Kenneth Downie is a composer of

brass band A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting primarily of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands (particularl ...

music. He was born in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

in 1946 and educated at Greenock High School, the Royal Manchester College of Music and

Durham University Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament (UK), Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by r ...

. He then became a specialist music teacher in schools before leaving his position as Head of Music at Poole Grammar School to go into the jewellery business in 1976.

Music

His published compositions, now numbering over 50, span a period of 30 years and are mainly for brass band or choir. Recent commissions include music for the

Hampshire County Youth Band Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, Dorset to the west, and Wiltshi ...

, City of Winchester Brass, International Staff Band of The Salvation Army and the Swiss and Norwegian National Brass Band Championships. In 1998 and 2000 his 'Purcell Variations' and 'Music for the Common Man' were chosen as section one regional test pieces for the National Brass Band Championships. 'Music for the Common Man' was also the test piece for the first section in the National Mineworkers' Contest in 2007 In April 1998 he was appointed to the post of Composer in Residence to the Yorkshire Building Society Band, and thus began a fruitful relationship involving concerts, broadcasts and recordings. In November 1999 his contribution to

Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...

music was recognised by the New York Staff Band when he was invited to be the guest at their annual Profile Night. In July 2001 Kenneth was appointed as 'creative consultant' to the Salvation Army's Music Ministries department in London with special responsibility for the nurture of promising young composers. In September 2001 a tribute CD from

Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band The Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band is a British brass band formed in 1881. The band is based in Brighouse, in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England. The band is known across the world, and is regarded by many as the best and most consistent " ...

was released on the Egon label. Using music drawn from

and contesting band repertoire, the CD is conducted by David Hirst and Stephen Cobb. In June 2003 a choral work for mixed voices `Veni Emmanuel` was premiered by the International Staff Songsters of the Salvation Army at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

, London. Kenneth Downie was selected to write the test piece for the Championship Section of the European Brass Band Championships, which was held in Glasgow in April 2004. The work is called St Magnus and is a set of variations on that tune. St Magnus was also selected in 2008 as the North American Brass Band Championships test piece. In April 2006, a further tribute CD from The International Staff Band of

The Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...

was released, this time on the SP&S label. The CD, called St Magnus, includes the first studio recording of that music which was the test piece for the Championship Section of the 2004 European Brass Band Championships. In May 2007, it was announced that Kenneth Downie had been commissioned and had written the test piece for the 2007 British Open Brass Band Championship. 'Visions of Gerontius' is based on the

hymn tune A hymn tune is the melody of a musical composition to which a hymn text is sung. Musically speaking, a hymn is generally understood to have four-part (or more) harmony, a fast harmonic rhythm (chords change frequently), with or without refrain ...

''Gerontius'' of

John Bacchus Dykes John Bacchus Dykes (10 March 1823 – 22 January 1876) was an English clergyman and hymnwriter. Early life He was born in Hull, England, the fifth child and third son of William Hey Dikes or Dykes, a ship builder, and Elizabeth, daughter of ...

. He was commissioned to write a new piece for the Elite Section in the Swedish Brass Band Festival of 2008. The piece is called 'Swedish Festival Music' and was premiered at SBBF in November 2008. As he was the "guest of honour" at the festival, all the other sections used his works as well. He lives in

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

with his wife Patricia, who is also a musician, teaching pianoforte and singing. They are both active lay-Salvationists. Kantaramusik is his own publishing company which concerns itself only with his own compositions. Kantaramusik publications are distributed exclusively by Salvation Army Trading Company Limited through its trading brand World of Brass.

External links

Kantaramusik

4barsrest

"World of Brass"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Downie, Kenneth 1946 births Living people Brass band composers Scottish composers Alumni of St Cuthbert's Society, Durham Alumni of the Royal Manchester College of Music