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Musical Director : Mel Hopkin

Email address: enquiries@holbeachtownband.org.uk

Back Lane, Holbeach, Lincolnshire PE12 7LN (click for map)

Celebrating 40 years of Banding 1971 to 2011

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Information About the band
Holbeach Victoria Training Band
The Musical Director: Mel Hopkin - First Musical Director: Brian Long
Photo Gallery 2000 - 2001 - 2002 - 2003 - 2004 - 2005 - 2006 - 2007 - 2008 - 2009 - 2010 - 2011 - 2012 - 2013

29 March 2008 - Holbeach Methodist Church

Programme Notes

Aces High
March by Ron Goodwin from the 1969 film The Battle of Britain.

Original title from the film "The Luftwaffe March", but already a march of that name so re-titled it "Aces High".

Originally Sir William Walton wrote the music for this film. The producers were not really satisfied with the music and they gave the assignment to Goodwin. Sir William Walton is a kind of an institution and there was a lot of commotion about it. Goodwin's score was accepted by the producers. But they liked Walton's "Battle in the Air" sequence more than Goodwin's and this is used in the film.

2nd Suite in F - Gustav Holst
Gustav Holst was born in 1874 in Cheltenham, England, He went to Cheltenham Grammar School.
In 1909, Holst composed the Suite No. 1 in E-flat, a revolutionary piece in that it was written exclusively for wind band. At that time, concert wind band repertoire consisted of reductions of pieces originally scored for orchestras.
Holst played trombone in the Scottish Orchestra and the Carl Rosa Opera Company, and he was well acquainted with the working of wind instruments.

The second suite, written in 1911, features a number of folk melodies.
The final movement, Fantasia on the Dargason, weaves together two folk tunes. The Dargason, a Renaissance dance melody, is best known to us as "The Irish Washerwoman,"; a second theme appears simultaneously in the lower brass. This tune, perhaps hard to recognize under the brisk dance, is the familiar "Greensleeves."

Smaoinich
The title of this piece means Think of me when I look for you on the tide and is in Scottish Gaelic. The music depicts a 14th century man of Celtic or Norse origin; he is by himself on a wind swept cliff top and is dressed in the leathers of a warrior. He is alone, though by choice not loneliness. He looks out towards the sea. He is thinking, though we do not know what, or who, is on his mind!

Journey through America
Darrol Barry
Born in Salford at an early age! Darrol joined the school band on Eb bass when he was fourteen (he wanted a cornet!) and he soon moved onto the euphonium and started to arrange music for the band.

In March 2002 Darrol took up his position as Composer and Arranger in residence to the Royal Guard of Oman and provides music for the bands, big band, pipe and drums and the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra. He is very happy in Oman with his wife Rachael and their 3 cats and continues to compose and arrange lots of music in his spare time.

Marching Through Georgia
Marching Through Georgia is a marching song written by Henry Clay Work in 1865, refers to Gen. Sherman's March to the Sea during the previous year. Sherman succeeded General Ulysses S. Grant as the Union commander. He lead his troops to the capture of the city of Atlanta. Sherman's subsequent march through Georgia and the Carolinas undermined the Confederacy's ability to continue fighting. He accepted the surrender of all the Confederate armies in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida in April 1865.

It was widely popular with Union Army veterans after the war. However, General Sherman himself despised the song, in part because it was played at almost every public appearance that he attended. Outside of the Southern United States, it had a universal appeal: Japanese troops sang it as they entered Port Arthur during the Russian-Japanese war of 1904-5, the British sang it in India, and it was popular with the Allies in World War II.

Backdraft
A backdraft is a situation which can occur when a fire is starved of oxygen; consequently combustion ceases but the fuel gases and smoke remain at high temperature. If oxygen is re-introduced to the fire, eg. by opening a door to a closed room, combustion can restart often resulting in an explosive effect as the gases heat and expand.

Backdraft is an American movie released in 1991, Kurt Russell, William Baldwin, Robert De Niro and Scott Glenn star. The story is about firefighters in Chicago on the trail of a serial arsonist.

The Japanese cooking TV show, Iron Chef, used Backdraft's music (composed by Hans Zimmer).

Nessun Dorma
Nessun Dorma (None Shall Sleep) is an aria from the final act of Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot, and is one of the best known tenor arias in all opera. It is sung by Calaf, (The unknown prince), who falls in love at first sight with the beautiful but cold Princess Turandot. However, any man who wishes to wed Turandot must first answer her three riddles. If he fails, he will be beheaded.

Yesterday
"Yesterday" is a pop song originally recorded by The Beatles for their album Help! (1965). McCartney composed the entire melody in a dream one night in his room at the Wimpole Street home of his then girlfriend Jane Asher and her family. Upon waking, he hurried to a piano, turned on a tape recorder, and played the tune to avoid forgetting it.

According to the Guinness Book of Records, "Yesterday" has the most cover versions of any song ever written more than 3000 recorded cover versions. "Yesterday" was voted the best song of the 20th century, in a 1999 BBC Radio 2 poll of music experts and listeners - despite never being a UK number one single.

It was the first official recording by The Beatles that relied upon a performance by a single member of the band: Paul McCartney was accompanied solely by a string quartet.

Les Champs Elysees
The 1969 French pop hit song "Aux Champs Elysees" was a reworking of a British song. Its name was Waterloo Road written by Mike Deighan, who was in a group called Jugular Vein. Used to be sung by Dave Benton

Original:
Down Waterloo Road, Down Waterloo Road,
Friday night, Saturday, any night and any day
You'll find what you're looking for down Waterloo Road,

French version
On the Champs-Élysées, on the Champs-Élysées
In the sun or the rain, at midday or midnight
There is everything that you want on the Champs-Élysées

Is this the way to Amarillo
Directions:
" Start from home
" Drive to London Heathrow Airport.
" Catch flight from London Heathrow to Dallas Fort Worth Airport.
" Hire car at Dallas Fort Worth Airport.
" Take the "Highway 114 west" exit toward "Fort Worth" - follow for 29.2 miles
" Then continue on "US 287 north" - follow for 330 miles
" Take left ramp onto "Interstate 40 west" toward "Dumas" - follow for 7.8 miles
" Take "Exit 70" onto "US 60 east" toward "Dumas" - follow for 0.5 miles
" Take the "Buchanan Street" exit toward "Dumas/Pampa" - follow for 1.7 miles
" Turn right onto "Old Route 66 (Interstate 40)" - follow for 0.1miles
" Arrive at the centre of "Amarillo, Texas"

That's the way to Amarillo!!

   
Website designed created and maintained by Mel Hopkin