Movement for Rosa, A

From Wind Repertory Project
Mark Camphouse

Mark Camphouse


Subtitle: Honoring Civil Rights Heroine Rosa Parks


General Info

Year: 1992 / 1994
Duration: c. 11:15
Difficulty: V (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: TRN Music Publisher, Inc
Cost: Score and Parts - $125.00   |   Score Only - $12.00


Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
Bassoon I-II
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
B-flat Bass Clarinet
B-flat Contrabass Clarinet (optional.)
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-III
Euphonium
Tuba
Timpani
Piano
Percussion I-II-III-IV, including:

  • Anvil
  • Bass Drum
  • Bongos
  • Crash Cymbals
  • Crotales
  • Glockenspiel
  • Gong (Tor am-tam)
  • Marimba
  • Snare Drum
  • Suspended Cymbal
  • Tenor Drum (low)
  • Tom-Toms
  • Triangle (small)
  • Tubular Bells
  • Vibraphone
  • Wind Chimes
  • Woodblock
  • Xylophone


Errata

  • Most parts have difficult page turns, which should be corrected before use.
  • Some printings have dropouts in note heads and staff lines.


Program Notes

A Movement for Rosa was commissioned by the Florida Bandmasters Association honoring civil rights heroine Rosa Parks and was composed and orchestrated over a three-month period: August-November, 1992. With a duration of approximately 11 1/2 minutes, this 'movement' -- a quasi-tone poem -- contains three contrasting sections. Section I evokes Rosa's early years, from birth Feb. 1913 in Tuskegee, Alabama, through her marriage in 1932 to Raymond Parks in Pine Level, Alabama. Section II portrays years of racial strife in Montgomery and the quest for social equality. Section III is one of quiet strength and serenity. The work's final measures serve an ominous reminder of racism's lingering presence in modern American society.

- Program Note by composer


On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a segregated city bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Mrs. Parks earned the title “Mother to a Movement” for her act of personal courage, sparking the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s.

In his book Stride Toward Freedom, Dr Martin Luther King states, “When the history books are written in future generations, the historians will pause and say, ‘There lived a great people –- a black people –- who injected new meaning and dignity into the veins of civilization.’ This is our challenge and our responsibility.”

- Program Note by the Austin (Texas) Symphonic Band concert program, 7 February 2015


Camphouse provides the following notes about A Movement for Rosa:

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a segregated city bus in Montgomery, Ala. Mrs. Parks earned the title “Mother to a Movement” for her act of personal courage, sparking the Civil Rights movement of the l950s. So significant and inspiring was her peaceful act of defiance that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., inscribed the following words on the frontispiece of his book, Stride Toward Freedom, a copy of which he gave to Mrs. Parks: “To Rosa Parks, whose creative witness was the great force that led to the modern stride toward freedom.”

Throughout the history of our great nation, we have glorified (and rightly so) various heroes, most frequently presidents, military figures, and athletes. But we must not forget heroes who are perhaps less conspicuous but every bit as significant. Rosa Parks, who worked as a tailor’s assistant in a men’s clothing store, became secretary of the Montgomery NAACP and the impetus to a major social movement.

America’s proud heritage and the accomplishments of its people have been and continue to be darkened by racial discrimination. This blight on our country takes many forms, whether subtle or more overt, as with cowardly acts of intimidation and violence by various extremist hate groups. Mrs. Parks addresses this continuing problem in her 1992 book entitled Rosa Parks: My Story. The final three paragraphs of that book:

I look back now and realize that since that evening on the bus in Montgomery, Alabama, we have made a lot of progress in some ways.

All those laws against segregation have been passed, and all that progress has been made. But a whole lot of white people’s hearts have not been changed. Dr. King used to talk about the fact that if a law was changed, it might not change hearts but it would offer some protection. He was right. We now have some protection, but there is still much racism and racial violence.

In recent years there has been a resurgence of reactionary attitudes. I am troubled by the recent decisions of the Supreme Court that make it harder to prove a pattern of racial discrimination in employment and by the fact that the national government does not seem very interested in pursuing violations of civil rights. What troubles me is that so many young people, including college students, have come out for white supremacy and that there have been more and more incidents of racism and racial violence on college campuses. It has not been widespread, but still it is troublesome. It seems like we still have a long way to go.

Clearly, Rosa Parks met those challenges and responsibilities with great dignity and courage. As Congressman John Conyers aptly said: “Rosa Parks moved civil rights issues from the back of the bus to the front of America’s conscience.”

- Program Notes by Travis J. Cross for the UCLA Wind Ensemble concert program, 29 April 2015


Media


State Ratings

  • New York: VI
  • Virginia: VI
  • North Carolina: VI


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

  • University of Manitoba (Winnipeg, Man., Can.) Concert Band (Jacquie Dawson, conductor) - 9 February 2024
  • Luther College (Decorah, Iowa) Symphonic Band (Cory Near, conductor) - 14 November 2023
  • Buffalo Grove (Ill.) Symphonic Band (Howard Green, conductor) - 11 November 2023
  • Broward Symphonic Band (Davie, Fla.) (Neil Jenkins, conductor) – 18 May 2023 (ACB 2023 Annual Convention (Orlando, Fla.))
  • University of Toronto (Ont., Can.) Wind Symphony (Pratik Gandhi, conductor) – 31 March 2023
  • Stephen F. Austin State University (Nacogdoches, Tx.) Symphonic Band (Chris Kaatz, conductor) - 7 February 2023
  • Pacific Lutheran University (Parkland, Wash.) Wind Ensemble (Edwin Powell, conductor) - 10 October 2021
  • O'Fallon Township (Ill.) High School Wind Ensemble (Rubén Darío Gómez, conductor) - 8 May 2021
  • Angelo State University (San Angelo, Tx.) Wind Ensemble (Jonathan Alvis, conductor) - 28 March 2021
  • Benedictine College (Atchison, Kan.) Wind Symphony (Brian Casey, conductor) - 20 March 2021
  • Ouachita Baptist University (Arkadelphia, Ark.) Wind Ensemble (Jim Lloyd, conductor) - 16 March 2021
  • University of Louisiana Monroe Wind Ensemble (Derle R. Long, conductor) - 8 March 2021
  • University of South Dakota (Vermillion) Symphonic Band (John P. LaCognata, conductor) - 13 February 2021
  • Central College (Pella, Iowa) Symphonic Wind Ensemble (Eileen McGonigal, conductor) - 10 December 2020
  • Southeastern Louisiana University (Hammond) Wind Symphony (Victor Drescher, conductor) - 20 October 2020
  • University of North Dakota (Grand Forks) Wind Ensemble (James Popejoy, conductor) - 13 October 2020
  • Pacific Lutheran University (Parkland, Wash.) Wind Ensemble (Edwin Powell, conductor) – 15 March 2020
  • University of Florida (Gainesville) Symphonic Band (John Watkins Jr., conductor) – 27 February 2020
  • The Ohio State University (Columbus) Symphonic Band (Scott A. Jones, conductor) – 13 February 2020
  • Kent State University (Ohio) Wind Ensemble (Wendy K. Matthews, conductor) – 6 December 2019
  • Manhattan (N.Y.) Wind Ensemble (Sarah Fernandez, conductor) – 23 November 2019


Works for Winds by This Composer


Resources

  • Camphouse, M. (1994). A Movement for Rosa: For Symphonic Band [score]. TRN Music: Ruidoso, N.M.
  • Camphouse, Mark. (1994). A movement for Rosa : for Symphonic Band : Honoring Civil Rights Heroine Rosa Parks [score]. TRN Music: Ruidoso, N.M.
  • Camphouse, Mark. (2002) Composers on Composing for Band. Chicago: GIA Publications, pp. 79-136.
  • Temple, Matthew. (2008) "A Movement for Rosa: An Analysis of Mark Camphouse's Grade 5 Work." The Instrumentalist 63, no. 3 (October 2008): 28-30, 32.
  • Mark Camphouse website