Philip Sparke

Phillip Sparke

Biography

Philip Sparke (b. 29 December 1951, London) is a British composer.

Mr. Sparke studied composition, trumpet and piano at the Royal College of Music, where he gained an ARCM. It was at the college that his interest in bands arose. He played in the college wind orchestra and also formed a brass band among the students, writing several works for both ensembles.

At that time, his first published works appeared - Concert Prelude (brass band) and Gaudium (wind band). A growing interest in his music led to several commissions, his first major one being for the Centennial Brass Band Championships in New Zealand – The Land of the Long White Cloud.

Further commissions followed from individual bands, various band associations and the BBC, for whom he three times won the EBU New Music for Band Competition (with Slipstream, Skyrider and Orient Express). He has written for brass band championships in New Zealand, Switzerland, Holland, Australia and the UK, including three times for the National Finals at the Royal Albert Hall, and his test pieces are constantly in use wherever brass bands can be found.

A close association with banding in Japan led to a commission (Celebration) from and eventual recording of his music with the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra. This opened the door worldwide to his wind band music and led to several commissions, particularly from the United States. In 1996 the U.S. Air Force Band commissioned and recorded Dance Movements, which won the prestigious Sudler Prize in 1997. In 2005 Music of the Spheres won the National Band Association/William D. Revelli Memorial Band Composition Contest.

His conducting and adjudicating activities have taken him to most European countries, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the United States. He runs his own publishing company, Anglo Music Press, which he formed in May 2000. In September 2000 he was awarded the Iles Medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians for his services to brass bands.

Works for Winds

• 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)
• Postcard from Singapore (2004)
• The Pioneers (2005)
• 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

• Burrack, Frederick. "Pastime with Good Company." In Teaching Music through Performance in Band. Volume 11, Compiled and edited by Richard Miles, 391-400. Chicago: GIA Publications, 2018.
• Camphouse, Mark, editor. (2004) Composers on Composing for Band. Volume 2. Chicago: GIA Publications. pp. 225–252.
• Carmichael, John C. "Reflections on an Old Japanese Folk Song." In Teaching Music through Performance in Band. Volume 11, Compiled and edited by Richard Miles, 776-782. Chicago: GIA Publications, 2018.
• McCutchen, Mathew G. (2009) An Examination of the History and Winning Pieces of the National Band Association's Composition Contest: 1977-2008. Florida State University, Doctoral Dissertation.
• Philip Sparke website
• "Sparke, Philip." G. & M. Brand Publications. Web. Accessed 18 February 2021
• "SPARKE Philip." HAFABRA Music. Web. Accessed 3 January 2021
• Wollam, Seth F."The Sun Will Rise Again." In Teaching Music through Performance in Band. Volume 9, edit. & comp. by Richard Miles, 451-457. Chicago: GIA Publications, 2013.