Fanfare: a Trio for One Trumpet, by Samuel Pellman

Fanfare:

a Trio for One Trumpet

(also known as: A Fall Fanfare)

duration - approximately 1:55

PROGRAM NOTE

This piece was commissioned by Hamilton College to be used as a processional for a college ceremony. It was premiered on September 19, 1997 by John Raschella in the Hamilton College Chapel. The tones produced by the trumpeter are digitally delayed 340 milliseconds in one speaker and 680 milliseconds in the other speaker, thus producing a three-part canon at a rather brisk tempo.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The performance setup for this piece includes a microphone, a digital delay unit, a small mixer, and two loudspeakers. The microphone is placed directly in front of the trumpeter; the loudspeakers are placed at least twelve feet on either side and two to three feet in front of the trumpeter (see diagram below).

The microphone signal is patched into the mixer for pre-amplification and for routing to the left input of the digital delay unit (through an auxiliary output or effects send of the mixer). A single echo of the signal appears at the left output of the digital delay unit, after a delay of 340 milliseconds. Another single echo of the signal appears at the right output of the digital delay unit after a delay of 680 milliseconds. These two echoes are then returned to the mixer and routed to the loudspeakers (through an amplifier).

NEW!!! (Summer 2010): Download a Mac version or a Windows version of a digital delay simulator. You may want to buy a microphone that can clip onto the bell (such as the Audio-Technica ATM350c) and a small XLR-to-USB interface (such as the Blue Microphones Icicle ), or you may want to buy a small table-top (or music-stand-top) microphone with its own USB cable that plugs directly into your laptop (such as the Blue Microphones Snowball). Once the USB signal from the microphone is plugged into your computer, the digital delay simulator will perform the functions of the audio mixer and the digital delay unit shown in the above diagram. You will then need to connect the headphone output of your computer to a pair of loudspeakers (perhaps with the help of this 1/8" TRS Male-Dual RCA cable or this 1/8" Stereo Male-Dual TS).

Click here to hear a MIDI-file rendition of this piece.

Biographical information about the composer can be found here.

To see the sheet music for the first page, click here.
To see the sheet music for the second page, click here.

To download and print the sheet music, click here. (requires Adobe Acrobat)
If you're performing this piece in the autumn, download and print the sheet music from this file. (requires Adobe Acrobat)

To obtain performance materials or for further information, contact:

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