Great Themes: Alto Saxophone: Instrumental Album

SKU: PR.16500102F

ISBN 9781491131749. UPC: 680160680276.

Ever since the success of my series of wind ensemble works Places in the West, I've been wanting to write a companion piece for national parks on the other side of the north American continent. The earlier work, consisting of GLACIER, THE YELLOWSTONE FIRES, ARCHES, and ZION, spanned some twenty years of my composing life, and since the pieces called for differing groups of instruments, and were in slightly different styles from each other, I never considered them to be connected except in their subject matter. In their depiction of both the scenery and the human history within these wondrous places, they had a common goal: awaking the listener to the fragile beauty that is in them; and calling attention to the ever more crucial need for preservation and protection of these wild places, unique in all the world. With this new work, commissioned by a consortium of college and conservatory wind ensembles led by the University of Georgia, I decided to build upon that same model---but to solidify the process. The result, consisting of three movements (each named for a different national park in the eastern US), is a bona-fide symphony. While the three pieces could be performed separately, they share a musical theme---and also a common style and instrumentation. It is a true symphony, in that the first movement is long and expository, the second is a rather tightly structured scherzo-with-trio, and the finale is a true culmination of the whole. The first movement, Everglades, was the original inspiration for the entire symphony. Conceived over the course of two trips to that astonishing place (which the native Americans called River of Grass, the subtitle of this movement), this movement not only conveys a sense of the humid, lush, and even frightening scenery there---but also an overview of the entire settling-of- Florida experience. It contains not one, but two native American chants, and also presents a view of the staggering influence of modern man on this fragile part of the world. Beginning with a slow unfolding marked Heavy, humid, the music soon presents a gentle, lyrical theme in the solo alto saxophone. This theme, which goes through three expansive phrases with breaks in between, will appear in all three movements of the symphony. After the mood has been established, the music opens up to a rich, warm setting of a Cherokee morning song, with the simple happiness that this part of Florida must have had prior to the nineteenth century. This music, enveloping and comforting, gradually gives way to a more frenetic, driven section representative of the intrusion of the white man. Since Florida was populated and developed largely due to the introduction of a train system, there's a suggestion of the mechanized iron horse driving straight into the heartland. At that point, the native Americans become considerably less gentle, and a second chant seems to stand in the way of the intruder; a kind of warning song. The second part of this movement shows us the great swampy center of the peninsula, with its wildlife both in and out of the water. A new theme appears, sad but noble, suggesting that this land is precious and must be protected by all the people who inhabit it. At length, the morning song reappears in all its splendor, until the sunset---with one last iteration of the warning song in the solo piccolo. Functioning as a scherzo, the second movement, Great Smoky Mountains, describes not just that huge park itself, but one brave soul's attempt to climb a mountain there. It begins with three iterations of the UR-theme (which began the first movement as well), but this time as up-tempo brass fanfares in octaves. Each time it begins again, the theme is a little slower and less confident than the previous time---almost as though the hiker were becoming aware of the daunting mountain before him. But then, a steady, quick-pulsed ostinato appears, in a constantly shifting meter system of 2/4- 3/4 in alteration, and the hike has begun. Over this, a slower new melody appears, as the trek up the mountain progresses. It's a big mountain, and the ascent seems to take quite awhile, with little breaks in the hiker's stride, until at length he simply must stop and rest. An oboe solo, over several free cadenza-like measures, allows us (and our friend the hiker) to catch our breath, and also to view in the distance the rocky peak before us. The goal is somehow even more daunting than at first, being closer and thus more frighteningly steep. When we do push off again, it's at a slower pace, and with more careful attention to our footholds as we trek over broken rocks. Tantalizing little views of the valley at every switchback make our determination even stronger. Finally, we burst through a stand of pines and----we're at the summit! The immensity of the view is overwhelming, and ultimately humbling. A brief coda, while we sit dazed on the rocks, ends the movement in a feeling of triumph. The final movement, Acadia, is also about a trip. In the summer of 2014, I took a sailing trip with a dear friend from North Haven, Maine, to the southern coast of Mt. Desert Island in Acadia National Park. The experience left me both exuberant and exhausted, with an appreciation for the ocean that I hadn't had previously. The approach to Acadia National Park by water, too, was thrilling: like the difference between climbing a mountain on foot with riding up on a ski-lift, I felt I'd earned the right to be there. The music for this movement is entirely based on the opening UR-theme. There's a sense of the water and the mysterious, quiet deep from the very beginning, with seagulls and bell buoys setting the scene. As we leave the harbor, the theme (in a canon between solo euphonium and tuba) almost seems as if large subaquatic animals are observing our departure. There are three themes (call them A, B and C) in this seafaring journey---but they are all based on the UR theme, in its original form with octaves displaced, in an upside-down form, and in a backwards version as well. (The ocean, while appearing to be unchanging, is always changing.) We move out into the main channel (A), passing several islands (B), until we reach the long draw that parallels the coastline called Eggemoggin Reach, and a sudden burst of new speed (C). Things suddenly stop, as if the wind had died, and we have a vision: is that really Mt. Desert Island we can see off the port bow, vaguely in the distance? A chorale of saxophones seems to suggest that. We push off anew as the chorale ends, and go through all three themes again---but in different instrumentations, and different keys. At the final tack-turn, there it is, for real: Mt. Desert Island, big as life. We've made it. As we pull into the harbor, where we'll secure the boat for the night, there's a feeling of achievement. Our whale and dolphin friends return, and we end our journey with gratitude and celebration. I am profoundly grateful to Jaclyn Hartenberger, Professor of Conducting at the University of Georgia, for leading the consortium which provided the commissioning of this work.

SKU: MH.1-59913-082-3

ISBN 9781599130828.

Fantasia Nova is a suite comprising two concert marches and a slow, middle movement that derives its themes from both marches. Ragtime (composed in early September, 1978) is a new from old sort of piece. Although its tunefulness and harmonies have an old-fashioned character, its structure, development, and orchestration are unusual for a march. In the chorale section (measures 111 - 148) the band director must be very careful in balancing, for each of the elements must come through. More important is that the audience be brought up by this section -- filled with a joyous exaltation; great attention must be paid to sonority and the band must play earnestly. Ragtime stands on its own and may be performed separately. Dreams (composed in late September, 1978) is the traditional march of the two. It is very closely modeled (in structure only) to Sousa's Stars and Stripes Forever. It even includes a tricky piccolo solo, although the accompaniment has a chorale texture, almost like a school alma mater. This march has a patriotic, inspirational sound, because it was composed for the town of Irondequoit, New York -- for a Town March contest held by the town's community concert band. It did not, so far as I know, become the town's march; one can hear the name, Irondequoit, throughout the Trio, for every turn of the melody (in fact, each group of four notes) fits the accent pattern (Ih-RON-dih-kwoit) of the town's name. Parade stands on its own as a complete work and may be performed separately. Ensemble instrumentation: 1 Piccolo, 6 Flutes, 2 1st & 2nd Oboes, 1 English Horn, 1 Eb Clarinet, 3 1st Bb Clarinet, 3 2nd Bb Clarinet, 3 3rd Bb Clarinet, 1 Eb Alto Clarinet, 2 Bb Bass Clarinet, 1 Eb Contrabass Clarinet (optional), 2 1st & 2nd Bassoons, 1 Contrabassoon (optional), 1 1st Eb Alto Saxophone, 1 2nd Eb Alto Saxophone, 1 Bb Tenor Saxophone, 1 Eb Baritone Saxophone, 3 1st Bb Cornets, 3 2nd Bb Cornets, 3 3rd Bb Cornets, 1 1st Horn in F, 1 2nd Horn in F, 2 3rd and 4th Horns in F, 2 1st Trombones, 2 2nd Trombones, 2 3rd Trombones, 1 Euphonium (Treble Clef), 2 Euphonium (Bass Clef), 4 Tuba, 1 String Bass, 1 Timpani (Triangle), 5 Percussion.

SKU: CA.1011421

ISBN 9790007309633. English. Text: Broadbridge, Edward.

Danish composer John Høybye enjoys great acclaim at home and abroad, not just for his music but also for his work as a (choral) conductor and arranger.Presenting a medium level of difficulty, Hope. Easter Music is suitable for a good amateur choir. The mix of a beautiful choral sound and rhythmic intensity in jazz-inspired phrases is “trademark Høybye”. Primarily written for four voices (SATB), the choral writing subdivides at certain, particularly expressive passages to create six- or eight-part harmonies. In addition, the male voices are challenged by several excellently scored four-part passages (TTBB without female voices). The short male voice solo can be sung instead by the choir if necessary.The instrumental quartet is given ample scope for improvisation. While each of the eight movements has its own unique character, the work forms a cohesive whole. Based on a text by Edward Broadbridge, the movements are linked by the theme of “hope” as well as by recurring musical motifs and themes. This not only makes the piece easier to rehearse, but also ensures its popularity with audiences.