Description

Obloquy for brass quintet (duration: 2′)

Honorable Mention, Mirari Brass Quintet Call for Scores

ob • lo • quy
/’äbləkwē/
noun
very strong public criticism or blame

Obloquy was written as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically the unprecedented mishandling of the crisis by the United States’ presidential administration in 2020.

Consisting primarily of overlapping lines stopping and starting constantly with no apparent pattern, the first half of the piece is a reflection of the numerous attempts to return society to a sense of normalcy. However, the static harmony that persists throughout this section indicates that so far, no real progress has been made.

The second half of the piece does break away from this harmonic stasis temporarily, but chaos builds and the ensemble seems to spiral out of control in a rush of rapid interlocking fragments. This frantic crescendo comes to a peak as the dissonant harmonies from the piece’s opening return and the music ultimately grinds to a halt.