Description
A City Divided
A D Grade Brass Band Test Piece (4th Section)
A City Divided (2025) is a five-movement suite for brass band written as an accessible D Grade test piece, designed for 4th section ensembles seeking engaging, narrative-driven concert music.
Inspired by dystopian fiction exploring societal division, the work reflects a world in which citizens are separated into five factions, each representing a different philosophy and way of living. At its heart, the piece asks a simple but powerful question: should we commit to one identity, or embrace all parts of ourselves?
All movements are performed without a break, creating a continuous musical journey ideal for concert programming or adjudicated performance.
Movement I – The Verity Keepers
A bold and stately opening movement, The Verity Keepers functions as a brass fanfare representing truth, order, and stoicism. Although majestic in character, the music avoids traditional ceremony in favour of a more austere and grounded opening statement.
Movement II – The Altruist Enclave
A striking contrast follows in The Altruist Enclave, a lyrical and delicate movement inspired by open landscapes and simplicity. Echoes of impressionistic harmony and the influence of Satie’s Gymnopédies shape the musical language. A featured quasi-jazz trombone solo provides a moment of expressive intimacy.
Movement III – The Luminary Archives
This movement explores intellectual fragmentation and mechanical complexity. The Luminary Archives is rhythmically angular and structurally irregular, evoking the inner workings of machinery or a fractured mind. A brief full-band climax offers unity before dissolving back into intricate rhythmic interplay.
Movement IV – Concordia Bloom
The emotional centre of the work, Concordia Bloom, is a lyrical tribute to the wind band tradition of Gustav Holst. Beginning with a small quartet texture, the music gradually expands into a rich harmonic bloom, representing growth, unity, and emotional resolution.
Movement V – The Valiant Vanguard
The finale, The Valiant Vanguard, is fast, energetic, and harmonically shifting. It drives toward a bold and abrupt conclusion before briefly recalling material from the opening movement. This cyclical return reinforces the central idea that identity is fluid, not fixed.
Performance Notes
Suitable for D Grade / 4th Section brass bands
Continuous performance (no breaks between movements)
Features trombone solo (Movement II)
Programmatic, narrative-driven test piece
Ideal for competitions, concerts, and festival programming
