Andante and Scherzo
Percy Eastman Fletcher (12 December 1879 – 10 December 1932) was a British composer, known primarily in the brass fraternity for his tone poem, Labour and Love – the first original composition for brass band to be used at the National Championships of Great Britain in 1913. Labour and Love represented a significant moment in the development of the modern brass band movement and repertoire and was followed by Fletcher’s An Epic Symphony used as a test piece for the National Championships of Great Britain in 1926.
Like a number of his composer contemporaries, Fletcher made his living as a Musical Director in the London theatre world, fulfilling this position successively at the Prince of Wales, Savoy, Daly's, Drury Lane and, from 1915 until his death, His Majesty's Theatre. Clearly, his creative activity was by no means confined to the theatre though. He composed ballads, works for chorus, a large number of suites for light orchestras, solos and chamber works, of which Andante and Scherzo is an example. Originally conceived as a septet for 2 cornets, tenor horn, baritone, trombone, euphonium and Tuba, this brass band version remains as true to the original as possible.