The 2000s to present day
Brass Music and Electronic Medias
2001 (September) - A terrorist group known as the Al-Qaeda attack the United States in multiple plane crashes impacting building such as the World Trade Center, The Pentagon as well as a failed attack on the United States Capitol and killing nearly 3,000 people. This began a war known of the War on Terrorism between the United States and the Al-Qaeda.
2001 – The company Ableton was first founded in 1999 by co-founders Gerhard Behles, Robert Henke, and Bernd Roggendorf and first released their first products in 2001 with their first computerized software as well as the development of the Ableton Push. This software gave the capability of making MIDI and audio softwares meet in a combined, yet simple push-to-active format with the ability of looping, changes in volumes, as well as variations of sound quality through different plug-ins such as delay, reverb, distortion and more.
2004 – After Apple bought out the company, EMagic, the company released a more user-friendly version of their large-scale music software, Logic, also known as GarageBand. Though GarageBand has the same functions as it’s large-scale cohort, this minimalized software makes music making at a more accessible, free platform with the same capabilities of audio and MIDI input and manipulation with certain limitations that would make further editing and usage solely used for its larger counterpart.
2004 – Obsession by Jody Nagel for horn and fixed media – later adapted for horn and wind ensemble, this work’s original fixed media comprised of a large variety of synthesizers to create different timbres where the hornist is needed to change and manipulate their tone in order to match the timbre of the fixed media. While other fixed media compositions are set at one particular tempo, this work is presented to performers with a electronic version at 100% speed of tempo as well as one at 80% of the tempo for those performers who cannot play this piece at the original speeds.
2006 – Created by the company Cockos, REAPER (Rapid Environment for Audio Production, Engineering and Recording), this audio production software is along the likes of softwares such as Audacity, Logic, GarageBand and more. This program is primarily used to snip, edit and enhance audio samples to be later used in multimedia products or for further mixing and compositional use in multitrack mediums such as Logic, Ableton, GarageBand, Max and more. This software is available on both Windows PC and MacOS softwares making is highly accessible to anyone wanting to use it.
2018 (March) – Saga by Dr. James Naigus for horn and fixed media – written for his former horn professor, Dr. Paul Basler of the University of Florida, this work was premiered at the 2018 Southeast Horn Workshop held at the University of Georgia by Dr. Basler. This work is an imitation of large-scale horn sections in film scores. With various sections, this work contains a playback track alongside a click track challenging the performer to maintain a strict time weaving through each section.
2018 (March) – The Strife that Binds by Nicholas Fife for amplified horn solo and electronics – A reflection work based on hardships and turmoil in one’s life, this working for amplified horn and electronics is a reflection of the sad times everyone experiences in their lives, primarily focusing on the hardships in the American political separation between the two parties. Fife uses various types of equipment as a suggestion for the performer to be as close to the composer’s intent for the work – A Yamaha Silent Brass Mute, Yamaha Silent Brass Personal Studio, Zoom G1X on a guitar pedal, as well as a PA system.
2018 (August) – Adrift in the Expanse by Nicholas Fife for horn quartet and electronics – commissoned by the Allumer Quartet of Lousiana State University where the composer is an alumnus of, this work is a reflection that we as humans are so small in the ever-expanding universe that we live in and our lives are only a mere blip in the long expansive cosmic timeline.
2019 – The coronavirus (COVID19) had its first confirmed cases in Japan at the end of 2019. The virus caused a global pandemic infecting millions of people worldwide with tens of thousands of people dying. Many countries implemented a stay-at-home policies and refraining from people to congregate in public places, isolating them from home, impacting workers, schools and musicians alike.
2020 (April) – The Allumer Quartet performs Nicholas Fife’s work Adrift in the Expanse for horn quartet and electronics online on the composer’s YouTube channel Fireplace Concert Series as a reflection of the coronavirus (COVID19) impacting the global community. The original musicians who commissioned the work we in the performance – Dr. Centria Brown, Tom Fish, Arisia Gilmore, and Evan McAleer.