Work
Quartet for Brass
for two cornets, baritone and trombone
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About
This work was written for a group of students at New Plymouth Boys' High School. All were brass band players, hence the unusual combination of instruments. The requested score was to be 'not too difficult, not to slow' and with 'one fast movement and one slow movement'. In the end, the work became a four movement work, giving the players a choice of material.
The opening fanfare is the most dissonant movement, and features a lyrical melody idea that seems unable to properly assert itself. Every time it gets going it is overwhelmed by other ideas.
The Slow Tango uses a simple syncopated idea that moves around the various instruments during the course of the movement. The Waltz allows the 1st cornet and baritone a chance to take the limelight. The Rondo finale is a lively exploration of a simple melodic idea. The music includes a fugal section in the middle, before dashing to a energetic conclusion.
Commissioned note
Commissioned by the Music Department at New Plymouth Boys' High School