Eric Ball (composer)

Eric Walter John Ball (1903-10-31-1989) was an English composer and conductor of brass band music.

His musical origins were founded in the Salvation Army, and he rose to become an officer (Ordained Minister) with the rank of Major, before resigning in 1946 and moving into the general British Brass Band movement.

During his time in the Salvation Army, Eric Ball conducted both the SP&S Band and also the International Staff Band.

After the Salvation Army, Eric Ball conducted the CWS (Manchester) Band, the Brighouse and Rastrick Band and many other significant brass bands of the day.

Selected compositions

• The Triumph of Peace
• The Kingdom Triumphant
• The Eternal Presence
• Journey Into Freedom
• The King of Kings
• The Old Wells
• Resurgam
• Song of Welcome
• Songs in Exile'
• Star Lake
• Torch of Freedom
• Tournament for Brass
• Morning Rhapsody
• Sunset Rhapsody
• Festival Music
• Indian Summer
• Song of Courage
• Glory to His Name
• The Prospect Before Us

National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain

A number of Ball's pieces have been selected as test pieces for the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain, both at the area contests and the national finals.

Year	Piece	Section	Contest
1946	Thanksgiving	3rd	Area
1947	Akhnaton	Ch	Area
1947	Divertimento	4th	Area
1947	Divertimento	4th	Final
1948	Four Preludes	2nd	Area
1948	Three Songs without Words	4th	Area
1948	Four Preludes	2nd	Final
1948	Three Songs without Words	4th	Final
1949	Morning Rhapsody	Ch	Area
1949	Petite Suite de Ballet	3rd	Area
1949	Petite Suite de Ballet	3rd	Final
1950	Indian Summer	3rd	Area
1950	Indian Summer	3rd	Final
1951	The English Maiden	2nd	Area
1951	The English Maiden	2nd	Final
1952	Resurgam	Ch	Area
1953	A Holiday Suite	3rd	Area
1953	A Holiday Suite	3rd	Final
1954	Call of the Sea	2nd	Area
1954	Call of the Sea	2nd	Final
1956	Festival Music	Ch	Final
1956	Three Songs without Words	4th	Final
1957	Four Preludes	2nd	Final
1958	Devon Fantasy	3rd	Area
1960	The Princess and the Poet	4th	Area
1960	Call of the Sea	3rd	Final
1962	Contest Day	4th	Area
1962	Four Preludes	3rd	Final
1963	Everybody's Child	4th	Final
1964	Oasis	2nd	Final
1964	The English Maiden	3rd	Final
1966	The English Maiden	3rd	Area
1966	Everybody's Child	4th	Area
1967	Festival Music	Ch	Area
1967	Journey into Freedom	Ch	Final
1968	Fowey River Suite	3rd	Area
1968	Third Rhapsody on Negro Spirituals	2nd	Final
1968	Homeward	4th	Final
1969	Petite Suite de Ballet	4th	Area
1969	High Peak	Ch	Final
1969	American Sketches	4th	Final
1970	A Psalm for All Nations	4th	Final
1971	The Ancient Temple	4th	Area
1971	Celebration	2nd	Final
1972	A Kensington Concerto	Ch	Final
1973	St. Michael's Mount	4th	Area
1974	Devon Fantasy	3rd	Area
1974	Youth Salutes a Master	4th	Final
1975	Journey into Freedom	Ch	Area
1976	Tournament for Brass	2nd	Area
1976	Sinfonietta for Brass Band – The Wayfarer	Ch	Final
1976	Third Rhapsody on Negro Spirituals	3rd	Final
1977	Morning Rhapsody	2nd	Area
1978	Call of the Sea	3rd	Area
1980	Main Street	3rd	Area
1981	Contest Day	4th	Final
1984	Divertimento	4th	Area
1985	Celebration	2nd	Final
1987	Scottish Festival Overture	3rd	Area
1988	Sunrise	2nd	Final
1991	Journey into Freedom	Ch	Area
1992	Celebration	1st	Area
1992	Holiday Overture for Brass	2nd	Final
1993	Impromptu	4th	Area
1993	Journey into Freedom	1st	Final
1994	St. Michael's Mount	4th	Final
1999	Main Street	3rd	Area
1999	Indian Summer	4th	Area
2001	The Undaunted	1st	Area
2003	A Kensington Concerto	1st	Final
2003	Sunset Rhapsody	2nd	Final
2003	Four Preludes	3rd	Final
2003	Call of the Sea	4th	Final
2007	Sinfonietta for Brass Band – The Wayfarer	1st	Area
2008	Festival Music	Ch	Area
2011	Resurgam	2nd	Area
2013	Devon Fantasy	4th	Area

Several of his arrangements have also been used.

Year	Piece	Original Composer	Section	Contest
1946	Eine Kleine Nachtmusik	Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart	2nd	Area
1957	Themes from Symphony No. 9	Ludwig van Beethoven	Ch	Area
1960	Themes from Symphony No. 5	Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky	Ch	Area
1964	A Rural Suite	Charles Woodhouse	4th	Area
1965	Themes from the First Symphony	Ludwig van Beethoven	Ch	Area
1967	Eine Kleine Nachtmusik	Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart	3rd	Area
1970	Themes from Symphony No. 9	Ludwig van Beethoven	2nd	Final
1971	Suite Gothique	Léon Boëllmann	2nd	Area
1978	Four Dances from Checkmate	Arthur Bliss	Ch	Final
1981	Froissart Overture	Edward Elgar	2nd	Final
1983	A French Suite	Alexandre Pierre François Boëly	3rd	Final
1995	Suite Gothique	Léon Boëllmann	3rd	Final
2003	Theme and Eight Variations from Enigma	Edward Elgar	Ch	Final

In addition, several pieces were used as the youth section area contest test piece: The Young in Heart in 1965, Petite Suite de Ballet in 1975, and Rhapsody on Negro Spirituals in 1983.

Further reading

• Cooke, Peter M. Eric Ball, the man and his music - biography

External links

• "The music of Eric Ball (1903-1989) a complete catalogue, with a commentary on his life and work" Masters Thesis by Dennis John Taylor (1994), Durham University.