Erik Morales' Impact on Brass Music
Erik Morales is an American composer and trumpeter. Morales has composed music for many types of genres, including jazz, classical, and commercial. His musical works incorporate a variety of styles and backgrounds for wind, orchestral, and trumpet chamber ensembles. Morales emphasized his trumpet writing to focus on the technical demands that would be noticed in competitions such as the National Trumpet Competition. He has contributed substantially to the trumpet community by writing solo music and ensemble pieces that have been featured at competitions such as NTC and ITG.
Black Bayou Vignettes was written in 2019 for brass trio: Bb trumpet, horn and trombone. The work consists of five short movements. Each one is a distinct vignette that captures a specific mood. Black Bayou Vignettes was commissioned by a consortium of groups headed by Dr. Eric Sierveld, including Black Bayou Brass, the Lantana Brass Trio, and the Ark-La-Miss ITG Chapter.
Morales wrote each movement of the Black Bayou Vignettes as “short sketches that take on the character of their title.” Hence why the title of each movement is an adverb. This sets a clear emotional intention for the musicians to follow in each movement.
Embark on a musical journey to the heart of southwestern Germany with Erik Morales' Ancient City, written for four trumpets in Bb or C, three horns, three trombones, bass trombone, and tuba. This piece is a sonic portrait of Breisach, a historic city nestled along the Rhine River, near the French border.
Black Bayou Vignettes by Erik Morales, performed by the Lantana Trio.
1. Madly
2. Sadly
3. Wildly
4. Weirdly
5. Finally
Black Bayou Vignettes was written in 2019 for brass trio: Bb trumpet, horn and trombone. The work consists of five short movements. Each one is a distinct vignette that captures a specific mood. Black Bayou Vignettes was commissioned by a consortium of groups headed by Dr. Eric Sierveld, including Black Bayou Brass, the Lantana Brass Trio, and the Ark-La-Miss ITG Chapter.
Morales wrote each movement of the Black Bayou Vignettes as “short sketches that take on the character of their title.” Hence why the title of each movement is an adverb. This sets a clear emotional intention for the musicians to follow in each movement.
Ancient City by Erik Morales.
Ancient City is in four uninterrupted movements. Each one paints a portrait of Breisach's rich history and geography, such as the city’s ancient walls and flowing river. Throughout each movement, Morales incorporates musical elements that reflect the city architecture of Breisach and the Rhine River.
The Barber of Seville is a comedic opera masterpiece, and its overture is full of energetic melodies. (Interestingly, the overture’s music has no connection to the music of The Barber of Seville. Rossini was in a time crunch and simply reused the overture from his previous opera Aureliano in Palmira, which he reused from yet another previous opera Elizabeth, Queen of England). Morales has taken this beloved piece and arranged it for a 6 member trumpet ensemble.
Morales stays true to the overture's original form, preserving its lively spirit and themes. However, to make the piece more accessible and comfortable for B-flat instruments, he's transposed the key up a half step, from the original E Major to F Major.
Metallic Fury was written as a contest piece for the Grand Valley State University to compete with at the 2010 National Trumpet Competition in Fairfax, Virginia. As a contest piece, it demonstrates the ensemble's unity and mastery of demanding technical passages.
Morales wrote Metallic fury in three distinct sections. The first section showcases the ensemble's power and precision, described as a musical battle cry. The second section is directly contrasting to the first and demonstrates their ability to perform beautiful and introspective music. In this section, the entire ensemble switches to flugelhorns to create a warm, and mellow sound that contradicts the opening's intensity. The third section then explodes into a return to the original intensity. However, the tempo has increased as well as the technical demand.
Barber of Seville Overture by Gioachino Rossini arranged by Erik Morales, performed by Valdosta State University Trumpet Ensemble.
The Barber of Seville is a comedic opera masterpiece, and its overture is full of energetic melodies. (Interestingly, the overture’s music has no connection to the music of The Barber of Seville. Rossini was in a time crunch and simply reused the overture from his previous opera Aureliano in Palmira, which he reused from yet another previous opera Elizabeth, Queen of England). Morales has taken this beloved piece and arranged it for a 6 member trumpet ensemble.
Morales stays true to the overture's original form, preserving its lively spirit and themes. However, to make the piece more accessible and comfortable for B-flat instruments, he's transposed the key up a half step, from the original E Major to F Major.
Metallic Fury by Erik Morales, performed by the Grand Valley State University Trumpet Ensemble at the 2010 National Trumpet Competition.
Metallic Fury was written as a contest piece for the Grand Valley State University to compete with at the 2010 National Trumpet Competition in Fairfax, Virginia. As a contest piece, it demonstrates the ensemble's unity and mastery of demanding technical passages.
Morales wrote Metallic fury in three distinct sections. The first section showcases the ensemble's power and precision, described as a musical battle cry. The second section is directly contrasting to the first and demonstrates their ability to perform beautiful and introspective music. In this section, the entire ensemble switches to flugelhorns to create a warm, and mellow sound that contradicts the opening's intensity. The third section then explodes into a return to the original intensity. However, the tempo has increased as well as the technical demand.
I knew of Erik Morales as a composer, but I didn't know he did any arranging. I am enthralled by his arrangement of the Barber of Seville Overture. I find it very interesting that even in an arrangement, he manages to put his own personal touch into the music which makes it distinctly his. I wonder why he decided to arrange this piece. It almost seems like something a professor would do for students, however I do not believe that he teaches anywhere.
ReplyDeleteI have always enjoyed Erik Morales' works! They are usually quite assessable as well as being able to give a challenge. I particularly enjoyed "Ancient City". Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete