“Gran”d Memorial

Description

In February of 2026, Nathaniel Triplett asked me to write a piece dedicated to his grandmother. Although I was worried about sending a piece on time (and doing a person justice through music) I said yes and went about my day. I then found out that I would not be writing this piece for wind band, but for a 9-piece low-brass choir – severely changing my idea and willingness to write this piece. Because I am a coward, I stuck with it and continued writing the piece of music. The truth is, I didn’t even know where to start; Did I want this to be celebratory of her life? Sad for her death? A mix between the two? As mentioned previously, I didn’t know how to do his grandma justice through a piece of music. After thinking on the piece for a couple days, I know I wanted to start it with a fanfare, followed by a lyrical melody on top of a rhythmic drive. After that – fair game. A few days later (and 4000 cups of coffee later), I finished the work, and sent it to Nathan. After writing the original arrangement, I went back, listened to it, and realized something – this piece would make a pretty dang good band piece. With that being said, over the next few days, I orchestrated the original piece, added some new parts, and formatted this new arrangement. Lo and behold, an excellent band piece that (much more appropriately) captures the intended effect of the original piece and concept. I hope you enjoy my Grand Memorial!