I couldn’t get very far into this project (or compose for very long at all, for that matter) without churning out some marching band material. Movement Eight is an opener for a decent-sized marching corps that has a strong high and low brass section and a woodwind section that is no stranger to precision and stamina. I didn’t write drumline parts to this opener, mostly because I hate how the drums sound on MIDI - it would do nothing but mud things up. Just at one minute, this is a concise and powerful opening statement that would serve to introduce the theme of the rest of the 9-10 minute show. It accomplishes this beginning with a flurry of triplets in the high woodwinds coupled with staccato eighth notes in the low woodwinds for a hemiola basso continuo to establish momentum and forward motion. We then hear the main theme in the horns, supported by thick chords of the tonic (g minor) in the low brass, and answered by the tuba. The theme is repeated by the horns, then the trumpets join the fun in an echo effect, and again the low brass provides an answer. The echo continues between the high brass, adding to the momentum, until the entire brass section is caught up in a uniform rhythm that builds to a thick tonic chord from the entire band (with syncopated accents in the brass so as not to lose the momentum), then moves through a series of power chords back to the tonic (with some extreme ranges for pinache). This could definitely turn into something from here. Here is:

Mvt. 8