Programme Note
I wrote my Prelude and Capriccio in 1972. It exists in two versions: one for cornet and band and the other for cornet or trumpet and piano.
The work began life in the early sixties, the Capriccio being composed when I was 17. I added a Prelude to complete the work, which lasts for approximately 8 minutes. The Prelude is reflective in character and uses long melodic lines over undulating chromatic harmony. The music reaches a climax before a brief reprise of the opening. The Capriccio is somewhat jazzy in its opening syncopated rhythms, but has a more lyrical middle section before a finale exploiting the virtuoso character of the instrument.
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Reviews
Edward Gregson can be regarded as one of today’s effective writers for the Brass Band … inasmuch as his works have an individuality of thematic material, a progressive harmonic structure and a thorough understanding of the instrumentation of the band … This is a ‘must’ for any band … Its inclusion in a programme can do nothing but enhance it, and prove a reach forward into Band music of the future.
Brass Band Review, March 1974
Written: 1972
Instrumentation:
Solo Cornet and Brass Band (or cornet/trumpet and piano)
Genre: Brass Band
Publisher: R Smith & Company
Duration: 8'