Here is a final version of Pomp & Parade. The piece is scored for trumpets, trombones, bass finger piano, and baritone guitar. The tuning is based on a 12 note subset of 72 EDO. Here is the Scala file I used to play a 12-tone keyboard.
! 12-Adams.scl
!
12 out of 72-TET
12
!
200.000
266.667
383.333
433.333
500.000
550.000
700.000
883.333
966.667
1050.000
1083.333
1200.000
The piece moves through several six note combinations of the 12 possible notes. It can jump between the first and second and back depending on some indeterminacy. You can think of it as a walk through a set of changes: F_maj to D_min to G_maj to A_min to D_min to F_Maj. It’s a pretty simple chord change. I sometimes throw in variations of those chords, like A+super major instead of A_min and F+super major instead of F_maj.
First Second
F_maj+G_neuN D_min+E_minB
G_maj+A+subN A_min+B-neuB
D_min+E_minN F_maj+G_neuB
F_maj+G_neuN F_maj+G_neuB
F_maj+G_neuN D_min+E_minB
G_maj+A+subN A_min+B-neuB
D_min+E_minN F_maj+G_neuB
F_maj+G_neuN F_maj+G_neuB
F_maj+G_neuN D_min+E_minB
G_maj+A+subN A+sup+B_majB
D_min+E_minN F+sup+A_minB
F_maj+G_neuN F_maj+G_neuB
F_maj+G_neuN D_min+E_minB
G_maj+A+subN A_min+B-neuB
D_min+E_minN F_maj+G_neuB
F_maj+G_neuN F_maj+G_neuB
F_maj+G_neuN D_min+E_minB
The baritone guitar plays chords and strums, and also duplicates the bass finger piano an octave higher. The trumpet and trombone are in octave relationship as well. They kind of blend into each other into a single sound. I make extensive use of envelopes to make the guitar parts have very short choppy sounds, and the horn crescendo.
This is 100% Csound, with my pre-processor generating the Csound source code. The horn samples are commercial, but I made the guitar and bass finger piano samples.
The title is from a letter from John Adams to his wife on the occasion of the Continental Congress ratifying the Declaration of Independence on July 2, 1776. John Adams forecast that generations of Americans would celebrate July 2nd:
The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.
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Or download here: Pomp & Parade.
