Howard Snell Music

Howard Snell

About The Catalogues

Writing music, for me, began by accident. While playing as Principal Trumpet in the London Symphony I had begun to write and arrange a few pieces for Trumpet and Piano but nothing more. On leaving trumpet playing in 1978, when I had already been conducting orchestras for almost ten years, I was asked if I would like to do some work with brass bands... in which I had begun to play as a boy. I was immediately struck by the large gaps in arranged music available for brass band, not just specific pieces, but also types of music. I started to arrange in order to provide music to fill those gaps for my own concert-giving.

The success of this repertoire resulted in requests for copies of the repertoire, and being an obliging kind of person, I generally fulfilled these requests, charging only for copying and postage. Over a period this trickle of requests swelled until finally I issued a list of what was available.

So where is Rakeway Music now? Amazingly there still seems to be a demand for my music and from time to time I introduce new brass band works, compositions as well as arrangements, to my catalogue. The RAKEWAY MUSIC CATALOGUE shows what is available for brass band in its various forms.

The HOWARD SNELL MUSIC CATALOGUE however is rooted in repertoire for ensembles other than brass band. The Symphonic Brass section is the main category, but apart from the emphasis being on composition rather than arrangement, a variety of instruments and ensembles are beginning to make an appearance.

Bookwise, following on THE TRUMPET, A GUIDE FOR STUDENTS which has proved so popular among brass players, I have now produced THE ART OF PRACTICE for players of all instruments. This volume, as its title suggests, concentrates its fire on just one part of the musician's work, and takes issue with a great deal of official 'educational' theory as practised in modern schools. Fortunately the real world of performance is so rooted in practical common sense, that for both serious students and performers of all ages there is a great deal of common ground.

Trying to pass on the knowledge that I have accumulated has always been a primary interest of mine … is there anything more important than education ? … so I will offer regular thoughts on conducting, writing for brass (scoring, arranging and composing), brass performance and no doubt other topics some of which may seem irrelevant.

The main outlets that sell my brass band music are as follows :

United Kingdom

Kirklees Music

Tel: 01484 722855 - Fax: 01484 723591

E-mail: sales@kirkleesmusic.co.uk

Band Supplies – Leeds

Tel : 0113 245 3097 and Fax : 0113 234 1602

E-mail: leeds@bandsupplies.co.uk

Band Supplies - Glasgow

Tel: 0141 339 9400 and Fax: 0141 334 8157

E-mail: glasgow@bandsupplies.co.uk

Just Music

Tel: 01355 - 245674 and Fax: 01355 - 231020

E-mail: just.music.scotland@zetnet.co.uk

Trevada Music

Tel: 01209 714353 and Fax: 01209 718708

http://www.trevadamusic.co.uk

Switzerland

Difem

Tél : +41 32 727 37 97

E-mail: difem@difem.ch

Music Centre - Sion

Tél : +41 27 322 92 52 et Fax : 027 322 92 55

E-mail: music.centre@bluewin.ch

Woodbrass Music

Tel. +41 26 413 40 13 et Fax +41 26 413 45 55

E-mail: office@woodbrass-music.ch

Norway

Musikk Miljo

Tel: +47 55 23 60 30 and Fax: 55 23 60 31

E-post: post@musikk-miljo.no

United States

Just for Brass

Fax: +001 480 361 7364

E-mail: sales@justforbrass.com

In practical terms,

and before the days of computer origination of music, the material I produced was all manuscript and as conducting in the eighties for me was a mixture of orchestral work and band work, it meant that I also had little time to organise the professional copying of my material. Although almost all of the catalogue is now computered, in the short term this has meant that I have withdrawn a good deal of music from circulation.

After an initial cottage-industry effort to fulfill demand for my music, I joined forces with Kirklees Music, which, over the last thirty years has printed and distributed it. Occasionally I have considered going down the 'normal' route but so far my streak of independence has come out on top when I have thought about it.

The downsides remain of course : why do performers continue to think that talented young composers can work for pennies or for nothing ? (E.g., photocopying is as rife as ever and concert and contest promoters do not notify performances to PRS.) Luckily for me, I have always been able to write for my own interests alone, and not for a living. When the last talented youngster has left and switched out the light, there will be no use in crying.... Where are the good young music writers ?