Autumn's Fire
for concert band or wind ensemble
This piece began life as a choral setting of William Allingham's "Autumnal Sonnet." Immediately after completing the choral version, I decided to explore the same musical material using a very different medium.
While the choral version focuses on the poem's underlying themes of loss and memory, the wind ensemble version focuses more on its surface imagery, using the band's rich variety of colours to paint a vibrant autumn landscape. From the sombre, reedy opening section (which might evoke the more drab colours we associate with autumn), more exciting textures start to emerge--first dark and brooding in the middle section (starting at 1:54 below), then bright and piercing in the brassy climax.
While this piece follows the form of the choral version, it is not a note-for-note transcription. In order to give the band's various sounds more time to speak, this version ended up being an entire minute longer!
Premiere: Hillcrest Wind Ensemble, San Diego, CA, October 2016
While the choral version focuses on the poem's underlying themes of loss and memory, the wind ensemble version focuses more on its surface imagery, using the band's rich variety of colours to paint a vibrant autumn landscape. From the sombre, reedy opening section (which might evoke the more drab colours we associate with autumn), more exciting textures start to emerge--first dark and brooding in the middle section (starting at 1:54 below), then bright and piercing in the brassy climax.
While this piece follows the form of the choral version, it is not a note-for-note transcription. In order to give the band's various sounds more time to speak, this version ended up being an entire minute longer!
Premiere: Hillcrest Wind Ensemble, San Diego, CA, October 2016
Draft Score - Mar 24, 2016 | |
File Size: | 3233 kb |
File Type: |