Note: Parts available upon request.

Commentary by Left Brain and Right Brain. RB: "Have you ever been hard at work on some music, and the piece develops completely differently than you had expected? After I began the 3rd movement Romanze of my Brass Quintet, this Cort�ge virtually composed itself." LB: "This piece is in sonata form. The Exposition presents a gloomy Theme I in A Minor, and a stately Theme II in E Minor and F Minor. The Development transforms the duplet-plus-triplet accompaniment of Theme I into a radiant quintuplet D Major theme, which is later inverted. The Recapitulation restates Theme I in A Minor, but Theme II in B Minor and C Minor. The Coda presents the quintuplet Development theme in a celestial A Major for a serene conclusion." RB: "Thank you for that riveting analysis. You forgot to mention the original and forceful personalities of the themes and their progressions, and that the entire work enjoys strong momentum. Something else which sets me apart from many other 21st Century composers is my enjoyment of good honest melodies. Even instrumental music should sing. Quasi sempre cantabile." LB: "The title Cort�ge seemed most appropriate. The Oxford English Dictionary defines 'cort�ge' simply as 'a funeral procession'. However, Le Dictionnaire Fran�ais Larousse defines 'cort�ge' as 'ensemble de personnes qui suivent quelqu'un, quelque chose ou d�filent sur la voie publique (group of persons who follow someone, something or march in a public route)', which is very different indeed. This piece represents both English and French definitions: Ma Cort�ge en La Mineur pour Quintette � Cuivres est une petite procession avec diverses humeurs: c'est fun�raire et majestique, pessimiste et optimiste, etc. Cependent dans la derni�re partie, une �sprit d'optimisme tranquille triomphe. Donc c'est une procession et une progression, de la tristesse � la joie. Pour ces raisons le nom fran�ais Cort�ge me semble juste." RB: "Pardon your French."

[[http://www.SibeliusMusic.com/cgi-bin/showscore.pl?scoreid=23984|See also: Brass Quintet in C Minor (complete):
I. Allegro moderato * II. Scherzo: Allegro * III. Romanze: Andante * IV. Finale: Allegro molto
Encore: Cort�ge in A Minor for Brass Quintet]]