This collection of scores is a result of my conviction that many music teachers, conductors and music associations are constantly searching for suitable musical material for their students. The work I am engaged in for Associazione Prima Materia could be also useful for other situations and rather than leave it to gather dust (or the equivalent inside a computer) launching it online could save someone somewhere some hours of preparation.
Prima Materia is an association which thinks of music in its social context. We encourage young and 'diversely young' musicians to play together right from the very beginning – at least the 3-4 notes available to the performer can be linked to another 3-4 notes from another instrument. In addition the scores reflect the free choice of instrument that the student has made, resulting in unorthodox ensembles, sometimes with surprising sonorities. Not only do the arrangements reflect the instrumental forces available in that particular academic year but often they come with name and surname of the player attached, in the sense that maybe I have a particularly accomplished oboist or marimba player participating in the ensemble that year. Because of this it is improbable that the scores as they stand are useful to anybody: infact the different versions of some pieces indicate clearly the need to reorganise the score to suit everchanging needs.
This is a work in progress which can and should be continually improved – I await your suggestions.
Finally Prima Materia is in constant need of financial support. These scores are available freely but any contribution is gratefully received. Remember that if this work saves you time - time is . . . time is energy, time is caring, time is the space music inhabits.
If you would like us to provide a version which suits your specific needs and which you yourselves don't feel equipped to do, maybe it is possible to help out. Get in touch and request your custom arrangement.
Happy browsing, and we look forward to hearing your impressions.
Henry Brown
P.S. Now there is a new website: henrybrownmusic.com dedicated to my compositions and my arrangements for concerts. The scores are not free, but all proceeds from sales will go directly to Prima Materia. Take a look.
Scores database
Browse this database using the drop-down menus below to narrow your search. The free "title" and "instruments" search fields allow you to search for a specific piece, or an arrangement that contains one or more specific instruments (pay attention to the spelling of the words).
Click on the title of a piece to access the complete information and the files of the relative scores. Click on a column header to sort the results by that attribute.
