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I have created this site in order to provide performers, listeners and composers with a description of a composer's experiences with the creative process. The posts will provide discussions of the inspirations, challenges, and successes of a composer from the inception of the piece to the culmination in performance. I will provide a link to where you can see and hear the works in progress. Comments and questions are always welcomed. They will not posted unless you grant me permission.

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Bandscapes Movements 7, 8, and 9

Greetings readers and I hope that everyone had a nice Thanksgiving.  One of the  things that I am thankful for is the support that I am receiving through the Bandscapes Commisioning Consortium. It is has been a lot of fun writing this composition and it is now more than 2/3 of the way composed. 

Movement 7 is a Trumpet Taratella. Here is the poem that introduces the movement:

Vibrate your lips into a mouthpiece
Turn it into a buzzing bee
Put it into a tube with valves
A trumpet or cornet you shall see.

The highest brass look alike at a glance
But the trumpet appears slightly bigger.
Now listen to them as they play a dance
About a spider, not a hornet or jigger.


One of the things that I am able to do as I am writing the brass movements is to involve the rest of the band more because of the carrying power of the brass. The tarantella is in a lively 6/8. The phrasing is irregular in this movement consisting of a 5 measure phrase, two 6 measure phrases, and a 5 measure phrase. At measure 23, the first two phrases repeat but there is a further irregularity caused by breaking the phrase after the second measure by having the piccolo echo the trumpets. 

Hymn for Horns is the eighth movement. Here is the poem:

Born from a hunting horn
Its bell towards the rear
Valves fingered by the left hand
With a sound strong and clear.

Majestic mellow Horns
Sing like an angelic choir
Blending their harmonies
In a song that inspires.


You may have noticed a pattern to the poems. The first stanza describes the instrument and the second describes the music. This movement is very straightforward yet the harmony is enhanced with chromatically altered chords. The arpeggios at measure 9 add color and movement to the harmony. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Horns are cued in the trombones allowing the movement to be played with as little as one Horn.

The trombones are featured in movement 9, Trombone Trepak. Here is the poem:

The trombonist says with certain pride,
“My instrument has no valves, just a slide
By moving it out the notes get low
And I can play precise or with a glissando.”

What better instrument to play this dance
In a lively two-four the rhythms prance.
It came to Russia from the Ukraine
It goes by so quick we will play it again.


The trepak is a very simple dance in AABA form using only I and V chords. I enhanced the harmony by substituted an augmented V chord in several places which gave rise to the melody of the first 4 measures. My form is AABB with the AA repeated. When the repeat occurs, I shift keys for tonal interest before returning to the original key. Trombone glissandi are used in the B sections.

I use flip pdf technology for the musical examples that go along with my posts. It uses Flash Player that most browsers come with. You will be hearing an mp3 of sampled sounds playing the music and you will see the score at the same time. You will need to turn the pages by clicking on the arrows at the appropriate time and you can use the zoom in feature to see more detail on larger scores. To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/Bandscapes_blog.html.

Please read earlier posts for information about earlier movements. As always, your comments are appreciated.

Dr. B

Friday, November 22, 2013

Bandscapes Movements 4, 5, and 6

Since my last post, I am pleased to welcome the Richmond Concert Band, Richmond, VA Mark Poland, Conductor. That makes a total so far of 16. Other bands are still welcome to join and you can be part of the dedication page and receive score and parts for just $50.

The fourth movement is Clarinet Capriccio. Here is the poem:

Clarinets galore!
Soprano, alto, bass, and contrabass.
Woody sounds abound.
Fingers cover holes, flick keys;
Music to please.

Playful and humorous
Piercing and sonorous
Higher and lower
Leader and follower


The capriccio is an Italian movement that is lively and humorous. It is also a prefugal form. The Clarinet Capriccio is in a fast 2 with the exception of four measures of 3/8. This rhythmic change, along with the uses of melodic and harmonic fourths and fifths give the movement its playful quality. Measure 16 begins a section of three-part imitation. The return to the opening and a flourish conclude the movement. If the band has no low clarinets, this movement can still be played as the low clarinet parts are either doubled in the 3rd clarinet or cued in the euphonium and tuba.

The fifth movement movement is a Bassoon Bourée. Here is the poem:


The big bassoon
A cousin of the oboe
Both have two reeds
But its size makes it blow low.

When it plays a Bourée
A French dance from yesterday,
It sounds like grandpa chortling
With notes crisp and shortling.


The French Bourée is a dance in quick duple time with a single upbeat. While the two bassoons play a duet through most of the movement, it can be played with only one bassoon as the 2nd bassooon is cued in the bass clarinet and tuba. As the poem suggests, humor is present through the use of staccato. The wandering chromaticism, the jeering muted trumpets and the unexpected triangle all add to the charm of this movement. 


The sixth movement brings the tour of the woodwind section to a close with a Saxophone Samba. Here is the poem:

The last of a family of wood and wind.
How do the saxophones seem to fit in?
They are made from metal just like the flute
With keys and a reed, like a clarinet they toot.

At home in jazz and also a band
Banned from the orchestra, an outcast at hand.
With their mellow rich sound they surely please
Alto, tenor, and baritone dance a samba with ease.


If the band lacks tenor and/or baritone saxophones, those parts are cued in the euphonium and tuba. The movement begins with a syncopated pyramid that shows the saxophones from low to high. Then the section plays a gentle samba tune which is punctuated by syncopated muted brass. The full band has an interlude for two measures in the middle and joins the saxophones at the end. Jazzy harmonies dominate this movement.


I use flip pdf technology for the musical examples that go along with my posts. It uses Flash Player that most browsers come with. You will be hearing an mp3 of sampled sounds playing the music and you will see the score at the same time. You will need to turn the pages by clicking on the arrows at the appropriate time and you can use the zoom in feature to see more detail on larger scores. To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/Bandscapes_blog.html.

Please read earlier posts for information about earlier movements. As always, your comments are appreciated.

Dr. B

Friday, November 15, 2013

Bandscapes Movements 2 and 3

Since my last post, I am pleased to welcome two additional bands as part of the consortium: Rotterdam Town Band Schenectady, NY Mark Eiser, Conductor and the Gulf Coast Concert Band Pasadena, TX Ben Butler II, Conductor. That makes a total so far of 15. Other bands are still welcome to join and you can be part of the dedication page and receive score and parts for just $50.

The second movement is Flute Fandango. Here is the poem:

The highest woodwinds lead the parade.
The piercing piccolo and fluttering flutes.
Metal descendants from wooden roots.

Blown like a Coke bottle
Keys fingered full throttle.
They dance with dexterity
With Spanish celerity.


The Fandango is a Spanish dance in 3 with rapid passages. It also uses a rhythmic pattern that accents beat 3 in the first measure and beat 2 in the second measure. The percussion begin this movement with that pattern in the tambourine that is reinforced by the timpani, bass drum and a bass line. The flutes and piccolo play the melodic material. It is possible to do this movement with three flutes if a piccolo is not available. Muted brass add to the Spanish color and a bit of imitation of a short motive involves some of the rest of the band near the end. 


The third movement is an Ode to the Oboe. Here is the poem:


Most woodwinds make sound with a single reed
A thin strip of wood that vibrates indeed
The oboe has two, laid back to back
That sounds like a duck, ready to quack.

When placed in a hole at the top of a tube
The quack mellows out and certainly soothes
We pay tribute to the oboe with a lyrical song
Touching the heart where emotions belong.

The first oboe is featured and the second oboe has some fills that are cued in the alto saxophone part if no second oboe is present. It is a lyrical piece in 6/8 with lush harmony. The full band gets to shine for two measures at the climax of the movement towards the middle. 



I use flip pdf technology for the musical examples that go along with my posts. It uses Flash Player that most browsers come with. You will be hearing an mp3 of sampled sounds playing the music and you will see the score at the same time. You will need to turn the pages by clicking on the arrows at the appropriate time and you can use the zoom in feature to see more detail on larger scores. To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/Bandscapes_blog.html.

Please read earlier posts for information about earlier movements. As always, your comments are appreciated.

Dr. B

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Bandscapes Movement 1

There are now 13 bands that are part of the Bandscapes Commission Consortium (see posts below for more information). The two latest bands are the Hinsdale Town Band Hinsdale, NH Matt Kennedy, Conductor and the Dalton-Whitfield Community Band Dalton, GA Ellie Jenkins, Conductor. My initial deadline of November 8th was to determine if there was enough interest to move forward with this project. Other bands are welcome to become a part of the consortium up until the work is completed by the end of December 2013. The cost is only $50 which is not due until after score and parts are sent and the band and conductor will be listed on the dedication page of the score.

I decided to write poetry for the suggested narration for this composition. Poetry is another one of my passions and I have been writing poems for over 40 years. Here is poem for the first movement:

Celebrate the band!
Whirling woodwinds
Bold brass
Pounding percussion

From pickling piccolos
To tumbling tubas
Spectrum of sounds
Delight the senses.

The first movement, Intrada, opens with a fanfare. The Allegro theme is first presented by the woodwinds alone. The woodwinds begin the second statement of the theme with three part imitation before melding into rhythmic unison. In this section, the brass and percussion add the counterpoint. The brass then usher in a contrasting section that is reminiscent of the opening fanfares. The percussion then takes over as the focal point with some brass punctuations derived from the previous section. There is a recapitulation of the woodwind parts of the movement with some slight variation before the coda. The coda returns to the opening fanfare tempo before accelerating to an exciting conclusion. The last chord serves as both an ending for the movement and is purposely slightly unsettled, indicating that there is more to come.

The second movement begins the tour of the individual families of instruments starting with the piccolo and flutes. Each of these movements with be 30"-45" long. Here is narration for the next movement as a teaser of what is to come.

Narration for Flute Fandango

The highest woodwinds lead the parade.
The piercing piccolo and fluttering flutes.
Metal descendants from wooden roots.

Blown like a Coke bottle
Keys fingered full throttle.
They dance with dexterity
With Spanish celerity.

I use flip pdf technology for the musical examples that go along with my posts. It uses Flash Player that most browsers come with. You will be hearing an mp3 of sampled sounds playing the music and you will see the score at the same time. You will need to turn the pages by clicking on the arrows at the appropriate time and you can use the zoom in feature to see more detail on larger scores. To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/Bandscapes_blog.html.

As always, your comments are appreciated.

Dr. B

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Band Commission Consortium - November 6 update

As you can see below, we have enough bands expressing interest to make this a reality. In fact, I have already begun working on the first movement and will be posting about it shortly. If any other bands are interested in joining the consortium, please read the post before this one. I am accepting bands up until the time that the score goes to print, which I anticipate to be around December 31. No money is necessary until you receive the score and parts. Thank you to all the bands that have expressed interest.

Dr. B

Interested Bands as of 11/6/13:

West Valley Pops Band Sun City, AZ Larry Swanson, Conductor
Pomona Concert Band Pomona, CA Linda Taylor, Conductor
Coronado Community Band Coronado, CA Phil Imming, Conductor
Central Florida Winds Satellite Beach, FL Richard Sabino, Conductor
West Bay Community Band Milbrae, CA Doug Miner, Conductor
Suncoast Concert Band Sarasota, FL Robert Stoll, Conductor
Tulare Community Band Tulare, CA Bill Ingram, Conductor
Wauwatosa Community Band Wauwatosa, WI Donna Kummer, Conductor
Shippensburg Band Shippensburg, PA Carl Sponenberg, Conductor
Cottonwood Community Band Cottonwood, AZ Will Norris, Conductor
Green Valley Concert Band Green Valley, AZ John Snavely, Conductor