Written for a standard band or orchestra low brass section, this piece also sounds excellent with all parts doubled. An opening fanfare leads into a toe-tapping march, followed by a fugue reminiscent of Bach, a tuba recitative and solo, a recap of the march, and a majestic finale. The bass trombone part could be played on a tenor trombone, but both 2nd and 3rd trombone will need F attachments. In the recording I played the tuba part on my euphonium, then EQ’d it a bit to sound more tuba-ish. It’s not too bad, but apologies to my tuba-playing friends!
An Eagle’s Tale for Orchestra (Bird Suite No. 5)
With the final movement of Bird Suite I tried to capture a typical day in an eagle’s life, with some soaring, hunting, relaxing on a tree branch, flying off into the sunset – the usual eagle-ish activities. I don’t know a lot about Indigenous music, but there is a brass chorale that suggests it, at least to my ears.
A Christmas Wish for Brass Quartet, SATB Choir, Sleigh Bells and Organ
A few months ago I saw a forum post asking about Christmas music for brass and choir. There weren’t a lot of suggestions, so I decided to write something! The vocal range is fine for most church choirs, with words based on a Christmas poem by Dave Dogterom. If you have a Christmas gig for brass quintet, your horn player can take a break and play sleigh bells! The sheet music is available at www.musicforbrass.com