Mare Tranquillitatis

From Wind Repertory Project
Roger Zare

Roger Zare


General Info

Year: 2007 / 2012
Duration: c. 6:25
Difficulty: III (see Ratings for explanation)
Original Medium: String orchestra
Publisher: Roger Zare Music
Cost: Score and Parts - $140.00   |   Score Only - $15.00


Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II-III
Oboe
English Horn
Bassoon I-II
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III, including:

  • Bass Drum
  • Glockenspiel
  • Marimba
  • Suspended Cymbal
  • Tam-Tam
  • Triangle
  • Vibraphone


Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

I was commissioned in the summer of 2007 by Jeffrey Bishop to write a short piece for his string orchestra at Shawnee Mission Northwest High School in Kansas City. They premiered the string version of this work on February 12, 2008. In 2012, a consortium of wind ensembles around the United States commissioned a transcription of this work for band, and it was premiered throughout the 2012-2013 season.

Mare Tranquillitatis translates to "Sea of Tranquility," and is the famous location on the moon where Apollo 11 landed and the first man set foot on the lunar surface. The music seeks to capture a dichotomy of emotions -- tranquil beauty and restless isolation. All of the musical material is derived from only two ideas -- the descending fourth heard in the opening bar, and the flowing and surging melody heard not long after. These two ideas trade back and forth within a contrapuntal texture, swelling and flowing as they interact with each other. The music recedes into a quieter realm and a quartet of soloists emerges, juxtaposing the lush full textures with a delicate and intimate passage.

After many peaks and dips, the emotional arc of the piece culminates in the long-awaited return of the second theme. It grows and transforms into a sweeping gesture, bringing closure to the pent-up tension from before. What follows is an epilogue, and the piece ends with one final tender moment with the solo quartet.

- Program Note by composer


Awards


Media


State Ratings

  • Florida: IV
  • Texas: V. Complete


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

  • University of Oklahoma (Norman) Wind Symphony (William Wakefield, conductor) - 19 February 2023
  • Sinclair Community College (Dayton, Ohio) Wind Symphony (Michael Berning, conductor) - 13 November 2022
  • National Concert Band of America (Alexandria, Va.) (Adrian Holton, conductor) - 1 May 2022
  • University of Delaware (Newark) Symphonic Band (James P. Ancona, conductor) - 2 December 2021
  • University of Colorado Boulder Wind Symphony (Derek Stoughton, conductor) - 11 November 2021
  • University of Iowa (Iowa City) Symphony Band (Richard Mark Heidel, conductor) - 4 May 2021
  • Florida State University (Tallahassee) Wind Orchestra (Matthew Boswell, conductor) - 27 April 2021
  • Illinois State University (Normal) Symphonic Winds (F. Mack Wood, conductor) - 26 February 2021
  • Luther College (Decorah, Iowa) Concert Band (Cory Near, conductor) - 8 November 2020
  • University of Florida (Gainesville) Symphonic Band (John M. Watkins, Jr., conductor) – 21 November 2019
  • University of North Florida (Jacksonville) Wind Symphony (Erin Bodnar, conductor) – 17 November 2019
  • University of California (Berkeley) Wind Ensemble (Matthew Sadowski, conductor) - 25 October 2019
  • Texas State University (San Marcos) Wind Symphony (Caroline Beatty, conductor) – 4 October 2019
  • West Virginia University (Morgantown) Wind Symphony (Scott C. Tobias, conductor) – 29 September 2019
  • University of Southern Mississippi (Hattisburg) Wind Ensemble (Catherine Rand, conductor) – 29 April 2019
  • Northwest Missouri State University Wind Symphony (Robert Pippin, conductor) – 19 February 2019
  • University of Georgia (Athens) Hodgson Wind Symphony (Emily Mariko, conductor) – 18 February 2019
  • University of Manitoba (Winnipeg, Man., Can.) Wind Ensemble (Jacquie Dawson, conductor) - 24 November 2017
  • University of Oregon (Eugene) Wind Ensemble (Rodney Dorsey, conductor) – 16 November 2017


Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music


All Wind Works


Resources

  • Birdwell, John Cody. "Mare Tranquillitatus." In Teaching Music through Performance in Band. Volume 10, Compiled and edited by Richard Miles, 431-437. Chicago: GIA Publications, 2015.
  • Roger Zare website
  • Zare, R. (2012). Mare Tranquillitatis: (Sea of Tranquility): For Wind Ensemble [score]. Roger Zare: [s.l.].
Retrieved from "https://www.windrep.org/index.php?title=Mare_Tranquillitatis&oldid=417337"