Five Madrigals for Brass Quintet (18:30)
Each of these five-part “songs” for brass quintet is based on a stanza from the poem below, composed using the 7-syllable and 11-syllable lines characteristic of madrigal form.- We gather in harmony … (3:30)
- Death is sad for the living … (4:30)
- We can still play toss the ball … (3:05)
- Beauty is all around us … (4:20)
- We reach and grow together … (3:05)
I.
We gather in harmony;
Each has a story to tell.
Our voices weave stories into history.
II.
Death is sad for the living;
And a journey for the dead.
We see not across that foggy river bed.
III.
We can still play toss the ball.
We can still dance and sing songs.
The simple joys are possible despite all.
IV.
Beauty is all around us;
Creation is alive, see!
We all weave the web of life eternally.
V.
We reach and grow together;
Dreaming in both night and day.
Life is precious, let not time slip away.
This is really good stuff, and I would think brass players would love all the polyphony, the sonorousness of the chords, etc.
Gregory Youtz
composer and professor at Pacific Lutheran University
Feel free to download a PDF of the score (currently no charge). To purchase a printed and bound score, with or without parts, or obtain PDF parts, please contact me.
