Junior Band:

Time Lord - JaRod Hall

©MakeMusic Publications, 2023

*article contributed by Ryan Meeboer, OBA Beginning/Developing Band Symposium Director

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PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION:

If a time-traveling superhero were the conductor of a concert band, this is the music they would play! Inspired by an incredible battle sequence, Time Lord dives into time signature changes at an introductory level while maintaining an epic tone throughout. JaRod Hall does an incredible job of making this piece exciting, pedagogical, and extremely playable! (2:00)

 

Publisher’s Website

https://www.alfred.com/products/time-lord-00-50674?_pos=3&_psq=time+lord&_ss=e&_v=1.0

 

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zq4yDVlOVIE

 

OBA GRADING:

Grade 1.5 (score cover lists as a Grade 1.5-2)
 

TECHNICAL COMMENTS:

 

• Composed in G minor concert and it remains true to this key signature for the most part, with the occasional accidentals throughout.

• This piece contains numerous time signature changes (2/4, 3/4 , 4/4), which is likely why the Grade level could be considered a 2.

• Ranges are very manageable for a grade 1.5 piece.  The clarinets NEVER cross the break.  Brass instruments never play higher than a Bb concert pitch.

• The F Horn range is very manageable, with most of the piece staying within the range of a D below the staff (D4) and a second space A (A5), and never exceeds a third space C (C5).

• The piece is not rhythmically complicated, with NO dotted or syncopated rhythms in the wind instruments; however, there are a few of these in the percussion (timpani and tom-toms).

• There are enough parts for the piece to be played by 6 percussionists, while I believe it could be managed by at least 4, if one were to omit a few details.  The timpani is often doubled by the tom-toms part.  There is, however, a very important bells part that should be covered, as it has several artistic solos throughout the piece.

• The F Horn and Oboe parts are always doubled.

 

TEACHING/REHEARSAL COMMENTS
 

• There are two main themes throughout this piece.  One is very motivic in nature and is performed primarily by the flute, oboe, and clarinets.  The other is a slower moving and more lengthy theme, which moves around the saxophones and brass.  This creates a great opportunity to work on balance between the two themes when they occur together, as well as how to make them prominent when they are introduced in the music.

• As mentioned, this piece consistently changes metres, which can make it a more challenging piece, where other elements (rhythm, pitch) are less complicated.  An important factor when working on this piece is to focus on the stress of the downbeat, as well as making sure the upbeats flow into the following measure.

• The piece opens with a slow section, where the composer sets the atmosphere and introduces the main theme.  It does take a while for the piece to get moving, so it might be best to start rehearsing the piece somewhere in the middle, where everyone is playing and work backwards to the start.

• It is important to note that the Bassoon/Trombone/Euphonium lines are often independent from the Bass Clarinet/Baritone Sax/Tuba lines.  Depending on the instrumentation of the performing group, it may be important to have some players cover missing parts (e.g., Euphonium to cover Bass Clarinet).

• Next to the opening measures, there is no contrasting lyrical section in this piece.  There is however, a middle section where the composer gives the second theme some independence from the main motif.  There is ample opportunity to work on dynamic contrast in this section to make it more dramatic.

• There are some spots where performers will really have to watch their director, as entries can be tricky (e.g., reverse pyramid in measures 8-9), the metre and tempo changes can be tricky for young musicians, and especially to make sure they are stressing the downbeats, as indicated by the composer in the programming notes.

 

VENUE

While this piece can make a great festival piece, this piece would fit nicely at the end of a set or possibly after another fast tempoed piece.  The slow opening gives a nice, suspenseful contrast to whatever it follows, but the piece, as a whole, still has the high energy closing that young performers love.

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Senior Band:

Windjammer - Robert Buckley

©Hal Leonard MusicWorks

*article contributed by Shashi Ramu, OBA Communications and Golden Horseshoe Music Festival Director

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PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION:

Windjammers were the last of the great sailing tall ships, and this piece from the pen of Robert Buckley captures the majesty and excitement of these amazing vessels. The voyage begins announced by three solo trumpets surrounding the audience and bouncing musical phrases off one another. The sails are raised, the ship is underway, and the audience is taken on a colorful and exciting musical voyage. This is effective and skillfully scored programmatic music at its best. Dur: 5:40

 

Publisher’s Website

https://www.halleonard.com/product/4003032/windjammer-voyage-aboard-a-tall-ship

 

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdUOLHnke4M

 

OBA GRADING:

Grade 3 (score cover lists as a Grade 3)
 

TECHNICAL COMMENTS:

 

• Composed in G minor concert and it remains true to this key signature for the most part, with the occasional accidentals throughout.

• Overall, the piece is built around the opening motive in a 3 voice trumpet solo, from which the melodic material arises

• There is a steady and intense 6/8 section for the majority of the piece, with a few shifts to 3/4 for specific statements

• Trumpet Range is only up to a high written A (G concert). 

• There are stepwise and sequential passages in the higher woodwinds in both the slow and fast sections, these should be easy to prepare given the fixed tempo behind them

• There are enough parts for the piece to be played by 6 percussionists, but you could actually get away with 3 (provided they can multi-task a little bit

• As the solo trumpet parts reoccur to finish the piece, it would be good for those 3 players to work on unifying their sound/tone qualities.

 

TEACHING/REHEARSAL COMMENTS
 

• The intro and faster sections are all built around this 5-6-1 motive established at the beginning. It's important for those melody players to bring this out dynamically whenever they have a melody

• There are some very rich sonorities over thick texture in the slow/opening (and closing) sections of this piece which can be used to work on ensemble balance and blend (to achieve the beautiful "pyramid" of sound). The Tuba section does not need to be shy here!

• It is important to have some depth on horn, trombone and euphonium as they state the main melody in the 6/8 section. 

• Anytime this melody happens it's important to keep the quarter notes (which are written to feel them as if we are in 3/4 time) moving forward and add a little bit of space in between each one so that the line does not fall behind

• Buckley is always very clear with his articulations, particularly when he wants SOUND. Over-exaggerate the accents and clipped/short articulations.

• The Third section is a 3/4 fanfare. This is meant to be played in a stately way, with as full a sound as possible, particularly in the brass.

• The 2nd 6/8 section (a build to the end) has a great deal of independent rhythmic movement, an opportunity for individual sections to work on their material outside of the full band setting

 

VENUE

This is a great Festival opening or closing selection. It is a past syllabus title, and obviously does hit some of the requirements for MusicFest Canada (Canadian composition with lyrical/contrasting/slow material). In a concert setting, this is a piece which would fit very well as a first half closing selection , before an intermission. This is generally a high school level piece (B300) , whether thats a Grade 10 group, or a split/combined level Senior Band. The Ensemble can be a smaller one too - as long as the key parts are covered.