Page 8 - 10052 WORSH Marketor Issue 79.indd

Suite for Brass Quintet Master’s Consort
Tasoulla Christou

Tasoulla Christou is a composer and, as many of you will know, wife of our Master, Richard
Christou. At his installation the brass quintet played a special composition created for the
occasion. In this short article Tasoulla gives the background to the composition.

When I was asked by my husband, used in the Classical Suite combining
Richard Christou, to compose a them with my own ideas and
piece for his Installation Dinner as bringing it more into line with the 21st
Master of the Worshipful Company of century. None of the movements are
Marketors I thought a Suite for Brass meant as a dance but they bear
Quintet would be appropriate. He titles used in the Classical Suite and
likes brass instruments and, from they are in contrasting tempos in
medieval times, Suites were keeping with the tradition. They are:
traditionally associated with festivities
and celebrations. Fanfare
A composition is called a suite when A fanfare is traditionally a rhythmic
it includes two or three contrasting piece but at the same time driven by
pieces. When we refer to a suite we harmonic interest. It sounds well on
generally have in mind the Classical the trumpets which are very agile
6XLWH DURXQG RU WKH instruments with a very penetrating
Modern Suite of the 19th and 20th sound. It is used at the beginning of
centuries. Before the Classical Suite a piece to attract attention and to
this type of composition was made keep the audience silent. I have kept Courante
up of two dances: one slow and one these characteristics in my Fanfare.
fast to give variety. During the time There are two kinds of Courante
of Bach and Handel there were Allemande – the French and the Italian. In my
usually four contrasting movements In the Allemande I have kept some Suite, the Courante has more
similarities with the Italian Courante
RI VORZ IDVW VORZ IDVW 7KH\ ZHUH QR of the characteristics of the Classical of the Classical Suite. It is quick and
longer used for dancing and Suite. Thus, it is on moderate 4/4 in running and it is in triple time 3/4. It
different types of movements were
time, starts in anacrusis on the last also starts on the last quarter of the
introduced.
VHPLTXDYHU RI WKH ÀUVW EDU FRQWDLQV beat in an Anacrusis.
0\ 6XLWH KDV ÀYH PRYHPHQWV , KDYH some counterpoint and uses Sarabande
kept some of the characteristics semiquaver movement.
The Sarabande is traditionally a slow
movement. In my version it begins in
the Classical Suite tradition on the
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rhythmic feature of the classical
Sarabande by halting on the second
beat, usually at cadences, making
what is called a feminine ending.
Gigue
As in the case of the Courante the
Gigue is also traditionally of two
kinds; the French and the Italian. The
French is a lively piece of three beats
while the Italian as in the case of the
courante is a fast piece. I have
drawn more from the French
classical Gigue, with its rhythmic
feature of the
long followed
by the short
beats and also
its lively
tempo,
without the
use of
counterpoint.

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