Valley Ridge (Download)

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Valley Ridge has evolved out of the continuing collaboration between the 2nd Rossendale Scout Band and composer Dan Price. The Scout Band’s home is in the town of Bacup, situated at the convergence of the Rossendale and Irwell Valleys. In old-English, Bacup was known as fūlbӕchop, which translates as ‘muddy valley by a ridge’. Over time the fūl was dropped and bӕchop literally came to mean ‘ridge valley’ or ‘back valley,’ in reference to its locale at the backend of the Irwell Valley.

Historically, this industrial area of Lancashire was home to the textile and footwear trades. Although these industries have largely gone, the reminders of this rich history can still be seen as you travel the valley towards the town. Dan has used this suggestive imagery as the basis of this antiphonal fanfare for brass band and percussion. The fanfare for ten individual cornets is metronomic and pulsating throughout, as though mechanical cogs are relentlessly turning in machinery, or reminiscent of the clang of a shuttle as it bounces left and right between the yarns of a loom.  In contrast, the chorale, voiced by the warmer sounding instruments of the band, is intentionally pious in style, evoking the rolling landscapes and scared terrain that form the makeup of the Rossendale Valley. Heavy industry and nature in juxtaposition, imagery also influenced by a line from William Blake’s most celebrated poem; ‘And did those feet in ancient times.’  

Duration: 00:03:00

Grade: 3