British Army Band Tidworth
The Band
British Army Band Tidworth was formed in September 2019 following a restructure within the Royal Corps of Army Music. The Band ensemble type changed from a traditional military wind band to a brass band – one of only three in the British Army.
British Army Band Tidworth represents three Bands and their parent Corps: The Royal Artillery Band, The Band of the Corps of Royal Engineers and The Band of the Adjutant General’s Corps.
The Band recently embraced the new world of virtual musical performance, and since March last year, has recorded and released numerous online performances for its audiences to enjoy during these challenging times. A notable moment for the Band was a performance video for Remembrance Day which was filmed at the National Memorial Arboretum. This video was published on the official British Army Facebook page and reached over 200,000 views on social media.
British Army Band Tidworth has performed public duties at Buckingham Palace, St. James’ Palace, Windsor Castle and the Tower of London on two occasions. The first occurrence was the first time a British Army Brass Band had undertaken such a role at the Tower of London.
RCAM 30 Legacy Recordings
Freedom – Daniel Hall
Wiltshire based musician Daniel Hall composed Freedom for the band during the COVID pandemic. Written in the hope that soon all of society would one day have their freedom again. The work was used as a virtual band project – one of many innovations that would come from the pandemic. Challenging and exciting in nature, the piece perfectly represents the exuberance of the band.
Lake of Tenderness – Ben Hollings
Post COVID lockdowns BAND Tidworth was tasked to support State and Ceremonial delivery at the Royal Palaces. Lake of Tenderness became a favourite with listening musicians, largely for its calm nature and luscious sounds. The Band went on to perform the piece on its second stint of Public Duties, following the Mourning period for Queen Elizabeth II, perfectly capturing the reflective style of the music.
The Lost Village of Imber, Movement 3: Imemerie Aeternum – Christopher Bond
Completing the trilogy of works composed by young British composers is Imemerie Aeternum, from The Lost Village of Imber, by Christopher Bond. Imber village is close to Band Tidworth’s location, on Salisbury Plain. It was evacuated by the War Office, 80 years ago, in 1943, and was used as a training area for the US Army. The villagers held the hope that they would one day return, but sadly they were never allowed to do so. The music depicts the advancing Army onto the Plain, explosive training sorties and swaggering skirmishes and finally jubilant songs remembering the glory of Imber.