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NOTES	BIOGRAPHY	REVIEWS

‘Crown Imperial’  (William Walton 1902 - 1983)

The march Crown Imperial (1937), composed for the coronation of King George VI. Walton was by this time considered one of the most important composers in Britain. to write the coronation march for King George VI in 1935.
The ceremonial music of Walton's predecessor, Edward Elgar, tended to emphasize pageantry but "Crown Imperial" is colourful and energetic. At the same time, the works of both composers came to epitomize the early-20th century British style: The extensive use of percussion and the emphasis on brass instruments in the melodies is a style that reflected the increasing importance of wind bands in British culture at the time, and the idioms that evolved out of that medium.

‘Festival Overture’  (Adam Pounds born. 1954)

This overture was commissioned by Waltham Forest Arts Council together with funding from Greater London Arts for the Arts Festival of 1987. It was first performed at Walthamstow Assembly Hall. The Festival Overture is a very rhythmic piece and contains many dance-like references as well as strong melodic lines. The climax of the piece is a fanfare figure which appears towards the end of the work heralding a coda of much power.

‘Gaelic Triptych’  (Adam Pounds)

1. Allegro 
2. Largo (Corgarff Castle) 
3. Allegro – Mesto  (Drumossie Muir)

As the title suggests, this composition was the direct result of a holiday spent in the Highlands of Scotland. The first movement, a lively 6/8 serves as a prelude and introduces much of the harmonic material for the following two which are highly programmatic. The second movement, Corgarff Castle, is a musical portrait of a lonely fortress situated near Tomintoul. On the day of the visit the weather was bleak and the landscape appeared grey and foreboding. The fortress itself is grim and isolated. The third movement, Drumossie Muir was inspired by a visit to the Culloden battlefield. After a dramatic introduction, follows a highly charged rhythmic movement representing the fury of battle. The final section features a solo oboe which plays the melody ‘Lord Lovatt’s Lament’ and this is interspersed with mournful interjections from brass and woodwind representing the dire consequences for the Scottish people as a result of the Jacobite uprising of 1746.

‘A Northern Picture’  (Adam Pounds)

The Castlerigg Stone Circle in Cumbria was the inspired this work. The ancient stone circle was the venue for religious ceremonies, festivals and trading. These images are represented at various stages in the music. The opening section which is based on a call and response figure gives the impression of ancient echoes across the hills and the stillness and majesty of the landscape. There then follows a much faster section in which tribal dances are heard. After a short mystical interlude, the horn plays an old Celtic melody which is then taken up by the full orchestra. The coda of the work uses material from the opening but this time expressed in a triumphant manner.

‘Folk Song Suite’  (Vaughan Williams 1872 –1958)  arr. Jacob

1. March - Seventeen Come Sunday
2. Intermezzo - My Bonny Boy
3. March - Folk Songs from Somerset

At the turn of the century Vaughan Williams was known only as composer of a few songs, although one of them, Linden Lea, soon became a favorite with singers. In 1904 he discovered English folk songs, which were fast becoming extinct owing to the increase of literacy and printed music in rural areas. He collected many himself and edited them. He also incorporated some into his music, being fascinated by the beauty of the music and its anonymous history in the working lives of ordinary people.Due in part to his interest in preserving folk songs, Vaughan Williams composed the Folk Song Suite, sometimes called "The English Folk Song Suite"

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