Un Vie de Matelot

Sources

All read 8 November 2026.

• Publisher (R. Smith & Company), set RS20126, set price, duration 10.00, title spelling, 1975 National Championship test piece, sample score link, Difficulty label: https://studio-music.co.uk/rs20126
• Score only RS21126, £29.95, Difficulty label: https://studio-music.co.uk/un-vie-de-matelot-brass-band-score-only
• Title and subtitle, "Theme & Variations for Brass Band", © 1975 R. Smith & Co. Ltd., instrumentation (page 1 stave labels): https://sastudiomusic.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/smf/pdf/RS20126-Robert-Farnon-Brass-Band-Un-Vie-de-Matelot.pdf
• Studio Music is "Studio Music with R. Smith", a division of the Salvation Army Trading Company: https://studio-music.co.uk/about-us
• Set RS20126, £59.95, publisher R Smith & Company, title spelling: https://worldofbrass.com/RS20126
• Title and subtitle, year (1975), Contest Use (22 set uses, 52 own-choice): https://www.brassbandresults.co.uk/pieces/un-vie-de-matelot
• Set for the 2026 Spring Festival Senior Trophy; written for the 1975 Royal Albert Hall final; Quebec folk-song material, theme on soprano cornet then linked variations: https://www.4barsrest.com/news/62726/2026-spring-festival-test-pieces-and-judges-announced
• Media (BNFL Band, Richard Evans, QPRL069D): https://studio-music.co.uk/qprl069d
• Media (Foden's Band, Michael Fowles, Seascapes, Doyen CD420): https://4barsrest.com/reviews/products/cd741.asp

Notes

• Title spelling. The publisher's spelling, "Un Vie de Matelot", is used. The score, the publisher's listings (Studio Music with R. Smith, World of Brass), Brass Band Results, 4barsrest and both CD listings all print "Un". The grammatical French form is "Une Vie de Matelot", which no source read for this page uses. The score's subtitle is "(A Sailor's Life)" and it is headed "Theme & Variations for Brass Band".
• Grade. "D - Advanced" is Studio Music's difficulty label. Studio Music trades as "Studio Music with R. Smith", so for R. Smith titles it counts as the publisher's own grade (Brass Rep rule, 2026-11-08). On titles Studio Music only distributes, the same scale is a retailer label and is ignored.
• Duration. The publisher's Studio Music listings give "10.00", taken as 10 minutes. No other duration found.
• Instrumentation. From the stave labels on page 1 of the publisher's sample score, which is a condensed score - Repiano Cornet and Flugelhorn share a stave, Euphonium has one stave, and Percussion is two staves with Timpani (B-flat, D) and side drum marked. The separate parts in the set are not listed by the publisher, so part and copy counts are unknown. There is no separate Timpani stave.
• Year. 1975 from Brass Band Results and the score's "© Copyright 1975 by R. Smith & Co. Ltd."
• Premiere. Written as the test piece for the National Championship of Great Britain, Championship Section, Royal Albert Hall, 11 October 1975. Which band played first is not known, so the Premiere line is empty.
• Contest Use selection. Brass Band Results lists 22 set test-piece uses, so a selection is shown. The 1995 entry stands for eight area contests that each set the work in the Championship Section. Other uses include Belgian and Danish national championships, the Queensland State Championship and several UK regional festivals. The 2026 Senior Trophy was held on 2 May 2026. A retailer note that it was a 2017 First Section area piece is not on Brass Band Results and isn't listed.
• Media. Release years and track times not stated. The Polyphonic page names the album "Un Vie de Matelot" and heads the track list "Masterworks for Brass Band Volume 3". The Foden's catalogue number is given as "CD420" by the 4barsrest review.
• Not found. Errata and performances.