London Bridge: Conductor Score & Parts

London Bridge was originally written for brass quintet and later scored for concert band. Below is the composer recalling the quintet version’s premiere. London Bridge was designed to appeal to children, but also to the child remaining in the rest of us. It kind of developed as it went along and ended up where it is today if that makes any sense at all. A few days after the first draft was finished I took it to a clinic for high school band members at one of the Anchorage schools. The clinic was put on by the Canadian Brass who were in Anchorage on a concert tour. They sight read it at the clinic. I even asked them to autograph the parts. They did. I did not have the nerve to ask them what they thought about it, and they offered me no opinion. That may have been good. This is a terrific novelty piece that shows off the whole band, quotes famous pieces and allows the students to really have fun.