Halo from Brass Effect by The Game Brass

Halo’s famous opening title theme is just a single melodic line over a low drone, performed as plainchant. This kind of sparseness is perfect fodder for arranging, and I started out by creating four different versions of the opening title, with the intention of using just one… though, after some coaxing, ended up just including them all! We start with a near copy of the original: solo instruments play over the top of a drone. I lean into medieval-style harmony by having the quintet replay the melody in parallel 5ths, before expanding out to a more modern reharmonization. Halo’s main theme is one of the few that I think has actively expanded with each new game, and at this point I would consider the “One Final Effort” motif from Halo 3 to be a core part of this series’ title music. Not to mention, it’s a perfect big brass fanfare. But maybe the most beloved part is the 12/8 jig that always follows the opening chant. Once played with strings, then guitars, then piano, we finally get a chance to hear this brought to life with BRASS. Fast lines and busy melodies originally intended for, admittedly, more agile instruments make this one of the most challenging pieces the Game Brass has performed, but I’m happy to say that everyone worked hard to bring this complex piece of music to life.

The Game Brass is a brass quintet (and friends) who make covers of video game music. Their mission to become the brass quintet of video games, bringing classical chops to the game world, and showing off game music in the classical world. Featuring:
John Robert Matz (Trumpet),
Robby Duguay (Trumpet),
JohnStacy (French Horn),
Daniel Romberger (Trombone),
Alex Hill (Tuba)

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