Wind ensemble, 2000
Duration: 11 minutes
Instrumentation:
Piccolo
2 Flutes
2 Oboes* (2. English Horn*)
2 Bassoons*
Contra-Bassoon**
Clarinet in Eb*
3 Clarinets in Bb
Bass Clarinet
Contra-Bass Clarinet**
2 Alto Saxophones
Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone
4 Trumpets in Bb
4 Horns in F
2 Trombones
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
Double-Bass**
Timpani
6 Percussion
1: Glockenspiel, Xylophone, Tambourine,
Crash Cymbals
2: Marimba, Jawbone
3: Triangle, Bongos, Mounted Tambourine,
2 Suspended Cymbals, Chimes
4: 3 Tom-toms, Jawbone, Suspended Cymbal
5: Snare Drum, Mounted Tambourine,
Timbales, Suspended Cymbal, Wind Chimes, Tam-tam
6: Vibraphone, Triangle, Jawbone,
Tambourine, Timbales, Wind Chimes, Bass Drum
Notes:
*If Oboe, English Horn, Bassoon, or Eb Clarinet are unavailable, cues
are provided in other parts to cover the music.
**The Contra-Bassoon, Contra-Bass Clarinet, and Double-Bass are all
highly desirable, though not essential, as they have no independent
parts.
Program Note:
Passamezzo Antico is a common name for one of the standard harmonic
patterns used in the late Renaissance. This work, commissioned by The
Baylor University Wind Ensemble, Michael Haithcock, conductor, is a
fantasy loosely based on this progression. Pass’e
mezzi, or
passamezzi, (meaning either step-and-a-half, or
passing measures) were
used chiefly for dance and entertainment purposes, where performers
would improvise over a steady progression. In written form, the
passamezzi represented a sort of composers
improvisation, and it is in
this vein that the present work was conceived. Considerable liberty is
taken with the standard progression in terms of rhythm, register, and,
above all, style, as the music travels from the Renaissance to the
modern era, and many points in-between. A typical example of the
sixteenth-century variety, by Vincenzo Galilei (Galileo’s
father), is quoted half way through the piece on mallet percussion.
Winner, 2001 Truman State University/MACRO Analysis Composition Competition.
Recorded by The University of Florida Wind Ensemble, David Waybright, conductor, Musique Francais et Americaine, Mark Records, 3837-MCD (2001)