Corpus Christi

Hendon Band of The Salvation Army
Conductor: Bandmaster Stephen Cobb
SP&S Ltd: SPS 170 CD
Total Playing Time: 67.58 mins

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Stephen Cobb, Bandmaster of the Salvation Army's International Staff Band and head of their music department in the United Kingdom, must be a very
busy man. Hot on the heels of the ISB's "The Kingdom Triumphant" comes the latest recording with his other band, that of the Corps (church) where he worships, Hendon. In contrast to the ISB, which has been pared down to near contesting size in recent years, Hendon is a large band, numbering almost fifty players, but on this showing is a remarkably flexible combination, responding well to the bandmaster's direction.

They open their programme with Andrew Blyth's "The Great Celebration". This exciting number was written for the United Kingdom Territorial Youth Band, and features some effective ostinato passages, underpinned by an efficient percussion section, as is to be expected when the band includes past and present members of the ISB. This is contrasted with Andrew Mackereth's arrangement "I'll be a light". Originally composed for The Salvation Army Symphonic Wind Ensemble, which Andrew conducts, it is based on a chorus written to mark the centenary of The Salvation Army's Social Services, and also features references to Joy Webb's song "The candle of the Lord". The unmistakable sound of David Daws, now Principal Cornet at Hendon, is heard to good effect.

Following these two recent compositions, they then turn the clock back 70 years, presenting Stephen's son Matthew in Erik Leidzen's perennial favourite "Tucker". This familiar solo, with its wide range and considerable challenges, benefits greatly by the music being given space to breathe - no mere note-spinning here, and a very sensitive accompaniment. Clearly Matthew, who plays solo cornet in the ISB, is a worthy successor to
both his father and grandfather.

As Hendon's Commanding Officer points out in his introduction, the band often adopts a big-band formation for the second half of their programmes, and it is clear that they are quite at home in this style of music as they
tackle Australian Barrie Gott's "Swingtime Religion". In this they are helped by a bass section that is ready to move things along, and the cornet solo comes complete with smears and slides in the appropriate places.

"Creation Praise", by American William Gordon is the centre section of a three-movement suite entitled "Sing Praises". Taking the familiar tune of "St Francis" he reflects on the wonder of God's creation. The melody moves throughout the band, tastefully decorated and with a few harmonic twists.

When Robert Redhead's "Corpus Christi" was first played in the Royal Albert hall, the organ-like opening chord created a stunning effect. Since then, the piece has been chosen as the set work for the "B" section of the
European Brass Band Championships (Birmingham, 2000), where it proved quite a challenge. The title refers to the concept of the Christian church, in the sense of its members, rather than its buildings, as being the "Body of Christ", and various tunes are taken to illustrate this idea. "Dem bones" is presented, becoming very fragmented and disjointed, before the horn melody is heard as an oasis of calm, playing "Bind us together, Lord", leading ultimately to the positive statement "Give Thanks". On the way there is an unusual passage featuring just the bass section in three parts, which is then joined by the euphoniums. This caught out most of the bands in Birmingham but comes off well here, as does the piece as a whole, although there is a little shrillness in the top end of the band at the climax.

Martin Cordner formerly played cornet in the ISB and is now a full-time officer (minister) running a local Salvation Army centre. "Light-Bringer" is a lively march, with the opening melody somewhat reminiscent of Osterling's "Bandology". Using tunes associated with the words "O God of Burning Cleansing Flame" and "My Jesus I Love Thee" he has produced a piece full of rhythmic complexity, with trademark interjections from the trombone section and semiquaver runs galore, including the bass section. Dynamic contrasts are well marked and rhythms are played very cleanly, particularly for a large band.

Peter Graham wrote the latin-american influenced "Fiesta" for his brother, Paul, basing it on a 1990 song entitled "Happiness". The feeling of joy is apparent as Paul Hopkins brings a clear, controlled sound, well able to dominate the band where appropriate.

William Himes, Bandmaster of the Chicago Staff Band, wrote "All that I am" initially just as a chorus, but was then prevailed upon to expand it by adding some verses. Here he has built a Meditation around the words,
including references to the song "All to Jesus I surrender". There is some finely controlled quiet playing, with the louder passages bringing contrast, with Brian Lawrence's clear soprano tone adding a nice touch of brightness at the top.

Followers of Hendon Band will be familiar with Roger Cobb's vocal contributions, and here he sings a song by Andrew Blyth entitled "Close to Me". Whilst the song is effective and the words are clear, the sound seems
overpowering at times, particularly when the (multi-tracked?) backing voices join in, and for this listener it seemed somewhat out of sync with the rest of the recording.

When Peter Graham introduced "Prelude on Tallis" to those attending his pre-contest talk on "Harrison's Dream" in October 2000 he explained that he had written it with The Salvation Army in mind, but that if they turned it down for publication then he would publish it himself. There was no need for that course of action, as it was indeed taken up by the Army and is being used effectively by a number of bands. For added interest, Stephen Cobb was amongst the solo cornets in the "scratch band" put together for that occasion, with sons Matthew and Philip on the back row!

To close the recording, Hendon have chosen Kenneth Downie's "Purcell Variations", written to mark the 300th anniversary of Henry Purcell's death, and used as the test piece for the1st Section area contests in 1998.
Kenneth Downie's first love is choral music, and he uses the hymn tune "Westminster Abbey" as his theme, building a series of variations in a range of styles, and bringing out some fine chamber music playing from the band's soloists in the centre sections. Hendon have recorded a number of Kenneth Downie's larger works in recent years, including "Princethorpe Variations" and "Music for a Joyful Occasion", and are clearly totally at ease with his style of writing.

As previously stated, Hendon are a large band, but this does not seem to hamper their interpretations to any great extent. They present a mixed programme of mainly recent compositions most effectively. The band is well balanced and all sections deserve credit for their contributions. The booklet has been carefully planned, with contributions from Colonel Robert Redhead and Commanding Officer Major Russell Wyles, with programme notes provided by Deputy Bandmaster David Rudd. One minor criticism, however: the booklet pages depict a cross in the background, and some may find it
difficult reading sections of the text printed on top of it.

Although the cd contains no specific tribute to Eric Ball in this his centenary year, I'm sure he would be pleased to know that music-making in The Salvation Army is in good hands, and still exploring new frontiers.

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