Below are all three movements of a three-movement Sonata that I have created in memory of my dear friend, Hornist, and composer/arranger, David Baptist. To read more about Dave, visit http://todd.macshare.com/davidbaptist/index.html This work was created with the support of a commissioning consortium. For more information, visit http://cooppress.net
This first movement is heroic in style as Dave was one of my heroes. He had so much talent and yet was very humble. He was one of the first friends we made when we moved to Arizona and his sense of humor was priceless. The movement is in a modified sonata form. Measures 1-22 is the main theme, measures 23-40 the secondary theme, and measures 41-59 the closing theme. The clarity themes are slightly obscured due to a carry over of material. The development section uses motifs from all three themes and goes from measures 59-94. The recapitulation begins at 94 with the secondary theme, then the closing theme and finally the main theme therefore creating an arch form.
The second movement reflects Dave's love of jazz. This bluesy movement uses a slight twist of the blues scale. Normally the lowered third is in the melody and the normal 3rd in the harmony. While this occurs in this movement, the reverse also occurs. The normal third is in the melody and the lowered third is in the harmony. Frequent use of both the normal and lowered versions of the 5th and 7th also occur. The form builds to a climax about two-thirds through before returning to the opening material.
The third movement is in a modified rondo form. The 2/4, 5/8 rhythm of the A theme was inspired by my counting my vitamins in the morning to make sure that I had what I was supposed to take. I counted 1234 12345 which gave rise to the rhythmic pattern. The asymmetrical meter idea is carried over into the B theme where it begins with 4 measures of 5/8 followed by alternating 2/4 and 3/4. The character is similar to the A theme. The C theme is radically different and sounds more like a development with its repeated Horn notes and changing harmonies underneath. I am in the process of preparing Dave's compositions for publication and observed that Dave used this technique frequently. After the C section the themes return as B followed by A and a coda. The odd meters, articulation, and dynamic surprises create a lighter, more humorous movement.
