| Chimerical Diversions (V.72) Symphonic Band Grade IV Written for the Bloomfield Youth Band (NJ) A set of five extremely short pieces intended to expose middle and high school level ensembles to techniques used in contemporary music. The first and last movements, each exactly one minute long, are complete sonic mirrors (that is, playing one backward will result in the other). The second and third movements are two scherzos. The second movement is a traditional scherzo while the third is based on broad gestures, effects, and extramusical techniques. The fourth movement, which may be omitted, employs aleatory woodwind lines against a static brass and percussion background. Harmonically, each movement is a different treatment of the same basis: the opposition of whole tone and octontonic modes. The third movement uses a tone row from Schoenberg's fourth string quartet. Score is transposed and no key signatures are used. The piece uses Fibbonacci sequences and golden ratios to delineate sections, movement structure, climaxes, and meter changes, but through all this the music remains playable by high school or advanced middle school ensembles. Scored for piccolo, 2 flutes, 3 clarinets, 2 oboes, bassoon, bass clarinet, 2 alto saxes, tenor sax, baritone sax, 2 trumpets, 4 horns, 2 trombones, euphonium, tuba, and timpani, 3 percussion. approx. 6 minutes  |
 Movement 2 of Chimerical Diversions Click to enlarge (click back to return to this page) Mvt1 |
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