Brass Quintet No. 1

Good afternoon everyone! I thought I would share a short piece I wrote a couple of years back: Brass Quintet No. 1. At the time I wanted to take a break from large scale pieces and just write something fun. I also have never spent much time on chamber music, so it was fun to do something different.

The piece is in two sections: a fanfare-like section, and a staccato 6/8 section.

A few questions for feedback:

• What effect does the music have on you? Does it conjure an image? Or a feeling?
• What was your favorite part? Least favorite part?
• Do you have any comments or critiques on technique, e.g. harmony, melody, counterpoint, voice-leading, etc.?
• How about the overall form? Is it effective?
• Do you have any comments on the quality of the performance in the audio file? I want this to be as good of a representation as possible, so feel free to point out any parts that sound unrealistic to you.
• How well does this work as a brass quintet? Is there another ensemble it may be fitting for?
• I have included a score, any feedback on its presentation?
• Are there any composers this reminds you of that I may enjoy listening to?

Sound libraries: all are Spitfire Symphonic Brass

Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy!

Great!  I love your modern approach to mostly diatonic harmony.  I love your opening chords and just from the small amount of analysis that I've done on them, makes me want to delve deeper into the rest of the piece and understand all the harmony.  The triplet staccato section felt like a sea shanty/pirate jig to me.  It's in no particular key which made the ending seem a little tacked-on.  I would have considered ending the piece on another one of your creative sonorities/chords with maybe a slight ritard to let the listener know it's a conclusion.  My personal favorite is ending on a tonic-like chord with a subdominant in the bass.  Basically any ordinary chord with a 7th, 9th or 11th in the bass creates a sonority which for me is very desirable/useful.

The rendition sounds very realistic and the harmony is very appropriate for a modern Brass Quintet piece.  I can't stop listening to this over and over!  I just wish it was longer.  Formally, you could have gone back to the fanfare after the staccato triplet section for either a ternary form or if you recapitulated the staccato triplet section too then it could have been a compound binary form.  With varied repeats I think it could easily have held the listeners attention for twice as long as it is currently!  You usually post such gargantuan works here - I'm actually kind of surprised how relatively insubstantial this piece is.  But if you wanted to try your hand at smaller chamber works then I guess you've succeeded!

My favorite part is rehearsal A - D ending before the staccato triplet section.  I love that main body of your fanfare.  The dark sound you create is like ear candy for me.  The accompaniment creates a very imperial march type of character for me.  And the melody is very unusual and intriguing.  The C# minor tonality of your introductory ostinato is very surprising and unexpected and creates much harmonic and melodic interest.  Thanks for sharing - I enjoyed it thouroughly!

Hi @gmm,

I am really excited to see your new post here! I really enjoy this piece even it's diminutive in your standard!

8 hours ago, gmm said:

What was your favorite part? Least favorite part?

Whole piece is my favourite part. I enjoy the first section's more resonating sound and the second section's simple and funny imitation and the staccatos.

8 hours ago, gmm said:

Do you have any comments or critiques on technique, e.g. harmony, melody, counterpoint, voice-leading, etc.?

I love your usage of quartal and quintal harmony, and ends with a simple D major passage on a unison D! Is that a back to childhood or simplicity implied?

8 hours ago, gmm said:

Do you have any comments on the quality of the performance in the audio file? I want this to be as good of a representation as possible, so feel free to point out any parts that sound unrealistic to you.

It mostly works excellent except in b.57 when the trumpet plays the actual G sharp. I feel like it's a little bit fake. But other than that, excellent!

8 hours ago, gmm said:

How about the overall form? Is it effective?

I agree with Peter that the first section can be reprised for a ternary structure, and the transition between the two sections can be linked with more preparation instead just a descrendo on a chord. But for a binary structure it's effective!

8 hours ago, gmm said:

How well does this work as a brass quintet? Is there another ensemble it may be fitting for?

It works really well for me with the fanfare nature of this piece! 

8 hours ago, gmm said:

I have included a score, any feedback on its presentation?

Very clear engraving and score, except in b.29 & 31 when the sharps are a little bit off in the trumpet. Sometimes the dynamic marking and indications can be put near the notes instead of the rests, e.g. in b.9 the mf marking for horn and trombone, cresc. molto marking in b.33 for horn and trombone etc.

8 hours ago, gmm said:

Are there any composers this reminds you of that I may enjoy listening to?

Section A really reminds me of the opening of Mahler's Fifth with the C sharp minor and the uprising trumpet. Section D to F reminds me of Stravinsky, possibly his Pulcinella with its playfulness. 

Thanks so much for sharing!! I love and admire all your posts here!

Henry

u just doxxed yourself grant meta mucil heir to the Metamucil fortune. Jk I found this thoroughly enjoyable and I love your use of harmony as always. Thank you for posting something around 2 minutes, makes me feel more validated as a composer lol. Succinct and to the point, something which is only possessed by the genius and lamented by the TikTok viewer. I love your work, please keep composing forever 🙏

Yo

Overall, I liked this. Cool interplay over the static rhythms you built up. I love the harmonies supporting the runs of fourths and fifths. I was engaged through the entire piece, and gave it several listens. It never got old or boring. 

Score looks clean as usual from you, I appreciate that care. Sound samples are great too. This reminds me of some kind of incidental music, whether in a film or video game or whatever. Very picturesque and playful, loved it!

Just a few thoughts:

-I know you were trying to just write a small piece, but I didn't quite get how the two sections fit together. I wasn't conVINCEd of the end either. Maybe if you brought back the fanfare it would tie it up more to my ears, but just a thought. Perhaps that wasn't what you were going for. 

-What is the purpose for the horn part with the "play written pitch" part? Is that for readability or something?

-Regarding the stacked 4ths and 5ths in the melodic lines of the fanfare, have you experimented with diminished or augmented intervals, instead of relying on perfect ones? Just curious, as this type of thought was recent to my own music. 

-I would have liked more blending of the instruments, it seemed like you stuck with the trumpets on top, or the horn and trombone for the melodic lines. Lots of possibilities there, but again, it sounds like you just treated this as a small exercise to take a break from orchestral music. 

-It'd be cool if you made this part of a suite of brass miniature pieces. I don't mind the short length, but my gears were turning listening, just thinking of all the things you could have done to expand it.

Well done, and good to hear music from you again! You're too good of a composer to only post here as seldom as you do, I always look forward to your new works. Thanks for sharing!

-#1 gmm fanboi

On 2/9/2023 at 4:54 PM, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

Great!  I love your modern approach to mostly diatonic harmony.  I love your opening chords and just from the small amount of analysis that I've done on them, makes me want to delve deeper into the rest of the piece and understand all the harmony.  The triplet staccato section felt like a sea shanty/pirate jig to me.  It's in no particular key which made the ending seem a little tacked-on.  I would have considered ending the piece on another one of your creative sonorities/chords with maybe a slight ritard to let the listener know it's a conclusion.  My personal favorite is ending on a tonic-like chord with a subdominant in the bass.  Basically any ordinary chord with a 7th, 9th or 11th in the bass creates a sonority which for me is very desirable/useful.

The rendition sounds very realistic and the harmony is very appropriate for a modern Brass Quintet piece.  I can't stop listening to this over and over!  I just wish it was longer.  Formally, you could have gone back to the fanfare after the staccato triplet section for either a ternary form or if you recapitulated the staccato triplet section too then it could have been a compound binary form.  With varied repeats I think it could easily have held the listeners attention for twice as long as it is currently!  You usually post such gargantuan works here - I'm actually kind of surprised how relatively insubstantial this piece is.  But if you wanted to try your hand at smaller chamber works then I guess you've succeeded!

My favorite part is rehearsal A - D ending before the staccato triplet section.  I love that main body of your fanfare.  The dark sound you create is like ear candy for me.  The accompaniment creates a very imperial march type of character for me.  And the melody is very unusual and intriguing.  The C# minor tonality of your introductory ostinato is very surprising and unexpected and creates much harmonic and melodic interest.  Thanks for sharing - I enjoyed it thouroughly!

 

Thanks man, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Yes I agree with you on the ending, it is a little abrupt. I think what I might do in the future is take @Thatguy v2.0's advice and expand this into a collection of several short movements. That way what this movement lack's in finality would be compensated with better resolution in the other movements. 

Thanks for listening!

On 2/10/2023 at 2:39 AM, Left Unexplained said:

u just doxxed yourself grant meta mucil heir to the Metamucil fortune. Jk I found this thoroughly enjoyable and I love your use of harmony as always. Thank you for posting something around 2 minutes, makes me feel more validated as a composer lol. Succinct and to the point, something which is only possessed by the genius and lamented by the TikTok viewer. I love your work, please keep composing forever 🙏

 

Oh no I've been found out! At least you know where to go if you ever need fiber supplements...

Thanks for listening, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I would like to spend more time writing shorter pieces like this, they are fun and good practice for coming up with music quickly.

On 2/9/2023 at 9:17 PM, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

I am really excited to see your new post here! I really enjoy this piece even it's diminutive in your standard!

Thanks Henry! I'm glad you enjoyed it, you always give good feedback.

On 2/9/2023 at 9:17 PM, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

I love your usage of quartal and quintal harmony, and ends with a simple D major passage on a unison D! Is that a back to childhood or simplicity implied?

You mean the very ending? It's actually D minor, with an open D5 chord at the end. I suppose I was just thinking about have to distinct, sharply contrasting sections, and contrasting the harmony was simply another variable I could contrast (in addition to time signature, style, etc.)

On 2/9/2023 at 9:17 PM, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

It mostly works excellent except in b.57 when the trumpet plays the actual G sharp. I feel like it's a little bit fake. But other than that, excellent!

Ah yes you are right, sometimes those staccato patches are a little too short and not very resonant.

On 2/9/2023 at 9:17 PM, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

I agree with Peter that the first section can be reprised for a ternary structure, and the transition between the two sections can be linked with more preparation instead just a descrendo on a chord. But for a binary structure it's effective!

Good ideas, perhaps I will revise this one day and expand it as you both describe.

On 2/9/2023 at 9:17 PM, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

Section A really reminds me of the opening of Mahler's Fifth with the C sharp minor and the uprising trumpet. Section D to F reminds me of Stravinsky, possibly his Pulcinella with its playfulness. 

Interesting connections, and to two of my favorites, thank you!

On 2/9/2023 at 9:17 PM, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

Thanks so much for sharing!! I love and admire all your posts here!

Thanks buddy, you're far too kind! I appreciate the thorough feedback you always give.

On 2/10/2023 at 2:48 AM, Thatguy v2.0 said:

Overall, I liked this. Cool interplay over the static rhythms you built up. I love the harmonies supporting the runs of fourths and fifths. I was engaged through the entire piece, and gave it several listens. It never got old or boring. 

Score looks clean as usual from you, I appreciate that care. Sound samples are great too. This reminds me of some kind of incidental music, whether in a film or video game or whatever. Very picturesque and playful, loved it!

Thanks dude, I'm glad you like it! And I'm glad you think it would work well in a film/video game.

On 2/10/2023 at 2:48 AM, Thatguy v2.0 said:

-I know you were trying to just write a small piece, but I didn't quite get how the two sections fit together. I wasn't conVINCEd of the end either. Maybe if you brought back the fanfare it would tie it up more to my ears, but just a thought. Perhaps that wasn't what you were going for. 

Yes you're right, it really is just two random unrelated themes thrown together lol. Perhaps next time I'll put more effort into connecting the two themes motivically.

On 2/10/2023 at 2:48 AM, Thatguy v2.0 said:

-What is the purpose for the horn part with the "play written pitch" part? Is that for readability or something?

Fun fact about horn parts: old notation vs. new notation. Back in the classical/romantic eras, when horns were written in bass clef they were intended to be played an octave higher than written. The original reason for this is unclear, but in the 1900s the tried to change the convention so that horn players would play the written pitch. As a result, you ended up with old notation (the former, meant to be played an octave higher) and new notation (meant to be played as written).

I suppose it would be assumed that a contemporary piece would be written in new notation, but it doesn't hurt to indicate so it's clear. 

Source: I am a former horn player. Also this: https://colindorman.com/old-vs-new-notation-bass-clef/

On 2/10/2023 at 2:48 AM, Thatguy v2.0 said:

-Regarding the stacked 4ths and 5ths in the melodic lines of the fanfare, have you experimented with diminished or augmented intervals, instead of relying on perfect ones? Just curious, as this type of thought was recent to my own music. 

Indeed I have, you shall see in a forthcoming post...

On 2/10/2023 at 2:48 AM, Thatguy v2.0 said:

-I would have liked more blending of the instruments, it seemed like you stuck with the trumpets on top, or the horn and trombone for the melodic lines. Lots of possibilities there, but again, it sounds like you just treated this as a small exercise to take a break from orchestral music. 

An excellent suggestion! If I decide to expand this I will definitely use more blending and exchanging the roles of the instruments.

On 2/10/2023 at 2:48 AM, Thatguy v2.0 said:

-It'd be cool if you made this part of a suite of brass miniature pieces. I don't mind the short length, but my gears were turning listening, just thinking of all the things you could have done to expand it.

I agree, I think I might do this as I find time.

On 2/10/2023 at 2:48 AM, Thatguy v2.0 said:

Well done, and good to hear music from you again! You're too good of a composer to only post here as seldom as you do, I always look forward to your new works. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks man, and thanks for listening and providing feedback as always. I really miss posting here alot, I intend to find time to do it more often in the near future.

Hi great piece. Just some thoughts.

Y love quartal harmony but sometimes it seems too much, and it sounds ancient.

My favorite part is A perhaps because it has more countermelodies. In general the piece, although has those countermelodies here and there, has not a contrapuntal essence. That's why it sounds lie a fanfare and the section "molto staccato" is a bit unconnected, since the feeling is "pastorale".

The engraving is good, apart from a few collapses, as it has been told, and the sound very fine.

It reminds me of some Shostkovich's passages.