Fanfare For The Common Man Analysis

The first movement, marked Allegro ma non troppo, is in the classical sonata form, featuring 2 contrasting motives, one very triumphant, energetic, another sweet and lyrical. The movement begins with orchestral tutti introduction, vaguely featuring fragments of the 2 motives. Harmony-wise is relatively simplistic, emphasising greatly on dominants and tonics. The orchestral introduction ends with 5 measures of cadential six-four while raising a massive crescendo from piano to fortissimo, landing on a cliffhanging dominant seventh chord. After the stillness, a solo timpani begins a ‘march’, repeating a tonic F at pianissimo, creating a so-called ‘theatrical expectancy’, which contrastingly and explicitly brings out the triumphant bassoon solo militaristic first theme, effectively heightened the sense of

Don Juan is a romantic and passionate hero so opening theme replicates his cheerfulness and prankish humour who seeks true moment of absolute beauty. The melody by oboe, violin, horns, and trumpet narrate the temptation and failures of Juan’s life-project. At last Romantic Weltschmerz strikes him to be fatally wounded. This piece has embraced some elements of rondo or ritornello-like structure, sonata (mm. 197-307), and the multi-movement symphony brought together in a distinctive fusion. An opening masculine theme in E major (bars 1-40) is very bold, forceful and energetic. Bar 60-63 a crescendo from pp to ff by the horns, trombone and tuba and an entry (exact rhythm from bar 1-3) of strings after brief rest is so effective. Romantically, a solo violin enters at third bar of figure D (bar 71) and a transition, and lyrical second theme in B major (bar 90-148). Avoiding nineteenth century’s expositional archetype it drifts towards E minor (bar 148) before dissolving. First theme reappears at figure H (bar 169) and proceeds to G minor (K: bar 197) and subsequently to G major (L: bar 232). While viola, violin cello and bass are intermingled polyphonically, the muted horn descends chromatically.

The next movement, ‘Maluagda – La Burla de Los Congos – Madre Agua’, introduces the traditional San Luis’ Congo chants by playing a musical sample in the very beginning of the piece. Mr. Villafranca stands up and starts uttering the hypnotic calling ‘Maluagda’ while playing a percussion instrument. The rhythm was gradually installed, and the sound, swinging between invigorating and lamenting, opens space to the improvisations that intertwine with the consistent rhythmic basis formed by the dreamy piano, bass, and percussion.

Beethoven’s intent behind this piece is creating diversity out of unity. The unifying idea of the work is a series of three short notes followed by one long note. The diversity of the simple unifying idea therein is generated by the use of timbral development techniques and expansion of the orchestra; however, there are several performance practices and technical issues that impact the work’s total realization. The score referenced throughout this essay is the Kalmus Miniature Orchestra Scores version.

This analysis will focus primarily on the compositions performed by the Canadian Brass. The quintet is internationally known for their excellence in performance as well as their style. The ensemble was formed during the 1970’s in Toronto, Canada by Tubist Charles Daellenbach and trombonist Gene Watts. Their style has a wide range which spans from trademark Baroque to Dixieland tunes as well as new compositions and arrangements created particularly for their style. They’ve been around for more than 40 years and have had many different performers come and go within the ensemble. Having sold over 2 million albums, the Canadian brass has toured all over the world, playing different genres of music. Today, the quintet includes Chuck Daellenbach (tuba), Bernhard Scully (French horn), Achilles Liamakopoulos (trombone), Caleb Hudson (trumpet) as well as Chris Colletti (trumpet). For this paper, I will be focusing on the classical compositions performed by the ensemble. Anyone who has ever attended a live performance of the Canadian Brass would say that they have excellent showmanship, and are quite spontaneous when it comes to humor. I was lucky enough to watch them perform myself at Benaroya Hall in Seattle a few years ago, and I have been a fan ever since.

During the Romanic period, there were many advances in regards to instrumentation, and the size of a typical orchestra increased in size and range, adding in more instruments to the wind, brass and percussion sections. Symphonie Fantastique, by Hector Berlioz, was no exception, and was written for an extensive orchestra of 220 players, including, piccolos, flutes, oboes, horns, clarinets, bassoons, cornets, trumpets, trombones, tuba (or ophicleides), timpani, bells, a wide variety of percussion, bells, violins, violas, cellos and double basses. Through this symphony, various instruments have programmatic purposes to develop the scene, such as the pizzicato strings in the 4th movement, representing the head bouncing after he was decapitated, and the clarinet in E flat and bassoons in the 5th movement, depicting bubbles rising in a cauldron.

The piece when played by the performers of the Concert Hour aimed more focus on the bass trombone then the piano. As the bass trombone played it with dynamic and quick sounds the piano followed behind with a soothing melody to fill in the gaps that the trombone could not fill creating a solid structure of both clarity and periodic form displaying Telemann’s music proudly.

22 The movement opens with an arpeggiated figure, the trumpet enters with a very resigned tune. The upward leap at the beginning of the melody is the main feature of all phrases in this movement. The movement continues to build with each phrase before the unmuted section where the trumpet has an almost improvisatory accompaniment. After the high point the energy calms again towards the end of the movement.

The solo violin enters, unaccompanied, with a simple, five-beat phrase deep in the violin’s range that hints at traditional Russian folk music. As the orchestra joins in with the violin, the principal theme continues to do service throughout the course of the movement. The elegance and grandeur of the first movement continues to flow through the second movement as the solo violin plays with remarkable finesse against a soft pizzicato accompaniment, ending with the imaginary solo cello in the orchestra playing the initial violin theme accompanied by the solo violin playing the pizzicato in turn this time. As the third movement begins, the hypothetical appearance of the castanets clacking alongside the solo violin evokes the passionate taste of Spain, sounding decisively upbeat yet foreboding at the same time.

The second piece of music is from the romantic period because the brass,woodwinds instruments play prominent roles in the orchestra, they are mostly the melody of the orchestra.The second piece of music is also using rubato, and the use of rubato makes the music sound more expressivity and freedom. The dynamic changes suddenly or gradually, from pianissimo to fortissimo. The tempo also changes abruptly, the tempo shift suddenly from

The overture begins with a fanfare in the brass, followed by a fast melody in the winds. The strings take up this melody and the piece reaches a climax with a four-note motif. Suddenly, the music reaches a more lyrical melody in the horns and cellos, although the tempo remains the same. Then the brass take the finally with a high-spirited and lively ending with the focus on the trumpets. This piece is marvellous because it fits right into the symphony of big bold brass. In the beginning and the end of the piece, the brass stole the show with cheerful and up lifting sections. The imagery in my head when I listen to this piece is a war. In the beginning, the fanfare in the brass represents the armies preparing to go to war. Then when the strings and horns take the melody, it represents the war occurring with the use of staccatos and accents to show the armies clashing together and the troops falling. The ending with the brass exhibits one army winning the war and celebrating the

The concert opened with Nesper playing Sonata No. 2 BWV 1028, the famous piece by Johann Sebastian Bach. This was one of Bach’s most phenomenal piece of work. Nesper was very successfully able to recreate the music and present it in a very impressive way using the tuba. He was assisted by Magrill playing the piano as well. The mood was very soothing. The language of the music was very social and witty. Nesper played all four forms of the Sonata, namely Adagio, Allegro, Andante and Allegro. These exhibit an older concerto form with four alternating movements: slow, fast, slow, fast. It sounded to me like the slower ones were building up to and serving as introductions to the faster pieces. Both tuba and the piano went hand in hand and together created a very soothing and relaxing music. The opening form Adagio revealed the significance of both tuba and piano. Both instruments were used together as partners, creating an arioso-like melody, but also interlinking the melody parts together in such a way that each of them are equally essential to the overall line. Both instruments are partnered again in the following Allegro,

0:05 There are long tones in the French horn immediately followed by a suspenseful melody in bassoons and pizzicato double basses.

The third movement is entitled Scène aux champs, or “scene in the fields.” This pastoral setting alludes to Beethoven’s Am Bach from his sixth symphony, although with less serenity as Berlioz creates a “mood of sorrowful loneliness.” The piece is, like the second movement, in ABA form, with the idée fix attached at the end as a coda. The movement begins “with an echo from Berlioz's childhood: the sound of a cowherd's melody. Berlioz uses the huge orchestra to create the sense of suspension of time that intimacy can bring.” This cowherd’s melody is a shepherd call, in which the English horn and oboe call out to one another. The oboe responds from offstage, a device borrowed from theatre. Then, the idée fixe comes in on flutes and oboes, set against the 6/8 meter of the movement, and more instruments join in, painting the anguish of the young artist. After an “orchestral outburst, the idée fixe returns with the English horn again calling out, but there is no response from the oboe, instead, the “shepherd” is answered by the rumbling of thunder, musically illustrated by the timpani, which plays unusual minor chords.

The reason behind why music of the Favola et Musica genre opened with a brass fanfare,