Worlds on the Edge
General Info
Year: 2026
Duration: 14:30
Difficulty: Grade V (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Brixton
Cost: Score and Parts - $30.00 | Score Only - $0.00
Movements
I. Kissed and Captured (Charon) 3’15”
II. From the Heart (Pluto) 3:20
III. Icy Reflections Afar (Nix, Styx, and Hydra) 3:10
IV. Fused (Kerberos) 3:45
Instrumentation
Vibraphone Trumpet/Flugelhorn; Trombone
Program Notes
"Worlds on the Edge" for trumpet/Flugelhorn, trombone, and vibraphone by Howard J. Buss was written during 2025 for the Balaton Chamber Brass (Amy Cherry, trumpet; and Dan Cherry trombone) and percussionist Ralph Sorrentino. (The vibraphonist also plays a suspended cymbal in the final movement.) The title refers to the unique binary dwarf planet system of Pluto and Charon and their moons. Based on a trove of data from NASA’s New Horizons mission of 2015, scientists speculate that billions of years ago Pluto and Charon briefly touched and stuck together. They then separated and began orbiting one another. In astronomy this is referred to as “kiss and capture.” The heat generated during the encounter may have been a significant factor in the creation of Pluto’s heart-shaped plain, the Tombaugh Regio. The irregular-shaped, icy moons, Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra, orbit the binary dwarf planet system of Pluto and Charon. Kerberos is a double-lobed moon, suggesting the fusion of two once-separate bodies. The four movements are: I. Kissed and Captured (Charon) II. From the Heart (Pluto) III. Icy Reflections Afar (Nix, Styx, and Hydra) IV. Fused (Kerberos)
Total performance time: approximately 14:30
From the composer: The music of "Worlds on the Edge" is highly structured to reflect the elegant and complex “clockwork” of the orbits of the binary planets, Pluto and Charon, and their four outer moons. At the same time, I wanted to account for the anthropomorphic descriptions given to certain features of the system. The music is predominantly dodecaphonic and the tone row is employed strictly in many places. However, in the second movement, “From the Heart,” and the second half of the final movement, “Fused,” I took liberties with the row to smooth out its edginess and give the music a more romantic feel.
"Worlds on the Edge" received its world premiere on September 1, 2026 by Amy Cherry, trumpet, Dan Cherry, trombone; and Ralph Sorrentino, vibraphone at in the Madeleine Wing Adler Theatre at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. [1]
Commercial Discography
Recent Performances
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"Worlds on the Edge" received its world premiere on September 1, 2026 by Amy Cherry, trumpet, Dan Cherry, trombone; and Ralph Sorrentino, vibraphone at in the Madeleine Wing Adler Theatre at West Chester University of Pennsylvania.
Works for Percussion by this Composer
Solo Works
A Day In The City - Marimba
Concerto For Marimba And Percussion Ensemble (Buss)
Rite of Passage - Marimba
Marimba or Vibraphone Solo With Other Instruments Works
De La Madera - Marimba; Oboe
Dreams from the Shadows - Vibraphone; French horn
Impromptu - Marimba; Clarinet or Sop. Saxophone
Jazzical 8 - Marimba; Flute; Cello
Jazzical 8b - Marimba; Violin; Alto Saxophone
Night Tide - Marimba; Trombone
Night Tide (Buss) - Marimba; French horn
Stellar Visions - Marimba; Flute
Sylvan Magic - Vibraphone; Clarinet
Two Caprices - Marimba; Flute; Oboe
Wave Train - Marimba; Flute
Worlds on the Edge - Vibraphone; Trumpet/Flugelhorn; Trombone
Multiple Percussion Solo with Other Instrument Works
Atmospheres - Multiple Percussion; Trumpet
Behind The Invisible Mask - Multiple Percussion; Bassoon
Boom Time - Multiple Percussion; Trombone
Capriccio (Buss) - Multiple Percussion; Clarinet; Trombone
Constellations (Buss) - Multiple Percussion; Flute; Piano
Crystal Miniatures - Drumset; Clarinet
Divertissements - Multiple Percussion; Clarinet
Emanations - Drumset; Two Bassoons
Emanations for Two Euphoniums (or Euphonium and Tuba) and Drumset - Drumset; Two Euphoniums (or Euphonium and Tuba)
Incantation - Multiple Percussion; Trumpet
Into Each Life - Multiple Percussion; Flute; Cello; Piano
Jazzical #7: Latin Vibes - Drum set solo; String Quartet; Piano; String Bass
Kaleidoscope (Buss) - Multiple Percussion; Flute
Metamorphosis (Buss) - Drum Set Solo; Flute
Rendezvous (Buss) - Multiple Percussion; Trumpet(4)
Scenes From The Holy Land - Multiple Percussion; Flute
Sky Blossoms - Multiple Percussion; Flute
Sonic Fables: "Lessons from Aesop" - Multiple Percussion; Brass Quintet
Soundscapes (Buss) - Drumset; Saxophone (alto doubling on tenor)
Ventures - Multiple Percussion (one or two players); Euphonium
Percussion Ensemble With Other Instruments Works
American Phoenix - Percussion Quartet; Bass Trombone or Tuba
Coexistence - Percussion Quartet; Clarinet
Crossroads - Percussion Octet; Trombone Choir
Dream Sequence - Percussion Quartet; Trombone
Eclipse (Buss) - Percussion Trio; Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Trumpet, French horn, Trombone
Escapade - Percussion Quartet; Saxophone
Modern Times - Percussion Quartet; Flute/Piccolo; Narrator
Mysterious Exit - Percussion Quartet; Flute/Piccolo
Reflective Journey - Percussion Quartet; French horn
Spanish Memoirs - Percussion Quartet; Trumpet
Spectrum (Buss) - Percussion Quartet; Bass Clarinet
There Is A Season - Percussion Duo; Clarinet
Where Now Rusts The Iron? - Percussion Quartet; Soprano; Flute; Cello
Percussion Ensemble Works
Currents (Buss) - Percussion Quartet
Overture for Percussion - (Buss) - Percussion Ensemble
Sci-Fi Percussives - Percussion Ensemble(12)
The Big Bang (Buss) - Percussion Sextet; Piano
Additional Resources
http://www.howardbuss.com/percussion-4.html
References
https://www.cimarronmusic.com/worldsontheedge