Song of Courage

Tone poem. New contest edition, SP&S 2026

General Info

Publisher:: Salvationist Publishing & Supplies (SP&S) (SPS41902; score SPS41902a)
Cost:: Score and Parts – £74.95 | Score Only – £37.50

Instrumentation

Full Score
Soprano Cornet in E-flat
Solo Cornet in B-flat
1st Cornet in B-flat
2nd Cornet in B-flat
Flugelhorn in B-flat
Solo Horn in E-flat
1st Horn in E-flat
2nd Horn in E-flat
1st Baritone
2nd Baritone
1st Trombone
2nd Trombone
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
E-flat Bass
B-flat Bass
Percussion I–II, including (partial, from the opening pages only; Timpani is on the Percussion I stave):
- Timpani
- Snare Drum
- Suspended Cymbal
- Triangle
- Bass Drum

Programme Notes

Song of Courage is a tone poem built on Ball’s chorale “A Prayer for Courage”, written around the start of the Second World War, and on “Stand Like the Brave”. It moves from joy through fear and struggle, with a reflective central section on Christian fortitude. SP&S published a new contest edition for the 2026 National Finals.

Publisher’s programme note: SP&S

Contest Use

National Championship of Great Britain – Second Section – 2026

Full contest history, including 1 own-choice use: Brass Band Results

Works for Brass Band by This Composer

Original Works

Arrangements

Eine kleine Nachtmusik (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
Four Dances from Checkmate (Arthur Bliss)
A French Suite (Alexandre Boëly)
Froissart Overture (Edward Elgar)
A Rural Suite (Charles Woodhouse)
Suite Gothique (Léon Boëllmann)
Theme and Eight Variations from Enigma (Edward Elgar)
Themes from Symphony No. 1 (Ludwig van Beethoven)
Themes from Symphony No. 5 (Ludwig van Beethoven)
Themes from Symphony No. 9 (Ludwig van Beethoven)

Resources

Categories: Compositions | Test Pieces

Suggest a correction to this page.

Sources

All read 8 November 2026.

Publisher, series name per 4barsrest, contest edition, chorale and 1962 origin, 10-minute duration, 2026 National Finals Second Section: https://4barsrest.com/news/63505/2026-national-finals-test-pieces-announced
Year (1961); contest edition published 2026; Contest Use: https://www.brassbandresults.co.uk/pieces/song-of-courage
Publisher, series, codes, prices (score and parts, score only), "New Contest Version", description: https://sps-shop.com/sps41902
Sample score link; Studio Music listing of the same edition: https://www.studio-music.co.uk/sps41902
Instrumentation, "Tone Poem" and "(contest edition)" heading, © 2026 SP&S, Judd Street Collection (sample score): https://sastudiomusic.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/smf/pdf/SPS41902-Eric-Ball-Brass-Band-Song-of-Courage.pdf
Contest date (19 September 2026): https://brassbandresults.co.uk/contests/GREAT-BRITAIN-NATIONAL-FINALS/2026

Notes

Editor of the contest edition. Not named. 4barsrest says the new contest edition was prepared specifically for the contest; SP&S calls it a "New Contest Version"; the score is headed "(contest edition)". None of them names who prepared it, so the editor field is empty.
Year. Left empty because sources disagree. Brass Band Results gives 1961. 4barsrest says Ball wrote the chorale "A Prayer for Courage" around the eve of the Second World War, and that it became the basis of the tone poem, with "Stand Like the Brave", in 1962. The contest edition is © 2026 SP&S.
Grade and duration. SP&S gives neither. 4barsrest gives about 10 minutes; it is neither the publisher nor the composer, so the field is left empty.
Series. SP&S and the score place this edition in the Judd Street Collection. 4barsrest calls it part of the "SPS Festival Series". An sps-shop.com page lists a separate Judd-series item, Song of Courage, at £44.95 among related products; it was not opened, and it is unclear whether it is a different edition.
Instrumentation. From the publisher's preview of the contest edition's full score (23 pages, to the final bar). It differs from the standard template - there is no Repiano Cornet or 3rd Cornet, the cornets are Solo, 1st and 2nd, there is a single Euphonium stave, and Timpani shares the Percussion I stave. Whether parts are doubled (e.g. Solo Cornet copies) is not stated. The percussion list is from the first two pages only.
Contest Use. Brass Band Results records one set test-piece use, the 2026 National Finals (Second Section, York, 19 September 2026), which has been held.
Media. No recording found in this pass.
Premiere. Not found.