Meditation on Aberystwyth [Score ]

Description

This is Wilfred Heaton’s earliest surviving extended work for brass band. Probably dating from the late 1930s or early 1940s, it adopts the genre of hymn tune setting known in the Salvation Army as a Meditation. Heaton’s extended three verse treatment of this famous Welsh hymn tune by Joseph Parry is on a large scale. The three verse settings are preceded by a short prelude and separated by substantial development sections, the second of which is fast and highly dramatic. It leads to a majestic concluding verse. The music is influenced by the Salvationist composers and arrangers George Marshall and Eric Ball, but Heaton’s distinctive voice, particularly with regard to the thematic working, clarity and economy of the scoring, shines through at times.

Grade 5
Duration: 11 mins
Score: £12.50