“Tales from the Shore“, an irish rhapsody by Kees Vlak opens with a musical picture of the wild ocean (“The Sea“): Waves crash against the coast and rocks cleave the whitecaps…
The poor people living on the coast earn their money by fishing and selling fish and mussels. Their patron is Saint Patrick (Irish: Naomh Pádraig), a cleric who lived from 390 to 460 (“The Gentleman“). The first main theme is dedicated to him. It is based on a song, which is sung in his honor every year at St. Patrick’s Day (March 17th). Kids play “hide and seek” on the shore (“Boys and Girls at the shore“) and the melody of the wild ocean reappears. In the second part of “Tales from the Shore” a young fishwife advertises “Cockles and Mussels“ and the echo of her voice resounds in a grotto. In the afternoon they all together (“The Fishmonger“) celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. From a distance you can hear drums and typical Irish bagpipes (“Pipes and Drums“), that sound much softer and more melodically than Scottish bagpipes. The music finally rises to a great and festive climax.
BASIC SOUND
From S to XXL – Music for any band instrumentation
"Basic Sound" is a series by RUNDEL Music Publications offering an attractive and diversified repertoire to bands at grade 2 or 3 level, of sizes S to XXL. "Basic Sound" allows for performances by groups with limited instrumentation. Minimun requirements are clearly bracketed in the score.
The smallest size (S) of "Basic Sound" is based on the following instruments:
one (1) flute, two (2) clarinets, one (1) alto-saxophone, two (2) trumpets, one (1) trombone, one (1) baritone/euphonium, one (1) tuba and percussion.
Each edition also includes a full set of parts (XXL). That way the conductor can adjust the pieces of the "Basic Sound" series to his band's instrumentation.