Length: 6'05"

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Composition Date: 2002

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Commissioned: by the Victoria Fine Arts Society, for the Victoria School of the Performing and Visual Arts High School Band, Craig Brenan conductor.

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Awards: winner of Alberta Band Association’s Outstanding New Works Contest

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Program Notes: 

This work was commissioned in 2002 by the Victoria Fine Arts Society, for the Victoria School of the Performing and Visual Arts High School Band by their conductor Craig Brenan. The piece has two main sections, slow and fast.

 

The slow section begins with an ethereal soli for piccolo, flutes and oboe that is followed by some unmetered bars containing aleatoric gestures for the clarinets. The principal theme is then introduced by a solo alto saxophone, then repeated by the full band. The unmetered bars return and act as a transition in to the fast section.

 

This section begins with a series of bell-tones that build toward a minimalist texture. The woodwinds create a perpetual 1/8th note while the low brass interjects with chords and the trumpets bring back the main theme from the slow section. This all builds toward the ending which incorporates a fanfare of mine called An Early Mornin’ Fanfare. This piece was commissioned by CBC radio and television for a live broadcast of the Easter Sunrise Celebration. In order to broadcast live across the country, the show had to tape at 5:30 AM (hence the name).

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Score Excerpt