Original Compositions
Donotian Folk Suite
Donotian Folk Suite is a set of three movements (the middle movement is in progress) about a distant, troubled, and war-torn land (that is entirely fictional). What began as a school fundraising typo turned into the name of a proud people, and the first movement, Rondo Donotia, was originally formulated to fool students into thinking that there was in fact a country called “Donotia” and a Donotian people. While Rondo Donotia is simpler and more folksy, the third and final movement, Dance of Dennèngiduf, is a lively and energetic finale that may test the limits of a high school level ensemble. The second movement, a soulful Adagio entitled Elegy for the Broken, is orchestrated delicately, but for emotional impact.
Rondo Donotia
(Movement 1 of Donotian Folk Suite)
Length: 4 minutes and 30 seconds
Difficulty: Grade 3.5
Recording: MIDI Mockup with NotePerformer
Watch the score on YouTube here: Rondo Donotia – YouTube
Buy it here: Rondo Donotia – JW Pepper
Elegy for the Broken
(Movement II of Donotian Folk Suite)
Length: 7 minutes and 15 seconds
Difficulty: Grade 4
Recording: MIDI Mockup with NotePerformer
Watch the score on YouTube here: Elegy for the Broken – YouTube
Buy it here: Elegy for the Broken – JW Pepper
Dance of Dennèngiduf
(Movement III of Donotian Folk Suite)
Length: 4 minutes 30 seconds
Difficulty: Grade 4
Recording: MIDI Mockup with NotePerformer
Watch the score on YouTube here: Dance of Dennengiduf – YouTube
Buy it here: Dance of Dennèngiduf – JW Pepper
Ludvik
A sardonic romp of both playful and menacing character.
Length: 5 minutes
Difficulty: Grade 4.5
Recording: Students of the University of Texas at Austin
Buy it here: Ludvik – JW Pepper
Little Polka
A delightful, energetic tune with explosive and dynamic contrasts.
Length: 2 minutes
Difficulty: Grade 3
Recording: MIDI mockup with NotePerformer
Watch the score here on YouTube: Little Polka – YouTube
Buy it here: Little Polka – JW Pepper
Futility and the Relentless Perseverance of Optimism
A battle between optimism and pessimism – energetic, engaging, dynamic, wild.
Length: 5 minutes
Difficulty: Grade 5
Recording: MIDI mockup with Note Performer
Watch the score on YouTube here: Futility and the Relentless Perseverance of Optimism
Buy it here: Futility – JW Pepper
Arrangements
Fugue on the Cross – by Johann Sebastian Bach (1722)
From the Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1, Fugue on the Cross is a Concert Band setting of Bach’s dark and brooding Fugue No. 4, BWV 849.
Length: 3 minutes
Difficulty: Grade 3
Recording: MIDI mockup with NotePerformer
Watch the score on YouTube here: Fugue on the Cross – YouTube
Buy it here: Fugue on the Cross – J.W. Pepper
O Magnum Mysterium – by Tomás Luis de Victoria (1572)
The ethereal world of a bygone era, a famous Renaissance motet set to Concert Band seeks to maintain the spirit and essence of the original choral work.
Length: 3 minutes 10 seconds
Difficulty: Grade 2.5
Recording: MIDI mockup with NotePerformer
Watch the score here on YouTube: Magnum Mysterium – YouTube
Buy it here: O Magnum Mysterium – JW Pepper