MY HOPE

‘My Hope’ was premiered on October 11, 2013 by The Salvation Army’s Enfield Citadel Band (ECB). For 67 years ECB has held an annual festival on the eve of the National Brass Band Championships that are held in the august surroundings of the Royal Albert Hall, London.

It also appears on the 2014 studio recording from Enfield entitled ‘Faith‘. The recording also includes premiere recordings of music from Philip Wilby, Dorothy Gates and David Catherwood among others.

The (title and) unifying theme is ‘My Hope’. The text ‘my hope’ appears in both hymns that feature in the music. The notes ‘E’, ‘C’, ‘B’ also feature throughout the work. This was a tribute to Enfield Citadel Band, for whom it was written. In the opening it appears without real development, with the exception of transposing it (albeit briefly) to ‘A’, ‘F’, ‘E’. Then (bar 11) just moving it up (momentarily) to a tonal centre of ‘B’.

The verse of ‘My hope is built on nothing less…’ (SASB 745) (to the tune Solid Rock) is then introduced and forms the basis of the end of the first section, remaining in the minor – unlike the original melody. The more sedate middle section that follows features an original theme, again using the notes ‘E’, ‘C’, ‘B’ as the melodic stimulus.

The tune Michael (Herbert Howells) to which the text ‘All my hope on God is founded’ is sung, was the original stimulus for this work. We understand that the tune will feature in The Salvation Army’s new song book that is currently being reviewed and refreshed. It is a noble tune and there are big majestic, organ-like sounds utilised in its second and final treatment which brings the work to its exciting close.