RayThompsonMusic

I was born in 1947 in Gateshead,Tyne & Wear,U.K. As a child I learnt to play both the Piano and French Horn. I taught piano and brass instruments for many years.

I am a composer of some original and an arranger of classical and popular music. My music is a mixture of all sorts:

The bulk of my music is for wind quintet, wind dectet and horn quartet: I have been arranging music for wind quintet for some years. I have arranged a mixture of classical, romantic and modern composers

My quintet arrangements do not simply transcribe the music giving the top voicing/melody to the flute etc, which many people seem to do. I attempt to move the melody amongst all the players dovetailing it where needed.

My arrangements of music by classical composers such as Mozart,Beethoven etc. may differ from other people's wind arrangements.

I am a horn player and made the decision to write the horn parts,as far as possible, as Mozart or Beethoven would have written them.(in their sextets/octets etc)
So, the horn parts are written in the key of the piece Eb,G,D,C or whatever, and as far as possible I limit the notes to that of the natural horn (i.e. no valves).

In my opinion this gives a more authentic sound to the music.
Of course, sometimes, if the music needs a particular tenor part/melody or harmony, I will write it for horn. BUT AS FAR AS POSSIBLE, I write for natural horn.
I also provide F horn parts for those players who can't/won't transpose.

I have also noticed that arrangements by other people have the horn player playing fast moving passages in the lower octave.This is difficult to play,doesn't sound very good and doesn't carry!! Far better to give that melody to a low clarinet or the bassoon, or move the melody up an octave.

My wind quintet arrangements include Schumann's Kinderscenen (scenes from childhood), Mozart's divertimento 8 K 213 (originally written for wind sextet) and all the movts from Peter Warlock's Capriol Suite
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Orchestral arrangements/transcriptions of Debussy/Brahms piano pieces.
Some music by Handel arranged for concert/wind band
I have some original concert band music.
Brass arrangements of the music of William Byrd/Scarlatti/Muffat both for brass quintet and brass choir (dectet

I was the Band Leader of the Alnwick Playhouse Concert Band from it's inception in 1994 until 2020.
It is based in Alnwick,Northumberland.

I have also been musical director for a lot of amateur stage musicals.

 I also play keyboard and was the founder member of the Ray Thompson Big Band playing big band jazz. 

I was also a member of a Northumberland wind quintet called "Quintessential" I have also a number of duets, trios,quartets and quintets.

I currently direct the Alnwick Symphonic Wind Ensemble.