Gravesend 140th celebration 2023

The last Saturday in October saw the band visit Gravesend Corps as part of their 140^thAnniversary celebrations. Despite the inclement weather this evening was very well attended.

The band’s opening item was the march The Golden Crown (Edwin Stanyon) which was immediately followed by the more meditative Garden of my Heart (Terry Camsey) based on the words of Sidney Cox – ‘Jesus, Jesus, lily of the valley, Bloom in all thy beauty in the garden of my heart’.

The Band’s first soloist of the evening was Andy Pretious who expertly played the Cornet Solo Joyful Song, written especially for Andy by the band’s Musical Director Derick Kane.

Following this the band presented two classical arrangements. The first was the Allegro from Music for the Royal Fireworks by Handel (arr. Charles Skinner), and then the contrasting arrangement Poem by Zdenek Fibich (arr. Ray Steadman-Allen).

The second soloist was Adrian Horwood who gave an excellent performance of the demanding Euphonium Solo Star Lake Variations (arr. Paul Sharman). This solo came about when Derick Kane and Paul Graham were at the Star Lake Music Camp in New Jersey (USA) and incorporates snippets from various euphonium solos.

The next item, Riverside, was another piece of music arranged for the band by Derick and includes the tunes ‘Deep River’ and ‘Down by the Riverside’.

The final soloist of the evening was Paul Newman who presented the Eb Bass solo Celestial Pathway. This solo was written recently by Derick for the band’s founder, George Whittingham, to celebrate his 97^th birthday and includes an amalgam of the Eb Bass Solo ‘Celestial Morn’ and the Bb & Eb Bass Duet ‘Radiant Pathway’.

With a change of mood the Band, led by Adrian Horwood, sang an arrangement of the song immortalised by Louis Armstrong, What a Wonderful World. This was sensitively accompanied by a Brass Ensemble of Trombones and Eb Bass and reminded the congregation of all the good things in the world at a time when the news always seems to be anything but wonderful.

The next item was a premiere performance of an arrangement of the tune Abide With Mewritten by Graham Hardwick, euphonium player in the band.

Before an interval the band played its major item of the evening – Portraits from St. Paul’s Epistles by Bramwell Coles. This rarely heard piece is divided into four movements. The musical portraiture depicts (1) ‘The Happy Man’ (’Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, Rejoice’). (2) ‘The Supplicant’ (‘Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit’). (3) ‘The Man of Valour’ (‘Through faith…out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight’. (4) ‘The Triumphant Man’ (‘Persecutions, afflictions…came unto me…but out of them all the Lord delivered me. I have fought a good fight…I have kept faith; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness’). In the last movement, the triumphant man, having overcome all opposition, hears the trumpets sounding for him on the other side and enters victoriously into the presence of the King. The stirring hymn ‘Ten thousand times ten thousand’ and some joyful ‘Hallelujahs’ bring the movement to a conclusion on a triumphant note.

After the interval the band commenced the second part of the evening with the ever-popular march Montreal Citadel (Norman J. Audoire). This march was first published in 1934 when the composer was Bandmaster at Montreal Citadel.

The congregation were then given the opportunity to sing, with the song chosen being Amazing Grace, but to a new ‘up-beat’ arrangement. This was followed by Let It Shine (arr. Alan Fernie); a gospel rock arrangement of the traditional tune ‘This Little Light of Mine, I’m gonna let it shine’.

The trombone section was then featured with the Trombone Ensemble I Reckon On You(Douglas Kiff arr. Eiliv Herikstad).

The band then played an arrangement of Highland Cathedral (arr. Andrew Duncan). This tune feels like it has been around for a long time but in fact was only written as recently as 1982 (originally for bagpipes) by Michael Korb and Ulrich Roever who ‘wanted to create with the pipes a composition for Scotland’.

The bands’ second vocal item for the evening was You’re never too far from God (William Himes trans. Thomas Mack).

After a bible thought given by Roger Gadsden the band played a Hymn Tune Arrangement of St.Teresa (Charles Skinner arr. Peter Graham) – ‘Let nothing disturb thee….God never changeth….Alone God sufficeth’.

The band’s final item was the march On the Kings Highway (Erik Leidzen) which sent everyone home with a tap in their step (even if it was a wet one!)