Lest We Forget, Christopher Bond. Brass Band.

Lest We Forget, Christopher Bond. Brass Band.

Lest We Forget is a phrase added as a final line at the end of the Ode of Remembrance, taken from Laurence Binyon's poem, For the Fallen, first published in The Times Newspaper in September 1914. Providing the title for this work for brass band, the piece aims to combine both the acoustic nature of the brass band medium alongside narrated passages and pre-recorded extracts to provide a moving tribute.

The words originally spoken by Prime Minister Herbert Asquith in 1914 should be pre-recorded with a British accent, and the sound manipulated to create the impression of a 1914 radio broadcast. A free audio download is available from www.primavistmusikk.com. Alternatively the speech can be narrated live during performance if necessary.

Lest We Forget received its premiere in The Sage on November 17th 2014 performed by the Grimethorpe Colliery Band conducted by Robert Childs. The work opened their winning Brass in Concert programme.