March for the End of an Era

Originally from the composer's first symphony for orchestra, this march has been arranged and adjusted for Concert Band (originally in C# minor, transposed to C minor) This exciting and threatening march is the first movement to the composer's first symphony, but published as a standalone piece. Every section gets a chance to show out in this piece. This march is written in American March form with the trio repeated twice and dogfight repeated once. In the first strain, it's like your typical American march, with the soprano voices taking lead on the melody, and the middle and low voices playing the motor. The second strain give the low woodwinds, brass, and strings a bombastic melody with perpetual triplets. The first trio is a little non-traditional, as it is in a quasi-tango style (even more non-traditional as the horns carry the melody). Both dogfights (or "break strains" if you're not a Southerner) use harmonic sequences to create instability. The second iteration of the trio features the flute section... or should I say, the PICCOLO section, with a virtuous soli. After the second dogfight and final trio, the piece ends on a picardy third, as the last chord is V in the key of the second movement of the composer's symphony. For a performance guide, reach out to the composer @ [email protected]