Test Piece Preview: Indian Summer by Eric Ball
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An Exploration of Eric Ball's 'Indian Summer' for Brass Band
Eric Ball is a household name within the banding community, having penned some of the movement’s most well-known and beloved works, such as Resurgam, Journey into Freedom and Star Lake. Similarly to those aforementioned pieces, Indian Summer is a work that forms some of Ball’s most familiar repertoire and has been frequently used as a set work in the UK contest circuit.
It's a colourful, musically illustrative work, typical of Ball's writing, and is intended as a musical impression (the key word here) of a mid-century British composer's imagined depiction of pre-colonial, Indigenous North America, rather than a depiction rooted in the history of any specific nation or tradition.
Who was Eric Ball?
Eric Ball (1903-1989) was an English composer, arranger and conductor who is highly regarded as one of the brass band movement’s quintessential composers.
Raised in a Salvation Army family, he became an accomplished organist before writing many of the repertoire's most celebrated works. Ball’s compositional skills were largely self-taught, which further highlights just how talented he was! Alongside his compositional achievements, Ball also crafted a respected career as a conductor, winning the British Open with CWS Manchester (twice) and Ransome & Marles, as well as the National Finals with Brighouse and Rastrick.
His love for our movement is clearly demonstrated in his beautifully crafted works and in the way he has spoken about the movement in interviews, including prioritising lower section bands as that’s where he felt ‘he could be of more help’ - a very noble sentiment, giving his stature within the movement.
There are so many banding legends I’d love to have had the opportunity to sit down and talk banding with, and Eric Ball is at the top of that list.
Right, moving on to the piece!
When was Indian Summer composed?
Eric Ball’s, ‘Indian Summer’ was published in 1950 and was used as the test piece for the Third Section Finals of the National Championships of Great Britain in the same year. It has since been used….a LOT…in the UK contest circuit! Just take a look at the Brass Band Results page for this piece - it’s a scroller!
The last time it was used as a set work in the UK was in 1999 for the Fourth Section Regional Championships, making this (by this author’s calculations) the third time it has been utilised in the Brass Band Championships - once as a Finals piece and twice as a Regionals piece.
Exploring Indian Summer by Eric Ball
Indian Summer was composed in the form of a suite, consisting of four movements that depict the composer’s impression (again, impression is a key word here) of Indigenous America and the people who called it home, before the influence of European colonisation.
The piece consists of four movements:
The Great Chief Speaks
The story behind this movement is that of a Native American chief addressing his people. It is grandiose with just a hint of foreboding, which could represent both the risks and fear caused by the impending Winter period or the majestic, but powerful nature and wisdom of the Chief. For me, the rush of the tam tam followed by the stately, warm chordal melody conjures up the mighty landscape of the Great Plains with rolling hills and striding buffalo before zooming in on the ‘Great Chief’.
It’s quite thickly scored for the majority of the section, with large parts of the band moving in rhythmic unison in loud dynamics, so attention to intonation and meeting the vertical line together will be critical.
Similarly, bands will have to find the balance between ensuring the louder dynamics are full-bodied, but controlled and not overblown to ensure the majestic feel of this opening movement , whilst still leaving somewhere to go for the triple fortes that arise later in the piece.
A more conversational section follows, which paints the picture of the Chief’s people in hushed discussion, as the Chief bellows his warning of the approaching Winter (according to the storyline created by Ball that formed the basis of this movement). A steady pulse from lower brass underpins, concerned, ‘talkative’ melody lines in cornets, before the recapitulation of the opening maestoso musical idea presents itself one last time.
Towards the end of the movement, the ensemble dips from forte to pianissimo over the course of a few bars and I think it’s the bands who can create the biggest dynamic chasm between the former louder dynamics and this delicate quieter moment, without sacrificing tuning that will impress early on in their performance. The ‘a piacere’ (free time) soliloquy of a euphonium solo is isolated with very little support from the ensemble, so it’ll be a first test of nerves for the soloist, before the lyrical solos that follow.
By the Cool Waters
The second movement has a lighter, more optimistic nature than the first; a musical illustration of childhood naivety, as the story’s spotlight now shines on a little girl who breaks away from her peers to nearby water, depicted by flowing legato crotchet chords from horns and flugel. Using the dynamics to really shape this lilting undercurrent will be crucial (with maybe a hint of tasteful rubato) to set the scene before the soloist takes the spotlight.
Principal cornet follows with an innocent, inquisitive, but tranquil solo line (a musical personification of the child, perhaps?). This is a quiet solo, so the flowing accompaniment will need to take care not to overpower.
This melody is then handed over to the euphonium, whilst the solo cornet moves into a playful obligato line above this melody. To me, this is a very clever way of depicting the girl looking at her reflection in the water with the cornet representing her and the euphonium representing her reflection). Whether this was the composer’s intention, I’m not sure - but Ball’s music is often steeped in musical symbolism and this piece is supposed to depict a story, so it isn’t out of the realm of possibility. Either way, it will provide a significant test for the Principal cornet to sit atop this warm recapitulation of the opening melody without becoming too overbearing. Equally, for the euphonium will need to balance taking the lead with the melody without drowning out the delicate cornet line.
We then move into a brief animated, rhythmic moment, introduced by cornets and horns, as the girl breaks into a lively little dance. There’s plenty of rhythmic content for bands to bring this section to life with careful attention paid to articulation and a spark of energy driving through to create real contrast from the slower sections that bookend this movement. Solo cornet brings us back into that tranquil mood from earlier in the movement, before the scene gradually fades with a final flow of muted cornets and ‘ppp’ horns.
Totem Dance
With flourishes, fanfares and a driving, rhythmic foundation from lower brass - it’s clear that this is not intended to be a representation of powwows or ceremonial dances of any Native American nation - the compositional elements are very clearly European. But, putting historical or cultural accuracy to one side (we will cover it later!), this is an exciting, energetic moment within the piece.
It’s a movement filled with dynamic peaks and troughs that will need to be carefully graded to bring the composer’s writing to life. The lower brass that drives this movement onward with their underpinning ostinato will have to be rhythmically steadfast and avoid moving the tempo on to prevent risking upsetting the melodic texture above it.
Hymn to the Great Spirit
The closing chapter of the accompanying story to this work focuses on a hymn to the ‘Great Spirit’ and the Chief’s people turning their thoughts to the approaching Winter season.
It’s a hymn tune that is more likely to be found in a Christian church than a traditional indigenous ceremony from any tribe. Nevertheless, it’s a beautiful piece of brass band writing that shows off the gloriously warm sounds our ensemble is known for. Dynamically, it is very big, so bands will need to leave some fuel in the tank to ensure a majestic, triple forte finish that leaves the audience in awe and the adjudicator impressed behind their curtain.
Why context and conversation matters when we revisit classic repertoire
Now, I’ll let you into a secret, dear reader, this author is a bit of a nerd, when it comes to the Western genre and American history including both colonial stories and the histories of Indigenous nations. So, I can both appreciate Ball’s writing and his influences when writing this piece, as well as understand the debate surrounding cultural appropriation and perpetuating stereotypes of a nation that has been persecuted for centuries. This is where historical context and critical thinking within the modern age in which we live is important.
The work was written in 1950 - a decade that started the golden age of the ‘Western’ genre with radio dramas like The Lone Ranger and films like The Big Country. Listen to soundtracks of the time within this genre and you can clearly hear the musical language and compositional elements that Ball has taken his influence from. Even if you listen to modern ‘Western’ soundtracks you can hear the influence of distinctly American melodic elements - for example, listen to the first movement on Indian Summer and then listen to the theme tune for Yellowstone which was written in 2018! You can hear the thematic threads and understand what kind of sound and feel Ball was trying to create.
The issue, and it is a fair comment to make, is that indigenous cultures (because there is no single ‘Native American’ culture - indigenous nations across the continent have their own distinct histories, traditions and identities) have been the subject of marginalisation (and even eradication) and misrepresentation for centuries.
Intent and impact aren’t always the same, and while there’s no evidence to suggest that Ball set out to cause offence (from what I know about him, I very much doubt that would be his intent anyway), the work's storyline reflects the romanticised and often inaccurate portrayals of Indigenous peoples that were common in Western media of the time. Understanding that context allows us to both value the music and recognise why conversations around representation need to exist today.
For me, its connotations of the piece's title and story that drum up this debate. Without the story, I think the work would just be looked upon in the same way as Copeland's Hoedown or other soundtracks and pieces that use quintessentially American thematic elements. If we took away the outdated storyline, and tweaked the title to call it something like Idaho Summer or The Mountains of Montana or Summer on the Prairie, the piece would stand up on its own and has enough musical content that allows the audience to think up their own storyline for the work.
I think the real debate that needs to be had is whether in 2026, Indian Summer, needs to have a third run out as a set work within the National Brass Band Championships contests, when there is so much music for bands to explore that hasn't been chosen yet or (and this maybe a wacky idea) commission a new work?
In short, we can appreciate the art, whilst recognising its limitations - similar to how Disney’s Peter Pan now has a message at the beginning of the film that states that it has portrayals of Native American characters that are outdated, stereotypical and wrong and should be regarded as such. We can (and should) still enjoy the music, but be mindful or (even better), let it spur our curiosity to find out the truth behind the inspiration of the work. Knowledge, after all, is power.
History nerd note: If you want to learn more and looking for an accessible introduction into the real indigenous nations of North America, I highly recommend checking out the documentaries, Chiefs and Kevin Costner’s ‘The West’ on Prime Video.
References
Regionals 2026 CD Booklet - Michael Fowles
Indian Summer Score | Musescore:
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