Orchestra

for Bb Clarinet and Trombone It is a special feeling to come back to something or someone that is precious to us, even though we may have neglected them for one reason or another. We often think we have good reasons for losing touch, but upon coming back we feel a twinge of regret that it took us so long to move in the right direction. Perhaps we come back to our family, or religion, or cultural roots; perhaps we come back to ourselves, having lost a sense of what it is that defines us. This piece is dedicated to my niece, Carrie Johnston, and to my family; may we never be too busy, distracted, or proud to come back. Learn More

For H(AR)K for HAITI Learn More

with Piano

Written for Gail Robertson and Stacy Baker (SymbiosisDuo) Premiered May 24, 2019 - International Women's Brass Conference

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with Piano Three Sketches for Euphonium, Tuba, and Piano was written for the Conviviality Trio based out of Ann Arbor, MI. Non-programmatic and serious in nature, the work is divided into three distinct movements that feature all instruments prominently. The first movement begins mysteriously, struggling to find balance between joy and sorrow. The tension builds harmonically and dynamically into a brief yet powerful fast section. After a reprise of the original material, the piano rips into rapid octave jumps which begins the "Aggressively" section, which puts the technical abilities of all three performers on full display. The movement ends with the original material making one last return. The second movement begins with a slow, jazzy noir-like atmosphere set by the pianist before the tuba and euphonium enter, echoing each other throughout. A solo section follows, emphasizing the low register and the lyrical capabilities of the euphonium. The movement ends with a hypnotic back-and-forth progression between the three performers that diminishes to nothingness. The last movement again puts the technical capabilities of the performers on display. Beginning with several mixed-meter runs, the movement evolves into a tour de force finale that includes long, rapid runs in the piano and tuba and euphonium melodies in fourths. Learn More

For Flute/Piccolo, Tuba and Piano

From the composer:

“Where Leaves And Birds A Music Spin” consists of six short movements, each loosely depicting a scene in nature.

1. Borne On a Great Wind
2. And the River Flows Ever Onwards
3. Emerson’s Acorn
4. Through Dawn Mist, A Doe
5. Dauwtrappen
6. Lithic Engines

The first scene is a fantasy of being carried on the wind, rushing over the landscape below. The second follows the journey of a river, through winding meandering paths to rapids. The third movement is based on a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay on History that reads, “The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.” In the fourth, a scene unfolds of a foggy morning and the appearance of a doe. The word Dauwtrappen comes from Dutch and describes the concept of walking barefoot in the morning grass when the grass is still covered in dew. The final movement imagines the inner workings of the planet, with lithic, or rock and magma, engines driving continents, creating new lands, mountain ranges, as well as the slow destruction and recycling of the old.

Although I have suggested scenes with each title, I don’t intend these to be concrete depictions, and the listener should let their minds wander freely and create their own scenes as the piece progresses.

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Trombone Quartet, Bassus and Basso Continuo Learn More

Canto, Flugelhorn, 3 Trombones and Basso Continuo; Il primo libro de concerti ecclesiastici Learn More

Composed in 1912, this arrangement comes to life in this chamber setting. It is quite a fun piece, but also challenging. A real crowd pleaser! Learn More

reduction with Rhythm section (recording is with wind ensemble)

The Concerto for tuba and winds is in my usual Third-Stream style, but I utilized
many new techniques for the first time in this piece. Jazz, rock, hip-hop and many kinds
of classical styles come together in the Concerto. Polymeter, improvisation and intuitive
swing notation play important roles in this piece as well as traditional four-part
counterpoint and ancient Greek form. It is simply titled Concerto in a classical fashion
but each movement has a more descriptive title.
I. Swing Low
II. Adagio
III. Cutting Contest

I utilized a customized variation on the classical concerto form: a sonata-allegro
first movement, a slow second movement and a theme and variations finale.
Philosophically, this piece explores the traditional nature of a concerto from several
different angles. The first movement explores the cooperative side of a concerto. One
Latin root of the word concerto is conserere, which means to join. The soloist and wind
ensemble cooperate to produce many layers of polymeter in Swing Low. The Latin root
certamen, on the other hand, means to fight. So while the first movement is a
cooperative effort, the third movement, Cutting Contest, explores the idea of a musical
battle between the solo tuba and the wind ensemble on a familiar tune.

On March 6th, 2012, the Concerto was premiered in Seattle. Erin Bodnar led the
University of Washington Wind Ensemble with myself soloing. The Central Washington
University Wind Ensemble then recorded it with Dean Snavely conducting.

This reduction of Concerto features two different versions of the third movement
to allow for players to navigate the virtuosic fingering acrobatics on an E-Flat or F tuba.
The solo lines at letter E were inspired by Arban’s Carnival of Venice.

Curtis Peacock
January 26, 2014

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Violin and Tuba Learn More