Test Piece Preview: Ballet for Band by Joseph Horovitz

An Exploration of Ballet for Band by Joseph Horovitz 

'Ballet for Band 'by Joseph Horovitz is a characterful work that blends together declamatory motifs, cheeky melodic moments and sweeping romantic lines. Ahead of it testing the bands at the 2026 Spring Festival, let’s have a look at what the piece entails and the challenges presented within the staves.

Who was Joseph Horovitz?

Joseph Horovitz is a renowned composer, who was born in Vienna and emigrated to England in 1938. He studied music at Oxford University, the Royal College of Music and with legendary music teacher, conductor and composer, Nadia Boulanger in Paris. Throughout his career, he has written for ensembles ranging from chamber groups and orchestras to wind and brass bands. His work also spans film and television, as well as opera and sixteen ballet scores. 

When was Ballet for Band composed?

Ballet for Band was written in 1983 for the National Brass Band Championship finals at the Royal Albert Hall. Since then, it has been used in over 20 contests as a set work. It’s not a debutant at the Spring Festival with it last featuring as the set work for the Senior Trophy section in 2007. So, it’s interesting to see it being picked 19 years later in 2026 for the section above (Senior Cup) in the same competition. 

Exploring Ballet for Band by Joseph Horovitz

Ballet for Band is music written for an imaginary ballet. The piece is around 10 minutes long and is written in three continuous movements. Although Horovitz said that he had characters and a set storyline in his mind when he wrote the piece, he would ‘prefer the audience to exercise its own imagination, rather than be influenced by mine.’

Dear reader, if you choose to read on, you will see that I have taken the composer at his word...

Movement 1

The opening is a strong, declamatory affair punctuated by bass drum and trombone, before a rhythmic fanfare motif enters from the cornets and horns. For me it acts like something of an overture or introduction, as the lights dim and the audience lifts their eyes towards the stage. As we head towards the end of this opening section, the dynamic and drama builds as the curtains open to reveal the stage. 

The spotlight falls on the basses as they enter with a jaunty melody line, with just a hint of mischief before a more sinister, creeping euphonium solo takes over. In my tale this is the King of the Sprites - who will cause a stir later on.

The mood lightens as lively cornet and flugel jeté (a spritely jump - yes, I had to Google ballet phrases and no, I’m not entirely sure I’ve used the word in the right context - if you’re a ballet-dancing bander, I do apologise!) into view before Principal Cornet pirouettes into view with a light, lilting melody. It’s light footed and romantic, so I’m going to assume this is our female protagonist in the story. Let’s call her Betty. 

Baritone takes us into the next part of the story with a sultry little solo that sounds like it’s singing ‘introducing’, and in my mind this is where the male love interest saunters onto the stage,  (let’s call him Bob) before we move back into the ‘waltz-like’ melody line that was introduced by the Principal Cornet.

The pace changes and we move into a more frantic, whirling dance as the lovers prance, flirt, and tease each other, building into a crescendo, before the pair join together, the scenery darkens, the spotlight focuses on Betty and Bob, as they pause and take each other in. A bit like that moment in West Side Story where Tony first meets Maria.

Movement 2

The next section is a heart-felt, impassioned love theme with a smooth, mellifluous flugel horn solo that starts in the chocolatey lower register before soaring upwards in both range and dynamic, as Bob takes Betty into his arms in a Patrick Swayze style lift (nobody puts Betty in a corner). Some of the interval jumps (particularly jumping from so low in the register to the middle of the stave) can make this section a little tricky. There’s a reason why ‘’BREATHE!’’ and ‘’SUPPORT’’ are scribbled all over this section on my part!  

The thematic content is taken from the waltzy melody line introduced in the previous movement, but at a much slower tempo. Cornets take over this melody line with an incredibly exposed variation that sits high in the register. Within such a teeny, tiny dynamic, tuning and breath control become the challenge to keep this melody tipping from delicate into strained. You can see the dancers in your mind's eye, twirling together and turning away bashfully before coming back together again. It reminds me of Laurie’s dream ballet sequence in Oklahoma.

Towards the end, flugel takes over this main melodic motif again in an even slower tempo as Betty and Frank come back together. A little kiss, perhaps, in the pause, before the two stroll offstage, arm in arm, and the slow movement comes to a close. 

Movement 3

Trombones call an end to all this soppiness with a bombastic fanfare, before a twinkly motif is passed between Soprano Cornet , Repiano Cornet and Flugel. The sprites are released.

We swing into a glamorous dance - a ball perhaps? It’s all frills, sequins and and twirling petticoats. But our sprites are out causing mischief with a cheeky solo entry from flugel horn that peeks through the glitz and organised dance steps. The listener is treated to swathes of flowing melody lines that move together to create this luxurious ensemble dance sequence. It’s all too grandiose for the sprites though. Time to cause some mayhem.

We move into the final section of the piece that starts with an accented punch before dipping in dynamic to reveal an agitated ostinato in the backrow cornets and a naughty little flourish from flugel, as the sprites go about their business wreaking havoc in the ballroom. Their delight in ruining the festivities is musically illustrated in a sassy technical euphonium solo. This is punctuated by dissonant interjections by cornet and horns that are the musical equivalent (in my mind anyway) of the impudent little sprites sticking their tongues out at the gentlefolk, as they knock over the punchbowl and pull the tiaras out of the ladies’ hair-dos (I’m having too much fun with this - can you tell?). 

The chaos builds as we accelerando towards the end of the piece. The ballroom is in a state of panic. The wine has been spilled. The vol-au-vents (1970’s pastry, not a ballet term) are all over the floor. The pixies manage to fly out of the grasps of those trying to catch them, their fluttering wings beating as the horns and cornets play a frantic tremolo and with a final emphatic semi-quaver crush of an ending finished off with a boom of bass drum, they vanish leaving the party-goers in a state of disarray and confusion. 

A Characterful Work

I don’t know whether Horovitz would take back his statement after reading the above.

All in all, it’s work that's full of personality and although appears to be quite light and simple, does have its pitfalls. There’s a lot for bands to draw out of the piece with some tricky solo lines, exposed high register playing, and dynamics that take balance and poise to hear the full effect of the writing. However, I think the bands who go beyond the dots on the page (which compared to pieces that have been picked for this section in the past, aren’t the most difficult) and manage to draw out the music, personality and emotion embedded within Horovitz’ writing will (or certainly should be) the bands who take home the silverware. 

References 

Wise Music Classical: https://www.wisemusicclassical.com/composer/723/Joseph-Horovitz/

Royal College of Music: https://www.rcm.ac.uk/singingasong/oralhistorycategory2/josephhorovitz/

Voices of British Ballet: https://voicesofbritishballet.com/podcast/jospeh-horowitz/

Brass Band Results: https://www.brassbandresults.co.uk/pieces/ballet-for-band

Wise Music Classical: https://www.wisemusicclassical.com/work/35566/Ballet-for-Band--Joseph-Horovitz/

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