Music by Underrepresented Composers

In class on Monday, we listened to a selection of brass ensemble literature that was written by underrepresented composers.  These works were all intriguing in their own way.  I will discuss these performances and then showcase some more music by these composers.  For more information about these composers, feel free to check out Mr. John Manning's blog post about this subject here.

Tania León

Saoko

Originally written in 1997, Saoko was written for brass quintet.  Saoko's technical definition is difficult to come across but it is often used as slang to describe a great Salsa song.  Being from Cuba, I think Tania León does a fantastic job of infusing this still of Salsa into a classical brass quintet.  I thoroughly enjoyed how active and rhythmic this piece was.  The rhythmic drive from the bass line maintains the forward momentum of the piece.  Viewing this rhythm in the score was a bit of a mind-twister.  Thankfully, the rhythm is very grove-based and seems like once you pick it up, it wouldn't be too hard to maintain.  Overall, I really like this piece.  The aleatoric sections are particularly fun for me as I have always enjoyed aleatoric music.  

Ascend

Although Saoko is by far Tania León's most popular piece for brass, she has written several other pieces for brass ensembles.  One such work is Ascend.  This piece was first released in 1983 after a commission from the Queens Symphony.  The piece calls for four horns, four trumpets, three trombones, a tuba, and three percussionists.  This piece can be found at Tania León's publishers website (peermusic).  

Marti Epstein

L'homme Armé

Originally written for the Iowa Brass Quintet, L'homme Armé is a piece that to me resembles a small collection of soundscapes.  As the piece slowly progresses, the ideas that form the basis of the piece slowly shift and change.  From a listener’s perspective, there are parts of the piece that I really enjoy and then there are parts where I feel as though the piece gets monotonous and boring.  However, I think the shifting sounds create really interesting different soundscapes that I enjoy hearing.

The Five Chairs

Marti Epstein has written a great deal of music including multiple brass quintets.  Besides L'homme Armé, Epstein has also written brass quintets for the Atlantic Brass Quintet and the New England Brass Quintet.  Her piece, The Five Chairs was commissioned by the later of these two groups and was finished in 1990.  There are a few recordings of the piece including the one here which is on Epstein’s SoundCloud.  In order to order this piece, check out Epstein’s website.

Anthony Barfield

Invictus

In terms of my favorite modern composers, Anthony Barfield ranks high on the list.  His work is truly fantastic.  The lyricism in his work truly shines through in all of his pieces.  Barfield's piece Invictus was written in the last year (2020) and is focused on New York City.  In particular, it deals with the conflicts of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the Black Lives Matter protests.  Listening to this piece is truly enjoyable.  The harmony is so thick and beautiful.  Overall, I think everyone can find something in this piece regardless of whether you are a musician or not.  

Here We Rest

Growing up on trombone, Barfield has written a great of music for trombones and brass as a whole.  Dedicated to the state of Alabama after the devastating tornado in 2011, Here We Rest is one of two trombone choir pieces written by Barfield.  The piece attempts to capture the pain that many of the people felt as a result of the trombone.  Personally, I think Barfield does a fantastic job of capturing these emotions and creating a stunning and enjoyable piece.  To order the piece, I would recommend checking out Barfield's website here.

Libby Larson

Fanfare for a Learned Man

Written in 2005, Fanfare for a Learned Man "celebrates and honors the life and achievements of Dr. James Billington."  More comments about Dr. Billington can be found at the hyperlink.  As a prolific composer, Larson's works have been performed by hundreds of groups.  This particular brass quintet is certainly enjoyable.  The harmonies are full and thick and the melodies are simple yet enjoyable.  My only issue with the piece is that practically every instrument is playing all the time.  The same sounds appear throughout the piece and there isn't much of a character change.  Otherwise, this is a great piece!

Brazen Overture

As a prolific composer, Larson has been commissioned by several brass groups to write music.  The results of one such commission is her piece Brazen Overture.  Written in 2000, this piece was the Monarch Brass's fanfare for their performance at the National Women's Museum.  This piece is very interesting.  It opens with a tuba solo which is something I've never seen done before.  To find out more about the piece and to purchase the piece, please see Larson's page.  

Thea Musgrave

Variations for Brass Band

A student of Nadia Boulanger, Thea Musgrave has been a prolific composer of a variety of pieces.  Her piece Variations for Brass Band is one of a handful of pieces that Musgrave wrote for brass instruments.  As a listener, I have always enjoyed brass band music.  In particular, I appreciate how composers are able to create different sonorities based on the various instrumentation in the ensemble.  I think Musgrave does a great job of this concept in this piece.  Her depth of musical writing shows through as she allows a challenging motive be varied in multiple different ways.  Each of these ways shows a unique character that is enjoyable and intriguing simultaneously.

The Voices of Our Ancestors

As a prominent opera composer, a great deal of Musgrave's work uses vocals alongside of another ensemble.  In the case of The Voices of Our Ancestors, the ensemble is a brass quintet.  For her 90th birthday, a group of performers set out to perform a selection of Musgrave's works.  This recording was taken from that performance.  Although I would imagine it to be rather unlikely to hear this piece too often, I still think that the instrumentation is unique and intriguing and something to notice.  This piece can be purchased here.  Musgrave has written some amount of brass music including a fanfare (although not listed on her website) and a horn solo accompanied by horn choir piece.  

Florence Anna Maunders

Transmission I

Followers of this blog know that this is not the first time I have talked about this piece by Florence Anna Maunders (see my blog post from February 22).  However, when it came up in class, I was excited to talk about this piece again.  In Maunders's words, this piece is pulsating and exciting.  Originally written for The Brass Project, Transmission I is truly what Maunders claims it to be.  The piece is fun and exciting with rhythmic intensity across each part.  

Transmission II

Much like its predecessor, Transmission II is based off of the idea of a the transmission of a car.  In particular, Maunders points to the strict mathematical relationship of the gears in the transmission as the driving idea behind this piece.  Like Transmission I, this piece juxtaposes an 11 beat pattern against 2 and 4 beat patterns.  Maunders also states in the notes of this piece how this piece is also a "Trans Mission."  She states how her music celebrates transformation of various ideas from one thing to another and this piece does a great job of showcasing this.  If you are interested in checking out either of these two pieces, feel free to check out Maunders's website here.