An Ode to Asclepius: Fanfare for Orchestra

Dipping my toes back in music composition after a hiatus.

Last year, I wrote this piece in honor of the Detroit Medical Orchestra. This orchestra comprises volunteer musicians from the medical profession in the metro Detroit area, including doctors, nurses, dentists, medical students, and more. Their mission is to bring healing through music, and they perform free concerts throughout the region to achieve this goal. I’ve been a part of this wonderful orchestra for many years, and I wrote this piece to celebrate its 15th anniversary.

This piece is somewhat an unofficial sequel to the very first piece I posted here on this website, as it continues to explore Greek mythology. (https://www.youngcomposers.com/t34170/nocturne-for-orchestra-an-ode-to-nyx-goddess-of-night/#comment-1186668533)

More information of the piece can be found in the short program notes in the PDF score.

The Detroit Medical Orchestra had the opportunity to perform this at a local hospital. I'm linking the performance here, as well as providing the audio MIDI mockup.

Any comments/feedback is highly appreciated :)

An Ode to Ascelpius, God of Medicine and Healing - Full score.pdf

Hi Danish,

Really like your orchestration here.

Interesting choice in Bar 85, where your piccolo is pitched below the flutes.

I think in Bar 9, where you have two harp harmonics played together, you technically should have two harmonic circle symbols on top of each other above the staff.

I wonder how you define the difference between vertical and horizontal accents? (The conductor I work with, advised me not to use the vertical ones, as he thought their meaning was ambiguous.)

Also, how do sfz and sffz differ from an accent?

Thanks for the comments, Alex!

5 hours ago, Alex Weidmann said:

Interesting choice in Bar 85, where your piccolo is pitched below the flutes.

The piccolo will sound an octave higher than written, so technically it is still pitched above the flutes.

5 hours ago, Alex Weidmann said:

I think in Bar 9, where you have two harp harmonics played together, you technically should have two harmonic circle symbols on top of each other above the staff.

I agree! I tried figuring out how to do this in Dorico but couldn't figure it out without it looking weird (hence my note).

5 hours ago, Alex Weidmann said:

I wonder how you define the difference between vertical and horizontal accents? (The conductor I work with, advised me not to use the vertical ones, as he thought their meaning was ambiguous.)

The "vertical" accents denote Marcato. My interpretation is that they are played stronger than your regular accent and are slightly shorter in duration (a half note maybe played as a dotted quarter perhaps)...each note with the Marcato marking needs to be hammered and short-ish.

5 hours ago, Alex Weidmann said:

Also, how do sfz and sffz differ from an accent?

Err...I guess that is subjective and depends on the context of what else is going on in the score. sffz definitely is more "hammered" than sfz

18 hours ago, danishali903 said:

Err...I guess that is subjective and depends on the context of what else is going on in the score. sffz definitely is more "hammered" than sfz

I was mainly asking, because you sometimes combine sfz or sffz with a vertical accent (e.g. Bar 119).

8 hours ago, Alex Weidmann said:

I was mainly asking, because you sometimes combine sfz or sffz with a vertical accent (e.g. Bar 119).

Probably more of a visual reminder to bang on that note...might've overdone it with those markings