Concord Fanfare: Brass Choir Score & Parts

Brilliant and purposeful. The fanfare idiom creates immediate pageantry, but Marlatt avoids bombast by giving the scale passages genuine musicality and allowing lower voices to shine. The result feels both celebratory and tightly crafted.

Brass choirs at the intermediate level looking for a concert opener with real substance. This works equally well for festival or contest performance, and it gives ensemble members from all sections material worth playing rather than filler parts.

• Balance the running scale passages in upper voices against the lower brass scale runs so neither line gets buried; these countermelodic figures are what give the piece its forward momentum.
• Treat the percussion parts as active voice rather than accompaniment; the rhythmic vitality depends on crisp articulation and precise ensemble between mallets and brass.
• Shape the fanfare rhythms with clear articulation and consistent pulse, especially when the piece builds. A slight lift at phrase endings prevents the energy from feeling relentless.
• Lock the harmonic foundation early in rehearsal so upper voices can confidently sit on top of it. This piece rewards a solid lower brass commitment.

Program this as your first piece to set an energized tone for a concert. It also sits naturally in a brass-focused program or works as a strong opening statement before moving into lyrical or contrasting material. The 30-page score and parts are substantial enough to demonstrate ensemble capability without overstaying the spotlight.

• Executing rapid scalar passages with clarity and even articulation
• Balancing multiple active melodic lines within a single ensemble section
• Rhythmic precision in fanfare idioms and syncopated rhythmic figures
• Sustaining ensemble cohesion while managing dynamic contrast
• Coordinating brass lines with percussion for unified rhythmic drive