The Fantasia on British Sea Songs was arranged by Sir Henry Wood in 1905 to mark the centenary of the Battle of Trafalgar. It is a medley of British sea songs and for many years has been seen as an indispensable item at the BBC's Last Night of the Proms concert.

The complete work is made up of nine parts which follow the course of the battle from the point of view of a British sailor, starting with the call to arms, progressing through the death of a comrade, thoughts of home, and ending with a victorious return and the assertion that Britain will continue to 'rule the waves'. Individual sections can be omitted if required. The fantasia commences with a series of six naval bugle calls and their responses. These calls were traditionally used to convey orders on a naval warship.

The original orchestral scoring for the fantasia required a much larger orchestra. This new arrangement by Peter Lawson uses a more standard sized orchestra whilst maintaining the overall effects.

A chorus (optional) is added throughout as all of the tunes used (except the bugle calls) started life as sea songs. Four different 48 page vocal scores are available (none are included in the orchestral pack): SATB / SSA / TTBB / SA+Men.

The arrangement can also be performed by a choir without an orchestra with only piano accompaniment.
A PACK comprises one full score, string parts 4/4/3/4/2 and all wind, brass and percussion parts.

ORCHESTRATION: 2 Flutes (2nd db.piccolo), 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinets in Bb, 2 Bassoons, 2 Horns in F, 2 Trumpets in Bb, 3 Trombones, Tuba (opt.db.Euphonium), Timpani, Percussion (4 players: Triangle, Side Drum, Tenor Drum, Cymbals, Bass Drum, Tambourine, Wood Block, Swanee Whistle), Harp (or Keyboard), Strings (Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, Cello, Bass)