Review

Sandra Gay
Festal Flourish:
Brass choir

N.p.,
Publisher: Wehr's Music House
Date of Publication: 2006

Score and parts.

Primary Genre: Brass Ensemble - 2 brass

Sandra Gay is the composer of many works for brass in church settings. This short fanfare is scored for four B-flat trumpets, two trombones, horn, tuba and organ, with substitute horn parts for the two trombones. Primarily in 7/8 meter, it alternates between two choirs of trumpets and trombones and trumpets, horn, tuba and organ. Bright, happy and diatonic, it makes for a good "opening fanfare" if you have the forces. The mixed meter is not an issue in that the tune falls easily into three, two, two throughout, and the demands in terms of range and technique are minimal, making this work around a grade four in difficulty. 

Score and parts include measure numbers at the beginning of each staff and the quality of the printing is fine. The publisher has placed the dynamics below the staff but tempo indications such as retard. and a tempo above, which is a bit unusual and could cause some confusion at first. Indeed, my only critical comment would be that collecting nine players for a piece lasting barely a minute could be a problem. 

-David Mathie
Boise State University