DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS PERFORMANCE PORTFOLIO ...

British Library uncovered the lost music of Eley and music of the day associated with
the Duke of York's Band [see appendix 111: A. Eley repertoire list]. Much of the music
needed to be transcribed from parts to full score and were created for both the
rehearsals and recording sessions. In some of the works individual parts were missing
this required creating new parts around the existing parts taking care to write in the
style of the composer. Once all the music had been sourced David Diggs then
Painstakingly transcribed it into four sets of music books at Lehigh University,
Pennsylvania,
USA.
The music that has been collated represents
a significant collection of wind
band music, from the late eighteenth century. When examined as a whole, the
collection is a valuable example of the types of music the regimental band would have
needed to play at various engagements: marches quick and slow, minuets and cotillion
for dancing, and concert pieces based on the vocal repertoire of the day.
In each of the 1794 publications can be found several arrangements based on the
songs of the London Theatres: Covent Garden, Drury Lane and the King's Theatre in
Haymarket.
When considering the repertoire of the Duke of York's Band, it is interesting
to compare it to today's band. There are many similarities in repertoire: marches,
music from theatre, opera and dance. Of course today we can add film and television,
however, I am sure that had Eley had these mediums at his disposal, he would have
made musical arrangements
of what he heard. Today we commission and perform
new repertoire, this, I am sure, would have been the same in Eley's day. Eley wrote
71he Duke of York slow march for the Colonel of the Regiment, The Duke of York and
published the march under that title in 1789. The same march was republished under
the title 71he Figaro March in 1805. Eley was great friend of Michael Kelly. Kelly,
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