Fanfare Aureus

Commissioned by the Florida State University Summer Music Camps, Fanfare Aureus is a homage to experiences the composer herself had playing trumpet & horn at these camps. The Latin word aureus means “gold.” Archer cleverly overlaps allusions to “Garnet and Gold,” the golden sun that shines brightest on Tallahassee, and the flashing gold of a glorious FSU horn section.

Genre: Band | # of Players:
Level: 5 | Duration: 3:20

Instrumentation
Piccolo
Flute 1
Flute 2
Oboe 1
Oboe 2
Bassoon 1
Bassoon 2
B-flat Clarinet 1
B-flat Clarinet 2
B-flat Clarinet 3
B-flat Bass Clarinet
Alto Saxophone 1
Alto Saxophone 2
Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone

B-flat Trumpet 1
B-flat Trumpet 2
B-flat Trumpet 3
F Horn 1
F Horn 2
F Horn 3
F Horn 4
Trombone 1
Trombone 2
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Baritone T.C.
Tuba

Timpani (4 drums)
Keyboard Percussion 1 (Bells, Vibraphone, Xylophone)
Keyboard Percussion 2 (Chimes, 4.3-octave Marimba)
Percussion (Snare Drum, Crash Cymbals, Bass Drum, Tambourine)

Program Notes
One of my favorite expressions is “The sun rises and sets on Florida State.” However, I first set foot on the campus of my beloved alma mater not as a music major, but as a music camper – three summers now a quarter century ago.

My most vivid memory is from 1990. The Senior High Band conductor at the time, Dr. Jim Croft, invited me to his office, thrust his own French horn into my hands, and declared an unspoken truth: “Kimmer, you’re a good trumpet player but you’re never going to be great. You need to play the horn, so let’s have a lesson.” He added a sales pitch I’ll never forget: “The horn is god’s own instrument, you know. In fact, it’s the world’s very first instrument. The trumpet used to be a horn. I bet you didn’t even know the snare drum used to be a horn ….”

Needless to say – although I have since realized the euphonium is actually god’s own instrument – a young composer’s love of the horn was born in that moment! Thus, when asked to compose a work in honor of the 70th anniversary of the FSU Music Camps, my first thought was of that impromptu lesson, of how deeply I still trust and love my FSU mentors, and how shining and warm my memories of FSU remain. My time in Tallahassee, as both a camper and a student, is the foundation of virtually all of the good experiences, opportunities, and friendships in my life.

The Latin word aureus means “gold.” I could not resist overlapping allusions to “Garnet and Gold,” the golden sun that shines brightest on Tallahassee, and the flashing gold of a glorious FSU horn section.

- Kim Archer