Five Bagatelles for Brass Quintet
Alvez Barkoskie IV
About this work:
I. Fanfare
II. Meditation
III. Parodie sur Passereau
IV. Chorale
V. Dance.
Five Bagatelles for Brass Quintet seeks to explore the versatility of the ensemble. Each movement demonstrates a different character. The first movement is a fairly straightforward fanfare allowing the brass to do what they do best. The second movement is in a drastically different mood. All the instruments are muted except for the first trumpet which is featured as the soloist throughout. The middle movement is based on the famous “Parisian” Chanson “Il est bel et bon,” by Pierre Passereau, a French Renaissance composer. It is a parody, not so much as in the humorous sense as it is in the music context. Many composers, especially in the Renaissance, used entire polyphonic structures to write new compositions. “Parodie sur Passereau” is no exception. Virtually the entire texture is derived from “Il est bel et bon” as well as the rhythm and even pitch contours. The fourth movement is another chorale, quite different in character from the first. Finally, the piece ends with a light and fun “Dance,” dedicated to the jazz pianist Harold Blanchard, one of my former improvisation teachers. The basic harmonic progression of the piece is based on an improvisation exercise he used in his classes.
Performed by City Limits Brass: Jesse Cook, trumpet; Mike Arnold, trumpet; Kevin Miescke, horn; Joe Brown, trombone; James Saliers, tuba. October 2011.
Year composed: 2011
Duration: 00:10:57
Ensemble type: Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice:Brass Quintet
Instrumentation: 1 Horn in F, 2 Trumpet, 1 Trombone, 1 Tuba