Concert Band

Songs from Across the Water: A Suite of British and Irish Folk Songs

Grade 5 | 7 Mins

Songs from Across the Water was commissioned by Pennsylvania Symphonic Winds - Phil Evans, Founder and Director. They gave the premiere on November 13th 2016.

Phil Evans hails from the UK and served for 25 years in the Band of HM Royal Marines. Now resident in the USA he founded Pennsylvania Symphonic Winds in 2008, giving them the tag line ‘An American band with a British Accent’, as he wanted to combine the best of both countries’ band traditions.

With this in mind, composer Philip Sparke decided to create a suite of British folk songs, scored with an American influence to fulfil the philosophy of the band’s tag line.

The three movements, which are played without a break, are based on the following folk songs, which come from all corners of the British Isles:

1. The Three Ravens & The Cruiskeen Lawn

2. The Lark in the Clear Air

3. The Piper o’ Dundee & Men of Harlech