Emoticons Movement III

This is the third movement of my latest three-movement composition for tuba/euphonium quartet called Emoticons. It is being composed as a result of a commissioning consortium consisting of the Tarnished Brass - Rowlett, TX, the University of North Carolina - Greensboro, NC, the Triangle Tuba Quartet - Durham, NC, the University of Tennessee - Knoxville, TN, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga - Chattanooga, TN, and Kansas State University - Manhattan, KS. More groups are welcome to the join the consortium as the deadline for expressing interest has been extended until June 30, 2015. For more information, please visit http://www.cooppress.net

The idea behind Emoticons is to symbolically represent emotions and this last movement is Euphoria. As you can see and hear, it is in a fast tempo and is in a rondo form ABACABA. The tonality is major with some borrowed chords to spice things up. There are frequent modulations to add variety to the tonality.

The A section is very rhythmic as it alternates meters of 6/8 with meters where the quarter note gets the beat. The eighth note remains constant throughout these meter changes. I used 2/8 instead of 1/4 because I thought it would be less confusing, but the 2/8 has one quarter note beat in it. Sudden shifts in dynamics are used in the A sections to add interest since the A section occurs four times.

The B sections also have meter changes but the quarter note beat dominates with an occasional 3/8 thrown in.

The C section is the central section and is in 4/4 time and more legato for contrast. It begins with the two tubas, then adds canons with the top three instruments while the 2nd tuba does a staccato accompaniment, and finally the melody appears in the 2nd euphonium while the other parts accompany. The A and B sections are primarily C major while the C section explores the mediant keys E major and Ab major, before moving to A major for the last statement.

Your comments are always appreciated.

Dr. B

Emoticons Movement II

This is the second movement of my latest three-movement composition for tuba/euphonium quartet called Emoticons. It is being composed as a result of a commissioning consortium consisting of the Tarnished Brass - Rowlett, TX, the University of North Carolina - Greensboro, NC, the Triangle Tuba Quartet - Durham, NC, the University of Tennessee - Knoxville, TN, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga - Chattanooga, TN, and Kansas State University - Manhattan, KS. More groups are welcome to the join the consortium as the deadline for expressing interest has been extended until June 30, 2015. For more information, please visit http://www.cooppress.net

The idea behind Emoticons is to symbolically represent emotions, in this case, loneliness. I do that by using a slow tempo, minor modes, wandering chromaticism, and frequent descending melodic lines.  One way to understand this movement is to observe the four groups of musical ideas that are use. The first is measures 1-4 which uses the wandering chromaticism. The second is measures 5-9 that has the descending line with the triplet figure, often in imitation. The third group is the eighth-quarter-eighth syncopation that is more vertical in structure utilizing minor chords, chords in 4ths, and extended tertian harmony. Much of the harmony in this section is derived by letting each part find the direction it wants to go while keeping in mind the overall vertical structure. These ideas first appears at measures 10 and 11. The last idea is the sixteenth note minor melodic line that is accompanied by the syncopated harmony. It first appears at measures 12-15.

The overall form is ABA. The first two sections mentioned above form the A. The order of these sections is reversed and extended when A returns at the end. The bulk of the movement is development of sections 3 and 4 during the B section. This B section builds in intensity through increased dynamics and tempo. It is as if the lonely person is becoming full of regret at what might have been. The intensity is finally spent when the music transitions back to the A section.

Your comments are always appreciated.

Dr. B

Emoticons Movement I

My latest composition is a three-movement composition for tuba/euphonium quartet called Emoticons. It is being composed as a result of a commissioning consortium consisting of the Tarnished Brass - Rowlett, TX, the University of North Carolina - Greensboro, NC, the Triangle Tuba Quartet - Durham, NC, the University of Tennessee - Knoxville, TN, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga - Chattanooga, TN, and Kansas State University - Manhattan, KS. More groups are welcome to the join the consortium as the deadline for expressing interest has been extended until June 30, 2015. For more information, please visit http://www.cooppress.net

During the writing of this composition, I was saddened to learn of the untimely and tragic  passing of one of the participants, Kelly G. Thomas, tuba professor at the the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Therefore this composition is dedicated to the consortium and is written in memory of Kelly G. Thomas.

The idea behind Emoticons is to symbolically represent emotions. The first movement was to be Jealousy, but once the movement was completed, Bravura seemed to fit it better. What was to be a movement where each instrument tried to outdo the others turned into a dazzling display of self-confidence. The movement opens with a statement of self-confidence by the entire quartet that is interrupted by tubas then the euphoniums each showing their strength. The section at measure 23 has each of the euphoniums playing "bravura" lines over a staccato tuba accompaniment. The section at 35 reverses the roles and the two tuba parts are in canon. A dotted eighth and sixteenth note pyramid figure is introduced at measure 31 and becomes an important part of the movement. It is as if each instrument was saying "here I am." The movement continues to develop using these ideas and variations of these ideas and somewhat resembles an arch form.

Your comments are always appreciated.

Dr. B

Playground Movement 3 - Swings

This is the is the third movement of a three movement composition for Drei Bones ( a trombone trio) called Playground by Sy Brandon. The title "Swings" is a double entendre representing the playground swing and a swing style of music.

After a brief two measure introduction, the swing representations begin. In the first movement, I used ups and downs to represented the seesaw. This movement also has ups and downs, but I also ask the musicians to set up so that he first and second trombone are on opposite sides of the stage with the bass trombone in the middle. For the recording that you will hear, I create this effect through panning. This adds the dimension of side to side as well as up and down, therefore representing a swing.

I create variety in this movement through tonality shifts, dynamics, and rhythm and meter changes. The texture is often monophonic as one descending swinging line gives way to another ascending swinging line. Sometimes the bass trombone emphasizes the bottom of the arc or harmonizes the ascending or descending line.  At measure 25 and again at measure 60, each trombone is its own complete swing but the entrances are offset by two beats creating a canon. Picture three swings out of sync with each other during this section. The introductory idea is used and developed for transitions and an ending.

Your comments are always appreciated.

Dr. B

Playground Movement 2 - Slides

This is the is the second movement of a three movement composition for Drei Bones ( a trombone trio) called Playground by Sy Brandon. It was the idea of trombone glissandi representing playground slides that gave rise to this composition.

There are two main ideas used in this movement. the first is a rising pattern consisting of steps and leaps. This represents climbing the steps to the top of the slide. The second idea is the descending glissandi that represent going down the slide. There are many variants of these two ideas throughout the movement. The first version occurs in measures 1 and 2. Measure 3 and 4 is the first variant where the rising figure begins on the and of beat one instead of on the downbeat, the eighth note triplet is turned into a sixteenth note triplet, and the slide takes four beats instead of three. Measure 5 is filler material that reminds me of kids laughing and having fun.

The pickups to measure seven begin a section of imitation where three different kids are exploring smaller slides. This continues all the way to measure 17.  Measures 18, 19, and 20 use an extended version of the rising climbing motif as excitement builds to trying bigger and bigger slides. Measure 25 introduces a new variant of the slide motif where downward slides are piled closer together creating even more intensity. Measure 31 brings the listener to the biggest slide that climbs even higher and takes longer to descend. Measures 39 and 40 is a short coda using both the climbing and sliding motifs.

Your comments are always appreciated.

Dr. B

Playground Movement 1 - Seesaw

This is the is the first movement of a three movement composition for Drei Bones ( a trombone trio) called Playground by Sy Brandon. The other movements will be called Slides and Swings.

I began the movement with a two measure syncopated figure that I refer to as the "playground motif." This figure and variants of it serve as a means of linking various seesaw users similar in concept to Mussorgsky's Promenade in Pictures at an Exhibition, but on a much smaller scale.

What I am trying to musically represent is the ups and downs of a seesaw. I was surprised by the number of different ways that I was able to do this and each section represents a different type of seesaw user. The A section (measures 1-14)  is the more aggressive type of seesaw user. Its rhythms are snappy and the dynamics loud. The B section (measures 15-24) represents those users who are laughing and having a good time. The rhythms are even, the articulation staccato, and the up and down idea is represented in a single line. Measures 25-50 is the C sections which is more flowing representing a romantic couple enjoying the ride. The dynamic is softer and the rhythmic activity is at a slower pace.

The movement is in an inverted arch form ABCBA. I refer to it as inverted because the climax of the form occurs at the beginning and the end and the middle sections are more relaxed.

The movement ends with the person at the bottom getting off suddenly causing the person at the top to plop to the ground.

Antics for Elementary Band - Movement II - Squirrels in a Park

This composition is being composed as part of a commissioning consortium where each participant contributes a small amount towards the commission fee and receives local premiere rights for up to a year after the composition is completed. The deadline for joining this commission consortium is January 31, 2015. For more information about the consortium, please visit http://www.cooppress.net/page9/page385/index.html

The second movement of this two-movement composition is "Squirrels in a Park."The overall tone of this movement is playful. Two measures of a repeated staccato chord serve as an introduction to the playful theme that consists mainly of rising and descending arpeggios. This section repeats at measure 11. An 8 measure contrasting section, beginning at measure 19, is in the subdominant tonality of Eb. Measure 27 brings back the A theme.

Picture a squirrel cracking a nut in this next section that begins at measure 35 with a wood block solo. This section is in C major. A modulation towards the end of the section brings the band back to Bb major for a repeat of the A section. Measure 60 begins with two measures of a repeated staccato chord like the introduction, but this time in Eb major. The melody is legato accompanied by staccato chords. I envision squirrels playing in trees during this section.

The "nut-cracking" section comes next before a return of the opening AABA material that has a little surprise as part of the ending. The overall form is AABACADDCAABA. Articulations, tonality shifts, and instrumentation are the major components that provide variety in this otherwise unified composition.

I export my Sibelius Music Notation file as a movie (new to version 7.5). I also use Noteperformer software for the sounds. These are sample sounds, but the software also includes an algorithm that reads ahead in the music and phrases the music according to context, therefore making the realization closer to live performance. I  upload these videos to youtube and embed the video for each movement. Be sure to use full screen mode to see large score more clearly. I hope that this technology allows the reader to have an easier experience and a more realistic performance. To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/Antics_blog.html. 

As always, your comments are appreciated.
Dr. B