Pagan Dances – III. The Master of the Sword – James Barnes | Dank Band Tunes on a Roland MT-32

“This suite is intended to portray an imaginary scene from prehistoric times as if it were a scene from a ballet. It begins with the entrance of the worshipers performing a ritual dance before their idol god. Mystics, or high priests, appear, evoking incantations and performing feats of sorcery before the worshipers. Suddenly, the master of the sword enters, performing a savage dance that culminates with his execution of a sacrifice on the high altar with his broadsword.”
The third movement is by far the most dissonant and uses a lot of polytonality. I think it sounds cool. There are also some interesting things going on with the trumpet and trombones and what kind of mutes they use. I tried to match the sounds as best as I could but obviously there is no sound for trombone with a harmon mute.

Year composed: 1987
Duration: 214 measures

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