Natbrass News

Issue 33 - Summer 2000

Alf Morley

For many years, Alf was an officer and Bandmaster in the 1st Nottingham Company. At that time there were 4 brass bands in the Battalion. As they diminished, Alf gathered the survivors into a very respectable Battalion band. He has been a very active member of the National Brass Band Association since its inception in 1983, and we are all grateful for his two books of arrangements of the popular ‘Mission Praise’ hymns. When Brian Watson took over the Battalion band, Alf turned his attention to the 22nd Nottingham Company and helped turn a brass quartet into an outfit of sufficient strength to enter the contest between 1994 and 1997.

Until the week before his final illness, Alf attended the 22nd’s weekly band practice. Despite his failing eyesight his tenor horn part was invaluable at Family services, and particularly at the performance of ‘Hopes and Dreams’ in May.

Alf died on July 8, and a Guard of Honour of Battalion officers bade a sad farewell at his funeral on July 13. ‘Shine, Jesus shine’, ‘Will your Anchor hold’ and ‘Onward Christian Soldiers’ were never sung with greater feeling. He is sadly missed.

Our thoughts and prayers go out at this time to Alf’s family, and all the members of the 22nd Nottingham.

The End of an Era

Most people who have been to any of our contests will have seen a rather lively conductor on stage with the 118th Glasgow Band. David Peat, our USA correspondent, tells us a little about him following his recent retirement.

Alan Pratt started his career as a conductor collecting tickets on the 12A bus. Unfortunately, council cutbacks meant he lost his job. His next venture involved standing on the roof of King's Park Parish Church, protecting the congregation from lightning strikes. This however was a little unrewarding, as he only had to work on a Sunday. However, one day in 1981 he saw an advert in the church magazine from the BB captain Sam Allan. Mr. Allan was looking for a conductor for his newly formed brass band. "This is the ideal job for me", thought Alan, and he has been conductor of the band ever since. Even though it is a demanding task, he even found time to take on some part-time work as a surveyor, and also to father four children. But now, 19 years later, the time has come for Alan to move on to pastures new. So I thought I would take the opportunity to look back on some of the highs and lows of his time in the band.

To those who have played in the band, there are many things that make Alan unique as a conductor. For example, the way he blows kisses when you've played a difficult passage well. Or maybe those nasty glares you get when the person beside you plays a bum note! Some of the seniors remember Alan would put his hand in his pocket and jangle coins as a bribe to our horn player Scott just before he was about to play a particularly high note in Scottish Gems. Scott rarely bothered hitting the note though, as he knew Alan was too cheap to make the bribe worth his while.

I was 10 years old when I joined the band, and I well remember that Alan was very strict in the early days. My solo cornet partner and I used to get into trouble for bursting into giggling fits during band practice. Things don't change much though. One time, I was talking while Alan was listening to the bass section and he turned round and told me to shut up. This was a bit embarrassing, as I was 25 years old and officer in charge of the band by this time!

In fact, it has to be said that Alan has a bit of a temper. He would often get angry at band practice. Maybe it was because we were talking too much. Or because the horn section was so bad! I remember he handed out Mood Indigo one night. We had played the first two bars when Ronnie (our trombone player) made a funny face at me. We both collapsed in a fit of giggles. Alan stopped the band, went in a rage and just took the music back in again. We never saw it again for about a year! One way Alan expresses his displeasure is to bang his fist off the table and sometimes he will use the nearest available implement to help him. On a couple of occasions it was his own trumpet, which took the brunt of his anger. Perhaps the reason he has not brought it along in recent years is because he broke it?

Or perhaps it's because he's no use at playing any more? Alan used to play the cornet solo in the aforementioned Mood Indigo at many of our concerts in the early 90s. But it was the only tune we ever heard him play. Talk about a one-hit wonder!

Alan is a dab hand at keeping the audience entertained. For a start, he just can't stand still! In our first contest appearance in Doncaster in 1986, the audience was treated to a superb percussion performance from all the loose change in Alan's pockets. But there's more to it than his dancing conductor routines. He always makes sure to keep the audience involved in concerts by asking trivia questions related to the music and handing out prizes. One of his old favourites was to ask for the names of the Magnificent Seven. At our concerts at the Lodging House Mission (a refuge for Glasgow's homeless) we became the only band to have eight people in the Magnificent Seven, as Alan was too scared to argue with the clientele! He also makes sure the audience is well informed about the music the band is playing, but he has never been able to get any new patter. Perhaps that's why he is retiring? I mean, there must be a limit to the number of times a man can say "Stuart Johnson is a prolific writer for young brass".

For our trip to Denmark in 1997, Alan took the step of getting some of his material translated into Danish. He spent many hours listening to a tape of the translation in order to perfect his delivery (I believe he tried an Aarhus accent), and confidently stepped on stage at our first concert. The audience was polite enough but I'm sure they hadn't a clue what he was saying!

One of the highlights of the year for the band is the annual trip down south for the national contest - the chance to stay overnight in a church hall, playing football until the early hours of the morning, and maybe a trip to Alton Towers on the way home. But it has been very rare for Alan to travel with the band, preferring to drive down himself on the day of the contest. Those who have opted to take a lift with him arrive with stories of 180mph driving through roadworks in order to make it on time. And sometimes only just on time! In keeping with the spirit of Alan's conducting, I have a question for the audience... why did Alan never travel with the band?

A. He is scared of roller coasters.

B. He was worried that Dougie, David McQ and David V would eat all the sandwiches.

C. He couldn't face spending a weekend with Lance, Chris, Lynsey and Jenn.

D. He was worried he'd get beaten by the girls at football.

You have one lifeline - ask the band. My answer would be D. After all, Heather R, Jennifer A, Gillian and Laura make a mean team. And, being a Celtic fan, Alan doesn't know much about football.

However, to get serious for a second, I'd like to try to summarise what Alan has brought to the band in the last two decades. Our band went from its founding in 1981 to being a national champion in 9 years. This was largely due to the commitment and drive of Sam Allan, and the teaching provided by Alex McLean and others. But Alan took the raw talent and blended it into something that was much greater than the sum of the parts. His musical knowledge is second to none, as is his ability to get the best out of a group of varying ages and abilities. And despite taking it all seriously, he still finds time to have a laugh and make the whole thing enjoyable for everyone.

Alan, I'd like to say a huge thank-you for everything you have done for us over the years, and for all the good times we have shared. I hope that you'll always look back fondly on your time in the band, and I wish you the very best for the future.

And now for the last word, I will hand over to the band's resident poet Heather McBain....

Mr Pratt as we know,
Retiring now he will go.
Practices were hard but fun,
Remembering the moments of competition we've won.
Always told just to do our best,
Told to watch our timings, beats and rests,
The 118 say goodbye and good luck on any new quest!!!

Editorial

Music is all around us. As this editorial was written, the finals of Euro 2000 were looming after England so miserably crashed out of the tournament. But what’s that in the crowd? A couple of guys with trumpets and drums. As I was walking through Doncaster town centre today, a big band from Herten in Germany were playing popular numbers (including Beauty and the Beast!). All these people are out to make music of one sort or another. What we do in our home towns is important—we play for the church services, parades, fetes, old peoples homes to hopefully bring enjoyment into their lives, but with a stronger underlying result—the advancement of Christ’s Kingdom amongst boys.

Tales from the Contest

Steven Norris, Staff Sergeant of the 2nd Eastleigh company tells us (and these are his words!) a tale of good starts, excellent intonation and dynamics and plenty of whooshes.

Earlier this year, the 2nd Eastleigh made the trek up to Glasgow, for the National Band Contest on the 18th March. We have entered every year, either with our friends from 1st Eastleigh or on our own (as in the last few years).

We were considerably down on numbers this year, as well as having 5 of our players under 15, but undaunted, we all travelled up on Friday, spending two nights at Kelvinside, home to 5th Glasgow BB company.

After a 'variable' night's sleep, Saturday morning we made our way to the venue at Lourdes RC School in the heart of Glasgow. I should here mention our long suffering percussionists, who as well as playing superbly (if you've got the video, listen to the last bar of our Brahms performance), had to take all their equipment up two flights of stairs to our changing room! And to think cornet players moan...and moan...and moan!

At 11:10 was our slot in the Small Band class. Although nervous, and in all honesty taking any placing as a complete bonus, we all felt we played well, finishing 3rd in the hymn tune category with an arrangement of 'Seek Ye First The Kingdom of God'. And in the main programme, we finished 2nd, agonisingly just one point off equalling 32nd Nottingham's score, who won with a truly impressive programme.

At 2:50 we began our Open Class programme. The test piece, 'Beauty and the Beast', didn't suit our small band, but we finished a respectable fifth. However, with our main programme including the Handel tune 'Tochter Zion' (Thine Be the Glory), we finished 3rd overall, only ten points behind 118th Glasgow. Our hymn tune was 'Manheim', or 'Lead Us Heavenly Father, Lead Us', and he certainly did, as we came first in that category, with what all of us agree was an incredible performance. To cap it all, Southampton had beaten Villa 2-0! Must've been a blue moon...

I must emphasise the fact that we enter this for the experience each year, and never expect to win anything - we just do our best. But the inclusion of "whooshes" (a highly technical Eastleigh term, coined by David Carter, our bandmaster, for sudden, powerful, sustained crescendos) seemed to do something, as this year overall, with the exception of the test-piece, we were not placed below 3rd in any musical category. This surpassed all previous results since we began entering on our own, but as DC said, 'after that performance, I don't care what the results are, I couldn't have asked any more of them.'

The last word must be about the most important people though - the boys (and equally the girls). It really would be wrong of me not to mention just how pleased myself and all the officers were of our lads, and I'm sure this goes for all the other bands. Not only did they play unbelievably well, but they did our company, and the BB generally, proud. A sentiment I'm sure that is echoed by all those involved.

Matthew Harris aged 11, from the 7th Doncaster Band, writes about his weekend at his second National Brass Band Contest.

We set out for Glasgow by minibus driven by Don, my friend Alexander’s dad. After a long journey we got to the church hall, home of 118th Glasgow Company. The two nights we spend there were in sleeping bags on the floor, but I talked most of the night to Alexander! I enjoyed playing in the contest, and in the end we came 4th in small band hymn tune section. Later on in the day, I especially liked playing in the massed band.

On the Saturday evening we played games, team games and 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire'. There was also a pool table and a soft football to kick around the hall. The journey home didn't seem to take as long as the journey there. I am looking forward to going again next year.

Congratulations

Congratulations go to Ted Needham, conductor of the 7th Doncaster Band who celebrated his 70th birthday in April.

Adjudicator's Remarks

Martin P. Jones. Dip.Mus.Wales., L.R.A.M., L.T.C.L., G.W.C.M.D., Cert. Ed., the adjudicator from the 2000 National Brass Band Contest has written the following article to hopefully help bands improve their performances.

Having adjudicated at many Scottish Bands Contests over the years, I knew I was in for an enjoyable and entertaining day in Glasgow and that I would be treated to the usual BB hospitality. As I drove from my home near Stirling, I spared a thought for all those of you who had somewhat longer journeys in order to attend this contest, and played ‘spot the coach’ as I neared the contest venue.

Looking back on my teenage years, I remember all the excitement, thrills and disappointments of contest days and recall how after the event all would clamber for a sight of the adjudicator's results and comments. If we won or came well placed, the adjudicator became a person of incredible judgement. Come below third place however and the story would be different, with various comments about the adjudicator being heard throughout the length of the band bus and for most of the journey home.

Thankfully, I remember that contest days, whatever the results, were always great days away from home, visiting places I'd never been to, playing in some marvellous buildings, meeting people who spoke with different accents and travelling hundreds of miles across much of the country. Above all, it was about taking part in an activity which required me to do my best as part of a team. For me and so many of my friends, this lead to a career in music.

As I said at the end of the contest, an adjudicator's report and mark is the opinion of one person and whatever the result was for you, I hope you found my comments helpful. In awarding marks I was listening for the following: accuracy of notes; rhythm and tempo; expression/dynamics; intonation, and general musical performance.

Hymn Tune - On the whole, in both classes, the hymn tunes were very well prepared. Although the rules state that the arrangement should be for accompaniment and not for a ‘concert’ performance, it is still possible to introduce elements of variety by changing the voicing between verses or by choosing a hymn which has verse and chorus. This gives more opportunity for changes in instrumentation. Also, have some thought for the vocal content of the hymn - some hymns which are of a triumphant/ joyous nature need to be played with more articulation and dynamic contrast than those with a more solemn nature which require a legato style. Also pay special attention to the speed of your performance - some hymns which should be played in a sustained slow manner become easier to play at a faster tempo and will be marked accordingly, so try to choose a hymn that is feels right for your band and will show your band's talents.

Test Piece - The Main Theme from Beauty and The Beast seemed to be a popular choice for this element of the contest, judging by the way each band played so enthusiastically. Although scored for full brass band instrumentation, there was opportunity for each band to adapt the score to meet their own instrumentation. There were many exposed entries in this piece which required a great deal of confidence, especially in the bands with less players. On the whole these were well played. Tempo varied from band to band and the highest scoring band, for me, got it just right. Many bands needed to pay more attention to wrongly placed rhythms - especially the triplet crotchets at bar 46 and 64 which were played as syncopated quavers and crotchets in many performances. Most bands attempted to use the range of dynamics printed in the score, but more attention to accents and articulation could have improved some of the performances no end.

Own Choice - This is the part of the contest where the performance of a programme rather than a specific piece is under adjudication. Although very enjoyable and giving me the chance to listen to a wide variety of music chosen by the bands, for me this was the hardest part of the adjudication. Generally, each band produced a convincing and well thought out programme. Most bands had put a great deal of rehearsal into their programmes and had chosen pieces at the correct level for the players.

In the small bands class it was noticeable that, with the exception of two bands, the own choice programme did not score as highly as the Hymn Tune. Similarly in the open class only one band scored higher in the own choice programme than in the hymn tune.

Soloists - I was privileged to hear four very promising soloists who all played to the best of their abilities on the day. I commend you all on your efforts in striving for excellence and having the courage to stand in front of an audience and adjudicator in what must have be a very nerve racking situation. I'm sure we will be hearing a lot more of these young people as time goes by.

Overall - When rehearsing for your contest try to give each element a fair amount of time.

Hymn tune - pay attention to the ensemble playing and introduce some elements of variety in instrumentation and dynamics. Think about singing to it and pick your tempo wisely.

Test piece - set out to overcome the difficult parts first and pay special attention to rhythms, note lengths and dynamics. Try to be expressive and get plenty of public performances if possible before the contest, especially for any solo or exposed entries.

Own Choice - These pieces must be realistic in standard and be able to be played by all players. Try to select a varied programme and give some thought to tiredness when choosing your final piece.

Soloist - play a piece you like and that you feel comfortable with. Try to relax and enjoy the performance.

Remember to pay as much attention as possible to note lengths, accuracy of notes, rhythm, tempo, dynamics, expression, intonation and overall musical performance.

I would like to thank you for inviting me to adjudicate at this contest and congratulate all those who took away prizes in each category. But remember, if you had a good day out, joined up with old friends, found some new friends, enjoyed taking part with the rest of the team in a worthwhile musical event, then you went home with the greatest prize of all.

Many thanks to the organisers for their hospitality and hard work in making this event such a success.

The Chandler’s Ford Spot

Luke Wood, our regular correspondent from Chandlers Ford writes about recent events.

The highlight of our Christmas engagements for me was definitely playing at Marwell Zoo. It was a lovely sunny (but cold) winter morning and I'm sure the sunshine helped us get over the cold! We had been invited to play in the main marquee, where we played a selection of carols, festive arrangements and other pieces to add some variety. As usual we were allowed free mince pies and a drink: very much welcomed after puffing away in the cold! There were several stalls to browse around, and (best of all) a few places that sold hot food! Perfect if you hadn't had any breakfast (although not advised)!. Daniel King, one of our younger members (10), said "It was quite busy as lots of children were visiting Father Christmas. We all enjoyed ourselves and the Band played well. I particularly enjoyed playing at Marwell Zoo because afterwards the whole family could have a picnic and watch the animals. Even my eleven-month-old cousin enjoyed it!"

This engagement had been preceded by a commitment on a Thursday evening in Winchester (This has been known by some as a McDonalds Happy Hour!). We had been asked to provide music on a street corner for a Victorian style shopping evening in the city. All the shops had been invited to stay open late and this created a wonderful atmosphere in which to play, especially once a crowd had gathered! We played several carols outside McDonalds and I'm sure the people in shops nearby appreciated the sound we made! At the end of the evening, we were invited to eat in the restaurant before the short drive home! Our festive engagements concluded with a contribution on Christmas Eve to the Bishopstoke Carol Service.

Once into the New Year, we were determined to get everyone involved in the competition programme in time for the spring, and our efforts as a band were definitely concentrated on this. Our Friday night rehearsals were busy, the time being split between two ten-pieces and the open-class band. We even had an all-day rehearsal when we spent a total of seven hours in each other's company. Somehow though, we still managed to recover in time to play in the morning service the following morning! We all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, the weekend and the sound we made on the day.

We left Chandlers Ford on the Friday morning (yes, we did miss a day of school/work/college! Now we know why Glasgow like coming to the contest each year!). We had several stops on the way up, one of which was for a meal at McDonalds where we spent most of our time trying to work out which characters on the wall-mural looked like which people from the Band! We continued on into the night and arrived at the Church where we were staying. We were then offered a drink and something to eat, and left to get some sleep (!).

At about 6 o'clock the next morning, sunshine was pouring through the window causing us to awaken with inexpressible joy that had to be shared with others! In actual fact, people who did get up that early were either:

a) Mad, b) Dying for a cup of tea or c) Trying to beat the rush for the bathrooms

And after being conned into taking the girls cups of tea in bed, realised that there was another hour until breakfast, and tried to pass the time by talking in the kitchen and wondering when everyone else would get up. As the day went on though, things got better and we came away with exactly what we hoped for - a good time. The whole day was thoroughly enjoyed by all from our Band, and I'm sure you can imagine that even after a slightly better night's sleep, the nine-hour journey home was much quieter than the outward route!

New Logo Competition

In the last issue, you may remember the competition to design a new logo for NatBrass News. Unfortunately, only one entry was received so the closing date will now be the weekend before the Get-together in Doncaster. To refresh your memories, the logo must be capable of fitting at the top of the page, where the current ‘NatBrass’ news is situated. It doesn’t have to be artistically the best – we are looking mainly for ideas. Entries should be sent to the editor either by post or email, and the prize is still a free trip to whatever activity you go to at the Get-together Weekend.

Brass Band Music

David Carter, Association Secretary, gives a few tips on choosing music for your band

One problem we all have is finding new music suitable for our bands. We look through the catalogues but so often we cannot tell whether a piece is within our bands' capabilities, suitable for our instrumentation, if it will be a good arrangement or if the band will like it. You cannot tell from a list!

Whilst most publishers will not send arrangements on approval, fortunately, some publishers are now issuing sample CDs and even printing sample scores and parts in their catalogues.

Some of the latest are mentioned below and I recommend you to send off for them. Pieces range widely in degree of difficulty, but there are pieces for everyone. This year's test piece, the theme from 'Beauty and the Beast' was found in the Bernaerts' catalogue and such 'classics' as 'Tochter Zion' and 'Evening Song' came from De Haske.

The music can be ordered directly from the publishers or through a music supplier like Banks and Sons at York.

Details of the addresses to order catalogues from are given below - if you know of any more, please let me know. If you can't find anything suitable on these CDs, at least they are enjoyable to listen too!!

De Haske: UK distributors: Fentone Music Ltd., Fleming Road, Corby, Northants, NN17 4SN; Tel: 01536 260981; Fax: 01536 401075; email: music@fentone.com

Bernaerts Music: Camille Huysmansstraat 63-67, B-2830 Willebroek, Belgium; Tel: 32 3 860 97 70; email: bernaerts.music@skynet.be

Mostyn Music: Catalogue and CD available from Banks & Son Music Ltd., 18 Lendal, York, YO1 8AU; Tel: 01904 658836; Fax: 01904 629547; email: banksmusic@dial.pipex.com

There are useful music addresses on the internet for all you surfers out there, these may be interesting:

Banks & Son Music Ltd - www.banksmusic.co.uk

Brass Band Resources on the world wide web: www.awooler.demon.co.uk/Resource.htm

Castle Music (publishers): www.argonet.co.uk/users/castlemusic

Just Music (music publishers): www.justmusicuk.com

Music Graphics (lots of graphics for your concert programmes, posters, etc: www.geocities.com/Nashville/Opry/1809

Royal Marines Band Service: www.royalmarinesbands.co.uk

The British Bandsman (newspaper): www.britishbandsman.com

The Internet Bandsman's "Everything Within" (our Association is mentioned in this one!): www.harrogate.co.uk/harrogate-band/hb-links.htm

The Midland CD Club (good for brass and military CDs): www.midland-cd-club.co.uk

Mobile Mania

A large number of you reading this will no doubt be the owner of one of more mobile phones. But did you know that the piece of technology we have all come to love (or loathe!) may be able to play your favourite music?

Most phones are able to play short tunes as their ringing tone, but with some of the more modern ones, it is possible to download new ringing tones direct from the internet onto your phone. It is also possible on some phones to compose any new tune you wish, and that's where NatBrass News comes in.

At the contest, some of you may have heard the NatBrass News' editors phone playing 'The New Recruit'. Well - here is the code you need to program it into a Nokia 3210 phone. If you have any other Nokia phone that you cannot program it into, then if you email me I will send it to you. Some of the Nokia range cannot however receive these tones.

If you get bored with New Recruit, then a whole range of tunes can be found at www.yourmobile.com, and these can be also used on certain Nokia and Siemens phones.

Look out in the next issue for more of your favourites - any suggestions as to what could feature - True and Trusty perhaps?

If you have a Nokia 3210 or compatible phone, then the following will give you hours of fun as you listen to New Recruit every time you are called.

Tempo: 140bpm

4a1 4g1 8f1 16c2 16c2 8c2 8c2 4#a1 4a1 4.#a1 8#f1 8g1 8a1 8#a1 8b1 4c2

A day out to Bernaerts

Elsewhere in this issue you may have read David Carter's advice on which music to choose. In December last year, your globetrotting editor went to Brussels, the capital of Belgium for a day-trip.

Not far from Brussels is a small town called Willebroek and that is reached by train by changing at Mechelen. This where my first problem occurred! Belgium has two official languages, French and Flemish (Dutch) and although Brussels is bi-lingual, the rest of the country isn't, and the inhabitants will usually only speak one of the languages. I was looking at the French language timetable and I couldn't find Mechelen in it. Ten minutes later I realised the French word for it is Malines!

Anyway, when I finally broke through the language barrier and got to Willebroek, it was around a ten-minute walk to Bernaerts' offices. I was expecting to find an actual music type shop but in reality it is just an office block. The door opened and I was greeted by the assistant (if you have a Bernaerts catalogue, she's the one who does the voice-overs).

I was then plied with coffee as I first of all looked through the catalogues. When I decided which pieces I liked the look of, she played them for me on CD and gave me the score and parts to look at.

Whilst I was there I met Frank Bernaerts himself and had a good chat - he even signed one of the scores I had bought! The sets of music were packaged up ready for my journey home.

If you ever find yourself in the Brussels area with some time to spare, I would thoroughly recommend a visit there.