Last Posting Dates - Christmas 2019

To ensure you don't miss the last post before Christmas,
these are the December deadlines that Royal Mail have issued:

INTERNATIONAL

(Applies to all international airmail services)

Monday 9th December:

Africa, Asia, Caribbean, 
Central & South America, Far & Middle East

Tuesday 10th December:

Cyprus & Malta

Wednesday 11th December:

Eastern Europe
(except Czech Republic, Poland & Slovakia)
Thursday 12th December:

Australia, Greece, New Zealand & Turkey

Friday 13th December:

Canada, Czech Republic, Finland,
Italy, Poland, Sweden & USA

Monday 16th December:

Austria, Denmark, Germany, Iceland,

Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia,
Spain & Switzerland
Wednesday 18th December:
Belgium, France, Ireland & Luxembourg

UK

Friday 20th December:

Royal Mail First Class
&
Royal Mail Special Delivery
(delivery on Monday 23rd December)

Christmas Closing Dates

Our office will close at 5pm on Friday 20th December 2019
and will re-open at 9am on Thursday 2nd January 2020.
All orders placed online during that period will be despatched as soon as possible.
If your order is particularly urgent, please let us know and
we will prioritise despatch for Thursday if at all possible.

The ocean is a mighty harmonist... Wordsworth

NORTH YORK MOORS CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL
9 - 22 August 2020

                                 

Now entering its 12th year, the next festival will celebrate Beethoven (the ‘revolutionary’) and beyond, as we enter the great composer’s 250th anniversary. Living through the French Revolution undoubtedly had a profound effect on many artists and as we explore Beethoven’s life and influences (both received and passed on), we delve into the 1848 German Revolution and Russian Revolution, the Revolution of the Great Wars - and indeed the Industrial Revolution.

The North York Moors Chamber Music Festival celebrates great music through friendship, sharing, the landscape, history and architecture - taking audiences on a journey throughout the North York Moors National Park, stirring the musical spirit within us all.  Over 30 musicians, 2 weeks, 10 churches, around 40 chamber works all create a friendly and passionate environment within one of this country's most spectacular regions. As we don’t make a habit of advertising, please do join our emailing list for updates and news of extra concerts outside of the festival throughout the year.

The festival takes you on a tour through and much of the National Park and along the spectacular Jurassic coastline.  We are incredibly fortunate to have these extraordinary historic buildings, some which date back to the Anglo-Saxons.  In a sense the concert begins the moment you set out to travel over the moors to your destination - the landscape is very much part of the artistic experience.

Everyone is welcome - music is for all!

All tickets £12.50 Children and any adult under 30 - free admission

https://www.northyorkmoorsfestival.com/

Photograph: Paul Ingram

Grade Five, then what?.

Grade Five - then what?

When a student passes the landmark of Grade 5 we thought it would be a good time to offer them the experience being a soloist. This was the thinking behind a phone call I made to Alan Ridout. He was a man who loved to write for actual performances, and spent a lot of time encouraging musical youngsters.

The result of a long and riotous conversation, which puzzled the people in my office at the time, was a delicious series of Concertinos. Each piece could be played with piano, but was also scored for strings, so that the player could have a first taste of performing with a small orchestra (or string quartet.)

Once he had started he kept going, completing Concertinos for:

Flute

Oboe

Cor Anglais

Clarinet

Saxophone

Bassoon

Horn

Trumpet

Flugel Horn

Trombone

Tuba

Bassoon

Several of these have been on exam syllabuses over the years, but not everybody is aware that there are string parts available for performance. If you have a student who would benefit from a bit of stage experience, please give them this opportunity.

https://www.juneemersonwindmusic.com/search_advanced_ss.php?mode=advs&adv_q=ridout%20concertino

We, The Chorus

WE, THE CHORUS

Checking in at a last-minute AirB&B in The Hague last week I was delighted to see a litter of music  stands. It transpired that my host was Andrius Arutiunian, the composer, who is published by Donemus - a publisher that we deal with. I looked him up online.

"Andrius Arutiunian (b.1991) is an Armenian-Lithuanian composer and sound artist. His practice is based on sound and hybrid forms of media, with a particular interest in identity, technology and sonic artefacts. Sonic appropriation and repurposing, as well the use of new technologies and media all form an important part of Arutiunian’s practice."

No wind music for us then!

However the wine bottle came out and we were soon having a good gossip about the music trade.

Looking online afterwards I came across 'We, the Chorus' and an image in the description of the work has stuck in my mind ever since:

"Watching today’s scandal-seeking mass media and scrolling through rather hysterical social networks, one may easily be reminded of the Greek Chorus in classical Greek theatre. The function of the Chorus is to explain the context and represent society”.

We, the Chorus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJYPW6ocQhc

Andrius Arutiunian
http://andriusarutiunian.com/about/

Thanks for a great stay, Andrius!



Global Climate Strike September 20th

At the request of the children worldwide, who have been striking for action on climate breakdown for the last year, there is to be a Global Climate Strike on 20^th September 2019

June Emerson Wind Music will be joining businesses throughout the world which are closing for the day. This will free our employees who wish to support young people in their call for meaningful action.

What is June Emerson Wind Music is doing to help the environment?
Doing our bit   'https://www.juneemersonwindmusic.com/doing_our_bit.html

2019 Launchpad Prize Winners #2

             Introducing...

Blackweir Brass

Formed at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Blackweir Brass have gone on to enjoy performances such as at St John Smith’s Square, St David’s Hall and the Endelienta Series. An emerging group, its members look forward to studying at a postgraduate level at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and the Royal Academy of Music. Major influences on the group are Onyx Brass, the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, and the poetry of Sir John Betjeman, all of which are evident in their most popular recital series, 'Music and Words'. The quintet has been appointed as Live Music Now artists and Making Music Selected Artists, and in 2019 won the June Emerson Launchpad Prize.

Links

Blackweir Brass on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/blackweirbrass/

Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama

www.rwcmd.ac.uk

2019 Launchpad Prize Winners #1

       Introducing...

Ensemble Cosmopolitan

Players

Lok-yin Hui - flute

Jessica Vinson - oboe

Michael Choi - clarinet

Robert Mehlig - horn

Leonardo Bizzotto - bassoon

Biography

Made up of Hong Kongese flautist Lok-yin Hui, British oboist Jessica Vinson, Korean clarinettist Michael Choi, Swedish/German horn player Robert Mehlig and Swiss bassoonist Leonardo Bizzotto, the group's name reflects the international nature of its membership.

Under the guidance of Laura Jellicoe and Stefano Canuti, the group has performed in various concerts, master-classes and competitions since its foundation in 2018. Notably the group performed in a master-class presented by the Haffner Wind Ensemble, and was recently awarded the Fewkes Woodwind Chamber Music Prize. Also Ensemble Cosmopolitan has been invited to join ChoiMan Company as their artist.

Ensemble Cosmopolitan is delighted and grateful to receive the generous support of June Emerson Wind Music, through their Launchpad Prize.

June Emerson Wind Music would like to thank Suzy Stonefield for organising

the awarding of the Launchpad Prize at the Royal Northern College of Music.

Links

Royal Northern College of Music

www.rncm.ac.uk

Have you ever been to Vienna?

Have you ever been to Vienna?

Alfred Uhl - composer (1909 - 1992)

We were camping in Salzburg with our two children when my husband Geoffrey said 'We're not far from Budapest. Let's go and see the Oromszegis.' That's another story, but Vienna was on the way.

We hit the Vienna ring road in the rush hour. It was raining. We eventually found the exit for a campsite near a composer we knew about, Alfred Uhl. After much wandering we rang the Uhls to say we were completely lost. Alfred sent his grandson Michael to find us, and Michael, on his bicycle led us back to the Uhl's house. We were invited to camp in the garden.

There followed a riotous evening, with much red wine, good food and conversation. (It was around this time that some Austrian wine was found to contain anti-freeze, but I'm not sure that we mentioned it...)

Alfred's wife Frieda told us how their neighbour had recently been sunbathing in the garden with the radio on loudly while Alfred was trying to compose. The neighbour couldn't be persuaded to turn it down, so Frieda fired the garden hose over the hedge and sorted it. She was a loyal and loving wife.

The upshot of this visit was that we published Festfanfare by Alfred Uhl for 9 trumpets, 6 trombones, tuba and percussion. He also allowed Geoffrey to arrange it for 4 trumpets, horn, 4 trombones and tuba so that it would be easier to programme.

Over the following years Geoffrey kept asking him to write a wind quintet for us. Alfred liked the idea, but unfortunately died before he got round to writing it. 

Whenever anyone says 'Have you been to Vienna?' the whole evening comes back - the ring-road, the wine, the laughter and the rain pattering on the tent in the darkness.
June Emerson

PS sorry the photo is so blurred, but it is the most sympathetic picture I could find. He was such a dear man.

E46 Alfred Uhl - Festfanfare
9 tpt. 6tbn. tba. perc.

https://www.juneemersonwindmusic.com/FESTFANFARE.html

E235 Alfred Uhl - Festfanfare arr. G. Emerson

4tpt. hn. 4tbn. tba. (perc)

https://www.juneemersonwindmusic.com/FESTFANFARE-score-and-parts.html

Beethoven's 5th Bossa Nova

 

 

 

Terence Greaves, when we first met him, was Dean of Undergraduate Studies at the Royal Northern College of Music. A quiet, unassuming academic we thought. However we soon found out about his naughty side. In his earlier life he had been a lecturer at the Birmingham School of Music, where he had contact with the CBSO - in particular the wind section.
It was the clarinettist John Fuest who encouraged him to write for the CBSO wind quintet, which is where Terry's mischievous side came to light. Beethoven's Fifth Bossa Nova is wicked fun to play, and audiences absolutely love it. He went on to write Rimsky's Rumba and Mozart's Turkey Rock Mambo, all of which are published by Emerson Edition. However it is the Beethoven that is the firm favourite, and inspired this jazzy cover from the cartoonist Bill Tidy.
 

Terence Greaves 1933 - 2009

composer, lecturer, accompanist, and music consultant on ABRSM examinations

 

E42 Terence Greaves - Beethoven's 5th Bossa Nova

https://www.juneemersonwindmusic.com/BEETHOVEN-S-FIFTH-BOSSA-NOVA.html

 

E191 Rimsky's Rumba

https://www.juneemersonwindmusic.com/RIMSKY-S-RUMBA-set-of-parts.html

 

E245 Mozart's Turkey Rock Mambo

https://www.juneemersonwindmusic.com/MOZART-S-TURKEY-ROCK-MAMBO-score-and-parts.html

 





The Hunt

THE HUNT

The wind quintet line-up appeared just a little late for consideration by the major classical composers. It was not until Reicha and Danzi came along in the early 1800s that it began to be recognised as an ensemble. Although since that time there have been some wonderful works composed specifically for quintet,  there have also been a lot of arrangements, made to fill out the earlier repertoire. String quartets, of course, have a  rich supply of musically satisfying works, many of which have been converted for quintets to play - with varying degrees of success.

Mozart's 'The Hunt' however is a major achievement in this arrangement by Geoffrey Emerson. It is done by someone who knows intimately how each instrument, and instrumentalist, works. Many string quartets have passages ('scrubbing, pizzicato, string-crossing arpeggios and the like) that don't translate musically for wind instruments. These he refuses to arrange as they will never sound convincing.

'The Hunt' however is a supremely wonderful and satisfying musical experience for wind players. If you only try one - try this one!

June Emerson

 

E28 Mozart 'The Hunt' K458 string quartet
arranged by Geoffrey Emerson for wind quintet

https://www.juneemersonwindmusic.com/K458-The-Hunt-set-of-parts.html

 

 



 

 

 

Horn or Bicycle?

Christine Muskett cycles for charity again..

.

"Shall I bring my horn or my bicycle?" is the usual question when Christine Muskett comes to Yorkshire. Whenever she comes we try to organise a quintet session, or she visits our local orchestra. The bicycle option is for keeping her muscles in trim and enjoying the fantastic countryside in this part of North Yorkshire.

Every summer Christine cycles for a chosen charity. This year is is for Dementia UK, a charity that makes a huge difference to people's lives. She will be cycling C2C2C2C (Close to Coast to Close to Coast) covering a distance of about 450 miles. This is as nothing to someone who did London to Paris in two days a few years ago.

Please support Christine's ride if you can:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/christinebike2019

Dementia UK - https://www.dementiauk.org/

Online Oboe Masterclasses

Celia Craig

https://artaria.co/education

Celia’s oboe teaching approach comes from a lifetime of experience at all levels – tertiary, school children, adults, professional development of teachers, beginners, workshops and within the industry at the manufacture and design level.

In addition, Celia’s playing experience is second to none, stemming from her own education at some of the world’s top training opportunities, encompassing orchestral, commercial, solo, chamber, lecturing, curating, performance practice and experience upon a number of instruments. Celia’s own teachers and mentors have been superb players and educators to whom she pays tribute as having nurtured her unique outlook which differs from the traditional model of oboe teaching.

Formerly National President of Australasian Double Reed Society, Chairman of BBC Symphony Orchestra, former active member of BBCSO Education program, Music Curator for The National Trust of South Australia, coach for Australian Youth Orchestra and Adelaide Youth Orchestra, State Music Camp of SA, leader of masterclasses and workshops at Elder Conservatoire, Royal College, Royal Northern College, Royal Academy, Guildhall School, Trinity Laban Conservatoire, YST (Singapore) Conservatory, Purcell School and others, Celia is a contributor to the new Arts Plan for SA and committed to improving its outcomes for oboists

Albanian International Brass Festival

23 - 27 April 2019

Masterclasses by outstanding players from
Russia
USA

Croatia
Italy
Austria

https://www.facebook.com/Albanian-Brass-Festival-1181592245207209/

E 17 Hartley Suite for 3 bassoons

It was that wonderful sound...

Archie Camden - 1888 - 1979
(Halle Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra)

It was in the summer of 1965 at Queenswood School, Hertfordshire, that I first heard bassoons in any quantity. I was attending one of the Ernest Read summer schools as a helper. When my household duties were finished, I was allowed to play second violin in the Second Orchestra.

Walking across the netball courts one sunny afternoon I heard this magical pouring out through the open window of a nearby room. Three bassoons playing some joyful music. What a sound!

Straight away I tracked down the bassoon tutor, Archie Camden, and said 'I've decided I want to learn the bassoon!' He smiled and said 'You find an instrument my dear,  and I will give you some lessons.'

Wow! He was Famous! (I only had three lessons from him, but it was a great start.)

One of the other bassoonists on the course had an instrument to sell. When I got home I borrowed money everywhere possible and bought it. I was hooked for life!

Several years later the 'joyful music' that I had originally heard on that memorable day came into my hands, through some friends.: Suite for Three Bassoons by Geoffrey Hartley.

In 1976, with joyful gratitude, Emerson Edition published it.

June Emerson

E17 Hartley - Suite for Three Bassoons
Hornpipe, Waltz, March

https://www.juneemersonwindmusic.com/SUITE-score-and-parts-41931738-db94-41fd-a999-6d213b847261.html

Bassoons again...

A Noble Project

Laurence Perkins - former principal bassoon of the Manchester Camerata

Laurence Perkins is an active and enthusiastic ambassador for the bassoon. Not many students choose the bassoon as their instrument. The cost of an instrument can be an obstacle, and it is (let's face it) not the most extrovert and showy instrument in the orchestra. What's more it doesn't often play solos, so is seldom very visible.

However there is an impressive repertoire of wonderful solo works, and Laurence is making it his business to make sure they are heard and appreciated. Together with Hyperion he is recording two CDs of some of the most significant pieces. Please take a look at his site:

https://laurenceperkins.com/seagod-recording/?fbclid=IwAR26k5nLrOwLR45VSJufd1hpB5zuIbfj24f8ClwKpUF4w65fxfswkazW9yY

The bassoon is the good-natured philosopher of the orchestra. Although often at the middle or bottom of the harmonic structure, the bassoon adds warmth, stability, lyricism and character - and sometimes fun. When it has an orchestral solo it can often either make you laugh (Malcolm Arnold Scottish Dances) or break your heart (Tchaikovsky Symphony No.4). It is a most wonderful and rewarding instrument to play.

I am supporting Laurence in this project - I hope that you can too.

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/bassoon-recording

June Emerson

Michael Head

Michael Head

Michael Dewar Head (1900 - 1976)



As well as being a composer, singer and pianist, Michael Head was an examiner for the Associated Board. It was when he came to Ampleforth College to examine the music students that we first met him. We knew his lovely songs, and had recently heard Siciliana for oboe on the BBC. As well as offering hospitality we were definitely hoping to get our hands on this lovely piece!

I drove down to Ampleforth College to bring him up to our house. My son Daniel, aged about 9, was in the car with me.

'Now Mr. Head is quite an old man, and may be a bit deaf. When you speak to him try to speak very clearly,' I told him.

Michael got in the car, and I went back to the music department to get his suitcase. When I returned to the car he was roaring with laughter, and so was Daniel. Apparently Daniel had said, extremely distinctly 'I think you are the oldest man I have ever seen.'

Our relationship was very warm from then on (thank you Daniel!) and we not only acquired his lovely Sicilana, but also a very striking song The World is Mad, for voice, clarinet and piano, and three other works including oboe and bassoon.
Geoffrey asked his advice on adjudicating, as he had his first engagement coming up. Michael said that however awful the playing, it was important always to say something nice - even if it was just to compliment them on the way they walked on to the stage.

That first meeting was on March 10th 1976. In April I sent him the Louis MacNeice poem that eventually became The World is Mad. During the following couple of months several other works arrived. On August 3rd he wrote from Bulawayo, South Africa, where he was not only examining for the AB but also singing his songs at recitals, including The World is Mad - ink still wet on the paper.

You can imagine our shock when, on August 24th, we heard that he had died suddenly in Cape Town. It was peritonitis - he had not reached a hospital soon enough.

June Emerson

Siciliana - oboe & piano

Three Hill Songs - oboe & piano

Three Fantastic Pieces - bassoon & piano

Trio - oboe, bassoon & piano

The World is Mad - mezzo, clarinet & piano

Michael Head: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Head_(composer)



E10 Six Low Solos

Six Low Solos

Eric Hughes 1924 - 2000

Eric Hughes was an electrical engineer, who worked at GEC in Wembley during the 1950s at the time when transistors were first being developed. He was a talented jazz pianist and composer, and used to write a musical show each year for the members of the company to perform. I first met him when I was invited to play in the orchestra for one of their productions.

He decided to study composition more seriously, and enrolled for classes at Hendon Technical College. We sat next to each other for the theory and harmony classes and generally caused a lot of trouble - he was such a joker. Through our friendship he started writing shows for the Ballards Lane Methodist Church in Finchley, North London, which had a thriving dramatic group. Everything was fun. I still have copies of his songs 'I've got a Toothbrush in Kensington' and 'Knitting Sandwiches for Jim' - created for some comedy sketch.

Trying out some songs for a show - please note paper snakes coming out of the recorders.
Left to right: June Emerson, Laurie Hetherington, Eric Hughes, Jean Gunderson,

Ken Gunderson, Sidney the choirmaster.

The composer Alan Bush came to Hendon Tech. to teach the more advanced students and Spike (everyone called Hughes ended up being called 'Spike' of course) developed his style to a much more advanced level. Several of his works have been since been published.

It was at my request, and detailed information about which notes were learned first on the bassoon, that he composed Six Low Solos, which have been a godsend to beginner bassoonists ever since.

He always signed himself E. S. C. O. Hughes, which stood for Eric Spike Consecutive Octaves Hughes.

June Emerson

E6 Six Low Solos - Eric Hughes Grade I/2

https://www.juneemersonwindmusic.com/SIX-LOW-SOLOS.html

Gordon Jacob and his pigs...

PIGS

 

Whenever we visited Gordon Jacob the first thing my children wanted to do was to sit on the big leather pig in his sitting-room. Gordon loved pigs and had an enormous collection: china, wooden, plastic - even a marzipan one that he couldn't bring himself to eat.

He was helping us to build our catalogue of pieces for young wind players, and it was the pigs that reminded him to introduce us to Alan Ridout, one of his ex-students at the Royal College of Music. Alan had written a piece for four bassoons called 'Pigs' as a gift to Gordon to add to his collection. Alan soon became one of our favourite composers.

Pigs eventually became Emerson Edition No.9. With a cover illustration by the legendary Bill Tidy it has remained a favourite since 1973

 

https://www.juneemersonwindmusic.com/PIGS.html

 

 



The Rehearsal Orchestra - London Weekend Courses

BRASS PLAYERS

How would you like to play...

 

Stravinsky - Petrushka & Scherzo a la Russe

or

Dvorak - Carnaval Overture

and

Janacek - Sinfonietta (Oooh yes!)

or

Mahler - Das Lied von der Erde

or

Strauss - Ein Heldenleben

 

 

With a bunch of great players, under an excellent conductor
(with a good sense of humour), for a day of intensive work
with an open rehearsal at the end for your mates to come and listen?

 

Contact:

The Rehearsal Orchestra rehearsal-orchestra.org

 

You'll love it!

 

British Flute Society Competition

British Flute Society

Competition for Young Flautists 2019

 



 

The closing date for entry is 22nd January 2019

 

School Performer

Open to flute players aged 13 and under on 31 August 2019. They should play a piece, or pieces, of their own choice lasting (including breaks) not more than 5 minutes.

Grade 5 or above

 

Young Performer

Open to flute players aged 14 - 18 years on 31 August 2019. They should play a piece, or pieces, of their own choice lasting (including breaks) not more than 7 minutes.

Grade 7-8 or above

 

Young Artist

Open to higher level players aged 19 - 24 years on 31 August 2019. They should play a piece, or pieces, of their own choice lasting (including breaks) not more than 8 minutes.

Grade 8 or above

 

More detailed information, and an online application form:

https://www.bfs.org.uk/events.php?id=538