Please DONATE to help with maintenance and upkeep of the Wind Repertory Project!

Symphony for Brass (Stephenson)

From Wind Repertory Project
Jump to navigation Jump to search
James Stephenson

James Stephenson


Subtitle: Large Ensemble with Percussion


General Info

Year: 2014
Duration:
Difficulty: V (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Stephenson Music
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $80.00; (digital) - $80.00
The second movement, Just B, may be purchased and performed separately.


Movements

1. Allegro – 7:00
2. Just B
- 8:00


Instrumentation

Full Score
B-flat Piccolo Trumpet
C Trumpet I-VII (III doubles Flugelhorn)
Horn in F I-II-III-IV-V-VI
Trombone I-II-III
Bass Trombone
Euphonium I-II
Tuba I-II-III
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III-IV-V, including:

  • Bass Drum
  • Bongos
  • China Cymbals
  • Conga
  • Crash Cymbals (2)
  • Glockenspiel
  • Marimba
  • Snare Drum
  • Suspended Cymbal
  • Tambourine
  • Tam-Tam
  • Tom-Toms (4)
  • Triangle
  • Vibraphone
  • Wood Block
  • Xylophone


Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

Though I have written quite a significant amount of solo and chamber brass music, a hole in my catalog has always been anything for large-scale brass ensemble. I played in a brass ensemble as a young trumpeter, and always enjoyed the experience tremendously. There is almost nothing like the experience of 25 or so brass players, especially when combined with percussion, all breathing together and simultaneously producing large volumes of sound. Therefore, when asked by the Messiah College Brass Choir to compose a new significant work for brass choir, I immediately agreed, excited at the opportunity to try my hand at the repertoire already quite well represented. The idea was to compose a standalone first movement, and to add other movements over time.

The music: The introduction is ominous, with tension built from notes emanating from a unison C-sharp. A four-note motif is first introduced in the French horns, and echoed elsewhere throughout the ensemble. This four-note idea is explored in many aspects throughout the movement: in different keys, upside-down, slower, faster, etc. There is an almost constant dialogue between F-sharp minor, and F Major, with the C-sharp being the main cornerstone for the argument. The bulk of the movement comes in the F Major allegro – a very energetic tour de force which puts the entire ensemble through its paces. Much of the early tension is resolved through heroic full ensemble sonority on couple of occasions, before a final statement is repeated cementing F Major as the decided key.

I would sincerely like to thank the Messiah College for presenting me with this opportunity, and specifically to Bill Stowman and Mike Harcrow (the opening horns are for you, Mike!), for spearheading the efforts to make this happen!

- Program Note by composer


Commissioned by the Messiah College Brass Choir and Murray Library at Messiah College.

- Program Note from score


Media


State Ratings

None discovered thus far.


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

  • New England Conservatory (Boston, Mass.) Symphonic Winds (William Drury, conductor) - 25 February 2020


Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music


All Wind Works


Resources

Retrieved from "https://www.windrep.org/index.php?title=Symphony_for_Brass_(Stephenson)&oldid=364850"