Alien Loop de Loops

Alien Loop de Loops (ALIEN LOOP DE LOOPS for euphonium or (tuba) and electronic recording by Howard J. Buss is a playful and capricious fantasy piece designed to appeal to a wide range of audiences. The title refers to both programmatic and technical elements in the composition. The composer envisioned a performer outside in an open area during an air show by an alien craft. During the opening section he/she plays unaccompanied, but then is joined by the recording, which contains sounds generated by traditional instruments as well as an "alien" voice, the spacecraft, and various electronic effects. Technically, the title refers to how the recording was made. It consists of numerous sound loops combined to form an imaginative and picturesque sonic tapestry. Ossia suggestions are included for some of the more technical passages. The general tessitura of the work also allows it to be performed on a tuba. Brixton also publishes this work in a version for trombone or bass trombone, which was winner of the 2015 American Trombone Workshop National Composition Competition sponsored by the U. S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own.” The publication includes sheet music and a CD (attached to the inside of the back cover) that contains two performance tracks, one for euphonium and one for tuba, and the accompaniment track.