An American Dream
for percussion ensemble and offstage trumpet
An American Dream by Brian Slawson is an emotional showpiece for large percussion ensemble that weaves together familiar elements of Americana. Arranged in a cinematic style, the piece begins with a traditional drum cadence that gradually becomes modernized as it approaches and reaches a powerful climax. It then transitions into a blissful dream sequence lead by the metallic keyboard instruments. The surreal setting continues as a distant, somber offstage trumpet reverently plays Taps. Finally, the music grows into a rousing and celebratory Sousa-style parade march. Although An American Dream tells a clear story on its own, it’s an ideal piece for underscoring patriotic video presentations as well.
An American Dream ships as a printed, professionally bound score and includes individual parts in PDF format for printing or tablet viewing.
- Trumpet in B-flat
- Crotales (2 octaves)
- Glockenspiel
- Chimes
- Vibraphone
- Xylophone
- Marimba — low A
- 4 Timpani
- Drums — concert snare drum, field drum, marching snare drum, 2 toms, concert bass drum
- Cymbals & gongs — 2 suspended cymbals, 2 pairs crash cymbals (one w/ BD attachment), tam-tam
- Accessories — cowbell, 4 temple blocks
Reviews
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Joseph Van Hassel –
“An American Dream” is a programmatic work that calls for ten percussionists plus an offstage trumpeter who also performs a few suspended cymbal rolls. The work begins with a traditional sounding drum cadence followed by most ensemble members moving to mallet parts of varying difficulty. There is also a timpani part that includes clearly marked pitch changes, a snare drum part similar to what one might find in an intermediate concert band piece, and a bass drum with cymbal attachment part. These parts also vary in their difficulty, making “An American Dream” ideal for a group with different experience levels.
The musical material is made up of patriotic tunes familiar to Independence Day concertgoers, including “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “Taps” (played by the offstage trumpet). The keyboard parts are written for two mallets and utilize many essential techniques, including rolls, double stops, scalar material, and arpeggiated passages. There are several key changes, which help make this an ideal pedagogical piece for less experienced performers. “An American Dream” would certainly work very well on an Independence Day or American patriotism concert.