band music of Sy Brandon
A Franklin Portrait for Concert Band and Narrator - This work was composed for the Royse City High School Band, Dean Bouras, conductor. "A Franklin Portrait" is modeled after Copland’s "Lincoln Portrait" in that it has narration and pays tribute to a great patriot through words and music. Advanced Intermediate
Legal size perusal score - Free
Letter size parts set - $40.00
Arizona Centennial Overture - Arizona Centennial Overture was commissioned by the Arizona Commission on the Arts as part of the Centennial Legacy Project to help celebrate Arizona’s centennial. There are two versions for band: advanced band, and easier band (rhythms and ranges simplified). The overture pays tribute to the unique blend of the various cultures that had a part in shaping Arizona into what it is today. This six and a half minute composition is divided into three main sections. The first section begins with fanfares that announce the celebration. After thirty seconds, the introduction fades into music that pays tribute to the pioneers that migrated to Arizona. The second section pays tribute to the various Native American cultures that are a large part of Arizona’s history and its present way of life. The third section is influenced by Mariachi music to recognize the Hispanic influence in Arizona. Advanced Intermediate/ Advanced
Advanced Band Legal size perusal score - Free
Advanced Band Letter size Part Set - $40.00
Easier Band Legal size perusal score - Free
Easier Band Letter size Part Set - $40.00
Angels We Have Heard On High/ Ding Dong Merrily On High - This arrangement combines these two carols by alternate phrases from each and by having sections of the carols occur simultaneously. There are also free sections of imitative counterpoint interspersed. All this occurs over a syncopated ostinato rhythm that has the eight eighth notes of the 4/4 measure grouped as 3,3,2 resulting in a very festive arrangement for concert use. Advanced Intermediate
Legal size perusal score - Free
Letter size set of parts - $30.00
Bandscapes - This composition is designed as a showcase for the sections of the band. It begins with a movement that highlights the full band and the individual woodwind, brass, and percussion sections. Shorter movements for each of the instrument families follow. Any of these movements may be omitted if the instrumentation is not available. The composition concludes with a set of variations over a passacaglia theme that explores different instrumental combinations. It comes with optional narration of humorous poems written by the composer. Advanced Intermediate
Legal size perusal score - Free
Letter size set of Woodwind parts - $25.00 (both part sets needed for performance)
Letter size set of Brass and Percussion parts - $25.00 (both part sets needed for performance)
Bantu - "Bantu" was a finalist in the 2014 Sul Ross State University Wind Ensemble Composition Competition.and timbre changes to create a composition reflective of the excitement of this celebration. It is influenced by the African poem form of the same name. A bantu consists of several two-line stanzas where the second line is a metaphor of the first, therefore creating a call and response-type structure. This composition uses frequent imitation, which is a form of call and response. It is metaphorical in that the imitation is not literal, rather it is transformed with subtle changes. Additionally, the composition is influenced by African music with its use of driving rhythms, syncopation, and open harmony. Advanced
Legal size perusal score - Free
Letter size set of parts - $30.00
Celebration Overture - This band transcription of "Celebration Overture" was composed for orchestra during August and September of 1995 in honor of WITF-FM’s 25th Anniversary. It was selected as the winning composition in WITF-FM’s Composition Competition from a field of over forty international entries and received its premiere by the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra. During March 1997, the overture was recorded by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Paul Freeman for release as part of CD series entitled "Paul Freeman Introduces" on the Albany Label in 1998. This six minute overture alternates sections of fanfare-like figures with sections of playful rhythms and counterpoint. Advanced
Legal size perusal score - Free
Letter size set of parts - $40.00
Fantasia on Moravian Hymns - Fantasia On Moravian Hymns was composed during 1998 as a result of a commission by the 20th Moravian Music festival. The work is in three sections; fast, slow, fast. The first section uses phrases from the hymns Sing Hallelujah, Praise the Lord and Jesus Makes My Heart Rejoice in a festive duple meter with a continuous triplet accompaniment. The second section uses the hymn When My Love To Christ Grows Weak which is turned into a passacaglia bass line. The last section uses the hymns All the World Give Praises Due and To Avert from Men God’s Wrath. All the World Give Praises Due is divided into phrases separated by a fanfare-like descant. The descant then becomes the basis of a short fugal section that leads directly into the hymn, To Avert from Men God’s Wrath. The harmony becomes more chromatic and is accompanied by a descant that grows out of the previous fugue. All the World Give Praises Due returns but is expanded as it leads to the climactic end. Advanced
Legal size perusal score - Free
Letter size set of parts - $40.00
In Remembrance, September 11, 2001 - "In Remembrance, September 11,2001" was commissioned by the Euphouria Tuba/Euphonium Quartet and was premiered by them at the 2002 International Tuna/Euphonium Conference. It was adapted for band during 2002. The composition reflects the composer’s feelings about the tragic events of that fateful day. The first movement, "Fanfares To Fallen Heroes", is a tribute to the brave firemen, policemen and rescue workers who tirelessly and fearlessly risked and sacrificed their lives in order to save the lives of others. The second movement, "Elegy To The Innocent", is a tribute to all the innocent victims and their loved ones who have suffered at the hands of the terrorists. The third movement, "Justice", represents the struggle and resolve of the United States of America and its allies to eliminate terrorism. The last movement, "Prayer For Peace", represents a hope that all the people of the world can achieve the tolerance and understanding we need to live in harmony and in a civilized manner. Advanced
Legal size perusal score - Free
Letter size set of woodwind parts - $20.00 (both part sets needed for performance)
Letter size set of brass and percussion parts - $20.00 (both part sets needed for performance)
Invocation - A stirring composition in the minor mode with some meter change. Advanced Intermediate
Legal size perusal score - Free
Letter size set of parts - $40.00
Jubilation - Fanfare-like figures abound in this joyful composition in triple meter. Advanced
Legal size perusal score - Free
Letter size set of parts - $30.00
Metropolitan Moods - This piece was composed for the San Jose Metropolitan Band. Each of the three movements represented a different part of the week. The first movement "Daytime" is full of energy and is rhythmic and contrapuntal. The second movement "Nighttime" is slow and changes moods between being peaceful, restless, bluesy and romantic. The last movement "Weekend Fiesta" is celebratory and contains hemiola and meter changes. Advanced
Legal size perusal score - Free
Letter size set of parts - $40.00
Portrait of Don Quixote - Portrait of Don Quixote won first prize in the Hillcrest Wind Ensemble's 2016 Composition Competition and consists of three continuous sections. The first section represents Don Quixote's heroic deeds. The tempo and style of this section is Maestoso and contains an ostinato and fanfare-type figures. The second section represents ideal love. The lyrical melody and lush harmony of the outer parts speak to internal and external beauty while the middle part reflects the unobtainable ideal. A syncopated third section has Don Quixote fighting imaginary battles with windmills. The windmills are metaphoric for imaginary battles that humans sometime create in their own lives. This section alternates lighter playful ideas that show the frivolousness of some of the battles, with heroic fanfares representing the earnestness of the effort. Advanced
Legal size perusal score - Free
Letter size set of parts - $40.00
Rescue - Rescue is written in honor of all military personnel and first responders involved in rescue operations. Intense sections of horror alternate with sections reflecting rescue workers scurrying to assist. The piece ends triumphantly indicating the success of the rescue operation. This composition was premiered by the West Point Band at their September 11, 2016 concert in New York City. It is a good opener or encore selection. Advanced
Legal size perusal score - Free
Letter size set of parts - 25.00
Symbology - This composition is inspired by the symbology present in the suits of a deck of cards. It is in one continuous movement that is divided into four sections. Spades (death) is a funeral march that uses frequent dotted rhythms, outbursts of anger, and a lyrical, somber descending melody. A change of mood that is accomplished by brightening the harmony leads into Hearts (romance). The last measure of this section introduces a dotted rhythm motive that is used throughout the next section, Diamonds (riches). This section is subtitled “riches” instead of “wealth” because “riches” implies money for money’s sake rather than the benefits it can buy. Towards the end of this section, a chromatic line begins to insert itself, suggesting the uprising and war (Clubs) that follows. A dissonant chord transitions the listener into Clubs (war) section. The piece ends with the sound of death and destruction, therefore starting the cycle of the suits over again. Advanced
Legal size perusal score - Free
Letter size set of parts - $40.00
The First State - This three movement composition is a musical portrait of Delaware up until its being the first state to ratify the constitution. It was composed for the University of Delaware Wind Ensemble, Dr. Robert J. Steckfuss, conductor as a result of a commission from the Xi Mu Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. The work is in three movements: I. Stewards of the Land II. Settlement and Conflict III. Forging A Nation
Advanced
Advanced
Legal size perusal score - Free
Letter size set of parts - $40.00
The Six Seasons of Kakadu - This composition won Franklin and Marshall College’s wind Ensemble Composition Contest in 2001. Kakadu, Australia?s ancient wilderness, comprises 8,000 square miles of the Northern Territory and boasts the longest continuous surviving human cultures in the world. Aborigines have been living in this region for at least 40,000 years. The region also contains abundant wild life. It is a land of varied extremes that creates a constant cycle of destruction and renewal. The composition is loosely programmatic. It does not depict the six seasons sequentially nor does it depict the six seasons with specific thematic material. The composition does attempt to capture both the primitiveness and beauty of this ancient wilderness and the cycles of its seasons, each with its own uniqueness and its challenge for the sustaining of life. Advanced
Legal size perusal score - Free
Letter size set of woodwind parts - $20.00 (both part sets needed for performance)
Letter size set of brass and percussion parts - $20.00 (both part sets needed for performance)
’Twas The Night Before Christmas - A setting of Clement Clarke Moore's well-known poem for narrator and band using all original music. Parts of the composition are very lyrical while others are humorous. The poem is divided into six sections. The narration is spoken most of the time before each section except for part five where some of the narration occurs while the band is playing. Advanced Intermediate
Legal size perusal score - Free
Letter size set of parts - $40.00