So Close AND So Far (Etudes for Trumpet)

So Close AND So Far Trumpet Etudes by Frank Horvat

2021 / Solo, Chamber Music

DURATION
30 minutes

INSTRUMENTATION
trumpet, various percussion (optional)

  1. So Close AND So Far - 1. Perfect Unison (midi demo) 1:58
  2. So Close AND So Far - 2. Minor 2 (midi demo) 2:04
  3. So Close AND So Far - 3. Major 2 (midi demo) 1:42
  4. So Close AND So Far - 4. Minor 3 (midi demo) 2:14
  5. So Close AND So Far - 5. Major 3 (midi demo) 1:20
  6. So Close AND So Far - 6. Perfect 4 (midi demo) 1:54
  7. So Close AND So Far - 7. Tritone (midi demo) 2:04
  8. So Close AND So Far - 8. Perfect 5 (midi demo) 1:48
  9. So Close AND So Far - 9. Minor 6 (midi demo) 2:18
  10. So Close AND So Far - 10. Major 6 (midi demo) 1:49
  11. So Close AND So Far - 11. Minor 7 (midi demo) 1:50
  12. So Close AND So Far - 12. Major 7 (midi demo) 1:42
  13. So Close AND So Far - 13. Perfect Octave (midi demo) 2:35
  14. So Close AND So Far - 14. Minor 9 (midi demo) 2:09
  15. So Close AND So Far - 15. Major 9 (midi demo) 1:44

Programme Notes

Ever hear that old saying, “oh so close, yet so far”? In composing this collection of Trumpet Etudes, I wanted to flip the regret and sadness of this familiar phrase into something that evokes positivity and achievement, especially for the trumpeters that play these pieces. As musicians, we enjoy a challenge. To be able to do something that we were not previously able to do through hard work is a pure joy. It’s glorious to master something that formerly felt difficult or even impossible. My hope is that all the trumpeters who practice these etudes achieve their goals and not just be “close”.

The title of the Etudes is also a play on how the collection was structured. Motifs based on “closer” intervals to start and as you work through the pieces those interval motifs get bigger or “farther” apart. My goal was to compose a collection of pieces that would help trumpeters improve their technique while acting as an expressive outlet to display the wide moods that can be evoked through their instrument. Each piece has a unique expressive quality that tells its own story. For that reason, the etudes within the collection can be performed individually, in whole or part, and the order of the pieces can be re-arranged.

The trumpeter has the option of inviting a percussionist friend to play along with each etude. Each etude was conceived with its own unique percussion instrument in mind. While the inclusion of percussion is optional, any performance would be heightened by its presence.

– Frank Horvat

Many thanks to Richard Stoelzel for encouraging me to compose this piece, and to Michael Fedyshyn and Zac Pulak for their feedback on the trumpet and percussion parts, respectively.

Piece Summary:

IntervalExpression MarkingOptional Percussion Accompaniment
1Perfect UnisonDrivingSnare
2Minor 2MysteriousTriangle
3Major 2BrilliantBass Drum
4Minor 3Vibraphone
5Major 3Mischievous & PlayfulGlockenspiel
6Perfect 4SneakyTamtam
7TritoneLyricalMarimba
8Perfect 5Light but ConfidentWoodblocks
9Minor 6BoisterousCrash Cymbals Pair
10Major 6SweetlyToms
11Minor 7Edge-of-your-Seat DramaTimpani
12Major 7Building To Something SeriousMaracas
13Perfect OctaveHeroicTubular Bells
14Minor 9Barren & EmptyTambourine
15Major 9Fun & FestiveDrum Set
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