Review

Ran Whitley
Meter Quest: for Brass Quintet
2 B-flat trumpets, horn in F, trombone, tuba

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2022
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Score and parts

Primary Genre: Brass Ensemble - 5 brass

Since a great majority of brass chamber repertoire was composed in the past century, a lot of it employs a multitude of post common practice compositional techniques. This can prove to be a challenge for younger and less experienced brass players. Works like Ran Whitley’s Meter Quest provide such players with an opportunity to practice and refine these skills before attempting more challenging music.

Meter Quest is a less than 5 minute work which focuses almost exclusively on playing in 10/8, 5/8, and 7/8 time as a quintet. The rhythms are highly repetitive and uniform across the ensemble. The entirety of the work is set in G minor and B-flat major. The trumpet parts never exceed a written g2 (f2 concert pitch), and the tuba never plays below FF-sharp. The trombone part is written exclusively in bass clef and easily playable on either tenor or bass trombone.

The parts and score are well edited for clarity and legibility. While likely intended as an exercise, Ran Whitley’s Meter Quest could certainly be programed on any brass quintet recital. It is an ideal work for younger quintets to refine their sense of ensemble time or perhaps for more experienced quintets as a good opportunity for sight-reading.