Flute chamber music, quintets and larger groups, by Howard J. Buss

Flute in chamber music - quintets and sextets
Works are in alpabetical order, durations are in parenthesis:

ECLIPSE for flute, oboe, clarinet, trumpet, horn, trombone, and three percussion by Howard J. Buss was written in 1974. There is a feeling of suspense throughout during this musical representation of a solar eclipse.
Sound Samples: Excerpt 1.mp3; Excerpt 2.mp3  - Video on YouTube               

Order from  Subito Music.

FIVE STARS (2004) for wind quintet (flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, and bassoon) by Howard J. Buss. Each of the 5 movements features a different instrument: Into the Maelstrom features the flute, A Distant Glow (horn), Orbits (oboe), The Message from the Cosmic Sea (bassoon), and Dance of the Stars (clarinet). This music is sophisticated, yet audience-friendly, and is well suited for school outreach concerts. (17’10") Grade V.
Sound Excerpts: Mov.#1.mp3; Mov.#2.mp3; Mov.#3.mp3; Mov.#4.mp3; Mov.#5.mp3

Videos on YouTube: I. Into the Maelstrom, II. A Distant Glow, III. Orbits,

IV.The Message from the Cosmic Sea, V. Dance of the Stars  

Music available from Cimarron Music Press 

ISLAND OF ENCHANTMENT  “5 Vignettes from Puerto Rico” for flute, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, and piano was written during the summer of 2022 for clarinetist Dr. Kathleen Jones and the 40th Anniversary of Camerata Caribe of San Juan, Puerto Rico. An English horn may be used as a substitute for the French horn. Camerata Caribe premiered the work on February 5, 2023 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The five movements are: Sunrise Paints the Land, To the Shore “Arecibo”, Glowing Water “La Parguera”, The Rain Forest “El Yunque”, and Mongoosian Intrigues.
(12') Grade V-VI. Score sample: Excerpts.pdf - Video on YouTube

Sound samples: Movement_1.mp3; Movement_2.mp3;

Movement_3.mp3; Movement_4.mp3; Movement_5.mp3

Music available from Cimarron Music Press

MODERN TIMES (1995) for narrator, flute, and four percussion (words and music by Howard J. Buss) is a depiction of life in our time. Provocative, at times mystical, and occasionally humorous, this work addresses an eclectic range of subjects such as taxes, neglected children, team mascots, and the information glut. "The tenor of Buss' social commentary is somewhere between the witty jeering of Mark Twain and the pithy insights of Sinclair Lewis. In his free verse one finds provocation without violence and intense anger without profanity." - The Tampa Tribune.
Modern Times transports the poetry into the dramatic and colorful sound world of the flute and percussion ensemble. The result is a unique and fresh view of the culture(s) in which
The writing is mature and fresh, yet is within reach of a solid college ensemble. - George Frock, Percussive Notes Magazine. This work is well-paced, colorful and accessible to audiences not familiar with complex percussion literature. This is truly one of the finest works in our idiom.- Robert McCormick, Florida Percussive News The 8 movements may be performed individually or in smaller groupings. Recorded on the CD Howard J. Buss: Modern Times, available from the composer.

I. Info Glut Sample.mp3; II. Night Tide Sample.mp3;

III. The Hunt Sound Sample.mp3; IV. Five Question Interlude Sample.mp3;

V. The Asphalt Blanket Sample.mp3; VI. To a Neglected Child Sample.mp3

VII. Giggles!?! Sample.mp3; VIII. Modern Times Sample#1.mp3; Sample#2.mp3

Video on YouTube

Percussion distribution: Perc. 1: Xylophone, lion roar, tam-tam, vibraslap, suspended cymbals, Chinese bell tree & bongos; Perc. 2: Marimba, snare drum, bass drum, anvils (metal pipes may be substituted), glass jug or jars (to be broken for the sonic effect), conga drum, wind chimes & triangle; Perc. 3: Vibes, roto toms, tambourine, tam-tam, police whistle, shaker, duck call; Perc. 4: Orchestra bells, timpani, agogo bells, suspended cymbals, hi-hat, wind chimes, wood block, frog croak (may be imitated vocally), boing box effect (a flexitone may be substituted), triangle & guiro.
(30’) Grade V.

Music available from Cimarron Music Press 

MYSTERIOUS EXIT (1993) for flute and 4 percussion by Howard J. Buss. The title refers to the inexplicable disappearance of the 14th Century Sinagua Indians who inhabited an area in what is now the State of Arizona. This composition was inspired by the composer's visit to the Sinagua pueblo ruins and is a musical representation of how the Sinaguan culture graced the austere and forbidding landscape of the region. The central section of the piece exhibits some of the intriguing rhythmic asymmetry found in Hopi dance songs.
Recorded on "Premiers Vol.1" (CD available from the composer)
(11'30") Grade IV-V.
Sound Sample#1.mp3; Sound Sample#2.mp3 - Percussion: Perc. 1: Orchestra bells, temple blocks, suspended cymbals, rattle, and wind chimes; Perc. 2: Marimba, and suspended cymbal; Perc. 3: Xylophone, and suspended cymbal; Perc. 4: Vibes, tom tom, sleigh bells, rattle, suspended cymbals, and a bell tree. View on YouTube

Music available from Cimarron Music Press 

OCEAN MOODS

Music available from Cimarron Music Press 

SKYLINES,

Music available from Cimarron Music Press

WHERE NOW RUSTS THE IRON? (1994) by Howard J. Buss for high voice (soprano or tenor), flute, cello & six percussion is a dramatic tribute to the composer’s grandfather who, like many ironworkers in his day, worked under brutal conditions with the dream of making life better for future generations. “A moving work touching our communal soul.” (8’) Grade IV-V. 
Score sample: Excerpt.pdf

Music available from Cimarron Music Press

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Howard J. Buss, Composer       

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