Henry Brant (1913-2008)

Introduction
Brant was a Canadian-born American composer. He was extremely experimental in his works instrumentally. He was born in 1913 in Montreal.

Work Analysis
I chose to analyze Angels and Devils by Brant. This piece is written for flutes and the recording I listened to had thirteen flautists. There is one primarily soloist who is supported by the rest of the ensemble. The fact that this is written for only flutes means that it can create something that a full orchestra necessarily can’t. It can create an almost barrage of sound hitting you in a certain higher frequency with the power of thirteen flutes.

Henry Brant - Angels and Devils, Frost Flute EnsembleComparisons
I cannot say that I have heard anything like this before. However, I do know that Brant was heavily influenced by the works of Charles Ives due to the ideas firing back and forth melodically and harmonically off of each other in a very atonal sense.

Observations
This was not my favorite piece, but it was sure interesting to listen to. I never thought that flutes could be that powerful as an instrument. I enjoyed the soloist player in the recording that I found. Other than that, I was pretty indifferent towards this piece from a subjective point of view.