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Compositions and Arrangements by Frans Absil for Wind Band: An Overview

Guide to the Fanfare and Concert Band Music

This document provides guidance to fanfare or concert bands, who would like to get familiar with my compositions and arrangements. The music is listed in ascending order of complexity. [Nederlands >>]



1. Easy pieces

Flugelhorn The table below shows the elementary pieces for band. In most cases these can be played by an incomplete band; there are non-essential parts for bassoons, bass trombone and 2nd oboe. The lack of 4th trumpet and 4th horn will not really be detrimental to the overall sound. In the pieces in popular style the rhythm section must contain a bass player and will certainly benefit from a keyboard player. Click on the Title for detailed notes, on the G-clef icon to see a score excerpt, or on the Speaker icon to play the audio file. Grade has a range 1-5. (*: orchestrated for concert/fanfare band, others for concert band only.)

Title ComposerDur.Gr. ScoreMP3
Slay Right (P'Teeth Suite, Mvt. 2) F.G.J. Absil 2'30 2 G-clef icon Speaker icon
Part of Your World A. Menken 3'00 2 G-clef icon Speaker icon
Moon River H. Mancini 4'20 2 G-clef icon Speaker icon
Hello L. Richie 3'50 2 G-clef icon Speaker icon
Sad Ballad or Bad Salad? (P'Teeth Suite, Mvt. 3) F.G.J. Absil 4'15 3 G-clef icon Speaker icon
Smart Latin* F.G.J. Absil 3'30 3 G-clef icon Speaker icon
Tea, Biscuits and Muffin Dance (P'Teeth Suite, Mvt. 4) F.G.J. Absil 3'00 3 G-clef icon Speaker icon
Dutch Roll (P'Teeth Suite, Mvt. 5) F.G.J. Absil 4'00 3 G-clef icon Speaker icon
Over the Rainbow* H. Arlen 4'40 3 G-clef icon Speaker icon
'Round Midnight T. Monk 3'10 3 G-clef icon Speaker icon

Concert Band DSV Warmenhuizen (2008)

Wind Music Contest Repertoire 2010:

The compositions Smart Latin and Fish Finger Frenzy are listed in the Netherlands Lichte Muziek Repertorium 2010, in the category Popular Music for symphonic wind band.

Flemish Wind Music Repertoire:

The P'Teeth Suite is listed in the Belgian Flemish Vlaamse Amateurmuziekorganisatie (VLAMO) Repertorium as a contest piece in the ere-afdeling (top division). The movements Sad Ballad or Bad Salad? (3) and Dutch Roll (5) are listed as concert works in the ere-afdeling, Slay Right (2) en Tea, Biscuits & Muffin Dance (4) are concert works in the division uitmuntendheid.



2. Medium complexity pieces

Title ComposerDur.Gr. ScoreMP3
Dinghy Rock* F.G.J. Absil 2'45 3 G-clef icon Speaker icon
Lightweight Concerto in F* F.G.J. Absil 3'55 3 G-clef icon Speaker icon
Radio Rumba F.G.J. Absil 5'35 3 G-clef icon Speaker icon
Misty E. Garner 4'30 3 G-clef icon Speaker icon
Just the Way You Are B. Joel 4'45 3 G-clef icon Speaker icon
One Note Samba A.C. Jobim 3'40 3 G-clef icon Speaker icon
Cabaret Ebb/Kander 3'40 3 G-clef icon Speaker icon
Ellington Favourites D. Ellington 16'00 3 G-clef icon  
Roof Garden A. Jarreau 3'15 3 G-clef icon Speaker icon
Stevie Wonder Medley S. Wonder 12'30 3 G-clef icon Speaker icon
Fish Finger Frenzy (P'Teeth Suite, Mvt. 1) F.G.J. Absil 5'25 4 G-clef icon Speaker icon
Oorlog in de polder (War in the Low Lands) F.G.J. Absil 6'25 4 G-clef icon Speaker icon
Strijd tegen het water (Fighting the Sea) F.G.J. Absil 7'50 4 G-clef icon Speaker icon
Suspension and Bridge F.G.J. Absil 5'30 4 G-clef icon Speaker icon
Blue Moon R. Rodgers 5'45 4 G-clef icon Speaker icon

Concert Band Winnubst, Den Helder (2008)

Flemish Wind Music Repertoire:

Timpani and bass drum Movement 1, Fish Finger Frenzy from the P'Teeth Suite is listed in the Belgian Flemish Vlaamse Amateurmuziekorganisatie (VLAMO) Repertorium as a concert piece in the ere-afdeling (top division).

Concert performance:

The Stevie Wonder Medley has been performed in 2008 and 2009 by the Marine Band of the Royal Netherlands Navy (conductor: Dik Roelofsen).

The arrangement of Blue Moon was performed on 23 and 24 January 2010 by the Stadtmusik Rorschach, Switzerland (conductor: Guido Schwalt) during their "aussergewöhnliche, nicht ultimative STAMURO-Chartshow".



3. Advanced pieces

The pieces from the table below should be only attempted when your band is of outstanding quality (excellent amateurs mixed with professional players).

Title ComposerDur.Gr. ScoreMP3
It's Only a Paper Moon H. Arlen 4'55 4 G-clef icon Speaker icon
Let it Snow (Seasonal Songs, Pt. 1) J. Styne 4'00 4 G-clef icon Speaker icon
The Summer Knows (Seasonal Songs, Pt. 3) M. Legrand 4'15 4 G-clef icon Speaker icon
Ningao Valley F.G.J. Absil 5'30 5 G-clef icon Speaker icon
Bone in the Barrio* F.G.J. Absil 7'15 5 G-clef icon Speaker icon
It Might as Well be Spring (Seasonal Songs, Pt. 2) R. Rodgers 4'25 5 G-clef icon Speaker icon
Autumn Leaves (Seasonal Songs, Pt. 4) J. Cosma 4'40 5 G-clef icon Speaker icon
The Blue Danube Makeover J. Strauss 7'10 5 G-clef icon Speaker icon
My One and Only Love Mellin/Wood 5'05 5 G-clef icon Speaker icon


Marine Band of the Royal Netherlands Navy (2008, photo: Nico Komen)

Flemish Wind Music Repertoire:

Trombone in slide-ly awkward position The composition Bone in the Barrio is listed in the Belgian Flemish Vlaamse Amateurmuziekorganisatie (VLAMO) Repertorium as a concert piece in the ere-afdeling (top division).

Concert performance:

The arrangement of It's only a Paper Moon has been played by L'Ensemble Instrumental de Saint André d'Apchon, from Roanne in the Loire region.

The set of arrangements including Let It Snow, It Might As Well Be Spring, The Summer Knows and Autumn Leaves have been performed by the Marine Band of the Royal Netherlands Navy (conductor: Peter Kleine Schaars).

The arrangement of The Blue Danube Makeover was commissioned by the Dutch Symphonic Wind Orchestra (conductor: Ruud Welle) for their 2006 concert tour in France.

Recorded on CD:

The ballad The Summer Knows has been recorded by the Nederlands Politie Orkest on the CD The Strong Arm, The Police in Concert II (conductor: Hans Boom).



4. Further reading

Here are the suggestions for further reading:


Marine Band of the Royal Netherlands Navy (2008, photo: Nico Komen)