Review

William D. Pardus
Suite for Brass Septet:

Marlborough, NH, United States
Publisher: Creation Station
Date of Publication: 2007

Score and parts.

Primary Genre: Brass Ensemble - 6+ brass (choir)

Written for the 2008 Humboldt Brass Workshop’s Composition Contest for Brass Chamber music, William D. Pardus offers an accessible and enjoyable work for brass septet. Given in four movements, Suite for Brass Septet (two trumpets, two horns, two trombones and one tuba) maintains audience and performer interest through various styles and forms. In the fanfare-style “Overture,” Pardus introduces quartal harmonies while maintaining a tonal center. In the next movement, “Haunting,” continual quartal and quintal harmonies are used with less tonal center, creating the atmosphere implied by the movement’s title. As the title of the third movement suggests, “Almost the Blues” incorporates blues elements such as the standard 12-bar form, harmonic context and off-beat accent placement. An open improvisation section in G-minor is offered; otherwise brief group soli sections are to be performed. In the final “Rondo” movement, the entitled form is used in conjunction with various playful melodies in 6/8 meter. 

While the music is enjoyable, there are many editing issues with the work. For example, the blues movement is written in 6/8, but many of the rhythms are notated as if it was in 3/4. It is important that ties and beams be utilized according to the meter for ease of performer comprehension. Additionally, in measure 79 of the second movement, the tuba part is missing an accidental; the d should be d-sharp. There are also instances of trailing crescendos, floating parenthesis and poor measure spacing that are a result of sloppy editing.

Suite will serve well as a high school chamber contest piece or an easy-read for a collegiate brass ensemble. Written-pitch instrument ranges: combined trumpets - f to c3, combined horns - f-sharp to a2, combined trombones, all in tenor clef - F (opt. BB-flat) to b-flat1 and tuba - FF to a.

-Cory Mixdorf
University of Arkansas