A. Plog - Four Sketches | Brass Quintet Rep

Title

4 Sketches

I. Allegro

II. Allegro Vivace

III. Andante

IV. Allegro

Composed

1990

Composer

Anthony Plog (b. 1947)

Composer Information

Contemporary American composer Anthony Plog is a renowned trumpet player who has performed in many countries around the world, soloing with several ensembles. Plog began playing trumpet at the age of ten and in just nine years he was serving as a substitute with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In his late twenties, he published his first piece and continued to compose primarily for brass. His compositional activities have grown substantially in recent years, and his works are played frequently throughout the world. In 1990, he moved to Europe to perform with the Malmö Symphony in Sweden, and from 1993 to 2013 was Professor at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Freiburg, Germany. During this time, he played with the Basel Symphony in Switzerland and the Stockholm Royal Philharmonic. He also taught at the Norwegian Music Academy in Oslo, Norway. Plog retired from the concert stage in 2001 in order to pursue a full-time composition career.

Publisher

Editions BIM

Duration

11:30

Difficulty

Ranking Position

Discography

At the Nexus by Center City Brass Quintet: Octavia Records Inc., 2014.

Colors for Brass by Summit Brass & Saint Louis Brass Quintet: Summit Records, 1990.

Four American Stories by Baylor Brass: Tressona Multimedia, 2015.

Wonderful World (Bonus Track Edition) by Munich Brass Connection: Bauer Studios GmBH, 2010.

Brass Sketches by Eastern Kentucky University Faculty Brass Quintet: Mark records, 2012.

Types of Instruments/Mutes

2 trumpets in C, horn, trombone, tuba.

All but tuba require mutes. In addition, trumpets need whisper and cup mute.

Final Considerations

Four Sketches for Brass Quintet was commissioned for Mel Jernigan and the Saint Louis Brass Quintet. Sketches one and four are very rhythmic and intense. Sketch two features muted trumpets playing technically challenging virtuosic passages, clean double tonguing is a must for this movement that should be tackled by more mature trumpeters. Sketch three is lyrical, emotional and slow movement with large intervallic leaps. The music demands independent and skilled players, but the writing is very idiomatic and the quintet will enjoy putting it together.