To Tame the Raging Rapids: Double Bass
By Brian Balmages
Grade: 3
Item: 98-PC-DST6158_SB
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Description
Exhilaration and daring-this work describes mankind's constant fascination with some of the most powerful forces in nature. As the work opens, the beauty of the water and its sound calms the listener. Soon, however, we plunge into the water and test ourselves against the "raging rapids." Highly rhythmic and compelling, this work is destined to thrill all who perform it. Can your orchestra "tame the untamable"?
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Additional Details
Series:
FJH String Orchestra
Publisher:
The FJH Music Company, Inc.
SKU:
98-PC-DST6158_SB
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 heard in prestigious venues from Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House, performed by ensembles ranging from professional orchestras to school groups. 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 performed at the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Prayer Service attended by President Obama and Vice President Biden.
Balmages holds degrees from James Madison University and the University of Miami, where he was later commissioned to compose for the inauguration of the university's president. He serves as Director of MakeMusic Publications and Digital Education for Alfred and MakeMusic, and maintains an active guest conducting schedule with all-state ensembles, university orchestras, and professional groups worldwide.
Why we love this
This piece gives your orchestra a programmatic anchor that drives genuine musical storytelling without requiring extra-musical apparatus. Balmages crafts the contrasts between serene water and turbulent rapids so clearly that students feel the narrative arc in their bodies, making rhythm and ensemble precision feel purposeful rather than technical. It's exactly the kind of Grade 3 work that sounds ambitious and thrilling while remaining achievable for student musicians.
What to expect
The piece begins in serene contemplation, with water sounds that wash over the listener in luminous calm. Then the current quickens, and you're swept into propulsive, rhythmically relentless rapids where every player drives the ensemble forward with visceral energy and controlled urgency.
Who it's for
Intermediate string orchestras ready for programmatic music that demands rhythmic precision and dynamic control. This work suits groups preparing for festivals or contests and orchestras looking to program something that engages both players and audiences with vivid imagery.
How to get the most out of it
- Shape the opening with dynamic sensitivity to establish the calm water; resist the urge to rush, letting the serene passage settle the audience before the rapids arrive.
- Lock the rhythm section (cellos and basses) through the rapid-fire passages to anchor the ensemble's forward momentum and prevent the texture from becoming muddy.
- Mark the transition from beauty to danger clearly in rehearsal so every player understands when the character shifts; this clarity transforms what could be chaotic into controlled intensity.
- Emphasize articulation and light tone in the rhythmically driving sections to keep the rapids feeling exhilarating rather than exhausting.
How to use it
Open a concert with this piece to establish a strong narrative energy and demonstrate your orchestra's rhythmic command. It pairs beautifully with lyrical or reflective works later in the program, using the rapids' intensity as a launching point for dynamic contrast.
Skills your students will build
- Maintaining ensemble rhythmic cohesion during rapid figurations and syncopated passages
- Dynamic contrast and shaping across programmatic sections (serene to intense)
- Articulation clarity in fast, densely voiced sections
- Reading and responding to conductor cues that signal structural transitions
- Balancing independent string parts while supporting the overall textural narrative