A Psalm of Praise James Curnow

Originally conceived as a brass band tone poem, A Psalm of Praise was inspired by words from scripture, speciically from Psalm 100. Musically, it is based on the well-known hymn tune Praise My Soul the King of Heaven, with motifs and fragments of the tune appearing throughout the work in various guises alongisde the original thematic material.

Genre: Band | # of Players: Standard
Level: 5 | Duration: 6:30

Instrumentation
Piccolo
Flute 1
Flute 2
Oboe 1 & 2
B-flat Clarinet 1
B-flat Clarinet 2
B-flat Clarinet 3
E-flat Alto Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
B-flat Contrabass Clarinet
Bassoon 1 & 2
Alto Saxophone 1 & 2
Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone

B-flat Cornet 1
B-flat Cornet 2
B-flat Cornet 3
B-flat Trumpet 1
B-flat Trumpet 2
Horn in F 1 & 2
Horn in F 3 & 4
Trombone 1
Trombone 2
Trombone 3
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass

Percussion 1 (Timpani)
Percussion 2 (Glockenspiel, Xylophone, Tubular Bells)
Percussion 3 (Side Drum, Triangle)
Percussion 4 (Bass Drum, 3 Timbales, Triangle)
Percussion 5 (Suspended Cymbal, Crash Cymbals, Tambourine)

Program Notes
Originally conceived as a brass band tone poem, A Psalm of Praise gained huge popularity when it was first published in 1980. When it first appeared in print, the work was widely performed by Salvation Army bands around the world. It is full of interest and presents plenty of what for many bands will be realistically achievable levels of musical and yechnical challenge.

As with much Salvation Army music, it was inspired by words from scripture, speciically from Psalm 100. Musically, it is based on the well-known hymn tune Praise My Soul the King of Heaven, with motifs and fragments of the tune appearing throughout the work in various guises alongisde the original thematic material.

James Curnow's skillfully economic use of melodic and rhythmic ideas is demonstrated to perfection in this work, which will be rewarding to rehearse in detail and perform and will provide a useful addition to concert repertoire.