Contraption is a relentless work with infectious rhythmic
and melodic material. The music begins with a simple invigorating
ostinato in the clarinets and alto saxes, which leads to a
succession of themes that ale developed throughout the
composition. Each melodic motif is a unique structure and
character. like the different parts of a contraption. This
[piece] will hopefully excite players and audience alike. -
Adrian B. Sims
Adrian
B. Sims is a young
African-American composer (b. 2000) from the Pacific
Northwest. A trombonist, Adrian studied at the University of
Maryland and is currently enrolled in the Masters program in
Composition at the University of Texas at Austin.
Video
(Montgomery County Concert Band - Pennsylvania)
Audio with
score (from publisher's website)
Video
(Yonsei Symphonic Wind Orchestra -
Korea)
Wikipedia
"Witch and the Saint" page
The Witch and the Saint, based on the novel
“Die Hexe und die Heilege”
by Ulrike Schweikert, is a
programmatic tone poem for symphonic band and is constructed of
five distinct sections. The opening section
depicts the birth of
twin sisters born in 1588 in Ellwangen,
Germany. In those times, the birth of twins was considered a
bad omen and as the sisters grew up, it became clear that they had
the gift of second sight and could predict future events.
The thematic material representing both sisters is first
introduced in this section along with a medieval, Gregorian
chant-type motif. The next section, in 5/4 meter
but unevenly grouped as 3+3+2+2, is the development of Sibylla’s
theme. This sister led a horrible life and her gift was
looked down upon. Many townspeople feared Sibylla and
considered her to be a witch. After a brief transition to a
slow tempo in 3/4 meter, the third section states the theme
representing the other sister, Helena. This sister was sent
away to a convent when she was a child. While at the
convent, Helena becomes revered as a saint because of her visions. The fourth section is
fast and turbulent, and represents the struggles both of
these sisters had in their lives. Eventually, Sibylla is
imprisoned and Helena returns to the town to save her sister. The final section depicts
the return of Helena
and the rescue of her sister, Sibylla. As they
are trying to escape, the sisters are captured once again and this
time, for fear of being burnt at the stake, the saint,
Helena, drinks poison. She dies in her sister’s arms and
Sibylla, the witch, rides off in sorrow. - Steven Reineke
YouTube audio
(Toccata only)
Video (2019 West Virginia All-State
Band, handheld recording....)
Toccata Theme 1 articulation
PDF
audio
file
Audio
files, Woodwinds: all, mm. 46-73
Clarinets, mm. 46-63
Clarinets,
2nd
part loud, mm.
48-63
Clarinets, 3rd
part loud,
mm. 48-63
Bass
Clarinet, mm. 46-69
Bassons,
Basson 1,
Basson 2,
mm. 46-73 Piccolo,
Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, mm.
63-69
Chorale and Toccata
was commissioned by the Region II, Pennsylvania Music Educators
Association for their band festival in the Spring of 1967, Mr.
William Mills, host. The two movements are unified by the
theme that is first presented by the clarinet section.
Basically modal, the Chorale theme is transformed slightly as it
moves from section to section and finally rises to a peak with the
full band. The movement concludes with the clarinet section
restating the Chorale theme. The Toccata, in contrast,
combines modal themes and quartal harmonies (built on the interval
of a fourth rather than a third) into a lively showpiece. -
Robert Jager
I
absolutely love writing dance music! Symphonic Dance
No. 1 is what I would call an Americana dance "of
instruments," (as opposed to people or particular groups). In
other words, the two main dance melodies in this piece (Measure
7 and Measure 30), as well as the opening rhythmic figure, are
passed around continuously between various timbres of
instruments, with differing combinations, treatments, and moods.
Sometimes the dance is between only a few solo voices and sounds
a bit mysterious, while other moments call for an entirely
different group taking the melodic lead and counter-lines,
creating an almost comical effect. No doubt, there are times
when everyone joins the party, combining a fusion of elements
and styles such as classical, jazz, latin, and even rock. During
my entire life and musical career, I have been tremendously
affected by two other American composers, Aaron Copland and
Leonard Bernstein. I feel certain that their influences have
always shaped my writing in general and most definitely
contributed on some level to the creation of this particular
work. - Carol Britin Chambers
Arabesque was commissioned by the Indiana Bandmasters Association and written for the 2008 Indiana All-State Band. Arabesque is based in the mystical sounds of Middle Eastern music and it is composed in three parts. “Taqasim” (tah’-zeem), “dabka” (dupp-keh) and “chorale.” The opening flute cadenza, although written out in notes, is meant to sound like an Arabic taqasim or improvisation. Much the same as in jazz improvisation, the soloist is to play freely in the scales and modes of the genre. In this case, the flute plays in bi-tonal harmonic minor scales, and even bends one note to capture the micro-tonality (quarter-tones) of the music from this part of the world. However, opposite to jazz, taqasim has very little change to the chordal or bass line accompaniment. It is almost always at the entrance to a piece of music and is meant to set the musical and emotional tone.