Set work for the Dutch Brass Band Championships in 2026 Pioneers of the Past is inspired by the great explorers of history, who with courage and perseverance ventured into unknown territories. Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus, and Abel Tasman—the first European to reach New Zealand—served as thematic and expressive sources of inspiration. The composition consists of multiple through-composed sections that flow seamlessly into one another. Each section represents a characteristic phase of the journey: from the charged departure, through contrasting musical atmospheres and build-ups of tension that evoke the uncertainty and challenges along the way, to more expansive and triumphant passages in which discovery and victory are expressed musically. Composer:Jan de HaanInstrumentation:Brass bandGenre:ConcertworkLevel:3Duration:11:00Download score:Pioneers of the Past (pdf, 1.08 MB)Publisher:Hal Leonard (1 April)
