3, 2, 1...

Brian Balmages

General Info

Year: 2019
Duration: c. 3:15
Difficulty: II-1/2 (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: FJH Music Company
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $60.00 | Score Only (print) - $7.00

Instrumentation

Full Score
Flute I-II
Oboe
Bassoon
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Contra Alto Clarinet
B-flat Contrabass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II
Horn in F
Trombone I-II
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III-IV, including:

Bar Chimes
Bass Drum
Bells
Chimes
Crash Cymbals
Snare Drum
Suspended Cymbal
Tambourine
Tam-tam
Triangle
Xylophone

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

Everyone is still. The countdown begins. And in a single moment, adrenaline surges in an eruption of energy and power. Commissioned by the Indiana Bandmasters Association, this piece has roots in the Indy 500; however, as I began working on the piece, I realized that there is a universal response to nearly any countdown -- it could be a race, a launch, or a multitude of other scenarios. 3, 2, 1... explores the building moments ahead of the countdown as well as the unleashing of energy immediately afterward.

The opening mood certainly anticipates what is coming. It follows my own personal experiences waiting for "the moment." At first, harmonies all move together -- there is a feeling of order and calm. As the event approaches, harmonies continue to change but voices linger, obscuring the harmonic language just slightly. What follows is the musical equivalent of getting shot out of a cannon. It is highly intense and aggressive as the event begins. While this entire section is based on the music from the opening, it goes through many harmonic shifts and meter changes to make everything feel entirely new, yet familiar. There are musical peaks and valleys despite the nonstop rhythmic drive, and everything ultimately builds towards the powerful ending.

- Program Note by composer

Commissioned by the Indiana Bandmasters Association.

- Program Note from score

Media

Audio: Reference recording (Brian Balmages, conductor)

State Ratings

None discovered thus far.

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Niu Valley Middle School Band (Honolulu, Hawai'i) - 7 March 2020 (Hawai’i Band and Orchestra Festival)

Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music

Arabian Dances (Adaptable Band) (2009/2021)
Arith-Metric No. 1 (Adaptable Band) (2020)
Blue Ridge Reel (Adaptable Band) (2013/2020)
Colliding Visions (Adaptable Band) (2010/2020)
Focal Point (Adaptable Band) (2021)
Focal Point. See also: Suite Treats
Jungle Dance (Adaptable Band) (2011/2022)
A Little Matrix Music (Adaptable Band) (2020)
Moscow, 1941 (Adaptable Band) (2006/2020)

All Wind Works

3, 2, 1... (2019)
Action Scene (2022)
African Journey (2001)
Always United, Forever Strong (2013)
American Big Top (2018)
Among the Clouds (2004)
Apollo (2008)
Apparitions (2010)
Arabian Dances (2009)
Arabian Dances (Adaptable Band) (2009/2021)
Arctic Wars (2020)
Arith-Metric No. 1 (Adaptable Band) (2020)
The Awakening (2003)
Backstage Pass (2015)
Beyond the Summit (2004)
Blue Ridge Impressions (2001)
Blue Ridge Reel (2013)
Blue Ridge Reel (Adaptable Band) (2013/2020)
Boom and Bust (2018)
Breaking Point (2019)
Breaking Through (2021)
Bright Morning Stars
Bringer of War (2017)
The Broken Marionette (2014)
Call of the Wild (2013)
Camptown Variations (2001)
Centennium (2021)
Central Junction (2011)
Chant and Savage Dance (2005)
Chesapeake Serenade (2002)
Clutch (2023)
Colliding Visions (2010)
Colliding Visions (Adaptable Band) (2010/2020)
Comet Ride (2006)
Concerto for Two Hands (2015)
Conquest (2003)
Courtly Dance and Procession (2004)
Creatures in the Attic (2010)
The Crystal Fountain (2022)
Dragonfly (2001)
Eagles Among Us (2017)
Electricity (2009)
Elements (2010)
Emblazoned (2023)
Enchantment (2013)
Endless Rainbows (2013)
Escapades (2005/2017)
Escape from the Deep (2010)
Etowah (2008)
Evocatio (2014)
Falcon Fanfare (2012)
Fanfare Canzonique (2003)
Fanfare Forza (2022)
Fanfare Heroica (2011)
Fanfare and Fireworks (2012)
Fanfare on a Theme of Imagination (2015)
A Festive Fanfare (2017)
A Festive Finale (2019)
Fiesta de los Toros (2017)
The Fire's Fury (2022)
Flight (2005)
Flight of the Griffin (2003)
Focal Point (Adaptable Band) (2021)
Focal Point. See also: Suite Treats
Forever... (2014)
Fusion (2007)
Gateways (2018)
Gettysburg (2002)
Grace (2016)
Gravity Wave (2011)
Groove Music (2013)
Haunted Clocks (2014)
Heart of Gold (2020)
A Hero's Destiny (1999)
Homage to Bharat (2018)
A House Divided (2013)
Hypnotic Fireflies (2012)
Ichabod Fanfare (2011)
Images of Ireland (2004)
In Nature's Glory (2002)
Incantation and Ritual (2004)
Industrial Loops (2017)
Infinite Hope (2018)
Instant Christmas Spirit (2001)
Into the Arctic (2015)
Invictus (2000)
Jingle Bell Tones (2004)
Journal for a Soldier (2010)
Journey By Night (1998)
Joy in All Things (2012)
Joy of Life (2015)
Jungle Dance (2011)
Jungle Dance (Adaptable Band) (2011/2022)
Kilauea (2005)
Kindred Spirits (2009)
Kitsune: The Fox Spirits (2010)
Kyiv, 2022 (2022)
Legacy (2002)
Legend (2001)
Legend of the Drop Bear (2016)
A Life Worth Living (2023)
A Light at the End of Forever (2016)
A Little Matrix Music (Adaptable Band) (2020)
Lone, Wild Bird (as arranger) (c. 1835/2023)
Loudoun Praises (2005)
Love and Light (2020)
Lullaby to the Moon (2017)
Majestica (2006)
Marche Diabolique (2014)
Metal (2013)
Metamorphic Dances (2019)
Midnight on Main Street (2009)
Midnight Suite
- Midnight Mission (2005)
- Midnight Sky (2006)
- Midnight Madness (2007)
Miles of Blue (2020)
Miramar Fanfare (2003)
Moscow, 1941 (2006)
Moscow, 1941 (Adaptable Band) (2006/2020)
Motion (2006)
Nevermore (2011)
Not Afraid to Dream (2006)
The Nutcracker (as arranger) (2008)
O Mio Babbino Caro (2000)
Of Emperors and Chariots (2000)
Olympia (2005)
On Top of the World (2017)
Open Space (2014)
Parade of the Jesters (2002)
Pele (2004)
Phasing Thunder (2014)
Pikes Peak (2019)
Pixelated World (2020)
Pride of the Clipper (2020)
Primal Dances (2018)
Proclamation (2000)
Proudly We Hail (as arranger) (1814/2002)
Radiance (2018)
Raging Machines (2008)
Rain (2008)
Rapture (2022)
Renaissance Reimagined (2017)
Reverberations (2009)
Rhythms and Riffs‎ (2008)
Rippling Watercolors (2015)
Rise of the Bladesmith (2012)
Rite of Passage (2000)
Rocky Mountain Romp (2007)
Sapier's Story (2002)
Scenes from an Ocean Voyage (2009)
A Scottish Festival (2021)
Shadow Waltzes (2016)
Shadows Unleashed (2013)
Shenandoah Triptych (2002)
Shrine of the Fallen (2016)
Silence Overwhelmed (2010)
Smithsonian Suite (2003)
A Solitary Wish (2017/2018)
Sound Prisms (2002)
Sparks (2007)
The Spirit of Aloha (2015)
Spirit of the Stallion (2016)
Spontaneous Beings (2017)
Stages (2021)
Stampede (2010)
Star Above, Shine Brightly (2001)
The Star-Spangled Banner (as arranger) (1814/2014)
Starscapes (2007)
Starsplitter Fanfare (2009)
Still (2012)
Suite Treats. See: Focal Point
Summer Dances (2000)
Summer Resounding! (2008)
Summit City (2006)
Sun Cycles (2012)
Super (Em)Powers (2020)
Swirling Prisms (2017)
Symphonic Episodes (2004)
Symphony No. 1 for Brass (1998)
Synthesis (2016)
The Tears of Arizona (2016)
Temple of the Murals (2011)
That Which Binds Us (2015)
Three Celtic Dances (2008)
Thrill Ride (2019)
Through Courageous Eyes (2003)
Through the Mist (2009)
Thunderbolt Fanfare (2019)
To Dance Among the Stars (2020)
Tomorrow's Yesterdays (2011)
Trust in Angels (2017)
Twittering Machine (2017)
Unknown (2022)
A View of the World (2001)
Waves (2007)
Whale Warriors (2009)
What I Do Today... (2022)
When Spirits Soar (2006)
Whispering Winds (2003)
The Wild One! (2023)
Winged Victory (2007)
Wings to the Mind (2021)
Winter Dances (2001)
Within the Castle Walls (2012)

Resources

Brian Balmages website Accessed 18 April 2021
Perusal score