Eclipse

Calling all brass players from around the world!

Following the difficult decision made to cancel our Summer Festival in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, we commissioned internationally renowned, Yorkshire based composer Dr David Lancaster to compose Eclipse. Scored for brass band, this piece was written in just 5 days during the beginnings of lockdown. Dr Lancaster explains the reasons behind his chosen title:

An Eclipse occurs when an astronomical body is temporarily obscured. I composed this music during the spring of 2020 – when many concerts, festivals, theatres and galleries have been suspended owing to the coronavirus pandemic – at the request of Harrogate International Festivals. The music was intended initially for performance online but with the hope that in future it can be performed live at the Festival once the temporary suspension of our artistic lives is lifted and light returns.

Now, it’s more important than ever to create new music, support new commissions, bring communities together and keep the magic of music alive.

Here at HIF we are welcoming all brass players, young and old, novice and professional, from all over the world, to be a part of our virtual performance and the online world premiere of Eclipse.

What you need to do

• Find a quiet space where you can record without any noise or other disturbances. The quieter the better.
• You’ll need something to play back the click that you play along to AND something to record the film on.
• Recording the video on an iphone, laptop or such like is perfect.
• If you have a separate microphone and the ability to record audio and video together, please use it! If not, don’t worry and use the microphone on the computer, laptop, phone or videocamera.
• It isn’t essential that the video quality is amazing as there will be lots of people on screen at once.
• When locating your filming/audio device, think carefully about balance. If it’s too close, it’s likely to peak on the audio. Similarly, it doesn’t want to be so far away that we see lots of a room and not much of you.
• Get yourself in the middle of the frame. You MUST film in landscape, not a portrait video.
• Keep the recording device steady. If you need someone to hold it, they must stand still!
• Use headphones to listen to the click track. Closed back headphones are better, but ensure you can’t hear any (or very little) of the click in the outside world. If you need to hear yourself playing by taking a headphone out, try to cover it over so the click can’t be heard.

Recording/Filming

• Open the track ‘Eclipse click with band’ or ‘Eclipse click without band’.
• As soon as it starts playing, press record on the video device.
• We’d like you to do a couple of claps to help us synchronize the audio and video.
• You can practice as many times as you want.
• ‘Eclipse click with band’ gives you the click and the band and without the band on the other one. It’s up to you which one you use. Just make sure it isn’t so loud we can hear the click or the band on the recording.

Uploading the file

• We’d like you to use a file sharing site and send us a link afterwards. If you’ve recorded on an iphone, you can then just press ‘upload to ….’ afterwards. Dropbox and WeTransfer are both free to use.
• Please label your file with your name and the part you are playing, for example, JoeBloggs_2ndBaritone’.
• Please send us a link without any passwords.

Links

• You can find downloads of the scored parts and audio clicks here.
• Please play the part that you normally would in your band. If you’re a percussionist, please email Craig Ratcliffe and he will send you a part.

When you are happy with your recording and have uploaded it, please email the link to Craig Ratcliffe.

Please note, submissions close on Friday 19^th June at 5pm.

Composed by Dr David Lancaster, coordinated by Craig Ratcliffe, and brought to you by Harrogate International Festivals.