Consortium - "Symphony No. 1"
to commission a new work for wind ensemble
This is the opportunity to join the consortium to commission a new work for wind ensemble. The new work will be delivered by September 1, 2025. All consortium performances are considered premieres and may be indicated that way in programs and concert announcements. Individuals buying into this commission will receive a PDF copy of the score. Ensembles purchasing this work will receive a PDF copy of the score and parts, as well as an oversized printed and bound copy of the score. Please note that the materials are not transferrable – they may only be used by the school joining the consortium.
Your name and school will be included in every published score, so please be sure the information is correct when you check out!
This is the opportunity to join the consortium to commission a new work for wind ensemble. The new work will be delivered by September 1, 2025. All consortium performances are considered premieres and may be indicated that way in programs and concert announcements. Individuals buying into this commission will receive a PDF copy of the score. Ensembles purchasing this work will receive a PDF copy of the score and parts, as well as an oversized printed and bound copy of the score. Please note that the materials are not transferrable – they may only be used by the school joining the consortium.
Your name and school will be included in every published score, so please be sure the information is correct when you check out!
Commission
Ensemble Price: $200.00
Individual Supporter: $75.00
Ensemble Price: $200.00
Individual Supporter: $75.00
Consortium Members
|
Ensembles
Murray State University Wind Ensemble - Brent Johnson, Conductor
|
Individual Supporters
Joel Denton, Leading the Way, Inc.
Rick Murphy |
Look and Listen
About the Music
Symphony No. 1 - The Light Shines finds its origins in, of all places, a poem by the late author J.R.R. Tolkien titled Noel. This poem is one of Tolkien’s few explicitly religious writings and is focused on Christmas. The title comes from a passage in the New Testament, John 1:5, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." The musical journey taken throughout follows a path from the darkness into the light. This music is of a greatly personal nature to me as a person of faith. Throughout the work, melodies and motifs are borrowed from the 371 Four-Part Chorales by J.S. Bach and three traditional carols, Greensleeves, Coventry Carol, and Adeste Fidelis. While my original intention was not to create a Christmas-themed work, as the music evolved it began to take on a journey from darkness to light, and more elements, including the use of traditional carols and hymns, began to be incorporated.
I. Moderato (m. 1 - 201)
The beginnings of Symphony No. 1 are in that of darkness, portrayed at first through quotations of the traditional English carol, Coventry Carol. From here, motifs derived thereof and other original material capture the gloom, melancholy, and bleakness described in the opening stanza of Tolkien’s poem. Elements of the first movement include soft, bleak moments, followed by quick, chaotic frenzies, bombastic brass, a fugal segment, and dark, majestic brass. The movement closes as softly as it began.
II. Adagio (m. 202 - 314)
The second movement is sparse in nature, portraying the vastness of the world and the bleakness of a cold winter night. The theme here, Greensleeves, which is presented in augmented and segmented form, is accompanied by bird calls and other brief disruptions mimicking descriptions of nature given by Tolkien in the poem. This is followed by a powerful surge of Greensleeves and is then diminished back to the nature theme, fading out to a single voice in the clarinet.
III. Brillante (m. 315 - 420)
The third movement is largely based on a choral from Johann Sebastian Bach's Christmas Oratorio - Brich an, o schönes Morgenlicht (Break forth, O beauteous morning light). Presented in a sort of reverse theme and variations, the third movement begins with a jarring fortissimo statement in the winds and percussion, followed by a series of variations on the chorale theme in two distinct styles. These variations are followed by the chorale in its natural form, presented by a woodwind choir.
IV. Gioioso e luminoso (m. 421 - 624)
The final movement of this work takes themes from the first and second movements and presents them in a different light. Following these re-imaginings of established themes, we hear two quotes from movement 1, followed by a surge of flurrying woodwinds and percussion building to a triumphant statement of "Adeste Fidelis" across tutti brass and woodwinds.
Symphony No. 1 - The Light Shines finds its origins in, of all places, a poem by the late author J.R.R. Tolkien titled Noel. This poem is one of Tolkien’s few explicitly religious writings and is focused on Christmas. The title comes from a passage in the New Testament, John 1:5, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." The musical journey taken throughout follows a path from the darkness into the light. This music is of a greatly personal nature to me as a person of faith. Throughout the work, melodies and motifs are borrowed from the 371 Four-Part Chorales by J.S. Bach and three traditional carols, Greensleeves, Coventry Carol, and Adeste Fidelis. While my original intention was not to create a Christmas-themed work, as the music evolved it began to take on a journey from darkness to light, and more elements, including the use of traditional carols and hymns, began to be incorporated.
I. Moderato (m. 1 - 201)
The beginnings of Symphony No. 1 are in that of darkness, portrayed at first through quotations of the traditional English carol, Coventry Carol. From here, motifs derived thereof and other original material capture the gloom, melancholy, and bleakness described in the opening stanza of Tolkien’s poem. Elements of the first movement include soft, bleak moments, followed by quick, chaotic frenzies, bombastic brass, a fugal segment, and dark, majestic brass. The movement closes as softly as it began.
II. Adagio (m. 202 - 314)
The second movement is sparse in nature, portraying the vastness of the world and the bleakness of a cold winter night. The theme here, Greensleeves, which is presented in augmented and segmented form, is accompanied by bird calls and other brief disruptions mimicking descriptions of nature given by Tolkien in the poem. This is followed by a powerful surge of Greensleeves and is then diminished back to the nature theme, fading out to a single voice in the clarinet.
III. Brillante (m. 315 - 420)
The third movement is largely based on a choral from Johann Sebastian Bach's Christmas Oratorio - Brich an, o schönes Morgenlicht (Break forth, O beauteous morning light). Presented in a sort of reverse theme and variations, the third movement begins with a jarring fortissimo statement in the winds and percussion, followed by a series of variations on the chorale theme in two distinct styles. These variations are followed by the chorale in its natural form, presented by a woodwind choir.
IV. Gioioso e luminoso (m. 421 - 624)
The final movement of this work takes themes from the first and second movements and presents them in a different light. Following these re-imaginings of established themes, we hear two quotes from movement 1, followed by a surge of flurrying woodwinds and percussion building to a triumphant statement of "Adeste Fidelis" across tutti brass and woodwinds.