Apparitions: B-flat Trumpet 2
By Brian Balmages
Grade: 2
Item: 98-PC-DB1470_T2
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Description
This serious lyrical work paints a picture of lonely apparitions that constantly appear and then fade away. Designed as an excellent introduction to expressive playing with more complex harmonies, all ranges are intentionally conservative, allowing students to explore the musical depth and various contemporary textures. Unique percussion effects include placing a cymbal upside down on a timpani and bowing it while fluttering the pedal, creating a supernatural effect toward the end of the work. Suspenseful and innovative.
Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Apparitions: B-flat Trumpet 2 comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.
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Additional Details
Series:
FJH Young Band
Publisher:
The FJH Music Company, Inc.
SKU:
98-PC-DB1470_T2
More about this title
About the Composer: Brian Balmages
Brian Balmages has established himself as a composer and conductor whose work spans orchestral, band, and chamber music with equal fluency. His compositions have reached audiences at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Sydney Opera House, and Toronto Centre for the Arts, performed by ensembles ranging from professional orchestras to elementary school groups. He received the A. Austin Harding Award from the American School Band Directors Association, won the 2020 NBA William D. Revelli Composition Contest, and holds membership in the American Bandmasters Association.
Balmages has been honored with the James Madison University Distinguished Alumni Award and was commissioned by the University of Miami to compose music for the 2019 presidential inauguration. His music was performed at the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Prayer Service. As a conductor, he maintains active relationships with all-state ensembles, university groups, and professional orchestras worldwide, with guest appearances at the Midwest Clinic, Western International Band Clinic, and numerous international venues. He currently serves as Director of MakeMusic Publications and Digital Education for Alfred and MakeMusic.
Why we love this
Balmages crafts a Grade 2 work that respects the intelligence and interpretive capacity of developing musicians without overwhelming their technical range. The supernatural imagery demands expressive commitment from every section, and the innovative percussion techniques create memorable rehearsal moments that engage the entire ensemble in problem-solving and artistic risk-taking.
What to expect
Ethereal and unsettling in the best way. Apparitions creates an atmosphere of gentle haunting, with harmonies that shimmer and shift like figures glimpsed from the corner of your eye. The ending's supernatural percussion effect anchors the piece's emotional arc with an unforgettable sonic moment.
Who it's for
Grade 2 concert bands with steady tone control and the ability to sustain focus through quiet, lyrical textures. This work suits ensembles ready to move beyond straightforward marchlike writing and engage with impressionistic color and mood.
How to get the most out of it
- Explore the sustained harmonic movement with your entire band during sectionals; even at Grade 2, students can shape long phrases and notice how chord colors shift when balance and intonation improve.
- Reserve significant rehearsal time for the percussion effect near the end (cymbal on timpani with flutter pedal). Isolate this moment with just the percussion section first so the effect registers as intentional and eerie rather than accidental.
- Let the quiet dynamics breathe. Apparitions suggests fading in and out, so resist the urge to fill silence with tempo movement; instead, focus on the contrast between what is sounding and what is disappearing.
- Emphasize the contemporary harmonies without apology. Students at this level are ready to hear and accept dissonance when it serves the narrative of the piece.
How to use it
Program this as a concert centerpiece that commands attention without exhausting the ensemble technically. It pairs well alongside more energetic Grade 2 selections and serves as an excellent festival or contest entry that showcases maturity and musical sensitivity.
Skills your students will build
- Shaping sustained phrases with intentional breath and diminuendo
- Playing expressively with contemporary and modal harmonies
- Balancing transparency in orchestration to hear multiple lines simultaneously
- Maintaining pitch consistency in soft dynamics
- Collaborating on unconventional percussion effects and extended techniques