Horizon for Trumpet and Percussion by Matthew Nunes - Composer published on 2016-04-12T01:54:40Z http://www.matthewnunesmusic.com/solos.html “Lost time is never found again; and what we call time enough, always proves little enough” - Benjamin Franklin Composer's Notes Horizon is conceived as attempting to escape from the black hole that is depression. Light cannot escape the gravity of a black hole much like it seems impossible to escape such a state of mind. The quote from Benjamin Franklin is not only a huge hint to the framework of the piece it is a reflection on what we lose when we dwell on the past. The work is based on a motif from a work I performed with the brass band. The opening four notes are from Edward Gregson’s Symphony in Two Movements and are a set of notes he’s used frequently throughout his career – E-natural, F-natural, A-flat, and C-natural. In an interview with Dr. Stephen Allen he called this motif a “cry for help” in the context of Symphony. The piece is in three large sections with each of these containing three sections. Motives in these sections change with time-points patterns. Each section revolves around a certain pitch in the main motif. The middle section is what I call the “singularity”. It is a dream-like section with the solo part growing more hopeful – the upward inflection of the “cry for help” is imitated with more consonant tones. Instrumentation changes to create this weightless aura and there is an emphasis on exposed, solo playing. Listeners will notice that the first large section and the last reflect each other – the only difference is that the inner sections are influenced by an alternate time-point. The trumpet changes from being subservient to its surroundings to charging through it. The work ends with the trumpet broadening out the key tones as if in relaxation. However, the final bars hint that what has ended may only be beginning again… - Matthew Nunes Windsor, March 11th, 2016 Illustration by Melissa Nunes Genre Trumpet
