Inspiration and Perseverance

This is a piece I wrote for my Brass Band. It isn't intended to be difficult technically, but more of a concentration on melodic and harmonic perfection. It describes difficulties with obstacles or problems in life, then the will and ability to overcome them.

Inspiration and Perseverance

Hey, that piece was great! I felt the title summed it up completely, it was a very heroic-sounding piece which definitely could capture the perseverance of anyone. One thing I would change at the end is the dynamics. It seemed a bit to high and mighty to be that soft. I know you were trying to get the big crescendo in at the end, but could it start maybe at MF and go to FF? I don't know what's marked on your scare though - it doesn't work for me.

I can't open your score for some reason. That being said, I think that you accomplished an optimistic piece as you intended. It is pretty corny and repetitive but i think for a general audience watching a young high school group, this would be a satisfying piece to listen to. I would like to hear something a little more ambitious from you but there is nothing wrong with a simple piece.

Thank you both for your responses. I agree, this piece is slightly corny, but it's not intended to be anything flamboyant or impressive. It is my first completed full band piece, and it was meant to be a gauge of my abilities as a composer. I greatly appreciate both of your replies.

@impresario:

Thank you, it took me a while to decide on that title. I always wait until after completing a piece before naming it, and it took me almost as long to title it as it did to write it. :/ Still, I'm glad you agree with the title. On the topic of dynamics, are you referencing the point where the key changes to minor? It's intended to be a subito-piano, but Finale doesn't play it quite as I would like it to sound. When I finally get a chance to have this piece played, I will make a point to have the group perform an instant piano, but maybe not quite as soft as the computer generates this one to be. As I listen again, I agree with you that the piano is too soft for the feeling at that point in the piece. Thank you again for replying. :)

@benxiwf:

You can't open it? Are you using Finale or Finale Reader? I used Finale 2009 to write this, and saved it as a .mus file through the normal saving process Finale chooses. I'm sorry there was a problem with the score. I'm glad you feel the optimism I attempted to convey through this music. Again, I agree that it is corny, possibly a bit repetitive, but it's intended more as a chorale, an easy piece where technique isn't required as much as perfect intonation and group blending to get the full effect. I feel that the impact of the piece will be greater with an actual brass band performing the music rather than static, electronic tones from a computer. Thank you for your input, and I look forward to hearing more from you later on. :)

Nice piece. I enjoyed your instrument voicings and your fearless treatment of the French Horns. Too many people are so timid with writing for them or overdo it with high parts and none of the lower register. So, kudos for balancing that out well. Your writing is nice, too. It's basic, but it works.

I'd recommend trying to build your harmonic language a little more in this piece. The theme (the eighth note pick-up into the downbeat - nice btw) is sort of stuck doing the same thing every time you bring it in. Experiment with the bass line more to see if you can't give it a full line of eight bars instead of just being the root of each chord. You can use chord inversions and substitutions as well. It's mostly an experimental thing more than anything else. Just work with the harmony a little more and see if you can't get the theme to loosen up and change a little.

That's all.

-AA :)