though some former members
had such a good time that they tend to return time and again.
The band began as a small woodwind ensemble of pupils at Highbury Junior School in
Portsmouth in 1976, and over the years developed into its current status as one of the most
accomplished such groups in the region, drawing members from schools and colleges across
South-East Hampshire.
Many performances have been staged to raise money for charity – well over £60,000 in total
since 1976 – and the band has undertaken a number of overseas tours, including Duisburg
(1980 and 2000), Caen (1992), Canada (1996), Germany (2002) and Paris earlier this year.
In 2002 HAB played for the Queen at Gunwharf Quays during her Golden Jubilee visit to
Portsmouth.
Many members have gone on to study music at top conservatoires and universities, and
each autumn the band reinvents itself as new players are introduced and a new programme
rehearsed for the year. Potential new members are always welcome.
The Highbury Area
Band in concert
Forthcoming events
Sunday 4th December 2011 at 3.00pm:
HAB Christmas Concert at the Church of the Resurrection, Cosham,
featuring the Bosmere Junior School choir
Sunday 11th December 2011:
Christmas tree event at Rowlands Castle
Musical Director: Richard Horn
Sunday 5th February 2012:
Concert for the Mayor of Havant, Havant Civic Offices
Saturday 3rd March 2012 at 7.30pm:
Fund-raising concert, All Saints Church Denmead
Wednesday 28th March 2012:
Joint concert with Ditcham Park School, near Petersfield
Sunday 13th May 2012:
Charity concert with the Inner Wheel
Saturday 9th June 2012:
Waterlooville Music Festival
See our website or the Portsmouth Music Hub website for more dates
and more details as they are confirmed:
www.highburyareaband.co.uk
www.portsmouthmusichub.org
Drayton Methodist Church
Sunday 16th October 2011
Flourish for Wind Band (Ralph Vaughan Williams)
Thunderbirds (Barry Gray, arr Ray Woodfield)
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958), who had close family ties to both the
Wedgwood pottery dynasty and naturalist Charles Darwin, was an English composer
whose love of folk music infused his work, which is noted for its blend of the familiar
and commonplace with a sense of depth and mysticism. The Flourish, written in 1939,
was an overture to a pageant for military band.
British composer Barry Gray (1908-1984) wrote the music for Gerry Anderson’s
iconic ‘Supermarionation’ TV shows and films. He joined Anderson’s AP Films
in 1956, cutting his teeth on The Adventures of Twizzle, followed by Torchy the
Battery Boy, Four Feather Falls, Fireball XL5, Stingray, Joe 90 and Captain Scarlet
and the Mysterons, amongst others. But his most famous and popular work was
undoubtedly for Thunderbirds; its instantly-recognisable theme, March of the
Thunderbirds, demonstrates Gray’s signature prominent use of brass and percussion.
This arrangement is by eminent former Royal Marines arranger and clarinetist Ray
Woodfield (born 1931).
Marching Song (Gustav Holst)
Gustavus Theodore von Holst (1874-1934) was born in Cheltenham into a family
of talented musicians; his name is of Scandinavian origin, as his great-grandfather
moved to Britain from the Baltic in 1802. A prolific composer (renowned for use of
unusual metre and for writing haunting melodies) and an enthusiastic music teacher,
Holst composed Marching Song in 1906 as the second of two Songs Without Words
for chamber orchestra; the Song was also arranged for use by small military bands.
Big Band Classics (arr Eric Osterling)
Eric Osterling (1926-2005) started as a professional pianist at the age of 14, and went
on to compose and arrange music which gained popularity around the world. He is
credited with more than 600 published works. The Big Band Classics medley includes
Tuxedo Junction, Serenade in Blue and In the Mood.
The Galloping Major (arr Gordon Jacob)
The Galloping Major was a popular song originally performed in 1906 by music hall
comedian and singer George Bastow and later covered in 1910 by Stanley Kirkby,
who went on to make his mark performing military and patriotic songs during the First
World War. Gordon Jacob (1895-1984) was a prolific composer and arranger, who
arranged this song in 1940 for the landmark radio comedy show It’s That Man Again
(aka ITMA).
1st Suite, 2nd Movement (Gustav Holst)
Holst’s first composition for such ensembles, the First Suite in E-flat for Military
Band was completed in 1909 but did not receive its official premiere until 1920. It is
credited with opening the doors for other high-profile composers to write for ‘military
bands’ – a catch-all description for any military or civilian band which combined wind,
brass and percussion instruments. The second movement, Intermezzo, is a light piece
showcasing solo performances on oboe, clarinet and cornet.
Pirates of the Caribbean (Klaus Badelt, arr John Wasson)
German composer Klaus Badelt was born in Frankfurt in 1967 and has scored or
contributed to a series of blockbuster films including Gladiator, Mission Impossible
2 and X-Men. One of his most popular scores was for the 2003 Disney film Pirates
of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl – believed to be the first Hollywood
film based on a theme-park ride. This arrangement is by American John Wasson
(born 1956), who composes and arranges for a wide assortment of ensembles from
orchestra to high school bands.
Interval
Symphonic Gershwin (arr Warren Barker)
American composer and pianist George Gershwin (1898–1937) wrote both popular
and classical pieces, amongst the most popular being Rhapsody in Blue (1924) –
which features in this medley – and the opera Porgy and Bess (1935). Symphonic
Gershwin, arranged by American composer Warren Barker (1923-2006), also includes
elements of An American in Paris (1928) and Cuban Overture (1932).
Semper Fidelis (John Sousa)
John Sousa (1854-1932) is particularly known for his military and patriotic marches,
earning him the soubriquet the ‘March King’. Born in Washington DC of Portuguese
and Bavarian descent, Sousa enlisted as an apprentice musician in the US Marine
Corps at the age of 13 – and Semper Fidelis, written in 1888, is now regarded as the
official march of the Corps. Semper fidelis is Latin for ‘always faithful’, and is often
shortened to ‘semper fi’ in connection with the USMC.
The Rakes of Mallow (arr Leroy Anderson)
This traditional Irish song concerns the ne’er-do-wells of the town of Mallow in County
Cork, and was first put on paper in Scotland in the late 18th century. This version is
an arrangement by American composer Leroy Anderson (1908-1975), famous for his
light orchestral music, particularly for the Boston Pops Orchestra. Written in 1947, The
Rakes of Mallow is part of Anderson’s Irish Suite of 1947 and 1949.
Dances With Wolves (John Barry, arr Franc Bernaerts)
Dances With Wolves is regarded as one of the finest scores produced by multi-awardwinning British film and TV composer John Barry (1933-2011), whose father owned
a chain of cinemas in the north of England. A simple, yet classic, score, Dances With
Wolves combines three main themes which intertwine throughout the epic 1990
western film, directed by and starring Kevin Costner. Arranger Franc Bernaerts (born
1967) is a prolific Belgian composer and arranger.
Moment for Morricone (arr Johan de Meij)
Ennio Morricone, born in Rome in 1928, is one of the leading composers of his
generation, with more than 500 film and TV scores to his name in addition to
symphonic and choral works. Arguably his most recognisable music featured in Sergio
Leone’s spaghetti westerns A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965),
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) and Once Upon a Time in the West (1968).
This medley is an arrangement by Dutch composer, trombonist and conductor Johan
de Meij (born 1953).