Four Noble Truths, The

Philip Sparke

Philip Sparke

General Info

Year: 2003 / 2004
Duration: c. 14:51
Difficulty: (see Ratings for explanation)
Original Medium: Brass Band
Publisher: Anglo Music
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - €163.54   |   Score Only (print) - €26.16

Movements

1. Dukkha - 3:40
2. Samudaya - 3:01
3. Nirodha - 3:48
4. Magga - 4:23

Instrumentation

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

• Bass Drum
• Crash Cymbal　
• Finger Cymbal
• Glockenspiel
• Mark Chimes
• Snare Drum
• Suspended Cymbal
• Tam-tam
• Triangle
• Tubular Bells
• Wood Block
• Xylophone

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

The Four Noble Truths was commissioned by the Dutch National Brass Band Championships for their 2003 competition.

The Four Noble Truths are the most basic expression of the teaching of Buddha and therefore still form the guidelines for Buddhists to this day. They concern themselves with Dukkha, which has no exact translation but can mean suffering, stress or sadness, etc.

Dukkha: The Noble Truth of Dukkha

The First Noble Truth describes the different types of stress we all experience – birth, aging, desire, change and death all bring us different type of stress.

Samudaya: The Noble Truth of the Origins of Dukkha

The Second Noble Truth describes those parts of our lives that induce stress – feeling, craving, desire, ignorance and a wish to achieve short-term rather than long-term pleasure are all self-inflicted origins of stress.

Nirodha: The Noble Truth of the Cessation of Dukkha

The Third Noble Truth tells us how we can eliminate stress from our lives by eliminating those aspects of our lives which induce stress.

Magga: The Noble Truth of the Path Leading to the Cessation of Dukkha

The Fourth Noble Truth gives us a description of eight disciplines which can help us eliminate the origins of stress from our lives.

It can be seen from these over-simplified definitions that the Four Noble Truths fall into two pairs, the first two describing the origins of stress and the second two describing how we can reduce stress. To reflect this, the four movements of this work are also combined into two pairs – two quick movements and two slow movements.

- Program Note from publisher

Media

• Audio: Reference Recording. Ensemble and conductor unknown
• Audio CD: Osaka Municipal Symphonic Band (Kazutoshi Akiyama, conductor) - 2004
• Audio CD: Rundfunk Blasorchester Leipzig (Jan Cober, conductor) - 2004

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

• Clackamas (Or.) High School Wind Ensemble - 18 May 2009
• University of Nevada (Reno) Symphonic Band (Paul Cummings, conductor) - 15 March 2006 (CBDNA 2006 Western/Northwestern Division Conference)
• Cleveland (Oh.) Youth Wind Symphony I (Gary Ciepluch, conductor) - 2006

Works for Winds by This Composer

• Atlantic Odyssey (2010)
• Ballad for Benny (2001)
• Bandwagon (2004)
• Barn Dance and Cowboy Hymn (1982)
• Beethoven's Greeting (2008)
• Bestiarium Suite
  • Tropical Fishes (Appermont)
  • Dance of the Whale (Sparke)
  • Tyrannosaurus Rex (Ferran)
  • The Snail (Van der Roost)
  • The Apes (Smith)
  • The Woodworm (Valencia)
  • The Kangaroo (Houben)
  • Charlie, the Chameleon (Alarcon)
  • The Fly (Navarro)
• Between the Two Rivers (2003)
• Big Sky Overture
• Blazon (2010)
• A Bluegrass Overture (2017)
• Bolero (as arranger) (1928/2011)
• Cambridge Intrada
• The Camelot Chronicles
• Carnival (1997)
• Carol of the Shepherds (2001)
• Celebration (1993)
• The Centurion (1988/2000)
• Chorale and Variations (2004)
• Clarinet Calypso (2003)
• Colorado Springs (2007)
• A Colour Symphony (2015)
• Concert Prelude (1976/2000)
• Concertino Classico (2010)
• Concerto for Clarinet (2003)
• Dance Movements (1995)
• Dance of the Whale. See: Bestiarium Suite
• Deserts (2008)
• Diamond Concerto (2012)
• Diversions - Variations on a Swiss Folk Song (1998)
• Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes
• 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)
• Fiesta! (1998)
• Fiesta de la Vida
• Five Festive Fanfares
• Flying the Breeze (2002/2004)
• The Four Noble Truths (2003/2004)
• Four Norfolk Dances (2001)
• Girl with the Flaxen Hair, The (as arranger) (1910/2007)
• Hail the Dragon! (2010)
• Harlequin (2004)
• Hanover Festival (2000)
• A Huntingdon Celebration (2003)
• Infinity and Beyond... (2001)
• Invictus (2001)
• Jubilee Overture (1983)
• A Klezmer Karnival (2004)
• The Land of the Long White Cloud (1980/1988)
• A Lindisfarne Rhapsody (1998)
• The Long Day Closes (as arranger) (1868/2007)
• Madrigalum (2006)
• Måndalen Landscapes (2004)
• Manhattan (2004)
• Marchissimo (2004)
• Mary's Boy Child (as arranger)
• Masquerade (2003)
• Merry-Go-Round (2002)
• Morning Song (2002)
• Music for a Festival (1985)
• Music of the Spheres (2004)
• Navigation Inn
• Once in Royal David’s City (as arranger)
• Orient Express (1987)
• 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)
• Pastime with Good Company (as arranger) (15--?/2005)
• The Pioneers (2005)
• Portrait of a City (2002)
• Postcard from Singapore (2004)
• A Quiet Moment (2007)
• Reflections
• Reflections on an Old Japanese Folk Song (2015)
• Rhythm and Blues (arr. Wheeler) (1986/2012)
• The Roaring Forties (2008)
• Sailing with the Tall Ships (2012)
• Salute to a Hero (2009)
• A Savannah Symphony (2010)
• Scenes from a Comedy
• The Seasons (2005)
• Shalom! (2001)
• Sierra Nevada (2006)
• Sinfonietta No. 1 (1990)
• Sinfonietta No. 2 (1992)
• Sinfonietta No. 3 (2001)
• Sleepers, Awake! (as transcriber)
• Snow Valley Sleigh Ride (2007)
• Song and Dance (1984)
• Sounds of the Saint Lawrence (2008)
• Spirit of the Sequoia (2004)
• St. Paul's Suite (as arranger) (1912-1913/2017)
• Strathcarron (2002)
• Suite from Hymn of the Highlands (2002)
• 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)
• Tameside Overture (1989)
• Te Deum Prelude (as arranger)
• Ten Chorale Preludes (as arranger) (1914/2002)
• Theatre Music (1989)
• Three English Folk Song Miniatures (2013)
• Three Klezmer Miniatures (2009)
• Three Washington Statues (2015)
• To a New Dawn (2000)
• To a Wild Rose (as arranger)
• Tokyo Triptych (2007)
• Trombone Concerto (2007)
• Tuba Concerto (2007)
• The Unknown Journey (2014)
• Valerius Variations (2005)
• Veni Immanuel (2003)
• Victory Fanfare
• A Weekend in New York (2008)
• The White Rose (2002)
• 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
• Philip Sparke website
• Program note for brass band version from Philip Sparke website Accessed 24 March 2022
• Sparke, P. (2003). Four Noble Truths [score]. Anglo Music Press: Wembley, Eng.