March of the Wooden Horse

Concert Band / 4′ / Difficulty: Medium / 2021

This quirky march aims to convey the characteristics of a carousel hourse with all of its charming elements and sometimes off-kilter timing. A simple theme starts in the cornets but is quickly accentuated with odd meter and surprising harmony accentuated with flourishing woodwinds, mimicking the out-of-sync nature between the carousel horse and music that plays while going round and round. The woodwinds take over with steady rhythmic pulses in the saxophone choir in the B section before the brass takes over in the trio. A building break strain leads back to the thematic material at the beginning, ending with a surprising odd metered ending.