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Commissioned by Philip Ellis, Cliff Jones and Hertfordshire Music Service. Cossack is a continuous work, in four sections. The opening section begins with a fanfare figure which leads to the statement of a simple melody from the lower brass. This is based on a Ukrainian folksong, La Jeune Fille, which tells the story of a girl who is forced to live with the family of a man she does not love. This is followed by a faster section which gradually builds into a lively dance. This dance incorporates the rhythmic drive and intensity found in Eastern European folk-dance music, which is also the basis for many traditional Cossack dances. The central slow section of this piece focuses on the melancholy and sadness that characterises much of the Cossacks' history, and in particular the Ice March, while the opening fanfare returns to remind us that war and strife were an integral part of life for the Cossacks. The final section of this work begins with a transitory return to the dance, before the piece moves relentlessly towards a triumphant re-statement of the melody from the opening section.
(Duration - 12 minutes)

Cossack was first performed by West Hertfordshire Brass, conducted by Cliff Jones, at the Royal Festival Hall, 4th February 2001

Publisher: The Music Salon