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Posts tagged concert band
In the Cards: Aria, Arranged by Me
Aug 27th
In one of my previous posts, I wrote about the Paul Manz work, Aria, in which I am enchanted thanks to it’s fluidity and melancholic air, and my band arrangement is, well, in the cards right now because the Sibelius 6 (I have the demo.) costs $328-something and I have to either win a sweepstakes or lottery or hope that my blogging career is as lucrative as it can be. I initially turned to Anne McGinty’s transcription of Bach’s Air on the G String, but that did relatively little to influence me. I turned to Alfred Reed’s transcriptions of Bach’s other pieces and found what I’m looking for in my score. I wrote a snippet of the first clarinet part of the work, dusted off my old clarinet from my room, played it as written (It has been four years since I played it!), and praised myself for the test drive.
Again, the piece is intended to be college-level, just like the works of Mr. Reed, so I confirmed the instrumentation of the work:
Flutes 1, 2
Oboes 1, 2
English horn (Again, I will be using it to introduce the first bars of the melody in the first A section to give it a melancholy feel)
E-flat clarinet
B-Flat clarinets 1, 2, 3
Alto clarinet
Bass clarinet
Contrabass clarinet
Bassoons 1, 2
Contrabassoon
Alto saxophones 1, 2
Tenor saxophone
Baritone saxophone
Horns 1, 2, 3, 4
B-flat trumpets 1, 2, 3
B-flat cornets 1, 2
Tenor trombones 1, 2, 3
Bass trombone
Baritone (Bass clef)
Tuba
String Bass
Again, I will be constructing the transcription when I’m a bit more richer.
The Great Commission – in Harmonious Form
Aug 16th
I hate to admit that my favorite hymn is “Lord You Gave the Great Commission,” and I love it so much that I now allot “We Gather Together” as my second-favorite. It’s very beautiful as it is melodic, although some snobs who dislike contemporary liturgical music would turn up their noses at this near classic.
So why do I like this hymn so much, and what can be done to musically improve it?
An Episcopal pastor by the name of Cyril Vincent Taylor (1907-1991) composed the hymn tune in 1941 in the British village of Abbot’s Leigh, where it was named after. Initially sung to an older text, “Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken,” it caught the attention of Jeffrey W. Rowthorn, a chapel minister of the Yale Divinity School. He wrote the lyrics which summarizes the ministry of Christ and set it in that tune. His new hymn, “Lord You Gave the Great Commission,” debuted in the school’s 1978 graduation ceremonies, and spread from denomination to denomination like a plague.
From my personal experiences of hearing the hymn, from Sunday Mass to mp3 files, the way it is performed lacks some bite because like, 90% of the time, it is always in unison. That’s what it’s supposed to be at the first Sunday of the month because it ensures the vocal security of the congregation. If I have a Sibelius in my hands, I’ll create this into an advanced choral work and transpose it to E-flat major. I’ll use the unison singing in the first verse only, and do the rest in combinations of harmony, leading to the descant in the sopranos when the arrangement modulates from the G-minor key of the fourth verse to the F-major of the fifth and finale verse. The arrangement concludes with a plagual cadence of “Amen,” as with any old-fashioned hymn. I’ll accompany this hymn concertato with organ and an optional small concert band, which would heighten its emotional aspect and grandeur.
Too bad I bombed the lottery – booooo…
Aria – What I Think and What to Do With It
Aug 1st
I love the pipe organ, and to fuel my love for it, here’s my three cents on listening to one of Paul Manz’s biggest hits ever played on many organs, his Aria. It’s so fluent and haunting, in its lovely A minor glory. What’s more – it is intended for a wedding, and I believe this should serve as a change of pace from trite, overheard wedding classics such as Johann Pachelbel’s Kanon und Gigue in D-Dur für drei Violinen und Basso Continuo (the famed Canon in D) or even Benedetto Marcelo’s 19th Psalm. Because of its sometimes melancholy air, I think of it as one of the proposed pieces to be played at my funeral Mass if the church offers a prelude before each Mass.
I really love listening to the piece – I even want to create a concert band arrangement of it! Being influenced by it and Anne McGinty’s stunning arragement of the Air on the G String, I would transpose it a whole step lower (from the original A minor to the more feasible G minor, if you’re wondering) and I’d also make use of an English horn (That’s right – an English horn – and I intend this piece to be played by secondary education institutes and other bands who can at least afford to have an oboist double on that thing!) to initially play the top line of the original work (the melody line) of bars 5-13. I’d decrease the tempo a hair bit from the original to add to this flowing effect.
If I have the money and time, I’ll get myself the Sibelius software and put my band arrangement to work. I have college and other things to worry about in the here and now…
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