Kaiserpfalz Javier Martínez Campos

"Kaiserpfalz" is a piece for Band composed in 2013 and premiered at the "V Congreso Iberoamericano de Compositores, Directores y Arregladores de Bandas Sinfónicas y Ensembles" with Felix Hauswirth as conductor.

The piece lasts about 6 and a half minutes and is based, from a personal and subjective perspective, on the fortress located in Kaiserswerth (Düsseldorf, Germany). The Kaiserpfalz, built in 1045, was one of the numerous Imperial Palaces or temporary seats of the Holy Roman Emperor. Due to its strategic position it changed hands several times, passing through Frederick I Barbarossa, the Spanish (1589-1592), the Hessian, Dutch and Brandenburg forces and even the French during the War of the Spanish Succession.

Compositionally, it is created using basically two elements: a succession of rhythms in homophony and with very strong dynamics, as the work begins; and a melodic theme that, in turn, has two characters: one very cantabile and calm, and the other, much more animated, joyful and energetic. The head of this melodic motive of the second character is used throughout the work as important thematic material, appearing for the first time in measure 11.