Hathern Band

Hathern Streets

Dec. 11, 2016

The Hathern Band organisation would like to say a big thank you to the people of Hathern for their very generous donations when the bands played around the Streets of Hathern on Sunday.

A total £833 was raised and this will go towards new instruments and music for Hathern Training Band — THANK YOU

Newsletter Autumn 2016

Oct. 31, 2016

Our autumn newsletter is now available: click here

Hathern Band play in aid of Hathern Church

Oct. 29, 2016

The concert on 29th October was a concert with a difference – it featured music by English composers. The programme began with The Knightsbridge March, part of the London suite composed by Eric Coates in 1933 followed by A West Country Fantasy by Gordon Langford. This features a number of English folk tunes including Raggle Taggle Gypsies, Strawberry Fair and There is a Tavern in the Town complete with an apparently inebriated principal trombone.

Then it was centre stage for the cornet section with the cascading bell like sound of Cornet Carillon by Ronald Binge from Derby.

Fantasia on the Dargason is the finale of the Second Suite in F by Gustav Holst, a composer perhaps best known for the Planets Suite. The Fantasia weaves together two old English tunes, the Dargason (which was a dance) and Greensleeves. The Second Suite in F was the test piece that Hathern Band played in the Fourth Section national finals at the Royal Albert Hall in 1984.

Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s With One Look from Sunset Boulevarde was followed by Portuguese Party by Gilbert Vinter. Our next composer was King Henry VIII would you believe? Pastime with Good Company was composed by him shortly after his coronation and is thought to have been written for his first queen, Catherine of Aragon.

The second half began with Alan Fernie’s unusual arrangement of Lennon and McCartney’s Ticket to Ride. This has the instruments emulating a steam train journey right down to a final whistle. It brought to mind Coronation Scot by Vivian Ellis. (The Band recorded this on the excellent On The Tracks CD). Pineapple Poll is a Gilbert and Sullivan inspired ballet which premiered in 1951. The music is taken from many of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas and was arranged by Sir Charles Mackerras.

49th Parallel is a British film from 1941. It was an unashamedly propaganda film intended for the American market to try and bring neutral America into the war. Ralph Vaughan Williams wrote the score and the Band played the film’s Prelude. Then we were whisked back again to the 16th century. The rousing King’s Hunting Jig was composed by John Bull originally for the virginal (a small harpsichord).

Elgar is arguably one of England’s greatest ever composers. His Enigma Variations were based on his friends and the Band gave us Nimrod which was based on his friend Augustus Jaeger. Youngsters George Baum and Edward Hefferman reprised their acclaimed xylophone duet, The Two Imps by Kenneth Alford. Then it was the Spitfire Fugue. This was a composition by Sir William Walton for the film The First of the Few in 1942.

The concert very well received and the Band gave us Sir William Parry’s tune Jerusalem as an encore. (The audience sang William Blake’s words.) Dave Newman said that there was so much choice for the programme, he could have easily produced six concerts without repetition. Perhaps we will have another English composers concert in the not too distant future.

Hathern Training Band at the Harvest Festival

Oct. 2, 2016

Every year Training Band plays at Hathern Parish Church’s Harvest Festival. The youngsters had been practising for weeks and were looking forward to the performance on 2 October with a combination of anticipation and trepidation. They played three hymns, Come Ye Joyful People Come, All Things Bright and Beautiful and We Plough the Fields with Tractors. No, its not a mistake these are new words to the familiar old hymn. The performance was a great success. Licensed Reader Sue Hack, who conducted the service, congratulated the band on their excellent playing. Dave Newman said “I’m really pleased with our youngsters. They concentrated well and gave the congregation a fine performance. As you know, we have been visiting schools and publicising the Training Band during 2016, and we’ve recruited a number of new members.” The future of Hathern Band looks very bright!