Doxology Fanfare

In 2023, I had the honor of collaborating with the Cross Timbers Tuba Ensemble of Stephenville, Texas, which celebrates Texas-German culture, faith, and family through music. The majority of their repertoire is composed by ensemble members, notably Jim Perry and Dr. Floyd Richmond. Inspired by their work, I contributed "Doxology Fanfare" during my brief time with them. This piece was influenced by Derek Bourgeois's "Osteoblast" for trombone octet and my personal fondness for Louis Bourgeois Doxology hymn. The merging of two composers' influences in the same piece sharing the surname Bourgeois was completely by accident and is such an improbability that I take delight in pointing it out to you. I aimed to transform the Doxology into an uplifting worship invitation, departing from its traditional role of concluding church services. Additionally, I sought to showcase the lyrical potential of the lower tuba range while challenging the ensemble to function as a polyrhythmic engine supporting soaring lead parts. During the piece's trial phase, Jim Perry recommended an important tuba part edit, suggesting that the extreme lower range starting at measure 21 be played by a single tubist at a time for cleaner execution. I adapted this suggestion by assigning two tubists to work as a tag-team, ensuring seamless lyrical continuity, resembling an organist with an endless supply of air. The tag-team of lower tubists' coordination of tone quality, volume, and articulation is crucial, planning their note assignments in advance to maintain phrase integrity during player and note transitions. I extend my gratitude to Dr. Floyd Richmond for his infectious positive encouragement and support, Dr. Robert Tucker for imparting composition knowledge, Arthur "Dutch" Ode for his dedication to community music programs and my inspiration to contribute to the local music community, and Jim Perry for his expertise and feedback. Special thanks to the Tarleton Low Brass Studio for premiering my piece at TMEA 2024.