SKU: P2.30094
Mark My Words, originally for tuba (but just as fun to play on clarinet), was composed by James Grant in February of 2007 as a heartfelt gift to his great friend and staunch musical ally, tubist Mark Nelson, in celebration of their first collaboration fourteen years earlier (Three Furies for solo tuba). Grant writes, When I began composing Mark My Words, I told Mark to be prepared for something fun that sounded like Charlie Brown doing a funky bossa nova (think jazz pianist/composer Vince Guaraldi's Linus and Lucy). I did not tell him that the middle section of Mark My Words would make overt references to all of the principal shapes, motives and themes from the Three Furies - my way of thanking Mark Nelson, specifically, for opening wide the door of composing for tuba and euphonium those many years ago and for so enthusiastically escorting me over that threshold. I am but one of many grateful composers whom Mark has supported over the years by commissioning, then recording their music. Mark My Words is my humble attempts at giving back to this devoted educator, consummate musician, fervent promoter of new music for tuba, and - yes - kickass player..
SKU: P2.30093
The titular confusion of this work came about in this way: the tunes first appeared in a 1991 musical I wrote based on Moliere's Le Malade Imaginaire (The Imaginary Invalid). Lacking faith in the musical but liking the tunes, I fashioned a few of them into the symphony - a comic symphony. Yet, it seemed to lack luster. When the opportunity came to write a work for my friend and fellow Snark Ensemble performer Ben Redwine, I decided what the material lacked was a solo voice. The tunes are still there, but now greatly elaborated and expanded upon. The final work is still very much a symphony - and no other title seems to suit it - but symphonies are generally for orchestra. Still, the size and the instrumentation for the form we call symphony have varied greatly over the years, so perhaps it's the nature of the music that makes it a symphony and not the scoring.
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