Loudoun Praises: Percussion 2
By Brian Balmages
Grade: 4
Item: 98-PC-DB1240_PC2
$7.00
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Description
This riveting new celebration pulls out all the stops, including dynamic brass fanfares, woodwind flourishes, and an exciting multimetered melody with a dancelike quality. The piece explores an ever-changing palette of colors and eventually has the original melody and multimetered sections collide in a dramatic conclusion. Exactly the kind of music you've come to expect from Brian Balmages!
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Additional Details
Series:
FJH Concert Band
Publisher:
The FJH Music Company, Inc.
SKU:
98-PC-DB1240_PC2
More about this title
About the Composer: Brian Balmages
Brian Balmages has built a distinguished career as a composer and conductor working across orchestral, band, and chamber music idioms. His works have been premiered in landmark venues including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Sydney Opera House, performed by ensembles ranging from professional orchestras to school bands. He received the A. Austin Harding Award from the American School Band Directors Association and won the 2020 NBA William D. Revelli Composition Contest. His music was featured in the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Prayer Service, and he has been commissioned by the University of Miami to compose for presidential inaugurations.
As a guest conductor, Balmages regularly leads all-state and regional ensembles, university groups, and professional orchestras worldwide. He has conducted at major conferences including the Midwest Clinic, Western International Band Clinic, and the American School Band Directors Association National Conference. An elected member of the American Bandmasters Association and recipient of the James Madison University Distinguished Alumni Award, Balmages currently serves as Director of MakeMusic Publications and Digital Education for Alfred and MakeMusic.
Why we love this
Balmages delivers exactly what works in a concert setting: immediate energy, sophisticated harmonic language, and structural ingenuity that keeps audiences engaged. The multimetered melody gives your band a genuine rhythmic challenge without requiring extended study, and the collision of themes in the finale rewards both careful preparation and musical risk-taking.
What to expect
The piece erupts with celebratory brass energy before settling into a dancelike groove with unexpected metric shifts. Colors keep shifting beneath your feet as woodwinds flutter and brass sings out in turn, building toward a collision of ideas that feels both inevitable and thrilling.
Who it's for
This work suits Grade 4 concert bands with solid rhythmic accuracy and balanced sectional strength. The multimetered writing demands careful preparation, making it ideal for ensembles that thrive on rhythmic complexity and dramatic contrasts.
How to get the most out of it
- Balance the brass fanfares carefully in early rehearsals so they cut through without overwhelming the ensemble; these will only grow more brilliant as the band gains confidence
- Subdivide the multimetered sections during isolated rehearsals until players feel secure moving between meters, then gradually increase tempo toward the performance level
- Mark the transitions between the original melody and multimetered passages in the score so the ensemble recognizes these structural shifts as they approach the dramatic conclusion
- Listen for the evolving instrumental colors throughout; ask sections to consider how their voice changes character as the piece shifts from one palette to the next
How to use it
Program this as a centerpiece for a concert built around contemporary band literature, where it can anchor the second half with its technical demands and audience appeal. The celebratory character and festival-quality writing make it especially strong for spring concerts or contest performances.
Skills your students will build
- Reading and maintaining mixed meters (original meter alongside changing metric subdivisions)
- Balancing dynamic brass parts within transparent orchestration
- Sustaining rhythmic precision during metric modulation passages
- Shaping thematic material across changing instrumental colors and textures