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Quintet for Brass

Niagara Brass Ensemble Aside from microtones, my other big soft spot is quintuple time. Throw something in five and I’m bound to love it! So perhaps you should temper the rave you’re about to read about the second movement of Nancy Van de Vate’s Brass Quintet accordingly. The music spirals around a relentless 5/8 hocket… Read more »

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NewMusicBox Staff

Niagara Brass Ensemble

Aside from microtones, my other big soft spot is quintuple time. Throw something in five and I’m bound to love it! So perhaps you should temper the rave you’re about to read about the second movement of Nancy Van de Vate’s Brass Quintet accordingly. The music spirals around a relentless 5/8 hocket between the horn, trombone, and tuba which further adds to the rhythmic excitement by juxtaposing three distinct timbres against five beats creating loops of 15. Still with me? Despite the math, it sounds totally natural and is the perfect groove for the angular trumpet melodies woven on top of it.

—FJO