With You: Score
By Brian Balmages
Grade: 4
Item: 00-PR-0007625
$12.00
Pickup currently not available
Description
Based on the beautiful hymn tune "God Be With You Till We Meet Again," this powerful work by Brian Balmages uses increasingly complex harmonies to achieve achingly beautiful resolutions while simulating the sound of a massive organ. With You is a stunning work that will leave your audience breathless. (7:30)
Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, With You: Score comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.
Open in the Player
Jump straight in and assign it today.
Start Your Free Trial
Open this title and explore the full library in minutes.
Sample Audio
1
Audio File
--:--
0:00
0:00
Sample Video
Additional Details
Series:
MakeMusic Symphonic Band
Publisher:
MakeMusic Publications
SKU:
00-PR-0007625
More about this title
About the Composer: Brian Balmages
Brian Balmages has established himself as a composer and conductor working across orchestral, band, and chamber repertoires with equal facility. His works have been performed by ensembles ranging from professional symphony orchestras to school bands in prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Sydney Opera House. He received the A. Austin Harding Award from the American School Band Directors Association, won the 2020 NBA William D. Revelli Composition Contest for Love and Light, and holds membership in the American Bandmasters Association.
Balmages holds degrees from James Madison University and the University of Miami, both of which have honored him with distinguished awards. He has served as a guest conductor at the Midwest Clinic, Western International Band Clinic, and numerous state and regional conferences. Currently, he directs MakeMusic Publications and Digital Education for Alfred and MakeMusic.
Why we love this
This arrangement captures something rare: a hymn tune that sounds genuinely monumental without losing its spiritual core. Balmages's layering of harmonies creates the illusion of a full cathedral organ, which Grade 4 bands can actually pull off with careful balance work. The contest/festival designation means your ensemble will have a meaningful challenge that audiences recognize immediately.
What to expect
Majestic and reverent, unfolding like a processional through increasingly rich harmonic territory. The piece breathes with the weight of tradition while building toward moments of genuine transcendence, never rushing or overselling the emotion.
Who it's for
Concert bands at the Grade 4 level with solid fundamentals in balance and harmonic listening. This works well for ensembles comfortable with sustained tones and lyrical phrasing, as well as those preparing for contests or festival performances where a substantial, emotionally grounded work will make an impression.
How to get the most out of it
- Balance the harmonic layers so the inner voices emerge without drowning the melody; the organ sonority depends on hearing all voices distinctly.
- Shape the phrase resolutions with a slight ritard to let the harmony fully bloom before moving forward.
- Attend to dynamics in the lower voices early in rehearsal, as many players assume the melody line carries all the weight.
How to use it
Program this as a centerpiece in a concert exploring sacred or patriotic themes, or place it as the closing work on a festival set where a confident, musically mature statement will linger with adjudicators and audiences alike. The 7:30 length makes it substantial enough to anchor a shorter program or balance a more energetic piece.
Skills your students will build
- Voice independence within four-part harmonic writing
- Sustained tone production at varying dynamic levels
- Phrase shaping and resolution listening
- Balance and blend across woodwind, brass, and percussion sections
- Concert decorum and ensemble maturity