Dancing out of the Earth (2020) for wind ensemble | grade 6, 10'
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Dancing out of the Earth is a new work for wind ensemble. Details regarding the world premiere are currently being finalized, but should be expected in late 2020 or early 2021. Consortium opportunities, including an exclusive performance window, are available. Please contact us if you are interested in joining the consortium for this work.
Program notes:
For many years now, I have been fascinated by creation myths from various cultures around the world. Some of these myths detail a supreme being creating the world ex nihilo, while others are about chaos brought into order. In other stories, an agent (usually an animal) is sent by a higher power to gather bits of earth from the bottom of a primordial ocean, out of which will be spun a new world. After reading several of these tales, I was struck with the image of a new creation dancing up out of this bit of earth, accompanied by developing complexity, interconnectedness, bursts of color, and the raw essence of life. This work for wind ensemble conveys some of this vision. It's worth noting that this piece does not follow any particular creation myth from any particular culture; instead, it comes from an epiphany drawn from my experience studying a number of unrelated stories. Likewise, the title of this piece is not meant as a reference to the danse de la terre in Stravinsky's Sacre du printemps, although the notion of people dancing and becoming one with the earth is certainly not foreign to this composition's premise. The opening takes on a somewhat canonic structure as a single tune rises out of the ground and tangles over and under itself, spinning the threads of a new creation. Transformations in pitch content, rhythm, and orchestration lead these dance tunes through exploration and experimentation before all the strands coalesce in a breathless, ecstatic conclusion.
Instrumentation: picc, 2 fl, 2 ob, 3 cl, b.cl, cb.cl, 2 asax, tsax, bsax, 2 bsn, cbsn, 4 hn, 3 tpt, 2 tbn, btbn, euph, 2 tba, timp+8, piano, str bass
Program notes:
For many years now, I have been fascinated by creation myths from various cultures around the world. Some of these myths detail a supreme being creating the world ex nihilo, while others are about chaos brought into order. In other stories, an agent (usually an animal) is sent by a higher power to gather bits of earth from the bottom of a primordial ocean, out of which will be spun a new world. After reading several of these tales, I was struck with the image of a new creation dancing up out of this bit of earth, accompanied by developing complexity, interconnectedness, bursts of color, and the raw essence of life. This work for wind ensemble conveys some of this vision. It's worth noting that this piece does not follow any particular creation myth from any particular culture; instead, it comes from an epiphany drawn from my experience studying a number of unrelated stories. Likewise, the title of this piece is not meant as a reference to the danse de la terre in Stravinsky's Sacre du printemps, although the notion of people dancing and becoming one with the earth is certainly not foreign to this composition's premise. The opening takes on a somewhat canonic structure as a single tune rises out of the ground and tangles over and under itself, spinning the threads of a new creation. Transformations in pitch content, rhythm, and orchestration lead these dance tunes through exploration and experimentation before all the strands coalesce in a breathless, ecstatic conclusion.
Instrumentation: picc, 2 fl, 2 ob, 3 cl, b.cl, cb.cl, 2 asax, tsax, bsax, 2 bsn, cbsn, 4 hn, 3 tpt, 2 tbn, btbn, euph, 2 tba, timp+8, piano, str bass