Blaze Away: Interchangeable Woodwind Ensemble Score & Parts

Blaze Away captures everything that made Holzmann's marches enduringly popular: propulsive rhythms, memorable melodies that sit well in the woodwind range, and the kind of spirited energy that engages both players and audiences. The flexible instrumentation means you can build your ensemble to fit what you have, and the contest-ready character gives students something genuinely satisfying to prepare and perform.

Blaze Away charges forward with the optimism and brass-band swagger of early 20th-century American concert music. Bright, uncomplicated, and utterly confident, it feels like a march written for players who love to play together and audiences who love to listen.

Woodwind ensembles at the intermediate level who want a piece with authentic march idiom, solid technical demands without excessive difficulty, and genuine concert appeal. This works for ensembles ranging from small quintet configurations up to larger woodwind sections, making it ideal for programs where instrumentation changes season to season.

• Keep the march rhythm crisp and forward-moving; resist the urge to over-conduct or linger on phrase endings. This piece thrives on momentum.
• Balance the melodic line across the ensemble so the tune reads clearly even when parts are distributed. Check that your principal voice (whether it's first woodwinds or a combination) projects without drowning supporting voices.
• Shape the march sections with subtle dynamic waves rather than flat playing. A gentle push into strong beats followed by a slight ease on the afterbeat keeps the energy alive.

Program this as a concert opener or a palate-cleanser between heavier contemporary works. Its contest-ready reputation makes it a smart choice for festival preparation, and the piece's historical significance and multiple instrumentation options allow you to feature it across different student ensembles throughout the season.

• Maintaining steady march rhythm and forward motion through sustained sections
• Balancing ensemble blend when melody is distributed across multiple voices
• Performing with stylistically appropriate articulation and phrasing in march idiom
• Reading flexible instrumentation parts and adapting to ensemble needs