Duh Suite (Euphoniums)

with Drums

From the composer:

Duh Intro, is a fast contrapuntal piece with declamatory fanfares and a four-octave range. Then comes Duh Odds, a fast, relentless series of odd-meter measures with a variety of tom-toms providing a driving beat (don’t be surprised if you hear some Stravinsky). Movement three is a slow, jazzy ballad named Duh Fool Professors. The percussion accompaniment is all spacey metallic sounds (cymbals, triangles and the like), over wide-interval melodies in the tubas. Duh Blooze calls for lots of laid-back slippin’ and slidin’ and much trading of blues melodies and bass lines–while the drummer plays brushes. In Duh Yaz the tubas are called upon for some super acrobatics. After a scary intro, the group moves into a jazz/rock and samba feel for “the tune”. The middle section is a kind of development section with each tuba taking the limelight, after which there is a return to the tune and a fade ending. The finale is, of course, called Duh KoDa (an acronym based on the initials of the soloists). The music of this movement returns some of the fast scales from the first movement and more wild, declamatory material for all. Like all the movements, it emphasizes interesting and varied rhythmic patterns. The drums are to be played at a drum set by a musician who has jazz and rock “chops” and is encouraged to be creative with the part.