Title: Montreal Suite
Scoring: Written for brass quintet (2 trumpets, 1 horn, 1 trombone, tuba)
Commission/Dedication: Written for the Mount Royal Brass Quintet.
Premiere: Details unknown
Composer: Barbara York
Publisher: Cimarron Music Press
Year: 2017
Purchasing: https://www.cimarronmusic.com/montrealsuite
Program notes from the composer:
None.
Author assessment and pedagogical considerations:
“Montreal Suite” is written for brass quintet in five movements. Each movement is named after some aspect of the city of Montreal (i.e. Bon Secours Market, Notre Dame Basilica, etc.). It was written for the Mount Royal Brass Quintet which is the ensemble in residence at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University, Barbara’s alma mater. Little is known about the work as there are no program notes for the composer and the quintet has not posted or published anything about them or the piece.
In considering performance, the 1st trumpet player should be prepared to play a short section on piccolo trumpet and will be the only member using a mute (straight) in movement 4.
This quintet is appropriate for an undergraduate level quintet and would serve nicely as their ‘big’ piece on a recital. I suggest that the group assign each member a movement to research the Montreal connection and report back to the group so they can present an informed performance to their audience. The third movement will present playability challenges from the tempo and alignment between the lower three voices and the two trumpets. A loud metronome during rehearsal will keep the group honest.
This piece could work for a good high school quintet, but the tuba will pose a few range issues. Exploring octave displacement for accessibility is appropriate.
Recordings:
