"Halo" for Brass Ensemble and Percussion

Main Theme from Halo, composed by Martin O'Donnell & Michael Salvatori and arranged for brass and percussion ensemble by Thomas Kresge.

This track is part of our space-themed video game music album BRASS EFFECT available for preorder now!

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Featuring...
The Game Brass:
🎵 John Robert Matz: Trumpet
[http://www.johnrobertmatz.com]
🎵 Matthew Gagliardo: Trumpet
[   / matthewgagliardomusic  ]
🎵 Robby Duguay: Trumpet, Video
[http://www.robbyduguay.com]
🎵 Danny Flam (From ConSoul Big Band): French Horn
[   / consoul  ]
🎵 Alana Yee: French Horn
[   / alanayee  ]
🎵 JohnStacy: French Horn
[   / thejohnstacy  ]
🎵 Daniel Romberger (DannyMusic): Trombone, Video
[   / dannymusic  ]
🎵 Allison Martin: Trombone
[   / allisonmartintrombone  ]
🎵 Mitchell "SirEnobMort" Frey: Bass Trombone
[   / sirenobmort  ]
🎵 Alex Hill (WarTubaFox): Tuba
[   / wartubafox  ]
🎵 Rahul Vanamali: Timpani, Percussion
[   / rahulvanamali  ]
🎵 Thomas Kresge: Arrangement, Mix
[https://www.kresgemusic.com/]

🎵 Henry Faber: Logo Design
[  / henryfaber  ]

Watch more game soundtrack covers performed on brass here:    • Game Music on Brass Instruments  

Notes from Thomas about this arrangement:

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’s 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.