... but with a BANG!!! (2024)

About ... but with a BANG!!!

“Not with a whimper, but a bang / he'll take the stage and leave their jaws upon the floor…” The Dear Hunter, “Bitter Suite IV & V” 

Written as a standalone piece continuing material from a previous work, … but with a BANG!!! is a high-octane fanfare basing its structure on the above song lyric (which itself is a variation of a famous line from a T.S. Elliot poem). This work presents a quickly evolving texture, framing the piece with a nod to both the aforementioned whimper and bang. These are presented in the form of a soft alto flute solo at the beginning that presents material to be further developed before ending with a triumphant fanfare with the full band to end the piece on a high note. The piece places heavy importance on the power of its brass and percussion parts, juxtaposed with the woodwinds offering a softer B-section melody as a choir before the piece reaches its conclusion.

This commission was designed with my rural Oklahoma small school band roots in mind and intends to be accessible to a wide range of ensemble sizes, skill levels, and instrumentation. (HUGE thanks to Colby Crane for his critically valuable perspective and feedback to help design this project.) While the work is not for flex band and does have a set instrumentation, numerous optional parts along with a pay-what-you-can pricing tier hope to make this project accessible to as many groups as possible without sacrificing the heart of the piece.  

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What: grade 3-3.5 fanfare for wind ensemble

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Duration: 3 minutes

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Full instrumentation:

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Piccolo (opt.)

2 flutes (2nd opt. doubling alto)

Oboe (opt)

3 Clarinets

Bass Clarinet (opt)

Contrabass Clarinet (opt)

Bassoon (opt)

2 Alto Saxophones

Tenor Saxophone

Baritone Saxophone (opt)

3 Trumpets

4 Horns (2 parts with divisi)

3 Trombones (3 opt. Bass)

Euphonium

Tuba

Double Bass (opt)

Percussion (6 players): Marimba, Vibraphone, Glockenspiel, Snare Drum, Bass Drum, Timpani, Triangle, Suspended Cymbal

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Note: The instrumentation has been written to give as much flexibility as possible. The piece can be played with none of the optional parts listed above, as well as only 3 percussionists.

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Click here to view score

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Project Timeline:

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September 16th, 2024 - Consortium launches

January 26th, 2025 - Consortium payment & contract deadline

February 8th, 2025 - Last chance deadline w/ $25 late fee

February 9th, 2025 - Piece delivered via email to all consortium members (PDF set of the score and parts)

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Pricing:

All levels receive: 

• Organization & Conductor Name in Score

• Consortium Exclusivity for 1 year (until January 3rd, 2026)

• MP3 electronic realization of piece

College/University Member - $150

High School Member - $100

Individual Member - $50

Pay-what-you-can option available - contact Matthew for details​​