Elegy - Brass Quartet

The title speaks for itself.  As always comments are welcome.

What?!  A brass quartet without a French Horn?!  Blasphemy!

I do wonder if your seeming detachment from having carefully and deliberately chosen harmonic content is something that you feel is a Shostakovich influence?  To me your melodic and harmonic choices seem somewhat arbitrary and detached, almost like the specific notes could easily have been different (if say, the melodic contour was retained) and it wouldn't have made much difference to my impression of the piece.  Not necessarily a good thing or a bad thing - just a different approach I guess.  Thanks for sharing!

To me your melodic and harmonic choices seem somewhat arbitrary and detached, almost like the specific notes could easily have been different (if say, the melodic contour was retained) and it wouldn't have made much difference to my impression of the piece.  Not necessarily a good thing or a bad thing - just a different approach I guess. 

Thanks for the observation .... I had this conversation with my mentor .... who found the  harmonic movement with the counterpoint to be interesting from his perspective.  If the impression I was trying to communicate hits it mark - then I am satisfied.  Reflections upon a person's passing is complex.  I open the piece with a false triumphant fanfare which the moves on to despair ... and a fight against the ultimate fate ... resignation ... a brief ray of hope and the letting go.  My intent to create a tonal fabric/texture narrative.

My teacher mentioned Hindemith rather then Shostakovich. 🙂

One last question - if a not a classic brass quartet (with Tuba) then what should I call the ensemble?  Or where you just being a funny!

Next question should I attempt to orchestra the work.  I think it could be interesting with more depth and variation?

1 hour ago, MJFOBOE said:

One last question - if a not a classic brass quartet (with Tuba) then what should I call the ensemble?  Or where you just being a funny!

I am a horn player myself and so was appalled at the lack of a French Horn! LoL But of course, you can have any combination of 4 brass instruments that you wish and still call it a brass quartet, no doubt.

1 hour ago, MJFOBOE said:

Next question should I attempt to orchestra the work.  I think it could be interesting with more depth and variation?

If you feel like you have enough material there to warrant an orchestration and that you will find it easy to fill out extra parts, then by all means!