One Day Wonder #190

For 2 horns, 3 trumpets, 2 trombones and tuba.

I woke up this morning in a march mood. OK, so I’ve done that before. How is this going to be different? Here’s how: I’m going modal, so watch out! Instead of the minor feel of #41 or the major feel of #54 or the major/minor feel of #125, what happens here is the lovely Phrygian mode – with a difference. For anybody who’s interested, the Phrygian mode is is based on the third degree of the scale. In this instance, our reference key is C, so its third degree is E. But the difference is that I employ the full-on dominant when coming cadencing back to E. This runs a little contrary to theory, but it makes for some very interesting sound. It’s not a true minor, since the second degree is flatted, but there’s also a very strong dominant that pops up all along the way. That makes for some good stuff. I like this piece very much. The A theme rocks and it evolves along the way, thanks to the three trumpets playing it. I feel very good about the B theme, but the C theme took some time to get right. It’s not a memorable tune, because it dodges around what’s really going on. Basically, I picked notes that would go along with the unsupported martial rhythms in the trumpets. I know that’s kind of an awful admission, but I had such a great thing going, I figured that nothing could screw it up. I’m right about that, as everything works out fine, but there’s one thing that still bugs me. It’s measure 85. Seriously, I’ve rewritten it at least a dozen times and it still doesn’t sound right. I’ve tried different harmony and different instruments playing various lines, but nothing seems to work. I’ve tried all these different things and I still wince at it whenever it plays. What am I doing wrong?? Well, nevertheless, it’s a fine piece that I really like – except for that one measure. Maybe someday I’ll figure it out. For the moment, I’ll keep it as-is, because I might just make it worse with some other harebrained idea. But honestly, this is a very good piece that you should treasure.