Vanguard Overture is a majestic composition displaying a wealth of vivid tone colors. The piece opens with a fanfare of energetic triplets followed by a haunting melody played by the cello and bass section. The triplets are then added to intensify the melody line. At the "Happily" section, the mood becomes lighter. The composer achieves this through the absence of the driving triplets. Performers can also lighten the mood by playing the eighth notes slightly "off the string." The "Calmly" section must be played "on the string," and extremely legato. At the recapitulation, the opening themes are heard again, this time in reverse order. In measure 95, the voices begin to thin out until the final two measures where the piece ends with a dramatic tutti fortissimo.