Broken Runes: Score
By Doug Spata
Grade: 2
Item: 00-PR-0006855
$9.00
Pickup currently not available
Description
Broken Runes is a bold piece for late beginners in B minor by Doug Spata. Successive down bows at the frog create a ferocious percussive ostinato, and the challenging staccato eighth notes of the main theme add to the primitive style. The piece is rhythmically simple, tonally accessible, and features all sections of the orchestra. Students will love showing off this piece at your next concert! (1:50)
Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Broken Runes: Score comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.
Open in the Player
Jump straight in and assign it today.
Start Your Free Trial
Open this title and explore the full library in minutes.
Sample Audio
1
Audio File
--:--
0:00
0:00
Sample Video
Additional Details
Series:
Highland/Etling String Orchestra
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
74
SKU:
00-PR-0006855
More about this title
About the Composer: Doug Spata
Doug Spata trained as a clarinetist but found his primary voice as a composer for strings, drawing on years spent in the orchestra classroom. His compositions have earned recognition across the country and internationally, performed by student and professional ensembles alike. Beyond student repertoire, his catalog includes operas, ballets, symphonies, and chamber works spanning multiple instrumental combinations and ensemble sizes.
Why we love this
Spata nails the balance between accessibility and edge. The rhythmic simplicity lets young players focus on clean articulation and ensemble precision, while the ferocious down-bow ostinato and staccato writing give students something genuinely exciting to sink their teeth into. This is the kind of piece that builds real confidence because it sounds far more impressive than the technical demands suggest.
What to expect
Primitive and propulsive. The successive down bows at the frog create a stamping, almost primal foundation beneath a sharp melodic line, evoking the title's imagery of something broken and elemental. It's bold without being complicated, rhythmically direct, and built for young players to feel the power of their own voices.
Who it's for
String orchestra programs at the late beginner level (Grade 2) who want to program something with genuine swagger and personality. Directors preparing for festival or concert settings will find students genuinely engaged by the straightforward rhythmic writing paired with visceral string techniques.
How to get the most out of it
- Shape the opening ostinato with aggressive articulation at the frog. Consistency in the string section's attack will define the entire piece's primitive character.
- Balance the main theme against the driving accompaniment. The melody needs to sing above the percussive rhythm without drowning in it.
- Drill the staccato eighth-note passages separately. Clean, uniform articulation across each section transforms rhythmic simplicity into percussive power.
- Take time with the B minor tonality in rehearsal. Even though it's not complex harmonically, young players respond well to naming the key and hearing how it reinforces the piece's raw quality.
How to use it
This works beautifully as a concert opener or as the anchor of a themed program built around rhythmic or percussive string writing. Its 1:50 duration makes it an efficient way to showcase string musicianship early in a performance, leaving room for longer works later. It also travels well to festivals where judges appreciate clear, purposeful writing at accessible levels.
Skills your students will build
- Controlled down-bow articulation at the frog with consistency across the section
- Clean staccato eighth-note execution in a quick rhythm
- Reading and performing in B minor tonality
- Balancing rhythmic accompaniment against a melodic line
- Responding to programmatic or character-driven imagery in music