Ascent  MP3 audio   RealPlayer audio   score 

Ascent (2007) was commissioned as a fanfare for symphonic band by the Coe College Concert Band.

At first, I set out to write a raucous concert opener, but quickly realized that it was difficult to write a fanfare for symphonic band without hearing the now almost clichÈ of trumpet calls. Using that expectation to my advantage, I sought to exacerbate that anticipation by beginning the work at an extremely soft dynamic level, which then gradually builds to the moment when the trumpet calls resound. The flash then becomes further enriched by the lack of a coincidental harmonic resolution. At this juncture, I use a d-flat major triad as the protagonist that defends against the d-minor sonority that dominates the main melodic content until the very end, when d-flat major prevails and forces a complete resolution.