Gallant Fantasy

Gallant Fantasy is a heroic piece that takes the listener on the journey of knight as he tries to save a faraway kingdom from evil. The exact story of the piece can be left up to the imaginations of the conductor, performers, and audience. The opening is a fanfare that introduces the main melodic idea and majestic tone of the piece. This is followed by a contrasting melodic section with flowing phrases in the woodwinds. In the next part of the piece, the tempo picks up to resemble a more adventurous feel. This is in a rondo-like form where the same theme is recapitulated multiple times in between other musical ideas. At unsettling, the piece takes a more sinister tone with clashing chords in the low brass and a repeating eighth note pattern that is tossed around the band. Once the climax is reached, the tension is released through a slow, but epic finale that brings the main musical idea of the piece in full throttle.