Concert Band

A Huntingdon Celebration

Grade 3 | 5 Mins

The Huntingdonshire Concert Band, based in the east of England, is a community band, which was founded in 1993. In 2001, they invited composer Philip Sparke to work with them on some of his pieces for a weekend. This led to the band asking Sparke to write a piece to celebrate their 10th Anniversary in 2003. A Huntingdon Celebration was the result.  

This short and lively overture opens with a fanfare-like passage based on the main theme, which soon appears on clarinets and saxophones and is then taken up by the whole band. Answering phrases between brass and woodwind lead to a second legato theme over bubbling eighth notes. This in turn leads to a slower central chorale in the tenor register of the band. The original tempo returns and, after a period of thematic development, the main theme reappears until the opening fanfare returns to bring the piece to a close.