Baron Piquant on Pointe

Donald Grantham

General Info

Year: 2011
Duration: c. 5:15
Difficulty: III (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Piquant Press
Cost: Score and Parts (Purchase) - $175.00

Instrumentation

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

Bass Drum
Bongos
Claves
Egg Shakers (two pairs)
Glockenspiel (or Orchestra Bells)
Guiro
Hi-Hat
Marimba
Mark Tree
Pedal Bass Drum
Suspend Cymbal
Tambourine
Tam-tam
Tubular Bells (or Chimes)
Vibraphone

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

Baron Piquant on Pointe is the fourth in a series of dance pieces based on characters drawn from voodoo lore; the previous three are Baron Cimetiere's Mambo, Baron Samedi's Sarabande (and Soft Shoe), and Baron La Croix's Shuffle. The four Barons (or one; some voodoo practitioners maintain that the different names all refer to the same person) are all members of the family Ghede (pronounced Gay-day) —the loas (spirits) in charge of the intersection between the living and the dead. Despite this grim association, the Barons have a lighter side. All four are notorious tricksters with a marked fondness for brandy and tobacco. All dress alike—in black tailcoats and tall black hats, dark glasses with one lens missing, and carry canes and smoke cigars. The music depicts both their dark and light sides. Textures are primarily transparent and ethereal, but the atmosphere of all four is a bit sinister, mordant, and menacing.

Baron Piquant on Pointe was commissioned in 2011 by a consortium organized by the Whitthorne Middle School Band of Columbia, Tennessee; Joshua Kearney and Joshua Yohe, directors.

- Program Note by composer

Media

Audio CD: North Texas Wind Symphony (Eugene Migliaro Corporon, conductor) - 2014

State Ratings

None discovered thus far.

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Calvin University (Grand Rapids, Mich.) Wind Ensemble (Tiffany Engle, conductor) - 14 April 2023
Stephen F. Austin State University (Nacogdoches, Tx.) Symphonic Band (Chris Kaatz, conductor) - 17 October 2021
University of Wisconsin-Madison Concert Band (Corey Pompey, conductor) – 18 February 2020
University of Texas (Austin) Symphony Band (Tiffany Galus, conductor) – 30 October 2019
Illinois State University (Normal) Symphonic Winds (Anthony Marinello, III, conductor) – 24 April 2019
University of North Texas (Denton) University Band (Jacqueline Townsend, conductor) – 23 April 2018
Columbus State University Wind Orchestra (Joshua Kearney, conductor) – 1 December 2011 *Premiere Performance*

Works for Winds by This Composer

After Hafiz (2016)
Amber Sky
Baron Cimetiere's Mambo (2004)
Baron Piquant on Pointe (2011)
Baron La Croix's Shuffle (2007)
Baron Samedi's Sarabande (and Soft Shoe) (2005)
Bum's Rush (1994)
Chant and Hymn for Our Lady
Circa 1600 (2018)
Cloudless Day, Bitter Sky (2002)
"Come Memory..." (2002)
Concerto in One Movement for Bass Trombone (1979)
Court Music (2005)
Don't You See? (2001)
Effulgent Light (2017)
Exhilaration and Cry (2008)
Fantasy on "In Dulci Jubilo" (2015)
Fantasy on "La Golondrina" (2003)
Fantasy on Mr. Hyde's Song (1998)
Fantasy Variations (1927/1998)
Farewell to Gray (2001)
Fayetteville Bop (2002)
From "An Alabama Songbook" (2007)
- Honey in the Rock (2008)
JS Dances (2003)
J'ai été au bal (1999)
Kentucky Harmony (2000)
Let Evening Come (Grantham) (2014)
Lone Star Twister (2008)
Music for the Blanton (2006)
Northern Celebration (2001)
Phantasticke Spirites (2002)
Shenandoah (2017)
Southern Harmony (1998)
- Wondrous Love (2008)
Sol y Sombra (2014)
Spangled Heavens (2010)
Starry Crown (2007)
Symphony for Winds and Percussion (2009)
- Stomp (Grantham) (2009)
Summer of 2008 (2008)
Thunderbird
Trumpet Gloria (2006)
Tuba Concerto (Grantham) (2012)
An Uneasy Mrch
Variations on an American Cavalry Song (2001)
What Comes Around... (2017)
A Winter Sky (2022)

Resources

Donald Grantham website
Ginocchio, John F. "Baron Piquante on Pointe." In Teaching Music through Performance in Band. Volume 9, edit. & comp. by Richard Miles, 297-307. Chicago: GIA Publications, 2013.