Rolling Rapids
for Brass Quintet
Catalog #2004
A lively chamber work inspired by the constantly changing sounds and motion of a fast-moving woodland stream.
Digital Edition – $29.99 • Print Edition – $44.99
About the Music
About the Work
Rolling Rapids was originally composed for a trumpet quintet in which the composer’s son performed during high school. Inspired by the experience of sitting or walking alongside a fast-moving stream in the woods, the music seeks to capture water as it rushes over rocks, changes direction, gathers momentum, and briefly settles before surging forward again. Musical ideas continually pass between the five players, creating overlapping layers of motion and color. Energetic passages at ♩=128 are contrasted by a quieter central section at ♩=80 before the original energy returns, allowing the ensemble to suggest both the power and the subtler sounds of moving water.
Performance & Musical Notes
Rolling Rapids should maintain a strong sense of forward motion while allowing individual lines to emerge naturally from the ensemble texture. Players should listen carefully as running figures and melodic material pass from one voice to another, matching articulation, style, and dynamic shape so that separate parts sound like a single continuous current. Accents should provide energy without becoming overly heavy, and the slower middle section should offer genuine contrast before momentum builds again. Particular attention should be given to balance during the more active passages so that the layered sixteenth-note figures remain clear rather than becoming dense or mechanical.
Publication Details
Instrumentation: Brass Quintet
Catalog #2004
Duration: 7:54
Difficulty: Grade 4 – Intermediate/Advanced
Publisher: AHCreative
Available Editions:
Digital Edition – $29.99
PDF score delivered electronically.
Printed Edition – $44.99
Professionally printed and bound score. Shipping calculated separately.
