To listen while following along with the score, click here: Last Full Measure │ Brass Quintet │ Dr. Daniel Thrower (youtube.com)

On 29 November 2023, a tragic accident occurred of the shores of an island in Japan. A CV-22 Osprey aircraft from Yokota Air Base in Tokyo crashed, killing all eight crew members. Being stationed at Yokota as an Air Force Bandsman during that trying time, my emotions turned to music as a gift of solidarity from the PACAF Band to the grieving family members. The completed music was delivered to my Commander a week after the shocking event.

On 15 February 2024, the Base conducted a somber memorial service for the eight heroes who gave their last full measure of devotion in the line of duty. This piece was performed in lieu of “Taps” toward the end of the ceremony, as “Taps” was to be sounded at the Base Retreat Ceremony later that day. The gift of music was profound. Tears from the family members seated in the front rows flowed freely at the end of the performance, punctuated by increased sobs. High-quality professional prints of the score and parts were paid for by the United States Air Force and gifted to families of the deceased and distinguished visitors at the memorial service.

One poignant detail was that at the performance during the memorial service, the brass quintet was augmented by a Japanese trumpet player from the nearby Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Band. This symbolic gesture of solidarity greatly impacted the profundity of the event.

Last Full Measure, Op. 143, for brass quintet was completed 6 Dec 2023. This composition is not to be confused with Op. 33: Last Full Measure of Devotion, for 24 trumpets. However, in an allusion to that monumental early work, this present brass quintet’s “last measures” echo the final strain of “Taps” in memory of the eight crew members who perished. Duration: 3:00. Published (assigned ISMN) 7 Dec 2023 through Gilded Music Press, catalogue number GMP 3060; release date 22 Mar 2024.