Victory in Defeat: Brass Ensemble Score & Parts

Marlatt has crafted a piece that makes 7/8 feel natural and musical from the first listen rather than academic or forced. The structural arc is smart: intensity gives way to breathing room, then returns transformed, so students experience the meter in multiple contexts within a single piece. That trajectory makes it ideal for building both technical confidence and musical maturity.

The piece opens with urgency and force, like a challenge being met head-on. The middle arrives as a welcome exhale, with lyrical lines floating above a gently rolling foundation. By the final section, the 7/8 meter has become something joyful and bouncy, transforming what felt angular at the start into pure satisfaction.

Brass ensembles at the middle school through early high school level who are ready to explore asymmetrical meters in a context that rewards both precision and musicianship. This works for educational settings focused on expanding rhythmic literacy without sacrificing performance quality.

• Establish the pulse of the opening section clearly in rehearsal before adding syncopated rhythms; have the ensemble tap or count the 7/8 pattern together until it locks.
• Balance the lyrical middle section carefully so the syncopated support voices remain rhythmically clean without drowning out the melody.
• The final section should feel celebratory rather than just a faster reprise; allow a slight lift in tempo and energy compared to the opening.
• Mark breathing points in parts during the dance-like conclusion so the ensemble stays cohesive through longer phrases.

Program this early in a concert to establish 7/8 meter as something students own, or pair it with other contemporary works that explore shifting meters to show a progression in rhythmic sophistication. It also works well as a rehearsal focus piece during a unit on meter and time signature; the range of character keeps students engaged while drilling a single concept.

• Reading and performing in 7/8 time signature
• Counting and maintaining pulse in asymmetrical meters
• Playing syncopated rhythms accurately against a steady foundation
• Balancing melody and supporting voices
• Interpreting contrasting musical sections (driving, lyrical, dance-like)