Nerve & Verve
E.K.R. Hammell
Ensemble: Concert Band
Grade: 5
Duration: 06:30
Year of Composition: 2020
Commissioned by: Festival Wind Orchestra (Keith Reid, conductor)
Premiered by: Festival Wind Orchestra (Keith Reid, conductor)
Date of Premiere: June 14, 2022
Publisher: E.K.R. Hammell Music
Year of Publication: 2023
Publisher Catalog Number: EH0015A/B
Available: Yes
How to Acquire: Publisher, Purchase
Links:
Piccolo
Flutes 1,2
Oboe
Bassoon
B♭ Clarinets 1,2,3
B♭ Bass Clarinet
E♭ Alto Saxes 1,2
B♭ Tenor Sax
E♭ Baritone Sax
B♭ Trumpets 1,2,3
F Horns 1,2
Trombones 1,2,3
Euphonium
Tuba
Contrabass
Percussion 1 (Timpani, Mounted Tambourine)
Percussion 2 (Bass Drum, Mark Tree, Crotales, Shaker)
Percussion 3 (Glockenspiel, Kick Drum)
Percussion 4 (Suspended Cymbal, Vibraphone, Tambourine, Triangle)
Percussion 5 (Triangle, Congas)
Revised in 2022
Program Notes:
Nerve & Verve is a piece about personal and interpersonal growth. A simplistic, brawny opening theme introduces a sense of confident denial. Lasting for only a brief window of time, this material serves as a reference point that is later repeatedly questioned and dissected. The section that follows illuminates a sense of childlike wonder, full of nostalgia and naïve (yet genuine) joy. As this material develops, it becomes increasingly ecstatic and robust—a fantastical dream seems to be latching onto some part of reality. As the fantasy ascends to its peak, the music shifts into a landscape of sudden (perhaps violent) juxtapositions in timbres, masking uneasiness and uncertainty with cool, unwavering steadiness and an arrogant optimism. From this unsustainable amalgam erupts the last major section of the piece, jubilantly arguing for a reconstruction of the unfamiliar into a blessing that is cause for celebration. Full of rhythmic vitality, it thrusts the listener into a parade of hopeful reinvigoration. In the end, the music makes an attempt to settle into a new groove—one that unveils the discovery and joy hidden within chaos and disarray.
(E.K.R. Hammell)
