Brass Band Composers
A selected list - emphasis is given here to original works for brass band.
Aagaard-Nilsen, Torstein |
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Alford, Kenneth 1881-1945  Pseudonym of Major J. F. Ricketts |
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Allan, George 1864-1930 
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Althouse, Monroe 1853-1924 
| Born in 1853 in Centre Township, PA, Althouse began his musical career in Reading in the 1870s. He played violin, cornet and trombone with numerous local orchestras and bands. Before the turn of the 20th century, he met and became friends with John Philip Sousa, America's March King.
Althouse was director of the Ringgold Band from 1901 to 1923 and composed approximately 150 marches, waltzes, and polkas during his lifetime. He is credited with having contributed greatly to the band's popularity. He frequently wrote a march to commemorate a specific event, organization, or person in the Berks County, PA area, eventually earning the respected title of "Reading's March King."
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| Alwyn, William 1905-1985  |
Born in Northampton on 7 November, he studied at the Royal Academy of Music, later becoming Professor of Composition. He is mainly known for his scores for films.
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| Arnold, Malcolm 1921-2006  | Born in Northampton on October 21, he studied at the Royal College of Music and filled several principal trumpet roles with major orchestras in the 1940s. He became a full time composer in 1954.
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| Ashmore, D | |||
| Ashpole, Alfred 1892-1990 | Studied at the Guildhall School with the likes of Denis Wright and James Ord Hume. |
| Badings, Henk |
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| Balissat, Jean |
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Ball, Eric |
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Ball, Michael 1946-  |
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| Bantock, Granville 1868-1946 
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| Darrol Barry |
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| Bath, Hubert 1883-1945 |
Remembered outside brass band circles for his film music, he adjudicated band contests and conducted the St Hilda's Band with whom he made recordings | ||
| Bearcroft, Norman |
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| Beaver, Jack 1900-1963 |
Educated at the Royal Academy of Music he is mainly known for the background music he wrote for feature films and documentaries starting with silent films and writing his first talking picture score in 1932. He was resident composer with Gaumont British Pictures from 1934 and scored many radio adaptations of films and in 1946 became musical director of the series Picture Parade.
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Bedford, David 1937- |
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| Bingham, Judith |
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| Birtwistle, Harrison |
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| Blake, Howard |
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| Bliss, Arthur |
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| Bloomfield, Dwayne |
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| Boedihn, Gerrard |
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Bourgeois, Derek |
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| Bowen, Brian |
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| Bowes, Ray |
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| Brian, Havergal |
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| Bridger, Donald |
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| Broadbent, Derek |
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| Broadstock, Brenton |
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| Broughton, Bruce |
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| Bryce, Frank |
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| Bulla, Stephen |
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Butterworth, Arthur |
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| Calvert, Morley |
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| Carpenter, Gary |
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| Carr, John 1904-1981 |
John Carr was also one of the most acclaimed adjudicators of his time. He was from County Durham, and started as a silent movie pianist in the village of Crook. He worked in both cinemas in the town which would show the same film on the same night. Luckily for him it was the cinema at the top of the steep hill which would show the film first. The piece Bramwyn has a very particular story to its naming. He'd written the march and had no idea whatsoever what to call it. One morning he was woken from a nightmare by a house guest of his by the name of Wynn Derrick. His nightmare had been that a house was burning down and his two friends were in the house, and he was shouting their names, which were Bram and Wynn Derrick, after calming down he said to Wynn well that is what I will call the march. If you listen to the marches you'll notice that bars 3&4 of Glemdene, are bars 1&2 of Bramwyn. He also wrote a contest piece about his four Granddaughters which was called "Four Little Maids" the first movement of which was called Miss Serious (Susan). Miss Serious is my Mam."
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| Carse, Adam |
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Catelinet, Philip 1910-1995 
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Philip Catelinet was a tuba player who gave the premiere of the Vaughan Williams Tuba Concerto, which was dedicated to him. He arranged and composed music for Salvation Army bands and for mainstream brass bands.
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| Clarke, Nigel |
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| Code, Percy |
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| Coles, Bramwell |
Composer of some of the Salvation Army's finest marches |
| Condon, Leslie |
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| Cook, Kenneth |
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| Cundell, Eric |
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| Curnow, James |
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Dalby, Martin | |||
| De Haan, Jacob |
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Dewhurst, Robin |
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| Dickinson, Peter |
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| Dobson, Simon |
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| Douglas, Shipley 1868-1920 |
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| Downie, Kenneth |
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| Ellerby, Martin |
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| Evans, Howard |
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| Farnon, Robert |
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| Farr, Gareth |
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| Farr, Ray
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| Feltwell, Ian |
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| Fernie, Alan |
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| Fletcher, Percy |
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| Geehl, Henry |
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| Goffin, Dean |
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Golland, John |
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Gordon, William  |
William Gordon's many arrangements and compositions for brass and concert bands are performed world-wide and their popularity is evidenced by the numerous recordings they receive. His music is included in the repertoires of some of the world's top bands, including the International Staff Band of the Salvation Army and The Black Dyke Band. Having served as conductor of the The Pasadena Tabernacle Band of The Salvation Army, he now travels extensively as a guest lecturer and conductor and is a member of ASCAP. His Symphony For Brass "Apocalypse" was chosen as the test piece for the 1997 British National Championships (Second Section). He has degrees in both composition and conducting from California State University at Los Angeles, where he also studied composition with Roy Harris. He currently lives in Washington state. | ||
Gott, Barrie |
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Graham, Peter |
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| Gray, B | |||
| Greenwood, John A 1876-1953 |
After studying the cornet with his father he was playing solo cornet with the Gossages Soap Works Band conducted by William Rimmer by the age of eighteen. In 1899, he joined the New Brighton Tower Band as solo cornet and obtained tuition in harmony and counterpoint, following which he performed with several other bands. He took to conducting and had a successful series of appointments with bands such as St. Hilda's Colliery Band, Black Dyke Band, Horwich Railway Mechanics Institute Band, Cresswell Colliery Band and Marsden Colliery Band. During this time, but particularly in the 1940s and 1950s his composing became predominant. He produced over two hundred pieces for brass band from marches to selections, transcriptions and solos.
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Gregson, Edward |
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| Harper, Philip |
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| Hawkins, George 1876-1967 |
Born near Nottingham he joined his first brass band at age 17 and became bandmaster the following year. In the first two decades of the 20th century he conducted several bands, mainly from the North-East and obtained good results with them. His composing output consisted largely of transcriptions, contest selections, marches and popular original pieces.
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| Heaton, Wilfred |
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Eiliv Herikstad | A prolific Norwegian Salvation Army composer. | ||
| Hesketh, Kenneth |
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| Himes, William |
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| Holst, Gustav |
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| Horowitz, Joseph |
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Howarth, Elgar |
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Howells, Herbert |
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| Huber, Paul |
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| Hume, James Ord (1864-1932)  |
Born in Edinburgh, he became solo cornet in the Royal Scots Greys in 1880. Arranged many pieces for band including the test-piece at the first Crystal Palace National Championships in 1900 - a Sullivan selection. Also wrote some pioneer original works for band, including the Bohemian suite. His many engagements as an adjudicator included a journey to Australia to judge band contests there. Contributed many articles to the band press. |
Iles, John Henry | |
| Ireland, John |
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Jacob, Gordon |
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| Jakeway, Albert ? - 1992 |
Salvation Army composer |
| Jenkins, Cyril |
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| Johnstone, Maurice |
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| Keighley, Thomas 1889-? |
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| Kelly, Brian |
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Lancaster, David |
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| Langford, Gordon |
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Lawrence, Phil Elms Studios/Publishing 10 Empress Ave London E12 5ES Studio: 0208 518 8629 Mobile: 07956 275554 |
Compositions |
| Lear, W Hogarth |
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| Leidzen, Erik |
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| Lloyd, George |
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| Lovatt-Cooper, Paul |
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| Lucas, Leighton |
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| Lyons, Mike |
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McCabe, John |
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| Mackereth, Andrew |
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| Matthias, William |
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| Moren, Bertrand |
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| Musgrave, Thea |
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| Nelson, Ron 1929- |
A composer of choral, band and orchestral works. See his website for details. |
Newsome, Roy |
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| Newton, Rodney |
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| Norbury, Kevin |
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| Patterson, Paul |
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| Perkin, Helen |
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| Phillips, Richard |
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| Pickard, John |
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| Powell, Thomas James |
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| Price, Maldwyn |
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| Raynor, Austin |
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Redhead, Robert |
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| Richards, Goff 1944-  |
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| Rimmer, Drake |
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| Rimmer, William 1862-1936  | Started in the Southport Rifle Band as cornet player and percussionist then moved to Besses o' th' Barn Band. His conducting career included a lot of the major bands of the day, Irwell Springs, Wingates Temperance, Black Dyke, Hebden Bridge, Besses o' th' Barn and Fodens. In 1909 he was a trainer or conductor of five of the six prize winners in the British Open Championships at Belle Vue. In 1910 he retired from conducting to compose, arrange and teach, producing over 100 fine marches, some 30 solos and over a hundred other concert pieces and arrangements. Some of the pen names he used in his compositions include Heather Dean, F. Leduc, Kenneth Henschel, Carl Hessler, and Michael Laurent.
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| Roost, Jan van der |
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| Rubbra, Edmund |
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| Rutti, Carl |
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| Sharpe, Trevor |
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| Simpson, Robert |
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Snell, Howard |
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| Søderstrøm, Emil |
Of Danish roots, Emil Søderstrøm was a leading figures in Salvation Army music in the USA. He was a gifted man who could write music anywhere and at any time. For many years he was the staff arranger for one of the major broadcasting companies in the USA.
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Sousa, John Philip |
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| Souster, Tim |
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Sparke, Philip |
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| Anthony Spurgin (1907 - 1998) |
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Stanley, J. Aaron |
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| Steadman-Allen, Ray |
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Stephens, Denzil |
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Summers, Michael (1973-)  |
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| Swerts, Piet |
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| Terrett, Keith |
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Thomas, Martyn (1960-)  |
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| Thomas, Walter (1900 - 1974)  |
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| Tippett, Michael |
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| Tomlinson, Ernest |
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| Vaughan-Williams, Ralph |
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| Vinter, Gilbert 1909-1969  |
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Wainwright, Andrew
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| Walton, William |
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| Watson, Ty |
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| Wiggins, B | |||
| Wilby, Philip |
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| Wills, Arthur |
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| Wilson, Thomas |
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| Wiltgen, Ronald |
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| Wood, Gareth |
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| Wright, Denis 1895-1967  |
Founder of the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain (1951) | ||
| Wright, Frank 1901-1970 |
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| Wright, Kenneth |
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| Yorke, Peter |
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