Hello MSW Friends!

Your section leader has received electronic copies of your section’s music. Please be on the lookout for an email from your section leader with your parts. Remember that you’re responsible for printing your own parts this concert cycle. 

Rehearsal starts before our first downbeat on January 10. Please take a moment to listen to our repertoire and study your parts. 

Listen to our rep as a playlist on YouTube.

Diamond Tide, Viet Cuong
Listen
Watch a Water Percussion Demonstration
Quarter = 69, 108
 
From the composer: “Scientists . . . believe that seas of liquid diamond are possible on [Neptune and Uranus]. Oceans of diamond may . . . account for these planets’ peculiar magnetic and geographic poles, which do not line up like they do here on Earth. . . . Floating shards of solid diamond forming in the pools—just like icebergs in our oceans. Imagine: distant planets with oceans of liquid diamond filled with bergs of sparkling solid diamonds drifting in the tide…

These theories are obviously all conjecture, but this alluring imagery provided heaps of inspiration for Diamond Tide, which utilizes the ‘melting’ sounds of metallic water percussion and trombone glissandi throughout.”

Estancia Dances, Ginastera
Listen
Quarter = 116, 58, 152, 132

Written in 1941 as a ballet in one act based on Argentine country life, Estancia Dances originally included spoken and sung elements. 

First Suite Fanfare, Svanoe
Listen
Quarter Note = 132

From the composer: “First Suite Fanfare pays homage to Gustav Holst’s  First Suite in Eb. The fanfare utilizes and transforms material from the opening movement, specifically the Chaconne’s familiar melody that is heard throughout. In much the same way that Holst utilized the starting notes of his melody to unify all three movements of First Suite in Eb, the first four pitches of the Chaconne (Eb, F, C, Bb) are rhythmically altered in the energetic opening measures of the fanfare. Longer portions of the Chaconne and its inversion are also reworked as melodies, countermelodies, short motives, and the central chorale.” 

Fugue a la Gigue, Bach
Listen
Quarter Note = 120

Holst arranged Bach’s Organ Fugue in G Major BWC 577 for band as practice for a commission for the BBC Military Band.

Irish Tune from County Derry, Grainger
Listen 
Quarter = 72

Like all of his settings of British folk songs, Grainger dedicated his setting of this melody to the memory of Edvard Grieg. The original tune was originally written down in 1855 by Ms. J. Ross of New Town, Limavady, County Derry, Ireland.

Shepherd’s Hey, Grainger
Listen
Quarter = 120

This British folk song was originally performed by Morris Men, who wore jingling bells and clicked sticks and danced to the tune as it was played on a fiddle or fife and drum. 

Listen to our rep as a playlist on YouTube.

Thank you!
Amanda Lanser
MSW librarian
amanda.c.lanser@gmail.com