When Elizabeth Short moved to Los Angeles in the 1940's to pursue a career in Hollywood she had dreams of becoming the next biggest movie star. However, she would only achieve fame in death.
In the evening of January 15 1947, Short's naked corpse was found in a park cut in half and drained of blood. She had been violently mutilated and a joker's smile was carved on her face. The case was nicknamed "The Black Dahlia" by the press after 1946 flim noir and her murder went on to be one of the most frightening yet confusing stories of that time.
The unsolved case and the details surrounding it have had an everlasting cultural intrigue, creating many theories and public speculation. Her life and death have been the basis of numerous books and films, and her murder is frequenctly cited as one of the most famous unsolved murders in American history.
The Black Dahlia was inspired by this very case with the piece reciprocating the thoughts and actions of the time.
The composition is a violent and uneasy piece of music, which details the murder of Elizabeth Short in her final moments.
The composition is in four sections. The first is frantic and rapid, which details the initial chase between Short and the murderer. The second is much slower in pace; representing the life and blood draining out of the 22 year old's body. The next section is based on the shocking stabs and anger from the attacker onto the body with the final section repeating earlier material, describing the vile thoughts of the villian and their sudden moment of panic.

Composition Competition

The Black Dahlia - A4 Brass Quartet

Daniel Hall is a British multi award-winning composer & arranger whose works have been performed by some of the country’s leading ensembles, including the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, A4 Brass Quartet, Tredegar Town Band, Orchestra of Opera North and the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.
His music has been performed and recorded internationally by soloists and ensembles such as: Lode Violet & Brass Band Willebroek (BEL), Brass Band Öberösterreich (AUT), Fabian Bloch & Liberty Brass Band (CHE), Atlantic Brass Band (USA), Brass Band Treize Etoiles (CHE), Gilles Rocha & the European Youth Brass Band, as well as many more.
Daniel graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama with First Class Honours in Contemporary Composition. Whilst studying, Daniel wrote “Smoke Sketches” and “Sanctuary!”, the set test for the National Youth Brass Band Championships of Great Britain and European Youth Brass Band Championships respectively. In 2019, Daniel won the seventh European Composers Competition in Montreux, Switzerland, for his brass band composition “A Dialogue of Transmogrified Souls…”.  He was asked to compose two fanfares for RWCMD. The first was in honour of the college’s principal, Dame Hilary Boulding, and the second for the college’s president, King Charles III, to mark his 70th birthday, which Daniel conducted. 
Recently, Daniel worked with Brass Band Treize Etoiles (CHE) on a new major composition for the 2021 Swiss Nationals, “Gl!tch”, premiered in the Auditorium Stravinski on his 25th Birthday. In 2022, Daniel worked with Stavanger Brass Band in order to create their entire twenty five minute set, “United We Stand, Divided We Fall”, for which the ensemble was awarded second place at SIDDIS Brass Band Entertainment Contest.

The Black Dahlia - A4 Brass Quartet

Danielhallcomposer