Fanfarewell | 2013
– ca. 6'
Brass quintet (2 Bb trumpets, French horn, tenor trombone, tuba)
My first and only brass quintet, Fanfarewell has one of the most interesting forms of any of my pieces. Texture provides the basis for the structure of the piece, an arch form: A B C D C B A. Some elements of the music conform to this structure, but others are developed throughout. The tonal center changes in each section, travelling downward one half-step in each. The orchestration is fairly unconventional as well, as many portions purposefully focus on the lower range of the instruments, achieving a darker, occasionally muddy color in some areas.
I took a rather minimalistic approach to this piece, which is heard clearly in the first (and last) two sections, but also in the very small amount of thematic melodic material (first introduced in the B section). Throughout the piece I also juxtapose quartal and quintal harmonies with those based on the third; this is most clear at the beginning of the D section with a chant-inspired theme accompanied by augmented harmonies. This theme is unrelated to previous material, setting the D section aside as an anomaly; indeed, the texture in this section is the least homogenous, and it is by far the longest section. However, within the D section can be heard a small ternary form (a b a') which serves as a formal peak for the piece. The first three sections eventually return, this time of course changed by their journey and pointing towards the end.
Katie Kelly, Mark Belding, trumpet in Bb; Andrew Shira, French horn; Fredy Diaz, tenor trombone; Raymond Flores, bass trombone
Brass quintet (2 Bb trumpets, French horn, tenor trombone, tuba)
My first and only brass quintet, Fanfarewell has one of the most interesting forms of any of my pieces. Texture provides the basis for the structure of the piece, an arch form: A B C D C B A. Some elements of the music conform to this structure, but others are developed throughout. The tonal center changes in each section, travelling downward one half-step in each. The orchestration is fairly unconventional as well, as many portions purposefully focus on the lower range of the instruments, achieving a darker, occasionally muddy color in some areas.
I took a rather minimalistic approach to this piece, which is heard clearly in the first (and last) two sections, but also in the very small amount of thematic melodic material (first introduced in the B section). Throughout the piece I also juxtapose quartal and quintal harmonies with those based on the third; this is most clear at the beginning of the D section with a chant-inspired theme accompanied by augmented harmonies. This theme is unrelated to previous material, setting the D section aside as an anomaly; indeed, the texture in this section is the least homogenous, and it is by far the longest section. However, within the D section can be heard a small ternary form (a b a') which serves as a formal peak for the piece. The first three sections eventually return, this time of course changed by their journey and pointing towards the end.
Katie Kelly, Mark Belding, trumpet in Bb; Andrew Shira, French horn; Fredy Diaz, tenor trombone; Raymond Flores, bass trombone