Philip Sparke was born in London in 1951 and studied composition, trumpet and piano at the Royal College of Music, where he gained an ARCM. It was at the College that his interest in bands arose. He played in the college wind band and formed a brass band among the students, writing several works for both ensembles. At that time, Sparke's first published works appeared: Concert Prelude (brass band) and Gaudium (wind band).

A growing interest in his music led to several commissions, his first major one being for the Centennial Brass Band Championships in New Zealand, entitled The Land of the Long White Cloud. Further commissions followed from individual bands, various band associations and the BBC, for whom he three times won the EBU New Music for Band Competition (with Slipstream, Skyrider and Orient Express). Sparke has written for brass band championships in New Zealand, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Australia and the UK, twice for the National Finals at the Albert Hall, and his test pieces are constantly in use wherever brass bands can be found.

A close association with banding in Japan led to a commission (Celebration) from, and eventual recording of his music with, the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra. This opened the door world wide to his wind band music and led to several commissions, particularly from the United States. In 1996, the US Air Force Band commissioned and recorded Dance Movements, which won the prestigious Sudler Prize in 1997. Philip Sparke's conducting and adjudicating activities have taken him to most European countries, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the USA .