Steel City

Steel City is a dark, muscular and rhythmically driven work for flute ensemble, inspired by the industrial character of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Commissioned in 2022 by Cassandra Eisenreich and Dan Parasky for the Flute Community of Pittsburgh, the piece begins as a brooding, relentless machine: heavy, mechanical and constantly moving. Out of that texture emerges a soulful, rising lament which becomes one of the central ideas of the entire work.

From there, Steel City moves through several different incarnations of the same musical material. The lament becomes heavier and more aggressive, the ensemble launches into brutal unison cross-rhythms with a distinctly Heavy Metal edge, and later the same idea takes on a much more playful groove.

Everything eventually builds towards an enormous cinematic finish, somewhere in the territory of the closing scene of your favourite Marvel movie.

The piece received its premiere at the Slippery Rock University All-Stars Flute Choir weekend on 26 February 2023.

Quick details

• Flute ensemble / flute choir

• Four concert-flute parts

• Flutes 1 & 2: Advanced

• Flutes 3 & 4: Intermediate

• Alto Flute

• Bass Flute or Contrabass Flute

• Dark, industrial opening

• Soulful rising lament

• Heavy Metal-inspired unison cross-rhythms

• Groove-driven contrasting material

• Contemporary and extended flute techniques

• Includes Explosive Articulation, Residual Tone and Harmonic Bursts / Flourishes

• Strong rhythmic ensemble writing

• Particularly suited to advanced school, university, festival and community flute ensembles

• Printed score purchasers can request complimentary PDF individual flute parts

Instrumentation & player levels

• Flute 1
  Advanced – Advanced High School / Pre-College

• Flute 2
  Advanced – Advanced High School / Pre-College

• Flute 3
  Intermediate – Strong Middle School

• Flute 4
  Intermediate – Strong Middle School

• Alto Flute
  Upper Intermediate to Advanced

• Bass Flute with optional Contrabass Flute
  Advanced

As in much of my ensemble writing, the four concert-flute parts deliberately divide the technical demands between stronger and more accessible players.

Flutes 1 and 2 carry the more advanced material, while Flutes 3 and 4 are written at a more approachable Intermediate level.

My aim is always the same: every player should feel engaged and stretched, but nobody should feel overwhelmed. The more accessible parts are still musically essential to the piece rather than simply filling out the harmony.

The low-flute writing is intended for confident players, with Bass Flute and optional Contrabass Flute.

376 − 279 = 97

Even the tempo marking contains a Pittsburgh reference.

Because Interstate 376 and Interstate 279 intersect in Pittsburgh.

So the geographical intersection of two major Pittsburgh highways also gives us the tempo:

♩ = 97

About the music

Steel City begins as a dark, brooding, relentless and trundling machine.

The opening is deliberately industrial in character, with the ensemble functioning almost as one large mechanical object. From this emerges a rising, soulful lament which provides much of the melodic DNA for the rest of the piece.

That melody keeps returning, but its surroundings continually change.

At one point the music moves into something much heavier, with brutal, rocking unison cross-rhythms and an unmistakable Heavy Metal influence.

Later, the same rising idea finds a much more playful groove.

The piece therefore keeps taking familiar material and viewing it from a different angle: industrial, lyrical, aggressive, playful and finally epic.

By the ending, everything has expanded into the sort of enormous musical climax that really ought to have superheroes flying across the stage behind the flute choir.

Extended techniques

The contemporary techniques in Steel City are integrated into the rhythmic and expressive character of the music rather than functioning as decorative effects.

They include:

• Explosive Articulation

• Residual Tone

• Harmonic Bursts / Flourishes

These techniques help expand the flute ensemble beyond a conventionally beautiful sound-world. At different moments the ensemble can behave like a machine, a rhythm section, a metal band or a huge orchestral texture.

Printed score + complimentary PDF parts

If you purchase the printed score, you can also request a complimentary PDF set of the individual flute parts during checkout.

These are provided to save conductors and ensemble directors the need to photocopy individual parts from the printed score.

Frequently asked questions

What level is Steel City?
The concert-flute parts are deliberately mixed-level. Flutes 1 and 2 are Advanced, while Flutes 3 and 4 are Intermediate. The Alto and lowest flute parts are best suited to confident Upper Intermediate or Advanced players.

What is the character of the piece?
Dark, industrial and relentless at first, then lyrical, heavy, rhythmically aggressive, groovy and eventually very cinematic.

Why is the tempo marked 376 − 279 = 97?
Interstate 376 and Interstate 279 intersect in Pittsburgh. Subtracting one from the other gives 97, which is the tempo of the piece.

Does Steel City use extended flute techniques?
Yes. The piece includes Explosive Articulation, Residual Tone and Harmonic Bursts / Flourishes, all used as part of its rhythmic, industrial and expressive sound-world.

Why the Heavy Metal influence?
One section transforms the central musical material into brutal, rocking unison cross-rhythms. The weight and physicality of that writing naturally pushes the ensemble towards a Heavy Metal character.

Do I need a Contrabass Flute?
No. The lowest part may be played on Bass Flute with an optional extra Contrabass Flute too, depending on the instruments available to the ensemble. Having a Contra is always great!

Is Steel City suitable for a mixed-ability flute ensemble?
Yes, provided the ensemble has confident players for the more advanced parts. Flutes 3 and 4 are deliberately more accessible, while Flutes 1 and 2 and the low-flute writing carry greater technical responsibility.

Are individual PDF parts available with the printed score?
Yes. Purchasers of the printed score can request complimentary PDF individual flute parts when ordering.