The Greatest Frontier

Throughout my youth, I was highly influenced by Science Fiction, especially Star Trek: The Next Generation. It inspired me from a creative, musical, and human perspective and was a large factor in most of my current views of the world in which we all live. This work is largely inspired by that show as well as other Star Trek shows and movies. The title is inspired by the idea of space, called the final frontier throughout Star Trek. The first melody pulls many aspects from the The Original Series, including the opening interval of a minor 7th, the rhythmic use of triplets, and the chromatic intervals in the second half of the melody. It sits over quartal harmonies which help create the open "spacey" sound. The countermelody introduced by the Oboe in measure 13 is inspired intervalically and rhythmically by the 2009 Star Trek reboot movie theme. These 2 melodies are used in various ways from start to finish, sometimes rhythmically diminished, sometimes just as a motif passed from one instrument to another. Every section has a moment to shine like a distant star in this fun sci-fi inspired piece. Instrumentation: Piccolo Flute Oboe Bassoon 1 and 2 Clarinet in Bb 1-3 Bass Clarinet Contrabassoon Alto Saxophone Tenor Saxophone Baritone Saxophone Piano Trumpet in Bb 1-3 Horn in F 1-4 Trombone 1 and 2 Bass Trombone Euphonium Tuba Timpani (5) Marimba Percussion: Suspended and Crash Cymbal Bass Drum Snare Drum and Triangle