One Day Wonder #291

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

Well, I was able to put aside all the bad thoughts that brought about #290, so I’m back to the age-old chase for something to write. In the past, I’ve tried to use divergent motion in a few pieces (most of them are pre-#100) and none of them worked out very well. This was basically because instruments that diverge will reach the top or bottom of their range fairly quickly. I didn’t know how to work with that factor. In addition, the further the instruments get from each other, the weaker the harmony is between them. All of those pre-#100 experiments became an exercise in damage control to a certain degree because of those and other variables. This piece wouldn’t be like those. And it’s not. Once the notes are high or low enough, they re-converge and I’m not working with a very strong harmonic scheme. I’m also not too adamant about having unique formal elements, so what you’re getting in intro-AABACDBA. There’s nothing particularly new about that framework. And this is what you get. It may sound like it could have been written 100 or 200 pieces ago, but I have to disagree. I never really figured out what went wrong with those other tunes, but straight from the beginning, I figured out how things would have to go in order for it to work. Do I like it? At this point, does it matter? OK, maybe I’m still under the cloud that generated #290, but if I can move past it. I’ve lived with uncertainty and doubt for so long now that they’re familiar companions. It’s just that some days (and weeks) they get the best of me. This might be one of them. In any case, I’ve decided to finish the project, come what may.