Second Quartet

This thrilling work for brass quartet from the pen of Kenneth Downie is based on Bach's Two-part Invention in F major, BWV779. The composer writes: I wrote this quartet during the early days of Covid, when only small groups of instrumentalists were allowed to play together. Chamber music is something I enjoyed during my student days - it really is wonderful for developing good musicianship, requiring an awareness of what everyone in the group is doing, and calling for tight ensemble, keen balance and tuning, as well as a uniformity of style in performance. Playing the two and three part inventions of J.S. Bach formed an important part of my piano studies, and since I found myself writing more counterpoint than usual in these quartets, it seemed entirely appropriate to reference the great master of counterpoint in this work. At bar 49, the euphonium quotes from the opening of Bach's Two-part Invention in F major, BWV779, the first keyboard work of Bach that I ever learned, and this phrase pops up quite frequently thereafter. The rising arpeggio figure has a bouncy, positive feel to it, and I really enjoyed developing this material. I hope that players and listeners will share the fun as they rehearse and perform the quartet.'