Arizona Centennial Overture - Easier Band Version

I have completed the reworking of the more advanced band version into an easier band version. The instrumentation is the same. The ranges, particularly brass and saxophone have been adjusted, most of the time by taking passages down an octave. The technique has been simplified as follows:

Fanfare and Pioneer Section where quarter =120
- Four sixteenth notes are changed to eighth and two sixteenths or two sixteenths and an eighth. Below is an example where I divide the four 16ths giving two 16ths and an 8th to some instruments and 8th and two 16ths to others. The techniques is easier, but the sound still comes out like four 16ths. The first example is from the advanced version followed by the easier version clarinet parts at measures 9 & 10.

 

In the above example, I omitted the slur from the two 16ths to the 8th in the 2nd and third clarinets by accident. The advanced version uses the two slurred, two tongued articulation to make the technique more characteristic for woodwinds. In creating the easier version, slurring the two 16ths into the eighth is more characteristic. This is an illustration of why one cannot proofread their work often enough. It has now been corrected in the score.

- Some high woodwind trills are taken down an octave.
- Other woodwind parts are taken down a octave to avoid more awkward fingerings.
- Some brass parts are taken down an octave to make range and endurance easier.

Native American Section
- Flute solo simplified by removing most grace notes, changing the quintuplet to four 16th notes, and replacing 32nd notes with 16th note figures. The example below shows the advanced version followed by the easier version.

- Tom-tom figures simplified by replacing 32nd notes with 16th note figures.

Hispanic Section and Ending where quarter = 132
- Four 16ths replaced with 8th and two 16ths.
- Some brass parts are taken down an octave to make range and endurance easier.

The next step is to review the parts for formatting and any errors that may come to light. Then it is on to creating the orchestral versions.

To see and hear what I have discussed in previous posts, go to http://www.cooppress.net/aco_blog.html. Audio and visual examples are provided to illustrate my discussion . Since blogspot does not have the capability of including audio examples, this link will navigate you away from this blog. To return, use your browser's back button or click on the Composing Insights link on the audio page. You will have two choices to hear the audio examples. The first uses a free Scorch plug-in that will enable you to see a scrolling score as you listen to the audio example. The second is an mp3 file of the audio only. The complete score is now transposed. If you would like to receive notifications of new blog posts, sign up to follow this blog.