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!

Newsletter Summer 2016

Aug. 3, 2016

Our summer newsletter is now available: click here

(photo: lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com.au/ (c)ld)

School Visits

Jun. 16, 2016

Members of the Senior Band on one of their many visits to schools in the area in an attempt to encourage young people to learn to play. St Winefrides in Shepshed already have a great set up and hopefully some of these children will come along to Hathern Training Band.

The Queens 90th Birthday Celebrations

Jun. 11, 2016

This year the Carnival was to honour Her Majesty`s 90th Birthday with the Carnival, Its A Knockout and Hathern School Summer Fair all joining forces for this massive occasion.

Hathern Youth & Concert Brass were invited to play during the afternoon and the photo shows THE BOYS OF THE BASS SECTION entertaining the crowds.

A big well done to Ben Hardy and his team from the Hathern Village Association for organising this brilliant event.

Brass & Voice

May. 23, 2016

Concert with Hathern Band and Loughborough Male Voice Choir 21st May 2016.

A joint concert featuring Hathern Band and Loughborough Male Voice Choir was held at Hathern Parish Church on 21st May. The Band began the concert with the Post Horn Gallop. Although this is one of the Band’s standard numbers, it has particular significance this year as it is the anthem for Leicester City FC. Mike Wood, the Band’s principal cornet, played the post horn which was much appreciated as Mike is from Manchester and a United supporter! Appropriately the Band waved blue and white Foxes flags at the end of the number.

The Band played a mix of old and new demonstrating the diversity of modern brass band music. George and Ira Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm was followed by David Bowie’s Life on Mars. Old and new came together in Pop Looks Bach, better known as the Ski Sunday theme. Although Hoagy Carmichael’s Stardust has been recorded over 1500 times, the arrangement for brass brings a certain poignancy to the tune, ably demonstrated by soloist Simon Baum on trombone. Hathern Band has a children’s Training Band and a Youth Band allowing youngsters to learn and develop their musical skills. Several young people have recently broken through into the main Band and two of these are percussionists, George Baum and Edward Hefferman. They produced a lively rendition of a xylophone duet, The Two Imps.

Loughborough Male Voice Choir followed on from the band in each half accompanied by Becky Norton on piano. Musical Director Chris Hill told the audience that the Choir would be celebrating its 50th anniversary next year when there would be a programme of celebratory events including a visit to Belgium. The Choir was in great voice and treated the audience to a varied programme. As with the Band, the Choir mixed old and new. The “old” included the Serenade from the The Fair Maid of Perth by Bizet, Holst’s Thaxted from The Planets with the lyrics World in Union and A Roman War Song from Rienzi by Wagner. It was quite a contrast then to hear the Choir sing the Turtles’ 1967 hit Happy Together. When I Survey the Wondrous Cross featured music coach Lyndon Gardner as soloist, and the Choir gave a moving rendition of the classic Welsh song Myfanwy.

At the end of each half the Band and the Choir came together. Speed Your Journey by Verdi brought the first half to an end and the concert concluded with What Would I Do Without My Music. This was particularly apt as the brass band arrangement is by Hathern’s own tenor horn player Sam Garton. Sam heard the song performed by the Choir which inspired her to set it for a brass band. A fitting end to a most enjoyable concert.

Newsletter Spring 2016

May. 12, 2016

Our spring newsletter is now available: click here