Fanfare Band

Sinfonietta No. 4: Stramproy Centennial

Grade 5 | 16 Mins

Philip Sparke’s Sinfonietta No 4 was written for Dutch fanfare band Fanfare St. Willibrordus Stramproy to celebrate their 100th anniversary in 2009. It was commissioned by Math and Nol Palmen of the carpentry firm Carpentry Palmen, which was celebrating its 200th anniversary in the same year; they presented the piece as a gift to the band as a token of the dual celebrations.

Sinfonietta No 4 was unveiled with a private performance when the band celebrated its 100th anniversary on June 28th 2009 and given its first public performance at a band competition on 18th October in Venlo, Holland.

The work is in 3 movements, which play without a break. The first describes the village of Stramproy and opens with a lyrical fugato passage which bookends a faster and more rhythmic central section. The second is slower and features a long expressive euphonium solo. The third salutes Carpentry Palmen and opens with sounds of the workshop on multiple percussion instruments, which accompany a unison ‘scat’ style passage for the band.