Illegal Procedure (2007)

(click here to view selected score pages [pdf])

Illegal Procedure is transcribed from the brass ensemble work, Suspence Theater. It is inspired by a childhood watching weekly professional football highlights on television. The accompanying music is inseparable from the actual footage, and the variety of musical quotes that represent the on-field action are presented in clever and artistic ways. I grew up near the Professional Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio and recently visited after many years to hear the same tradition in the new-age stadium-like theater. This work reflects my emotions in remembering the driving rhythms and catchy melodies, all interwoven with the slow-motion ballet on the screen.

The early musical icon of those films was named Sam Spence, thus the original title of Suspence Theater. The music is accessible harmonically, and the rhythm includes the incessant drive that one might expect from football highlights. The loose three-part form includes a developmental middle section that leads to a recapitulation, the final statement of which includes the main theme in augmentation. This work is a personal statement from younger memories, but perhaps others will understand the sentiment through the music.