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E Suite is the result of a conversation with Chris Combest, who became aware of me as a composer after hearing "Pax Aeternam," a piece I wrote for Danny Rowland. Danny planned to commission Barbara York to write something reminiscent of "How Beautiful," but she had recently passed away. My friend Matt Brown pointed him in my direction, a huge vote of confidence since I had never written for the tuba before. It only seemed fitting to write "Pax Aeternam" in memory of Barbara, who wrote "How Beautiful" in memory of Matt's son, Eli.

A bit more backstory: Matt and I recorded all of Barbara's works for tuba and piano (at least, those written at the time of our recording) and collaborated regularly until he decided to become a woodworker. Through him, I had the pleasure of meeting Barbara, a warm, delightful person and a fellow Canadian. During our interaction, I learned that (like me) she started composing for low brass quite by accident, having received a request that led to another, and another. I'm not sure how much tuba literature is ahead of me, but I've enjoyed my first two forays into writing for this still under appreciated instrument. I am so grateful that my collaboration with Matt Brown showed me the range of possibilities a skilled player can achieve.

 Regarding E Suite, I love the sound of the marimba, a quintessentially African instrument, so when Chris specified that the ensemble would include percussion, I knew where I wanted to begin. "Enchantment" comes from the realm of fairy tales, evoking a far-away land full of wonder, mystery, struggle and danger, with a grumpy troll or witch thrown in.

In "Estrangement," the vibraphone is virtually unchanging and remains distant from the range of the tuba, which becomes more and more insistent, growling angrily on several occasions. I envisioned two people who are on completely different wavelengths: one is done, completely immovable, cold, while the other tries to break through but eventually gives up. I learned about the bowed vibraphone from a composition mentor who suggested including it in my short-form opera, The Place. In this case, I chose it for its icy, otherworldly character.

"Excitement" is kind of like a rap battle, for lack of a better word. The percussionist is free to improvise, if desired, for most of it. The inspiration was a thrilling moment in a jazz concert in which the trumpet and the saxophone traded riffs, backed only by the drums.

In addition to Matt, Danny and Chris, I'm extremely grateful to percussionist Brian Mueller for his suggestions, and to Bryan Doughty (Cimarron Music Press) for publishing this piece. I hope you enjoy it.

Maria Thompson Corley, July 2024

Bio

Maria Thompson Corley (B. Mus, piano, University of Alberta; MM, DMA, piano, The Juilliard School) is a native of Jamaica who moved to Alberta when she was three. She currently lives in Pennsylvania.

Her music has been commissioned, and/or recorded by numerous musicians and entities, including herself, Castle of our Skins, Canadian Art Song Project, Renaissance City Winds, Tacoma Orchestral Recital Series, Juventas New Music Ensemble, Musica Intima, Xavier University in New Orleans, tubists Daniel Rowland and Chris Combest, French hornist Bernhard Scully and pianist Casey Robards, countertenor Darryl Taylor, mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis and sopranos Sequina Dubose, Louise Toppin and Randye Jones, among others. She is published by Gentry, Walton, NoteNova, and North Star. An Associate Composer of the Canadian Music Centre, she is known primarily for her vocal music, including two short form operas composed for The Decameron Opera Coalition. Her opera about John Lewis will be premiered by Cincinnati Opera in 2026.

To learn more about Maria, please visit her website: 

www.mariacorley.com

My sincere thanks to all the members of the Summer 2024 Consortium for "E-Suite". Our goals with this project were to create a new work that showcases the tuba and percussion in a way that is both fun to perform and enjoyable for audiences. Please send any performance programs to either Bryan Doughty (sales@cimarronmusic.com) or Maria Corley (maria_corley@hotmail.com) in order to assist with any ASCAP credit. We hope you enjoy performing "E-Suite", but also be sure to check out Maria's other works for tuba available from Cimarron Music Press!" –Chris Combest, July 2024

Consortium Members

Jeff Baker

Nick Beltchev

Douglas Black

Anna Bosgra

Nick Brown

James Cipriano

Zachary Corpus

Mark Cox

Austin Crumrine

Zach deVries

Steven Dixon

Mark Dundore

Martin Erickson

Caiden River Flowers

Todd French

Steph Frye-Clark

Jack Gardner

Nate Gay

Charles Guy

Brent Harvey

Andrew Hitz

Daniel Honaker

Kevin Ildefonso

Jack Kinsella

Craig Knox

David Kutz

Clayton Maddox

Tuba Bach/Edward Mallett

Sam McHenry

David McLemore

Alejandro Pasten

Sophia Rivera

Scott Roeder

Daniel Rowland

David Saltzman

Chris Schmidt

Braden Shaw

Ryan Sorenson

David Spies

Nick Sullivan

Danielle VanTuinen

Justin Weis

Micky Wrobleski

Stephanie Ycaza

with Piano

…and sundry movements of the heart… for Tuba and Piano. The four movements of this work explore very diverse (“sundry”) musical territories: abstract and serious, songlike, humorous, pensive and transcendent. Many of the musical ideas were generated in spontaneous improvising sessions or by singing–hence, “movements of the heart.”

“Prelude” is anchored in its structure by a bold, serious gesture that is heard at the beginning, middle, and end of the movement, developed differently each time. The two intervening episodes are contrasting in tempo, and materials: the first is more abstract, the second a strong, focused melody.

“Song,” the second movement, is a warmly lyrical tune in a straightforward setting.

The third movement, “Vaudeville,” is light-hearted and witty.

“Standing Stones” is titled after numerous sites in the British Isles where ancient people erected huge stones in circles, singly, or even lining broad avenues. The incredible effort required to do so is mind-boggling, given the tools available to the people. And that they were able to make near-perfect circles, with stones aligned by the positions of sun and moon and seasons is further evidence of their intelligence and dedication to ideas and deep feelings far beyond the daily tasks of survival. The music begins very quietly, in deep tones, enigmatic harmonies, and introspective melodies. The music gradually takes on a brighter sound until it reaches an ecstatic climax.

I. Dance Mix

II. Dark Morning

III. Each Day I Love To Play My Tuba

IV. In The Forest

V. Pirate Song

VI. Read Your Music Carefully

VII. Running Music

VIII. Tubas On Parade

IX. Tuning Duet

X. Your Salmon Fell In The Pickle Juice Learn More