One Day Wonder #204

For 3 horns, 1 trumpet and trombone.

At this point, writing a simple four-part chorale for brass isn’t a viable option. I’ve done that before. And I’ve done it many times. But today’s piece is a variant of the chorale format. I wanted to get a full, ominous sound out of the horns and contrast it with some stark octaves in the trumpet and trombone. That’s the first part. There follows a bit of dialogue between the horns and trumpet/trombone combo and then some full-on ensemble playing. But even during that time, the trumpet and trombone never really buy into what the horns are playing. You know, I tried to get some horn-like warmth from the trumpet and trombone, but it just didn’t work out in this piece, so I preserved the contrast between the two groups. I’m a little neutral with how this turned out. Every time I listen to it, I keep expecting something else to happen. It doesn’t. Perhaps I would have noticed that when I first wrote it.