Earl of Oxfords March (12 Pos)

Earl of Oxfords March (12 Pos) (William Byrd contributed numerous keyboard pieces to the 16th century collection ‘My Ladye Nevells Booke of Virginal Music’. Amongst them is a suite of pieces called The Battel in which he portrays very colourfully the assembly of the various troops, entertainment and meditative prelude before the battle, the battle itself, a retreat and celebratory music after the battle. The final item is ‘The Earl of Oxford’s March’. The traditional style of battle music, much in vogue of the 16th century, was increasingly elaborate ornamentations over a very simple harmonic background. This march is somewhat more sophisticated than most of the other movements in the suite but still maintains a relatively simple harmonic framework over which some elaborate ornamentations are set. This arrangement was made for the trombone choir of Trinity College of Music, London. Performance notes: Keep the style bouncy and forward moving. Do not let over-heavy articulation or tone quality spoil the momentum. The quicker moving figures especially need to be played with a lightness of style, without aggression. In passages where semiquaver movement is passed from part to part, try to match style and dynamic closely.)