Polytonalmodalyodel
for Concert Band
Composed 1990; 2004; May 7--27, 2015; revised Dec. 2023
Duration: about 7 minutes 30 seconds
cover: painting by Salvador Dali
Full
Score,
PDF Cover
Parts (printed front & back)
Giant leaps for all mankind [7:23]
In
1990 I wrote several works for my friend Fred Robinson who was the
composer/arranger at Warner Robins Air Force Base in Georgia. Among these was a
work for jazz band, The Popular Music of
Planet X (PMPX) in three “Books”.
The idea was the rather whimsical one that somewhere among the myriad planets
there could be a civilization where the prime incentive for the music industry
was not mercenary. Clearly such a
planet must be far far away. The Air Force didn’t seem to appreciate the
effort, and the score and parts were returned. (When you bomb with the Air
Force….you REALLY BOMB!)
Come
summer of 2004 and I once again was writing music, and turned my attention to
the Air Force music, including the brass quintet. I made many major alterations,
added a movement, and had a brand new version. However, this work remained
unperformed. I made another version with an additional movement, but this also sat in my files. In 2015 I
decided to try again, with the last movement (Polytonalmodalyodel) of this brass quintet
arranged for concert band, and used as the first movement of a new symphonic-scale PMPX. In the fall of 2023, I arranged PMPX for piano quintet, and then Symphony No. 1: PMPX, with a new third movement. The four movements of the band version of PMPX are now offered only as separate works.
Note that this work is actually polytonal and polymodal in many
places, and the themes and motifs frequently have very large intervals, much
more than my usual tunes.
Considering
that this is my personal vision of what music intended for mass consumption
would be in a more ideal world, I’ve allowed myself to allow the influence of
jazz and blues in a rather obvious manner. However, as all of my music, this is
strictly in the classical tradition, with no improvisation, and to be treated
in the same way as other “serious” art music—even, and perhaps especially, when
it’s intended to be for fun. This piece could fit on either classical or pops
concerts.
Performance Notes
The String Bass part is intended for
an acoustic bass, as there are bowed passages. An electric bass may not be used
in its stead. Accidentals hold through the measure and not beyond. This is a C
score with the usual transpositions in the parts. If a conductor requires a
transposed score, I will provide one, with considerable grumbling.