"As a
composer, I used to write music only for advanced level ensembles.
However, after marrying an elementary band director, and with the
support of numerous friends, colleagues, and directors, I have found
great joy and challenge in writing music for younger students along
with my more difficult works. After all, the youngest of musicians
are equally deserving of good literature and I can only hope that my
music will inspire them the way I am inspired by a Mahler symphony."
— Brian Balmages
You may play audio
from this page directly, or you can go to the audio portion and open
the mp3 flash player which will allow you to listen to pieces while
you navigate the website.
Choose a genre of music:
Red Riding Hood (2002)
for narrator and
small orchestra: 12:00
Grade 6
A Peter and the
Wolf type of work that uses various instruments to tell the story
of Red Riding Hood. Commissioned by the Baltimore Symphony Associates
and premiered by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, this work has had
numerous performances, especially as it relates so well to a
children's concert series.
Variations on
an Irish Tune (2006): 3:50
Grade 2 / FJH
Music
Soloist
and Orchestra
Celtica
(2006): 3:20
(For Solo Violin
and String Orchestra)
Grade 1 / FJH
Music
Collage
(2000) – for solo tuba, solo piccolo trumpet, and string
orchestra (11:00) Grade 6
Commissioned by
James Jenkins, principal tuba with the Jacksonville Symphony and
premiered in Germany with Otto Sauter on piccolo trumpet.
Chamber
Music
(all selections
grade 5/6)
Ite Missa Est (2004)
for Brass Ensemble (18:00) Recording:
premiere
by the Dominion Brass Ensemble
I. Birth
II. Life
III / IV. Death / Resurrection
Central Junction (2001)
for Tuba/Euphonium
Quartet (6:00) Canzonique
Music Recording:
live performance by JUNCTION
Exaltation (1998)
for Brass Quintet (3:30) FJH
Music
Fanfare Canzonique (2002)
for Large Brass
Ensemble (3:30) Canzonique
Music
A Hero's Destiny (1999)
for Brass Ensemble (5:00) FJH
Music
Hopscotch (1999)
for Brass Quintet
featuring Solo Tuba (6:00) FJH
Music
Premiered at the
1999 Southeastern Tuba-Euphonium Conference
The Storm's Path (1999)
for 8 Trumpets (4:00) FJH
Music
Symphony No. 1
for Brass (1998)
for Brass Ensemble (15:00) FJH
Music
I. Allegro marcato
II. Andante
con moto
III. Allegro
con brio
Symphonic
Band
Descriptions and
audio for nearly all of the following compositions can be heard
online at www.fjhmusic.com
Grade 0.5
Conquest
Jingle Bell Tones
Midnight Madness
Midnight Mission
Midnight Sky
Miramar Fanfare
Grade 1 – 1.5
African Journey
Chesapeake Serenade
Comet
Ride
Courtly Dance
and Procession
Dragonfly
Gettysburg (A
Civil War Portrait)
Incantation and Ritual
Kilauea
(The Volcano's Fury)
Legend
Majestica
Olympia
Parade of the Jesters
Proclamation
Rite of Passage
Rocky Mountain Romp
Smithsonian Suite
Whispering Winds
Winged Victory
Grade 2 – 2.5
Blue Ridge Impressions
Camptown Variations
Chant and
Savage Dance
Images of Ireland
Instant
Christmas Spirit
Legacy (Processional
for Band)
Moscow, 1941
Shenandoah Triptych
Sparks
Starscapes
Through
Courageous Eyes
Winged Victory
Grade 3
Among the Clouds
O Mio Babbino Caro
(solo for tuba or
euphonium and band)
...Not Afraid
to Dream
Proudly We Hail
Waves
When Spirits Soar
Grade 4
Beyond the Summit
Flight of the Griffin
In Nature's Glory
Loudoun Praises
Motion
Sound Prisms
Summer Dances
Star Above,
Shine Brightly
Winged Victory
Winter Dances
Grade 5
The Awakening
Flight
Fusion
Invictus
Journey By Night
(published by Belwin)
Of Emperors and Chariots
Summit City
Symphonic Episodes
A View of the World
Soloist
and Wind Ensemble
Escapades (2004)
for Solo Clarinet
and Wind Ensemble (10:00)
Clarinet, Grade 6:
Band, Grade 4 Canzonique
Music Recording: live
performance by Charles West and the
Riverside Wind Symphony
O Mio Babbino Caro (1999)
for Solo Tuba (or
euph.) and Wind Ensemble (2:40)
Solo, Grade 4/5:
Band, Grade 4 FJH
Music
Pele (2003)
for Solo Horn and
Wind Ensemble (10:00)
Solo, Grade 6:
Band, Grade 4 Canzonique
Music Recording: live
performance by Jerry Peel and the University of Miami Wind Ensemble
Wind
Ensemble and Choir
Sapier's Story (2002)
for symphonic
band, choir, and optional string
orchestra (18:00)
This emotionally
intense work is based on a poem written by a 5th grade girl (Sapier)
who was in school one block away from the World Trade Center when it
was hit on 9/11. Commissioned by the Flanagan High School Music
Department and premiered on September 11, 2002.
Available from the composer
Film
Scores
Ghost Rock (2003)
Fox / Lions Gate
Miscellaneous
Compositions
These pieces
are mostly for your listening pleasure, mainly for those who are
interested in other compositions by Brian Balmages. Enjoy!
Eastern
Entertainment Spot
a 30 second spot
for a CD–rom.
Images
for symphony orchestra
The One
– pop ballad song
Music by Brian
Balmages, lyrics by Alyssa Ruschak
Recorded and
produced by Brian Balmages
Weekend Escapade
– for 5 solo trumpets and symphony orchestra w/ rhythm section
(yes, the recording is a bit "wreckless," but it's a lot of fun!)
