Dynamite

With the advancement and innovation of technology, society has been able to make life very efficient. Everything from the wheel, to cars, to coffee machines, to smartphones has made life easier, and we take for granted what went into making some of these technologies. There are certain feats that have costed the lives of its builders, workers, and test subjects. Nitroglycerin, as an example, was discovered in 1847 by Italian chemist Ascanio Sobrero. This discovery would mean great contributions to the future of construction projects, and even war. This chemical caused deaths in 1860s California due to accidental explosions. It took these tragedies for the government to pass a law that prohibited the transportation of nitroglycerin. Later, the development of this chemical by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, led to Dynamite... Incidents like the aforementioned in California, as well as the 25,000+ casualties during the construction of the Panama Canal, and of those workers who had to use dynamite to blast through granite mountains so that freight trains could pass through, is what inspired this piece. However there is a dualistic sentiment : the feeling of being thankful for benefitting from the technologies and themselves, and the thought of those who passed because of them; the inherent risk in innovation. In this piece, you will hear triumphant, epic sounding brass to exemplify the feats of human achievement. Other sections are at a fast 160 + tempo that incorporate running 8th notes and more painful, dissonant harmonies and intervals to signify the immanent risk that many large scale undertakings pose. The piece is a push and pull of tragedy, fanfare - like rush, grit, and groove. There are musical gestures that represent the dynamite itself. For example, there are three instances where there is a "lighting of the fuse"(snare rim ruff), into the "ss" sound (that the wind players speak), which leads to the slapstick "CRACK !", into the "EXPLOSION"(bass drum impact). These moments function as transitions in the piece and contributes to its percussive nature and drive. The latter section is a bit process (or story) based and segmented, as there is a "delayed" explosion for the mountain's tunnel. I had to incorporate a train section to follow because come on...trains, how could I not? This section is very brief, but very fun. The piece as a whole is not a set out story, but feel free to make your own as you go!