Welcome to my blog!  This is a place for me to share my thoughts on a variety of topics, with an obvious emphasis on musical arranging and all things brass.  I hope you enjoy this forum and feel free to provide your comments and feedback!

Since I am primarily a trumpet player, I’m going to ask the question, “what’s so special about the trumpet?”  I’ve spent almost my entire life and countless hours practicing this instrument.  Why was I drawn to it? What’s so special about it?

I think the trumpet holds a unique place in our consciousness.  Its notes are associated with anything from a morning wake up call, to a fanfare, to a solemn military processional.  It has a regal quality that many of us are naturally drawn to.  The trumpet is an instrument of power, but also one of exquisite beauty.  It’s used in brass brands, jazz bands, school bands, and orchestras.

All of these uses and qualities of the trumpet are wonderful.  However, the most significant for me is summed up in the beautiful George Frideric Handel aria, The Trumpet Shall Sound.  This aria, from the Messiah (of “Hallelujah Chorus” fame) uses the biblical text, “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” – 1 Corinthians 15:52.   This verse is about the second coming of Christ.  The trumpet signifies the return of Jesus to this earth.  As much as I love the sound of the trumpet and playing this instrument, it pales in comparison to the love for and hope that I have in the return of my Savior.  What a wonderful reminder every time I pick up my “horn” to practice or perform- that we will hear a similar sound on that last day!

Here is a link to a performance of The Trumpet Shall Sound by Handel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gy7XVvu6oqE