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Sonata for Organ and Brass

pipe organ, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, timpani

(computer-played version)

. . . by Rod Anderson        1996-1998

NotesProgram Notes

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Table of Contents (TOC) of these Program Notes

NotesThe Basics

Instrumentation

Pipe organ
2 trumpets
tenor trombone
bass trombone (though in performances to date a tuba has been substituted)
One timpanist playing 3 timpani -- tuned to D, F, and A in the first two movements and to D, G, and A in the 3rd movement (so in a live performance it would be necessary to re-tune the F timpanum to G between the 2nd and 3rd movements.

Duration

Movement Minutes
I - Moderato; allegro 5
II - Theme and Variations 60 Skip 4-1/2
III - Scherzo 2-1/2
12

Composition date

1996 -- The first movement began its life as my final assignment (in Dec/95) for a great course (MIDI Composition Techniques) over the Internet given by Bob Adams of the University of Massachussetts. But it has been revised, and joined by the additional two movements, since that time.

Premiere performance

The premiere performance was given at Trinity United Church, Cobourg ON on August 29, 1996:

Second performance

A second performance was given at Trinity United Church, Cobourg ON on October 4, 1998 at the Cobourg Celebration Concert of the Northumberland Orchestra (celebrating the 200th anniversary of the settlement of Cobourg).

Computer performers (when human ones are absent)

Like all the MIDI files here, it is in General MIDI form. The General MIDI patches (on the 0-127 numbering system) are:
PartGeneral MIDI patch
name#
Pipe organChurch organ19
1st TrumpetTrumpet56
2nd TrumpetTrumpet56
Tenor TromboneTrombone57
Bass TromboneTrombone57
TimpaniTimpani47
How they sound will depend on your own playback software.

On my own synth I used the following patches:
PartSound ModulePatch
name#
Pipe organRoland RD500Pipe Organ72
1st TrumpetRoland JV880Trumpet 1 from Orchestral Expansion Board (OEB)106
2nd TrumpetRoland JV880Trumpet 1 from OEB106
Tenor TromboneRoland JV880Solo Trombone from OEB113
Bass TromboneRoland JV880Bass Trombone from OEB117
TimpaniRoland JV880Timpani A from OEB236
These are what you hear on the mp3 files.

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NotesStructure notes

[This structure is also shown in the markers in the Meter Track of the MIDI file -- though in the MIDI file the measure numbers are cumulative throughout rather than starting over each movement]

I Moderato; allegro (in G minor)

The first movement is in traditional sonata form: the exposition extending through measures 1 to 50, the development through measures 51 to 106, the recapitulation through measures 107 to 142, and a coda through measures 143 to 160. Theme 1 is in G minor while Theme 2 is in D minor. However, the tonality is a little inexact as the initial intro ends in F major and the final coda in A major. Because of the tonality being a little vague at the end, I did not re-cast Theme 2 into the tonic in the recapitulation.

Exposition:
Intro (1-15)
Theme 1 in organ (16-21)
Bridge (organ & bass trombone) (22-26)
Theme 1 in organ repeat (27-28)
Theme 1 in trumpets (29-32)
Theme 1 in Trombones (33-34)
Bridge (35-38)
Theme 2 (39-50)

Development:
On Intro (51-64)
On Theme 1 (65-85)
On Theme 2 (86-102)
Bridge (103-106)

Recapitulation:
Theme 1 in organ (107-112)
Theme 1 in trumpets (113-116)
Theme 1 in Trombones (117-118)
Bridge (119-124)
Theme 2 (125-136)
Bridge (137-142)

Coda: (143-160)
It will be obvious that the organ intro and coda are built off Theme 1.

II Theme and Variations (in D major)

The structure is basically an 8-measure theme played 9 times (once plus 8 variations) with 2 brief episodic insertions plus a short intro at the beginning and a longer coda at the end. The variations consist solely of variations in voices, timbre, and fullness of harmony - and not of ornamentation, nor rhythmic or thematic variation.

The harmonic progression in the 8-measure theme stalks stolidly along (one harmony per measure) in the order: Em7 - Gma7 - Dma7 - Gma7 - Em7 - a D suspension - an A suspension - A.

The Gma7 - Dma7 alteration is a debt to Satie (in Gymnopédies) - though the sound is not Satie-like. The reason for the major 7th (and also for the F - F# clashes in the episodes) is to carry on the half-tone discords that populate the first measure in places.

Intro and theme:
1 - Intro (4 measures)
5 - Theme in the organ (1 voice - solo)

Variations and episodes:
13 - Variations I - Theme in the organ (1 voice - solo) + timpani
21 - Variation II - Theme in the organ (2 voices)
29 - Variation III - Theme in 2 voices (organ & trombone)
37 - Variation IV - Theme in 2 voices (trumpet & trombone) + organ harmony
45 - Episode (6 measures) (organ)
51 - Variation V - Theme in 4 voices (2 trumpets, 2 trombones)
59 - Episode (6 measures) (organ & brass)
65 - Variation VI - Theme harmony alone (organ)
73 - Variation VII - Harmonized theme (organ)
81 - Variation VIII - Theme in 4 voices (2 trumpets, 2 trombones) + organ harmony
89 - Coda (12 measures)

III Scherzo (in G minor)
Overall, this in an A - B - A structure: a 'first theme section' (measures 1 through 51), a 'second theme section' (measures 52 through 81), and a 'first theme section' again (82 measures through 108).

Intro and first theme section:
1 to 3 Intro
4 to 11 Theme 1a (organ)
12 to 19 Theme 1a (organ & brass)
20 to 27 Theme 1b (organ)
28 to 35 Theme 1a (organ & brass)
36 to 43 Theme 1b (organ & trumpet)
44 to 51 Theme 1a (organ & brass)

Second theme section:
52 to 66 Theme 2 (organ + brass cadences)
67 to 81 Theme 2 (organ & trumpets + brass cadences)

First theme section and coda:
82 to 89 Theme 1a (organ & brass)
90 to 97 Theme 1b (organ & trumpet)
98 to 105 Theme 1a (organ & brass)
106 to 108 Coda

As will be evident, the final playing of Theme 1a includes (in measures 104 & 105) a reference back to the theme of the first movement.



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Additional commentary

Playing with discords

Much of this piece is playing with the question of the extent to which clusters of discordant notes can ultimately work and be accepted by the listener's ear. Richard Strauss was, of course, one of the earliest and greatest masters at this sort of double-harmony thing Since his time, double-harmony, atonal discords, and tone clusters have become a common modern language. But this piece is still (gulp) rooted in tonality and I am not attempting to sound modern, cacophonous, or musically erudite -- but to simply see how far minor seconds and major sevenths can be pushed and still be accepted by the ear as "normal" and pleasing. In the first movement, both the introduction and the coda are based on the organ holding long notes and suspensions as discords accumulate and evaporate. Thus in m.2 the C# enters against the G-Minor Triad. At the end of the introduction the top F is held for 5 measures while the harmony underneath moves from an (1) Fdim7 through (2) C7 to (3) an A major clashing with A minor to (4) a C# major clashing with Bb and Eb to (5) to an E6 clashing against the top F and finally (6) resolving on F major. Similarly in the coda we work up from (1) an Eb fighting against D to (2) a D fighting against an Ab triad to (3) a C# fighting against an F triad to (4) a C fighting against an E triad. Then in m. 155 we again begin a top note (A) held for 5 measures -- initially we have an F triad with a E arpeggio fighting it underneath (m. 155 & 156), then a C# fighting against a B7, then an Eb fighting against a G triad, then the worst clash in m.158, where an F at the bottom and an A at the top fight with a C augmented 5th in between, before finally resolving on A major. I don't know -- I just like the sound of this sort of stuff -- but it has to be on something like a pipe organ (it sounds dopey on a piano).

Excerpt from premiere performance program notes (Aug 29/96)

"The final piece in this program is by a relative newcomer, Rod Anderson, but, if this pieces is anything to judge by, we can expect great things from Rod in the future. The Sonata uses three movements, of which the first (Moderato; Allegro) follows the traditional Sonata Form with its three basic sections and two main tunes. The second movement (slow) consists of a theme which is followed by eight variations, and the final movement (Scherzo) is in ternary form A - B - A. It gives me great pleasure to welcome tonight members of the Pine Ridge Brass: Bob Reid (trumpet), Neil Hunter (trumpet), Don Dawson (trombone), and Ron Parker (tuba) along with percussionist Keith Stahley. It is also a pleasure for me to be included in this premiere performance."

by Ian C. Morton, organist

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MP3 and MIDI files
(Click on icons below to play MIDI and/or download MP3 files)

Year Title
... Instrumentation
-- Movements
...... Excerpts		 Min:
Sec		 Complete
MP3 files
(better sound)**
file size		 MP3 file
excerpts
(better sound)**
file size		 Complete
MIDI files
(not as good sound but quick)**
The complete piece:
1996-1998 Sonata for Organ and Brass
... pipe organ, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, timpani		 12:16
How the MIDI file sounds depends, of course, on your playback mechanism. On my computer, MIDI files are played by the QuickTime PlugIn. This particular embedded MIDI file is not very good (and I should try to improve it some day). The organ is too quiet and the timpani is far too loud. Nonetheless, it will give an idea despite the badly unbalanced sound. Compared to that, the MP3 files (separately for each movement below) provide a much richer organ sound, more realistic timpani (more resonant and less like canons), and a much better balance and timbre throughout. Of course, if you have a synthesizer, you can download the MIDI file, set the instruments to your own preferred patches. and try todo your own volume balancing -- but that's a lot more work than downloading the mp3 files.
-- 1st Movement - Moderato; Allegro 5:19 3.6 MB
-- 2nd Movement - Theme and Variations 4:30 3.0 MB
-- 3rd Movement - Scherzo 2:31 1.7 MB
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Short excerpts:
...... excerpt from 1st theme of 1st Movement 0:45 0.4 MB
This MP3 excerpt of the beginning of the first movement gives a much richer organ sound and more resonant timpani than its embedded MIDI counterpart.
...... excerpt from end of 2nd Movement 0:22 0.2 MB
This short MP3 excerpt towards the end of the second movement provides again a better balanced sound than the embedded MIDI file.
...... excerpt from start of 3rd Movement 0:28 0.3 MB
Again, this MP3 excerpt from the beginning of the third movement will give you a much better idea of the timbre (richer organ sound) than the embedded MIDI file.

** If you have a high-speed connection, forget about the MIDI files and just use the MP3 files (better). If you have a dial-up connection, consider the faster (but not as good) MIDI file only if the MP3 files seem to be taking too long to play or download.


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Score Package
(Click on icons below to download pdf and rtf files)

Year Title
... Instrumentation 		Description No. of
score pages		 Score
(pdf file)
file size		 No. of
text pages		 Text
(rtf file)
file size
1996-1998 Sonata for Organ and Brass
... pipe organ, 2 trumpets,
2 trombones, timpani		 Complete score Mvt 1 * 27 0.3 MB
Complete score Mvt 2 * 17 0.3 MB
Complete score Mvt 3 * 18 0.3 MB
* email me if you would like any part extractions
7 8 KB
(you will need the free Stuffit Expander for decompressing the rtf.sitx files)

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http://www.rodmer.com/RodMusic/ProgramNotes/OrganSonataNotes.html -- Revised Jul 28, 2005
Copyright © 1996-2005 Rod Anderson
rod@rodmer.com
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