His Banner Over Me Is Love (solo Eb/F)

A standard brass quintet with optional trumpet for horn. As one might expect the piece is cheerful from beginning to end. After a bright intro, the trumpet carry the tune until handed over to the middle voices with flourishes in the trumpets. After a transition that leads upward to an exciting climax. The piece abruptly shits to a quiet and expressive section lead by the trombone on the theme where it all builds to another zenith and once again abruptly goes quiet. A modulation and meter shift and the piece becomes countrapuntally gentle.. A meter shift back to the beginning and an exuberant building to a joyous conclusion.

A traditional brass quintet with opt. trumpet for horn and extra baritone for use as a sextet. The piece takes off immediately with a thematic statement in the trombone, breaking in a duet with the horn. Additional entries keep massing in the lower voices until most of the ensemble is involved. All of a sudden, the upper brass, silently present the tune in block harmonies until the lower brass present a countermelody. Now! Everybody’s involved. Next, a dialog between the upper brass and middle brass takes place as it alternates back and forth. With a modulation in place the tempo goes slow, the tune is in the lower brass- expressive! All of a sudden from bottom to top motives are presented- in stacked chords…. This goes through different transformations until the piece elevates into an uplifting conclusion.

A woodwind quintet with opt. parts for Alto Sax and Bass Clar. This piece presents itself with a sense of joy throughout with the introduction itself in a motivic manner setting the tone. The melody is fragmented, passing the tune around to the various voices. The middle section mirrors the introduction in texture and again passes melodic material around the different voices. The final section is more subdued until it starts stacking the motifically structured parts until it ascends to a dramatic conclusion.

A standard brass quintet with optional baritone for a sextet. The introduction starts in the tuba and then adds more voices as you would expect- rising! The tune is now bantered about between the upper voices and then lower ones. Modulation! And the Q&A game continues. Another modulation and the tempo suddenly changes to a slower, expressive one with the French horn featured. As before the Q&A continues. Another modulation and an “a tempo” where the piece now in full ensemble starts lower and softer and continually adds activity and pitch raising until a vigorous conclusion.

Be ye thankful! Written for standard woodwind quintet with optional parts, this piece is highly decorated melodically and active rhythmically. It gives both the sense of majesty and joy.