Nomadic Dances
(2015)
solo tuba and piano
Duration: 7:30
In working with the Tennessee Tech Tuba Ensemble so regularly, I often get to know and become friends with the students. One such student is a very talented (butt-face) tubist named Preston Light. I had long promised to write a solo piece for him, but never managed to fully commit until his senior year. Although I started in the summer of 2013 with the initial idea and style, I didn't completely dive in until the fall of 2014. That's a long time for an idea to germinate (and possibly fester). Harmonically, it was a gateway composition for me that expanded my horizons in terms of learning to work more with dissonance and finding what I like to hear. I can't tell you what mode or modes it's in—I frankly don't care. The harmonic language developed slowly and was guided by ear into its final form. The minor 2nd motion, initially between F and G-flat, and the tritone down to C served as the major reference points for the harmonic language. The title is probably fairly self-explanatory. I haven't been a stranger to the use of multi-meter in my writing, but this one really takes the cake for the sheer amount of meter changes. Where I had used the term "kaleidoscopic" before to describe constantly-shifting meter, this time I went with nomadic—always on the move. This applies as much to the rhythm as it does the changing meters and key centers. Written for Preston Light. Publisher: Cimarron Music Press |
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REVIEW
ITEA Journal Vol. 43 No. 1 (Fall 2015) by Dr. Scott Roeder, UT Rio Grande Valley
Benjamin McMillan is a freelance composer in Tennessee and a former euphoniumist with the Tennessee Tech Tuba Ensemble. Most of his compositions are for tuba and euphonium in both solo and chamber settings. Nomadic Dances is the latest of his works for solo tuba and piano. The piece was written for Preston Light while he was a student at Tennessee Tech University. The title of the piece certainly describes the nature of the music. Nomadic is the way the composer describes the ever changing meter and key centers within the composition. The piece never settles on one time signature. It fluctuates quite frequently between 7/8, 6/8, and 5/8. The piece is through composed but has three distinct sections. The first section is very dance-like in nature, giving the piece the second half of its title. The middle section is more lyrical, finishing with an extended cadenza. The final section starts off with a recap of the opening solo material before it ends with a flourish of technical passages to give the piece an exciting finish.
The challenges of this piece come from rhythmic complexity and a range that tends to sit in a high tessitura. I would recommend a bass tuba for performance but is possible on the contrabass as well. There are a few technical challenges but the bulk of the piece should be approachable for most advanced undergraduate students. This piece would make a great opener for a recital or a jury piece. I think the composer has added a worthy piece to the solo tuba repertoire and I look forward to hopefully performing it in the future.
ITEA Journal Vol. 43 No. 1 (Fall 2015) by Dr. Scott Roeder, UT Rio Grande Valley
Benjamin McMillan is a freelance composer in Tennessee and a former euphoniumist with the Tennessee Tech Tuba Ensemble. Most of his compositions are for tuba and euphonium in both solo and chamber settings. Nomadic Dances is the latest of his works for solo tuba and piano. The piece was written for Preston Light while he was a student at Tennessee Tech University. The title of the piece certainly describes the nature of the music. Nomadic is the way the composer describes the ever changing meter and key centers within the composition. The piece never settles on one time signature. It fluctuates quite frequently between 7/8, 6/8, and 5/8. The piece is through composed but has three distinct sections. The first section is very dance-like in nature, giving the piece the second half of its title. The middle section is more lyrical, finishing with an extended cadenza. The final section starts off with a recap of the opening solo material before it ends with a flourish of technical passages to give the piece an exciting finish.
The challenges of this piece come from rhythmic complexity and a range that tends to sit in a high tessitura. I would recommend a bass tuba for performance but is possible on the contrabass as well. There are a few technical challenges but the bulk of the piece should be approachable for most advanced undergraduate students. This piece would make a great opener for a recital or a jury piece. I think the composer has added a worthy piece to the solo tuba repertoire and I look forward to hopefully performing it in the future.