Nacht
For concert band
Nacht was my second slow piece for concert band. I learned a lot from my experiences on "Variations of Grace" and had been working with my own band long enough that I had a pretty good feel for what would and would not work. The hardest part of this piece was keeping the percussionists engaged - instead of writing three cymbal rolls and a wind chime part, I decided to put all of my players on mallets. Some of them were none too thrilled with the idea, but I didn't ask them, so they couldn't say no.
With "Silent Night" as its main guide, the piece is a wonderful exercise in breath control. It is to be played as slowly as it can be played well. "Nacht" was premiered by the Fillmore Central High School Concert Band on December 17, 2009.