Bacchanalia

Philip Sparke

Philip Sparke

General Info

Year: 2019
Duration: c. 5:30
Difficulty: V (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Anglo Music, through Band Music Shoppe
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - €158.87   |   Score Only (print) - €27.09

Instrumentation

• Full Score
• C Piccolo
• Flute I-II
• Oboe
• Bassoon
• E-flat Soprano Clarinet
• B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
• B-flat Bass Clarinet
• E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
• B-flat Tenor Saxophone
• E-flat Baritone Saxophone
• B-flat Trumpet I-II-III
• Horn in F I-II-III-IV
• Trombone I-II-III
• Euphonium
• Tuba
• Contra-Bass
• Timpani
• Percussion I-II-III-IV-V, including:

*Bass Drum

*Crash Cymbals

*Glockenspiel

*Snare Drum

*Suspended Cymbal

*Tambourine

*Tubular Bells

*Vibraphone

*Xylophone

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

Bacchanalia was commissioned by the Yokohama Bacchus Brass Orchestra to celebrate their 20th Anniversary in 2019. They gave the premiere, alongside Sparke’s Sinfonietta No 5 (also commissioned for the occasion) in a concert held in Yokohama on 9th June 2019.

The Yokohama Bacchus Brass Orchestra wanted the title of this short opener to reflect the reference to Bacchus in their name, so Bacchanalia was agreed upon. The spirit of the Greek god of wine permeates the piece, with bustling themes and occasional harmonic ambiguity. A fanfare-style opening leads to a dancing piccolo solo which is taken up by more woodwinds and eventually the whole orchestra. An extended bridge passage leads to a central legato theme which cannot shake off the dance motifs. This is again echoed by the whole orchestra and leads back to a reprise of the opening themes in reverse order. Eventually a wild Bacchanalian dance erupts on high, screaming woodwinds until a short coda brings the work crashing to a close.

- Program Note from publisher

Commissioned by Jun Shitori and the Yokohama Bacchus Brass Orchestra to celebrate their 20th anniversary in 2019.

- Program Note from score

Media

• Audio: Reference recording. Hal Leonard Europe Concert Band

State Ratings

None discovered thus far.

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

• Lone Star Wind Orchestra (Dallas, Tx.) (Eugene Migliaro Corporon, conductor) - 15 June 2024
• Lone Star Wind Orchestra (Dallas, Tx.) (Eugene Migliaro Corporon, conductor) - 5 November 2023
• Yokohama (Japan) Bacchus Brass Orchestra (Jun Shitori, conductor) – 9 June 2019 *Premiere Performance*

Works for Winds by This Composer

• Atlantic Odyssey (2010)
• Bacchanalia (2019/2020)
• Ballad for Benny (2001)
• The Bandwagon (2004)
• Barn Dance and Cowboy Hymn (1985)
• Beethoven's Greeting (2008)
• Between the Two Rivers (2003)
• Big Sky Overture (2002)
• Blazon (2010)
• Blue Rock (2008)
• A Bluegrass Overture (2017)
• Bohemian Rhapsody (as arranger) (1975/2011)
• Bolero (as arranger) (1928/2011)
• Cambridge Intrada (2007)
• The Camelot Chronicles (2007)
• Carnival (1997)
• Carol of the Shepherds (2001)
• Celebration (1993)
• The Centurion (1988/2000)
• Chorale and Variations (2004)
• A Christmas Herald (2008)
• Clarinet Calypso (2003)
• Clarinet Concerto (2003)
• Colditz March (as arranger) (1972/2014)
• Colorado Springs (2007)
• A Colour Symphony (2015)
• Concert Prelude (1976/2000)
• Concertino Classico (2010)
• Dance Movements (1995)
• Dance of the Whale (2013/2014), from Bestiarium
• David of the White Rock (as arranger) (1741/2003)
• Deserts (2008)
• Diamond Concerto (2012)
• Diversions (1999)
• Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes (as arranger) (1790/2011)
• The Earl of Oxford's Marche (as arranger) (1581–91/2006)
• Earth, Water, Sun, Wind (2000)
• An English Sea Song Suite (2006)
• Euphonium Concerto No. 2 (2005)
• Exultation (2010)
• Fanfare for Saint Cecilia (2008)
• Fanfare, Romance and Finale (1990)
• Fantasy for Euphonium (1995)
• A Festive Tribute (J.S. Bach) (2007)
• Fiesta! (1998)
• Fiesta de la Vida (2005/2006)
• Five Festive Fanfares (2000)
  • Victory Fanfare
• Flowerdale (2002/2010)
• Flying the Breeze (2002/2004)
• The Four Noble Truths (2003/2004)
• Four Norfolk Dances (2001)
• Gemini Concerto (2017/2019)
• The Girl with the Flaxen Hair (as arranger) (1910/2007)
• Hail the Dragon! (2010)
• Hanover Festival (2000)
• Harlequin (2004)
• A Huntingdon Celebration (2003)
• In Memoriam: For the Fallen (2015)
• Infinity and Beyond... (2001)
• Invictus (2001)
• Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (as arranger) (1723/2004)
• Jubilee Overture (1983)
• Jubiloso (2008/2009)
• A Klezmer Karnival (2004)
• The Land of the Long White Cloud (1980/1988)
• The Legend of Spirit Island (2017)
• Letter from Home (2008)
• A Lindisfarne Rhapsody (1998)
• The Long Day Closes (as arranger) (1868/2007)
• Looking Up, Moving On (2012)
• MacArthur Park (as arranger) (1967/2005)
• Madrigalum (2006)
• Måndalen Landscapes (2004)
• Manhattan (2004)
• Marchissimo (2004)
• Mary's Boy Child (as arranger) (1956/2003)
• Masquerade (2003)
• A Medieval Christmas (2011)
• Merry-Go-Round (2002)
• Morning Song (2002)
• Mountain Song (1990/1993)
• Moving Heaven and Earth (2012)
• Music for a Festival (1985)
• Music of the Spheres (2004)
• Navigation Inn (2000)
• North Hills Fantasy (2021)
• Of Skies, Rivers, Lakes, and Mountains (2012/2013)
• Once in Royal David’s City (as arranger) (1849/2004)
• Orient Express (1987/1994)
• Out of the Darkness, Into the Light (2003)
• Overture for Woodwinds (2000)
• The Painted Desert (2004)
• Panis Angelicus (as arranger) (1872/2001)
• Pantomime (1988/1996)
• Pantomime (arr. Maldonado) (1988)
• Pastime with Good Company (as arranger) (15--?/2005)
• Pentangle (2021)
• The Pioneers (2005)
• A Pittsburgh Overture (1992)
• The Planetarium
• Portrait of a City (2002)
• Postcard from Singapore (2004)
• Prelude to a Celebration (2007)
• Pulcinella (2021)
• A Quiet Moment (2007)
• Reflections (2011)
• Reflections on an Old Japanese Folk Song (2015)
• Rhythm and Blues (arr. Wheeler) (1986/2012)
• The Roaring Forties (2008)
• Royal Salute (2007)
• Sailing with the Tall Ships (2012)
• Salute to a Hero (2009)
• A Savannah Symphony (2010)
• Scenes from a Comedy (2007)
• The Seasons (2005)
• Shalom! (2001)
• Sierra Nevada (2006)
• Sinfonietta No. 1 (1990)
• Sinfonietta No. 2 (1992)
• Sinfonietta No. 3 (2001)
• Sinfonietta No. 4 (2012)
• Sinfonietta No. 5 (2021)
• Sleepers, Awake! (as transcriber) (1731/2002)
• Slipstream (1987/1990)
• Snow Valley Sleigh Ride (2007)
• Song and Dance (arr. Brand) (1984/2009)
• Song of Friendship (2017)
• The Song of the Bell (2012)
• Sounds of the Saint Lawrence (2008)
• Spirit of the Sequoia (2004)
• St. Paul's Suite (as arranger) (1912–13/2017)
• Strathcarron (2002)
• Suite from Hymn of the Highlands (2002)
• Summer Isles (2002/2006)
• The Sun Will Rise Again (2011)
• Sunrise at Angel's Gate (2001)
• Symphonic Metamorphosis (2007)
• Symphony No. 1. See: Earth, Water, Sun, Wind
• Symphony No. 2. See: A Savannah Symphony
• Symphony No. 3. See: A Colour Symphony
• Tales of the River Wye (2007)
• Tallis' Canon (arr. Sparke) (/2012)
• A Tameside Overture (1989)
• Te Deum Prelude (as arranger) (1688–98/2001)
• Ten Chorale Preludes (as arranger) (1914/2002)
• Theatre Music (1989)
• Three English Folk Song Miniatures (2013)
• Three Extraordinary Journeys (2006)
• Three Klezmer Miniatures (2009)
• Three Washington Statues (2015)
• Time Remembered (2001)
• To a New Dawn (2000)
• To a Wild Rose (as arranger) (1896/2002)
• Tokyo Triptych (2007)
• Trombone Concerto (2007)
• Tuba Concerto (2007)
• Two-Part Invention (2003/2008)
• The Unknown Journey (2014)
• Valerius Variations (2005)
• Variations on a Fourth (2019/2022)
• Veni Immanuel (2003)
• Watch Your Step! (2017)
• A Weekend in New York (2008)
• The White Rose (2002)
• Wind in the Reeds (2017)
• Wilten Festival Overture (1999)
• A Winter's Tale (2010)
• Year of the Dragon (1984/1985)
• Year of the Dragon (2017 edition) (1984/1985/2017)
• A Yorkshire Overture (1991)

Resources

• Perusal score (in Attachments)
• Philip Sparke website. Accessed 5 November 2023
• Sparke, P. (2020). Bacchanalia for Concert Band [score]. Anglo Music Press: [London, Eng.].