If you’ll recall from my post from September 30th of this year about the arrangement of Anton Bruckner’s 6th Symphony, I’ve been busy arranging music for Concert Band / Wind Ensemble. I’ve continued this with a piece written by Johann Sebastian Bach in the early 18th century, “Prelude No. 7 in Eb Major” from “The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1.” This piece was brilliantly adapted for Robert Moog’s Moog Synthesizer by Wendy Carlos on 1968’s groundbreaking record release, “Switched-On Bach.” It was this record (an 8-track tape, actually) that caught my attention all those years ago.
I tried to arrange the Prelude for marching band back in the early 1980s, but was unable to pull it off. The manuscript sat in a drawer, neglected, for around 40 years or so while I studied and worked on other things. As I said in my Bruckner post, the acquisition of Dorico Pro has made many things possible for me, including taking another shot at the Prelude. This time, however, I would write my arrangement for Concert Band / Wind Ensemble.
The new version crossed the finish line around October 9th, 2023 or so. I’ve spent the time since putting together the physical stuff, like the printed score, a USB key with the PDF parts, and so on. I’m now at the point where I need to get it performed by a real-life ensemble. I’m beginning the process of contacting ensembles now, but I could certainly use some help. If you know of an ensemble that might like to perform the Prelude, drop me a line on the Contact page!
If you need any help in convincing someone, just point them to the SoundCloud page where the audio example of the Prelude can be found. Here it is:
Finally, on another note, thank you all for your support during the recent GRAMMY® campaign for “Lady Tygress’ Suite: 1. Intro.” I received several very positive comments about the song, which makes me think that I’ll probably get more than just my own vote for it this year. 😉
The official notice came via e-mail the other day: my work had qualified for first-round voting for the GRAMMY Awards®! Excitement filled me, followed by a brief feeling of panic: I’ve got work to do! I’ve got to start hitting the FYC (For Your Consideration) groups in an attempt to drum up votes for my work! I’ve got to network! I’ve got to send direct messages!
