Murder Mystery

My favorite bird has always been the crow. Known for their brilliant, clever, loyal, and adaptive personalities, crows are excellent problem-solvers, vocal allies, and dedicated grudge-holders. When crows build connections, they often share trinkets and gifts with people they trust and warn their murder against individuals that have wronged them. Murder Mystery is a rhythmic work with jabbing interjections that replicate the cries/coos/clicks of the crow, syncopated melodic lines to emulate their bobbing strut, and sections of measured thought that are showcased with octave eighth note motives and chromatic lines. This piece was commissioned by Dr. Aren Van Hauzen, Assistant Professor of Trumpet at Truman State University and was intended to be an accessible and fun work for college level trumpet students. Thanks for your support! The first movement is playful and dance-like, the second moment is hazy and dissociative, and the final movement evokes rage while tying all of the previous themes together.