‘NQ FANFARE’ was composed for Northern 
 Quarters brass quartet. The work was the first 
 composed as part of my composer association 
 with the group and acted as a ‘musical introduction’. The main fanfare theme is a musical cryptogram created using the quartet member’s initials: Tom Smith, Laura Conway, Emma Conway, Amy Ewen.


The initials T and L are interpreted as the solfège 'Ti’ (7th) and ‘La’ (6th) giving us C♯ and B 
 in D major. The S initial borrows from the phonetic
 sound from the German notation for E♭ ‘es’. The pitches are used as written in B♭ and transposed into E♭ for the Tenor Horn.
 


The work was written as an energetic ‘opener’ to start the group’s programmes. The work follows a ternary form and loosely follows the golden ratio in terms of its structural proportions.

An attention grabbing opening precedes a slower, reflective middle section showcasing the groups lyrical playing. The original material returns which builds towards a bold finale.