| Tromba Lontana | |
|---|---|
| by John Adams | |
| English | Distant trumpet |
| Genre | Minimalism |
| Form | Fanfare |
| Occasion | 150th anniversary of Texan independence |
| Commissioned by | Houston Symphony |
| Composed | 1986 |
| Performed | April 4, 1986: Jones Hall, Houston |
Tromba Lontana (lit. "distant trumpet") is an orchestral fanfare written by the American minimalist composer John Adams in 1986. The work was commissioned by the Houston Symphony in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of Texas's declaration of independence from Mexico. It was given its world premiere by the Houston Symphony under the conductor Sergiu Comissiona in on April 4, 1986. The piece contains the voices of two trumpets that are separated from the orchestra, and from each other, usually performing in the balconies of the concert hall. [1] [2]
A fanfare is a short musical flourish that is typically played by trumpets or other brass instruments, often accompanied by percussion. It is a "brief improvised introduction to an instrumental performance". A fanfare has also been defined as "a musical announcement played on brass instruments before the arrival of an important person", such as heralding the entrance of a monarch. Historically, fanfares were usually played by trumpet players, as the trumpet was associated with royalty. Bugles are also mentioned. The melody notes of a fanfare are often based around the major triad, often using "[h]eroic dotted rhythms".
Minimal music is a form of art music that employs limited or minimal musical materials. In the Western art music tradition, the American composers La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass are credited with being among the first to develop compositional techniques that exploit a minimal approach. It originated in the New York Downtown scene of the 1960s and was initially viewed as a form of experimental music called the New York Hypnotic School. As an aesthetic, it is marked by a non-narrative, non-teleological, and non-representational conception of a work in progress, and represents a new approach to the activity of listening to music by focusing on the internal processes of the music, which lack goals or motion toward those goals. Prominent features of the technique include consonant harmony, hypnotic rhythmic pulses or steady drones, stasis or gradual transformation, and often reiteration of musical phrases or smaller units such as figures, motifs, and cells. It may include features such as additive process and phase shifting. Phase shifting leads to what has been termed phase music. Minimal compositions that rely heavily on process techniques that follow strict rules are usually described as process music.
John Coolidge Adams is an American composer, clarinetist, and conductor of classical music and opera, with strong roots in minimalism.
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Tromba Lontana appears in the Modern Era soundtrack of Civilization IV, along with several other pieces by Adams.[ citation needed ]
Civilization IV is a turn-based strategy computer game and the fourth installment of the Civilization series. It was designed by Soren Johnson under the direction of Sid Meier and his video game development studio Firaxis Games. It was preceded by Civilization III and followed by Civilization V, and it was released in North America, Europe, and Australia, between October 25 and November 4, 2005.
A typical performance lasts just over four minutes. [3]
