Three Ayres from Gloucester

Hugh M. Stuart

General Info

Year: 1969
Duration: c. 5:00
Difficulty: III (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Shawnee Press
Cost: Score and Parts - $60.00 | Score Only - $10.00

Movements

1. The Jolly Earl of Cholmondeley - 1:20
2. Ayre for Eventide - 2:30
3. The Fiefs of Wembley - 1:00

Instrumentation

Full Score
Flute I-II
Oboe
Bassoon
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
E-flat Alto Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Contra Alto Clarinet
B-flat Contrabass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Cornet I-II-III
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
Percussion, including:

Bass Drum
Snare Drum
Triangle

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

A three-movement suite written in the early English folksong style, this piece came into being as a result of the composer's fascination with an old 10th century couplet:

There's no one quite so comely
As the Jolly Earl of Cholmondeley.

The resulting three compositions, The Jolly Earl of Cholmondeley [pronounced "Chumley"], Ayre for Eventide and The Fiefs of Wembley, are in early English folk song style and are designed to capture the mood of the peasants and their life on the fiefs of Wembley castle.

- Program Note from score

"Ayre" refers to a genre of solo song with lute accompaniment that flourished in England in the late 1th and early 17th centuries. Throughout the second movement of Stuart's Three Ayres, Ayre for Eventide, this songlike quality (Stuart indicates "much heart") is a prominent feature.

- Program Note from Las Vegas Academy of the Arts Wind Ensemble concert program, 19 December 2022

Media

Audio: Reference recording. Ensemble and conductor unknown
Audio CD: Northshort Concert Band (Mallory Thompson, conductor) - 2011

State Ratings

Alabama: Class B
Arkansas: II
Florida: III
Georgia: IV
Iowa: III
Indiana: ISSMA SENIOR BAND GROUP II
Louisiana: III
Maryland: III
Massachusetts: IV
Michigan: Senior High C
Minnesota: III
Mississippi: I-A, II-A, III-A
New York: Concert Band III
North Carolina: IV
Ohio: OMEA High School Band C
Oklahoma: III-A
South Carolina: IV
Tennessee: III
Texas: II. (mvt. 2 and any other mvt.)
Texas: III. Complete
Virginia: III
Wisconsin: Event 3000 Concert Band.Class C Std Rep

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Arizona State University (Tempe) Maroon & Gold Band (Grant Knox, conductor) - 21 November 2023
Eastern Oklahoma State College Inaugural High School Honor Band (Wilburton) (Brian T. Harris, conductor) - 10 February 2023
University of Oregon (Eugene) Campus Band (Zachary Glaser, conductor) - 25 February 2023
Las Vegas (Nev.) Academy of the Arts Wind Ensemble (Mallory Thompson, conductor) - 19 December 2022 (2022 Midwest Clinic)
Oberlin (Ohio) High School Concert Band (Ryan Jaeckin, conductor) - 8 December 2022
University of Minnesota (Minneapolis) Maroon Campus Band (Louis Vadja, conductor) - 24 October 2022
University of Louisville (KY.) Concert Band (Jason Cumberledge, conductor) - 21 February 2022
University of Missouri (Columbia) University Band (Christian M. Noon, conductor) - 27 April 2021
University of Nebraska (Lincoln) Lentz Concert Band (Douglas W. Bush, conductor) - 25 April 2021
University of Texas at Arlington Symphonic Band (Christopher Evans, conductor) - 14 March 2021
Sacramento (Calif.) State University Concert Band (Clay Redfield, conductor) – 11 March 2020
Arizona State University (Tempe) Gold Band (Dylan Suehiro, conductor) – 27 February 2020
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Wind Ensemble (Michael Griffith, conductor) – 25 February 2020
California State University Bakersfield Concert Band (Leo Sakamoto, conductor) – 2 December 2019
University of Oregon (Eugene) Campus Band (Ryan McCue, conductor) – 20 November 2019
Westfield (N.J.) Community Concert Band (Thomas Connors, conductor) – 27 June 2019
Metropolitan Wind Symphony (Lexington, Mass). (Louis J. Buckley, conductor) – 5 May 2019
Kent State (Ohio) Communiversity Band (Wendy Matthews, conductor) – 30 April 2019
Western Illinois University (Macomb) Concert Band (Khrista Towle, conductor) – 23 April 2019
Turlock (Calif.) High School Wind Ensemble (Daniel Baudino, conductor) – 12 April 2019 (2019 San Joaquin Valley (Calif.) Concert Band Invitational)
The Ohio State University (Columbus) Honors Gray Symphonic Band (Christopher Hoch, conductor) – 20 January 2019

Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music

Three Ayres from Gloucester (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Longfield) (1969/2016)

All Wind Works

Andalusia
A Hymn for Band (1985)
A Hymn for Band (arr. Vinson) (1985)
Rio con Brio (1995)
Somerset Sketches (1965)
Three American Dances (1989)
Three Ayres from Gloucester (1969)
Three Ayres from Gloucester (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Longfield) (1969/2016)
Three on the Isle (1990)
Three Songs from Sussex (1983)
Two Songs by Edward MacDowell (a arranger) (2000)
Winter Carnival (1962)

Resources

Miles, Richard B., and Larry Blocher. (2010). Teaching Music through Performance in Band. Volume 1. Chicago: GIA Publications. pp. 380-388.
Pease, Andy. "Three Ayres from Gloucester by Hugh Stuart." Wind Band Literature, 18 January 2023. Web. Accessed 18 January 2023
Stuart, H. (1969). Three Ayres from Gloucester [score]. Concert Works Unlimited: Delaware Water Gap, Pa.