Sy Brandon - Composer/Arranger


Composer/Arranger Sy Brandon

A complete catalog, where you can see and hear my music before downloading, can be found at three locations. Sheet Music Direct, Sheet Music Plus and J. W. Pepper In addition to my compositions and arrangements of public domain music, Sheet Music Direct and Sheet Music Plus are the exclusive dealer for my arrangements of copyrighted music including show music and popular songs. At J. W. Pepper, you can select either download or printed paper copies that will be mailed to you. My books are available at Lulu Press You can watch videos of performances of my music at YouTube Performances Audio recordings of my music on over 35 CDs by various artists are available through your favorite streaming service by searching "Sy Brandon". Below are four samples of my music with audio and scores. Click to Send Mail

From performances of his music on NPR's "Performance Today" to the use of his music on TV's "Animal Planet" and MTV's "Never Before Scene", Sy Brandon's compositions and arrangements are as varied as they are accessible. His versatile ease in composing effectively for young musicians as well as professionals and his ability to utilize jazz and folk music in addition to writing in more abstract styles, enables his music to meet the needs of a wide variety of performers. Conductor, Robert Hart Baker writes, "his music is well-crafted and has maintained his desired artistic content without sacrificing the realistic aspects of orchestration." Tom Everett, bass trombonist and Harvard University Band Director writes, "I admire Dr. Brandon's success with the lyrical qualities of the solo instrument without sacrificing rhythmic interest" and conductor, Larry Newland describes his music as "stirring, well written, and highly effective with its audience." His music has been performed live and via broadcast throughout the United States and abroad, including performances by the United States Army, Navy, and Air Force Bands. Sy Brandon has received numerous awards including first prizes in the WITF-FM's 25th Anniversary Composition Contest, the El Dorado Sacred Music Composition Contest, Franklin and Marshall College's Wind Ensemble Composition Contest, the Quadre Composition Competition, and the New England String Ensemble Composition Competition. He has received numerous commissions for his music from organizations that include the Boise Philharmonic, York Symphony Orchestra, the Twentieth Moravian Music Festival, as well as numerous professional musicians and school music organizations.

In 2010, he was awarded a commission from the Arizona Commission on the Arts to compose the band composition celebrating the Arizona Centennial during 2011-12. In 2015, he was awarded the Thor Johnson Memorial Commission from the Delta Omicron Foundation to compose a piece for the 2018 convention. In both 2013 and 2014, he was either a semi-finalist or finalist for the American Prize in several composition categories. He has been a recipient of an ASCAP Special Award annually since 1998. His music has been recorded by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra on the Albany Records Label, the Philharmonia Bulgarica and the Kiev Philharmonic on the ERM Label, Emeritus Recordings, the Contemporary Record Society, and by the Swiss Duo Dilemme on the Arizona University Label. Tuba/Euphonium Press, Trombone Association Publishing, the Theodore Presser Co., and Co-Op Press publish his music. His books, "A Compose's Guide to Understanding Music with Activities for Listeners, Interpreters, and Composers" and "Dr. B's Music Practice Guide" are published by Co-op Press. Sy Brandon (b. 1945 in New York, NY) holds the rank of professor emeritus of music from Millersville University, Millersville, PA where he taught low brass, composition, orchestration, music history, electronic music, and music industry for twenty-four years. He received his B.S. and M.S. in music education from Ithaca College and his A. mus. D. in composition from the University of Arizona. His composition teachers include Warren Benson, Elie Siegmeister, and Robert McBride.

Compositions

Celebration Overture for Orchestra
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This work was composed during August and September of 1995 in honor of WITF-FM's 25th Anniversary. It was selected as the winning composition in WITF-FM's Composition Competition from a field of over forty international entries and received its premiere by the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra with Maestro Richard Westerfield conducting on April 23, 1996. During March 1997, the overture was recorded by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Paul Freeman for release as part of CD series entitled "Paul Freeman Introduces" on the Albany Label in 1998. This six minute overture alternates sections of fanfare-like figures with sections of playful rhythms and counterpoint. The overall form consists of two main sections that contrast each other and a middle section that serves as a development of previously stated material. The composition is an economical one as its material is derived primarily from the opening brass fanfare and the woodwind counter melody. The modal melodic and harmonic material is interwoven with polyrhythm, imitation, counterpoint, and timbre changes to create a composition reflective of the excitement of this celebration.
Lexicon II for Brass Quintet
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Lexicon II is the second composition in a series that defines words through music. The first movement, Ballyhoo, means "clamor or outcry." This is achieved musically through a fast tempo, wide intervals, asymetric meter, imitative sixteenth note patterns, and mild dissonance. The second movement, Clandestine, uses pyramids to disguise the melodic line and asymetrical meter to disguise the beat in order to represent the definition of "characterized by, done in, or executed with secrecy or concealment, especially for purposes of subversion or deception." The brass instruments are muted throughout this movement. In order to represent Eerie, the word for the third movement, a slow tempo and sparse instrumentation are used along with dissonance, extreme dynamics, trills and glissandi. Eerie means "uncanny, so as to inspire superstitious fear." The fourth movement, Amok, is filled with dissonance, counterpoint, and chromaticism in order to represent its definition; "to behave uncontrollably and disruptively." Sections of order seem to break down into sections of chaos and the movement ends on an unsettled chord.
Divertissement for Oboe, Piano, and Percussion
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Divertissement was composed during 2005 for the Cadence Music Ensemble. A divertissement is a multi-movement composition designed to divert, entertain or to amuse. The title came about as a result of the desire of Cadence for a piece that would be full of energy, have interplay between instruments, have lyrical lines, be able to reach all types of audiences, and contain a show stopper. There are six contrasting movements in this composition; Intrada, Nocturne, Waltz, Marche, Romanza, and Galop. The Intrada is energetic and playful with a lot of interplay between instruments. The Nocturne, being a night piece, is both lyrical and mysterious. The Waltz is in a flowing waltz tempo with occasional shifts away from three beats in the measure. The bass drum in this movement supports the waltz rhythm at times and at other times uses syncopation to contrast the other instruments. The Marche is not a piece that would be used in a parade. It is a march that exists in the mind of a child who is playing with toy soldiers; therefore there is playfulness and humor that would not occur in a functional march. Lyrical lines and expressiveness are the predominating features of the Romanza. The piece comes to a rousing close with the Galop, which is a “perpetual motion” type of movement with a lot of rhythmic variety.
I Am Music for Chorus and Orchestra
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A tonal work for SATB choir and chamber orchestra based on the anonymous poem of the same name. In 2004, it was recorded by the Philharmonia Bulgarica and Bulgarian National Opera Chorus on the ERM label.