Search results for: 'concerto tuba and wood wind ensemble'

with downloadable backing track

As its title implies, Concerto a la mode was composed both as a journey in exploring different styles and as a treat for the audience and performer. After a slow, lyrical introduction, the first movement, “Flan de Queso”, erupts into a Spanish march that pushes the performer to his or her limits. Percussion acts as a motor throughout the movement, which ends with a lyrical transition to “Crepe Suzette”. The solo tuba line sings throughout the second movement, backed by the lush harmonies of the accompaniment. Drum set kicks off the final movement, which features a driving rock/jazz style throughout. Influenced by its American popular music roots, “Apple Pie” has an improvisatory feel in the solo tuba line and a “tonality with bite” harmonic vocabulary.

– Ben Miles

Recording is from the Orchestral version

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with CD; A Melodrama for Tuba and CD/Theme and Variations for Tuba and CD or downloaded sounds Learn More

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From the composer:

Monolith was composed during the most tempestuous year in my lifetime. Daily headlines were something out of a dystopian or science fiction movie.

One such headline addressed Monoliths mysteriously appearing around the world. Some speculated aliens and others, vigilante artists. Either way, it was the rare headline that brought a bit of wonder and brevity to a emotionally draining year of pandemics and social unrest. My former colleague and friend, Kyle Millsap approached me in the fall of 2020 about writing a piece for an upcoming album of his that would feature music for solo trumpet with fixed media. Because of the pandemic, I had spent many more hours than usual in front of a computer with new, to me, software like Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro so I thought, “sure, why not?”

The result of that collaboration was “Monolith.” Kyle is a towering figure in his own right standing at an impressive 6 feet 8 inches tall and a fan of popular science fiction shows like Dr. Who and Star Trek. Monolith is programmatic in nature and meant to depict towering Monoliths falling from the sky and crash landing on Earth and asking the age-old question: does extraterrestrial life exist? If so, can it co-exist with humanity?

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This piece is another attempt of mine to bridge the significant gap between dance music and concert music. There are large 12-tone sections, representative of concert music, juxtaposed over a dance club aesthetic. This is to pay tribute to the clubbing and partying atmosphere that is prevalent at Penn State, where Drew Welkie was attending school. The title is inspired by a comment that my sister and I overheard at a restaurant. A young lady, obviously incredibly angry and perturbed, said to a friend “I HATE IT WHEN PEOPLE WEAR SKIRTS AND FLATS.”

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The Hang is On… for Clarinet and CD attempts to bridge the gap between “dance” music and “concert” music. It is music that can work in a club or at a recital. This was inspired by the Michael Jackson hit “PYT”. The accompaniment was mixed by Colleen Harwood. – Josh Oxford

Josh Oxford, born in 1985, is a performer, composer, and arranger of myriad styles of music. Using his collection of vintage synthesizers, Josh is the leader of “The OXtet,” a jazz fusion ensemble that Oxford composes all the music for. Josh has studied with Janet Radmore, Jim Latten, Rick Eleck, Gordon Stout, and Ed Mann. He has performed throughout the central New York area on piano, percussion, and Moog synthesizer. Josh graduated with a BM in percussion performance from the Ithaca College School of Music in 2007. While at school, he performed in a variety of ensembles, including the Ithaca College Klezmer Ensemble, Wind Ensemble, Orchestra, and Jazz Lab. After suffering a debilitating car crash in 2010, Josh has devoted his energy to composing. His music can be heard on Aaron Tindall’s recording “This Is My House” and on The OXtet’s debut CD.

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From the composer:

Exit the Foundry was originally commissioned for euphonium by Matthew Turek, a University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire student completing a research project that explored the psychological experience of composition. Turek commissioned works from seven student composers, offering them very few guidelines save the inclusion of his instrument, euphonium. Hase’s contribution, Exit the Foundry, incorporates three contrasting sonic elements. The first element, recorded and sampled mechanical sounds, includes various metallic hits, blowtorches, saws, fans, and other industrial noises. The second element, synthetic electronic instruments, consists of synth pads, leads, arpeggios, and an electronic drum ket. The third element is a low/mid register acoustic instrument that offers a contrastingly natural tone and lyrical voice. Hase produced the accompaniment track for Exit the Foundry in a computer based digital audio workstation, and included a multiphonic passage in the live instrument line to offer an aural bridge between the smooth timbre of a live instrument and the sometimes rough and piercing wanderings of the synthetic and mechanical sounds. At the start of the piece, each element battles for its place in the foreground, but inevitably a compromise is reached and all three elements meld into one coherent musical voice.

• Ben Hase

Backing track to downloaded via QR code

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In Conquer the World, Matthew Owen conveys the struggles and accomplishments of everyday life.The major melodies symbolize happiness and complete worry-free bliss, and the minor, gritty sections outline the struggles and battles of life. Much like the overpowering struggles and feelings of happiness are constantly flip-flopping in our daily lives, the major and minor sections of this piece are constantly at odds with one another, struggling to find a middle ground.

Electronics Needed: Microphone, Hi-Hat, Snare Drum, Synthesizer with Rhodes or electric piano patch, Loop Pedal with two banks. Instructions and a setup diagram are included.

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with downloadable backing track

From the composer:

Monolith was composed during the most tempestuous year in my lifetime. Daily headlines were something out of a dystopian or science fiction movie.

One such headline addressed Monoliths mysteriously appearing around the world. Some speculated aliens and others, vigilante artists. Either way, it was the rare headline that brought a bit of wonder and brevity to a emotionally draining year of pandemics and social unrest. My former colleague and friend, Kyle Millsap approached me in the fall of 2020 about writing a piece for an upcoming album of his that would feature music for solo trumpet with fixed media. Because of the pandemic, I had spent many more hours than usual in front of a computer with new, to me, software like Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro so I thought, “sure, why not?”

The result of that collaboration was “Monolith.” Kyle is a towering figure in his own right standing at an impressive 6 feet 8 inches tall and a fan of popular science fiction shows like Dr. Who and Star Trek. Monolith is programmatic in nature and meant to depict towering Monoliths falling from the sky and crash landing on Earth and asking the age-old question: does extraterrestrial life exist? If so, can it co-exist with humanity?

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“Mutation for Tuba and Electronics” was composed for Dr. Chris Combest, who requested a solo tuba work with recorded accompaniment. His only requirement was to include the “charm” of video game music. Inspired by other solo tuba works with electronics and classic video games, Mutation’s accompaniment features basic 8-bit sounds to unify the slow-fast sections and to capture the feel of the 80’s and early 90’s. The overall theme of the work, much like many games, is essentially a hero’s journey through dark and light, eventually saving the day or the world. The piece is intended to challenge the tubist and excite the audience. Learn More

with downloadable backing track

Exit the Foundry was originally commissioned for euphonium by Matthew Turek, a University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire student completing a research project that explored the psychological experience of composition. Turek commissioned works from seven student composers, offering them very few guidelines save the inclusion of his instrument, euphonium. Hase’s contribution, Exit the Foundry, incorporates three contrasting sonic elements. The first element, recorded and sampled mechanical sounds, includes various metallic hits, blowtorches, saws, fans, and other industrial noises. The second element, synthetic electronic instruments, consists of synth pads, leads, arpeggios, and an electronic drum ket. The third element is a low/mid register acoustic instrument that offers a contrastingly natural tone and lyrical voice. Hase produced the accompaniment track for Exit the Foundry in a computer based digital audio workstation, and included a multiphonic passage in the live instrument line to offer an aural bridge between the smooth timbre of a live instrument and the sometimes rough and piercing wanderings of the synthetic and mechanical sounds. At the start of the piece, each element battles for its place in the foreground, but inevitably a compromise is reached and all three elements meld into one coherent musical voice.

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ALIEN LOOP DE LOOPS for solo instrument and electronic recording by Howard J. Buss is a playful and capricious fantasy piece designed to appeal to a wide range of audiences. The title refers to both programmatic and technical elements in the composition. The composer envisioned a performer outside in an open area during an air show by an alien craft. During the opening section he/she is playing unaccompanied, but then is joined by the recording which contains sounds generated by traditional instruments as well as an "alien" voice, the spacecraft, and various electronic effects. Technically, the title refers to how the recording was made. It consists of numerous sound loops combined to form an imaginative and picturesque sonic tapestry. The publication includes the sheet music and a CD (attached to the inside of the back cover) that contains a performance track and the accompaniment track. Learn More

with downloadable backing track

Josh Oxford says, “This Is My House is a musical depiction of the feeling of walking into a bar or club and having everyone look at you and cheer. This is the type of situation where you obviously don’t have to pay for your food or drinks! You’re the epitome of cool – the reason for the Miles Davis quote throughout. This piece was written to work well in the dance club as well as the concert hall… No matter what venue or dimension one performs in, the musician always has to have the feeling of being ‘in the house’ – the commanding presence and audacity that a performance demands.”

Solo Parts Included: Tuba

This is My House… has been recorded by Aaron Tindall.

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In Bessy’s Voyage to Space, Matthew Owen tells the story of a girl whose only mission in life is to craft her own means of leaving planet Earth, which is on the brink of becoming completely destroyed due to increasingly devastating nuclear warfare. Says Owen, “In this piece, the hi-hat symbolizes Bessy’s intense construction on her spaceship. The droning of the atmospheric pads and the tuba pedal tones symbolize the initial ignition of the engines and the increasing paranoia that Bessy begins to feel as the spacecraft warms in preparation for departure. The moment that the piercing synthesizer melody enters is the moment of liftoff from Earth.”

Electronics Needed: Microphone, Sizzling Hi-Hat, Synthesizer, Loop Pedal with two banks. Instructions and a setup diagram are included.

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Benjamin McMillan says, “Tomes of the Wanderer was commissioned by tubist Patrick Curry in August of 2013, and was premiered at the University of Akron in March of 2014. It is an exciting sequel to Tomes of Hardened Steel, and expands on previously established thematic material while introducing entirely new themes. Evoking the sound and imagery of a fantasy film score, the piece is divided into three movements: I. Over the Mountains, II. The Old Forest and III. The Cursed Mire & Leviathan.”

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with Electronics

The music of "Tomes of Redemption" uses themes and leitmotifs from the previous two installments in the “Tomes” saga to tell the story envisioned by the composer. The hero from "Tomes of Hardened Steel" became king. He has let his kingdom slowly go to ruin because of several misfortunes. The kingdom’s allies have not contacted them for a long period, so he decides to go on one last quest. After sailing to the island kingdom and finding it deserted, he has a spiritual encounter with ghosts to learn a fierce dragon, Tugarin, has wiped out the kingdom. The hero knows he must fight Tugarin to make it right, resulting in an epic battle to the death.

"Tomes of Redemption" was a a project that came about when James M. Green spoke with Ben McMillan about his previous tuba and electronic pieces. Ben asked James to commission the third installment of "Tomes". James jumped at the opportunity, became the lead commissioner, and put together a consortium that was made up of:

Bo Atlas, David Bisson, Douglas Black, Phillip Black, Josh Calkin, Wiatt Cariveau, Chris Combest, David Earll, Bryan Gozdowski, Preston Light, Tracy Luna, Kevin Madden, Winston Morris, Robert Munson, Jesse Orth, Allen Parrish, Richard Perry, Patrick Rettger, Gabriel Sears, Andy Smith, Adam Stevens, Matthew Tatz, Chris Vivio, Randy Westmoreland and Jarrod Williams

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