Nightmare Fuel (Band + Optional Track Gr. 3)

Combining a twisted original lullaby, a thrilling soundscape, and an indescribable entity, Nightmare Fuel takes audiences through a sonic psychological thriller. Through use of an optional click track, this recurring nightmare will surely bring a cinematic highlight to concert programs.

DOWNLOAD OPTIONAL ELECTRONIC TRACK

Genre: Band | # of Players: Standard + Track
Series: Emerald Band Series
Level: 3 | Duration: 5:30

Instrumentation
Conductor's Score
Optional Electronic Track

Flute 1
Flute 2
Oboe [optional]
Bassoon [optional]
B-flat Clarinet 1
B-flat Clarinet 2
Bass Clarinet
Alto Saxophone 1
Alto Saxophone 2
Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone

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

Piano [optional]

Timpani [3 drums]
Glockenspiel (+ Brake Drum)
Xylophone [optional] (+ "A" Crotale, Zil-Bel)
Vibraphone (+ Suspended Cymbal)
Chimes [optional]
Percussion 1 [2 players: Crash Cymbals, Snare Drum, Bass Drum
Percussion 2 [2 optional players]: Hi-Hat, Tambourine

Program Notes
Imagine an elusive, unknowable entity that permeates your subconscious every time you rest your eyes. It chases you until you awaken in a cold sweat. This recurring dream is what gives Nightmare Fuel its sonic world. Though the piece uses a key signature of two flats, the A locrian mode is sure to create an unsettling mood throughout. An original, twisted lullaby sets the tone of the piece. As we drift off to sleep, the nightmare kicks in as motives chase each other through swells and pointillistic textures. As the music intensifies, the bombastic percussion tries to wake up musicians and audiences as we attempt to escape the entity.

We awaken in the dead of night in a cold sweat and try to console ourselves. It’s just a dream... right? Harmonic material from the chase scene comes back as we remember our nightmare and convince ourselves that it isn’t real. The various countermelodies, swells, and trills in this section say otherwise... because what’s in the the dream world might be closer than you think. The lullaby returns as we drift off to sleep again, and a single A major chord signifies the only moment of peace in the entire work. We are at rest. For now.

After a quick jump scare, the recurring nightmare and its entity return even stronger and more intensely than before. The previous chase scene is fortifed with intense percussion, not only in the ensemble, but also in the track. The coda, marked in the score as “Trembling,” depicts a fight or flight response as we make the choice to make our last stand or escape once and for all. Are we captured, or did we finally escape the clutches of the entity? After a final resolution in a tonal center of D, I’ll let you decide.