HYMN, DANCE, and GLORY for Concert Band [7 mins]

 

HYMN, DANCE and GLORY portrays three different musical characters in one continuous movement as the title suggests. The piece begins with the hymn-like section which is lyrical and expressive. I wanted the wind players to imitate the sound of human voice as much as possible as if they were singing in the choir. The piece then moves to the middle part where the rhythmic upbeat pattern (ostinato) played by timpani, claves, and low- pitched instruments recurs throughout the section. This ostinato or what I called “loop” also acts as the basic harmony providing support to the syncopated melody. Moreover, I created a framework similar to the minuet and trio form. I wanted to include contrasting music which might convey a dance-like feel in the minuet and provide some players an opportunity for lyrical playing in the trio. Since the piece starts with Bb major at the beginning, then modulates to G minor which dominates most of the middle part, I thought that changing back to Bb major at the end would brighten the music. I also wanted to convey something of a glorious quality and a festive mood appropriate for a grand finale. These varied ideas led me to the title, which I believe best describes the musical content and structure of the work.