Sun Cycles: Mallet Percussion 1
By Brian Balmages
Grade: 2.5;3
Item: 98-PC-DB1525_M1
$7.00
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Description
This innovative work is based on the Egyptian Sun God Ra and features a wealth of Middle Eastern percussion instruments. A mystical opening leads into the main theme of the work, representing the beginning of day. The second section, “Journey through the sky,” takes the listener on a journey with Ra as he flies through the clouds, following the sun's rotation. A dark passage represents his journey to the Underworld before the original theme returns once more to represent “Renewal.” Music then builds as an incredible series of modulating chords and textures all combine to bring the piece to a tremendous and powerful conclusion. Extremely compelling!
Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Sun Cycles: Mallet Percussion 1 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-DB1525_M1
More about this title
About the Composer: Brian Balmages
Brian Balmages has built an international reputation as a composer and conductor working across orchestral, band, and chamber idioms. His works have been premiered and performed by ensembles ranging from professional symphony orchestras to school groups at venues including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Sydney Opera House. He received the A. Austin Harding Award from the American School Band Directors Association and won the 2020 NBA William D. Revelli Composition Contest. He holds membership in the American Bandmasters Association and received the inaugural James Madison University Distinguished Alumni Award from the School of Visual and Performing Arts.
Balmages has conducted guest appearances at major conferences including the Midwest Clinic, Western International Band Clinic, and the American School Band Directors Association National Conference. His music was performed during the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Prayer Service, and he was commissioned by the University of Miami to compose for the inauguration of the institution's president. He currently serves as Director of MakeMusic Publications and Digital Education for Alfred and MakeMusic.
Why we love this
Sun Cycles captures what makes programmatic band music compelling: a narrative arc that feels inevitable rather than imposed. The journey from Ra's dawn ascent through his underworld passage to renewal gives your students a musical story to inhabit, making the technical demands feel purposeful. At Grade 2.5-3, Balmages writes accessibly without sacrificing harmonic interest or orchestral texture, so even younger ensembles sound sophisticated.
What to expect
You begin in mystical shadow, then rise with Ra into brilliant daylight. The journey through the sky feels like movement, with soaring textures and shifting orchestration that captures flight and momentum. A descent into darkness brings weight and mystery before the return to light feels earned, not repetitive, and the final buildup transforms the entire story into something monumental.
Who it's for
Concert bands at Grade 2.5-3 seeking repertoire that engages students through storytelling rather than virtuosity alone. Directors programming festival or contest events will find a piece that impresses adjudicators while remaining teachable in a typical rehearsal environment.
How to get the most out of it
- Establish the mystical opening with clarity and restraint; let the Middle Eastern percussion instruments define the color rather than filling space with full band texture.
- Shape the main theme's articulation to suggest sunlight breaking through clouds, using consistent phrasing across all sections to unify the narrative.
- Bring out the harmonic motion during the modulating passages near the conclusion; balance dynamics so listeners hear the chord progression shift, not just volume changes.
- Emphasize rhythmic precision in the percussion parts, especially during the darker underworld section, to maintain forward momentum without sacrificing the atmospheric quality.
How to use it
Program this as a centerpiece for a thematic concert about mythology, journeys, or transformation. Its programmatic clarity makes it ideal for a fall festival performance, and the compelling arc will hold audience attention even in a longer concert. The Grade 2.5-3 level means it works well alongside technically more demanding pieces, allowing you to showcase musicality and storytelling rather than relying only on technical chops.
Skills your students will build
- Following a programmatic narrative through changes in theme, key, and texture
- Blending Middle Eastern percussion colors with standard concert band instrumentation
- Tracking modulations through chords built on different harmonic centers
- Shaping phrasing across the entire ensemble to suggest musical imagery (sunrise, flight, descent, renewal)
- Maintaining rhythmic precision and ensemble balance during complex texture shifts