One Day Wonder #206

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

It’s been a while since I’ve written something big’n’nasty. Today’s the day for that. There’s no system in play here. I just wanted to bring out the power of the ensemble. And things get very dissonant. Plus, I’ve been using a lot of repeating forms lately (AABA, ABACA, etc.) and I wanted none of that here. What you get is a free-flowing statement that doesn’t tie itself to the concept of tempo. The first part is forceful without being declamatory. That’s contrasted by a quasi-chorale, followed by a variant of the intro which is gradually taken over by the horn. I really like what happens here. I’m running contrary to my usual tendencies: I tend toward tonality (that ain’t no sin), formality (it’s a to use repeating forms in a two-minute piece) and a sense of tempo (that’s the jazz musician in me). I’d like to write more pieces like this, but I’m a bit afraid that my vocabulary is a little too limited. I can only attempt something similar after I’ve made an evolutionary step. If you check back to #17, which is the same approach, you’ll see that a lot has changed. Like I said, I’m really happy with what goes on here.