It’s in the works! Two rivers, two main themes. The rough sketch is mostly there. Next comes the orchestration for full band.
Tag: Music
Music Composition, Composer, Arranger, Music Performance, Euphonium, Trombone, Tuba, Brass Instruments
The Parting Glass
Goodbye, 2020, even though some good came of you: a renewal of focus on the self, new directions in artistic creativity, new ensemble collaborations, and new friends.
A glass raised to you as we part ways and head towards a brighter future!
A Hymn About Tomatoes
“Blessed is the Fruit” from the vine, soaked with sun and ripened so fine!
This lovely little hymn tune is a song about….tomatoes! Tomatoes are one of the most revered fruits according to Pastafarians. The Sauce, in the Pastafarian Holy Trinity (The Pasta, Sauce and Meatballs), is typically a delicious, red marinara.
Appropriate for any harvest time celebration of thanks-giving, “Blessed is the Fruit” honors the humble tomato and all the time and effort that goes into its transformation from garden to plate.
Beginning with a short instrumental intro, this tune has three verses, each with a bit of variation. I chose to give the euphonium the melody line in Verse 1 with typical part writing in the trumpet, trombone and tuba. In verse 2, the trombone gets the melody over a pretty interesting pizzicato-like tuba line. The other instruments enter into harmonies halfway through the verse. Verse 3 is special. The trumpet soars with the melody while the tuba gets to play a descant line. Trombone and euphonium play their own fanfare-like fills interspersed with the tuba. In verses 2 and 3, there are optional vocal harmonies and obbligato lines.
In addition, I am figuring out how to better utilize the video/audio editing software and was able to add some churchy-style reverb to this one! I am very excited for this feature!
Enjoy this wonderful Pastafarian Tomato Hymn!
Jessica Landsteiner: Trumpet and Vocals
Sarah Houle: Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba and Vocals
“Blessed is the Fruit”, by Sarah Houle, 2020, for Brass Quartet (Trumpet, Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba) and Piano/Vocal/Chords.
Bier Trinken
I’m remembering the fun, adult band trips overseas today as I post this special piece. There has been hopeful talk of once again gathering for band. Another special trip seems to possibly be in the works as well as the summer season for two community bands I’m a part of. Leadership and members have been pretty active emailing each other and trying to figure out how to have a safe musical outdoor season this coming summer.
We all miss our community band friends and long to play as a group again.
This piece, “Bier Trinken”, was conceived after returning from my second international band tour with the Three Rivers Concert Band in 2016. We visited Hungary, Czech Republic, and Austria. One of our concerts in Czech Republic occurred at a beer hall in a very small town (Spejchar Zelec). Playing that concert of typical band pieces with some polkas thrown in, smelling and tasting the brews, was a highlight of that tour. Finally, in 2020, the year of staying home and not playing music in ensemble, I’ve been able to focus more on composition and finished “Bier Trinken”. Please and dunkel, pils and thank you…enjoy!
“Bier Trinken”, by Sarah Houle, 2020, for Brass Quartet (Trumpet with optional divisi 2nd part, Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba) with Lyrics and Lead Sheet (Piano, Vocal, Chords).
Holiday – A Pastafarian Carol for All
Many people have been wondering, something good has to come out of 2020, right?!
As we say in the Northland, “You betcha!!”
Well, here is a fun gift to 2020, the Year of the Plague and unrelenting sensationalized wackiness gifted to us by our own species.
Enjoy the first of these wonderful, light-hearted contributions to the Pastafarian Hymnal because sometimes…we all just need something fun! Share and spread the joy!
Cheers to us and Cheers to All!
If you are interested in checking out some of these other hymns and songs in progress, here is the link to the page on this site.
Holiday
Euphoniousmusic.com is coming together. It has been interesting revisiting many of these older works, preparing the sheet music samples, sound files, and creating individual pages/listings for each one. And now, it’s time to try to figure out how to create a blog or a post or whatever it is to be called for this in-progress website.
The Pastafarian Holiday is a time for celebration (in any way one sees fit) and usually involves food and drink. Holiday is also for sharing and giving and enjoying the company of good friends and family.
Our Covid-19 pandemic has decimated the ability for many of us to gather in this spirit. For many of us musicians, we feel cut off from colleagues and friends who we normally would see quite regularily in rehearsal or performance settings. But no more. What is normally a busy time of year for music making…will be relatively quiet this year.
Some opportunities exist, here and there, to sort of make music together by sending in recorded parts to click tracks, but it just doesn’t have the same organic and cohesive feeling that can only happen when you are playing in the midst of other musicians…and you all are just enveloped in the moment.
Music has been sparse in 2020, and will likely continue to be sparse for awhile, so here is one gift: Holiday, a Pastafarian Carol for All.
Hopefully, it will bring some enjoyment! If you enjoy this sound file, keep in touch. We will hopefully get to record the parts to click track soon! Happy Holiday!
Holiday
Euphonious Music 