The Year of the Dragon (music)

The Year of the Dragon is a musical composition by Philip Sparke originally written for the internationally acclaimed and awarded Cory Band's Centenary Celebrations held at  St. David’s Hall in Cardiff on March 1984. The compsition has since made a regular appearance worldwide as a test piece for brass band competitions.

Background
The Cory Band, with the aid of funds provided by the Welsh Arts Council, had commissioned Philip Sparke to write a work for their centenary concert in celebration of being the very first ever Welsh band to win the European Brass Band Champions in 1980. The title The Year of the Dragon is in reference to the red dragon as the national emblem for Wales.

"At the time I wrote The Year of the Dragon, Cory had won two successive National Finals and I set out to write a virtuoso piece to display the talents of this remarkable band to the full."

Philip Sarke transcribed The Year of the Dragon for wind band a year after its premeire in 1985. He also then wrote a new wind band edition in 2017, commissioned by the Siena Wind Orchestra, which he himself premiered on June 17th 2017 at Bunkyo Civic Hall, Tokyo with the orchestra.

There are many rhythms and chord progressions throughout the piece that would suggest a slight jazz influence, mostly in the style of George Gershwin.

Structure
The Year of the Dragon is written in three movements: Toccata, Interlude, and Finale. Approximate perfomance time is thirteen minutes 13'00".

Toccata
The first movement starts with a sudden drum roll solo, which is then followed by a low, ominous motif. This is repeated until the rest of the winds join in, introducing the first melodic theme in the piece. This is intermitted by a dance-like section. The rest of the band then re-enters the fray, leading into a brief chorale section before going back into the dance. This continues until the movement fades out with the final faint echoes of the opening melody.

Interlude
This movement is largely a sorrowful, delicate trombone solo. A slightly more joyful chorale offers a brief exit from the melancholic setting, before the solo returns to bring the movement to a hushed close. This solo is often played in a rubato form, allowing the soloist to slow down or speed up for virtuosic effect.

Finale
The final movement of this piece begins with a fast feature with occasional outbursts in the background. Following this is a march-like section with playful strains planted throughout. The main theme is then reiterated with more triumphal sounding excerpts played by the horns. The bells are given a fanfare to play as the winds crescendo to a final climax and ending the piece with a fast-paced, rousing conclusion..

Brass Band

 * E♭ Soprano cornet
 * 9 B♭ Cornets
 * B♭ Flugelhorn
 * 3 E♭ horns
 * 2 B♭ baritones
 * 2 B♭ Trombones
 * Bass trombone
 * 2 B♭ Euphoniums
 * 2 E♭ Basses
 * 2 B♭ Basses
 * 3 Percussion (snare drum, bass drum, timpani, xylophone, glockenspiel, cymbal, tambourine, triangle, tam-tam)

Concert Band

 * Piccolo
 * Flute I, II
 * Oboe I, II
 * English Horn
 * Bassoon I, II
 * Double Bassoon
 * E♭ Clarinet
 * B♭ Clarinet I, II, III
 * E♭ Alto Clarinet
 * B♭ Bass Clarinet
 * B♭ Contrabass Clarinet
 * B♭ Soprano Saxophone
 * E♭ Alto Saxophone I, II
 * E♭ Alto Saxophone I, II
 * B♭ Tenor Saxophone
 * E♭ Baritone Saxophone
 * B♭ Cornet I, II, III
 * B♭ Trumpet I, II
 * F Horn I, II, III, IV
 * Trombone I, II, III
 * Euphonium
 * Tuba
 * Double Bass
 * Timpani
 * Percussion (Snare Drum, Bass Drum, Tubular Bells, Crash Cymbals, Suspended Cymbal, Bells, Xylophone, Tambourine, Tam-Tam, Triangle, Wood Block)