O rose of May

Harrison J. Collins

The word "rose" in the title is intentionally written in lower case.

General Info

Year: 2018
Duration: c. 6:25
Difficulty: VI (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Murphy Music Press
Cost: Score and Parts - $145.00

Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe
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
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass (optional but preferred)
Piano (optional but preferred)
Timpani
Percussion, including:

Bass Drum
Chimes
Crash Cymbals
Crotales
Field Drum (without snare)
Glockenspiel
Snare Drum
Suspended Cymbal
Tenor Drum
Tom-Tom (low)
Vibraphone
Wind Chimes

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

O rose of May is a musical response to Hamlet, the world famous and deeply influential play by William Shakespeare. The work focuses on the character arc of Ophelia, Hamlet’s would-be love interest, and her internal struggle amongst the external conflict of the play. In the play’s early stages, Ophelia is torn by her love for Hamlet -- her brother, Laertes, and her father, Polonius, urge her not to pursue him further, and Hamlet himself begins acting strangely towards her. She is pushed further and further by Hamlet’s confusing and seemingly insane actions until he kills Polonius. Overcome with grief, Ophelia is driven mad, and in her last appearances in the play she is hysterical, singing songs and sharing flowers with other characters. Before it is announced that she has died (likely by suicide), Laertes sees her in this state and calls to her, saying:

O rose of May,
Dear maid, kind sister, sweet Ophelia!
O heavens, is ’t possible a young maid’s wits
Should be as mortal as an old man’s life?

Represented by a solo clarinetist, Ophelia is depicted as singing a solitary, peaceful song in the opening of the work. After this introduction, an agitated melody takes over, representative of the conflict between the characters of the play. Ophelia’s song reappears -- but every time it is more and more twisted. A brief respite suggests relief from the conflict, but the song is unable to begin again. It bends to the will of the conflict, the voices of the surrounding characters overpower her, and as Ophelia descends into madness, her song becomes a hysterical celebration. The final bars are a wild chromatic descent into the last note of the work -- a reflection on Ophelia’s final moments, falling from her tree branch into the brook in which she drowns.

- Program Note by composer

Media

Audio: Reference recording. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Wind Symphony

State Ratings

Georgia: V
Texas: V

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Texas All-State Concert Band (John Lynch, conductor) – 11 February 2023 (2023 TMEA Conference, San Antonio)
Lebanon Valley College (Annville, Penn.) Symphonic Band (Christopher J Heffner, conductor) - 13 May 2021
University of North Texas (Denton) Concert Band (Brett Penshorn, conductor) – 24 February 2020
Shobi Wind Symphony (Tokyo, Japan) (Akira Takeda, conductor) - 8 February 2020
Milton (Ga.) High School Wind Ensemble (Chris Shumick, conductor) – 19 January 2020
Illinois State University (Normal) Symphonic Winds (Anthony Marinello, III, conductor) – 19 November 2019
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (Parkland, Fla.) Wind Symphony (Alex Kaminsky, conductor) - 20 December 2018 (2018 Midwest Clinic)

Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music

O rose of May (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Trentadue) (2018/2020)
Shining as the Sun (Flex instrumentation) (2022)
Sunset Street (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
To Rights Our Wrongs (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Trentadue) (2021)

All Wind Works

The Beginning of Spring (2020)
Catalyst (2015)
Christmas Night (2020/2022)
Clash (2015/2018)
Dark Convictions (2022)
The Deer and the Owl
Electric City (arr. Trentadue) (2019/2022)
Fanfare for Wild Youthful Occasions (2022)
Finding Home (2021)
The Floodgates of the Sky (as transcriber) (2016/2020)
Four Architectures in Normal, Illinois
The Hymn of Ys
Into a world unknown (2022)
O rose of May (2018)
O rose of May (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Trentadue) (2018/2020)
The Paper Man (2018)
Shining as the Sun (Flex instrumentation) (2022)
Sunset Street (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
There and Back
These Radiant Moments (2022)
To Right Our Wrongs (2021)
To Right Our Wrongs (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Trentadue) (2021)
What We've Been Taught to Do with Death (2021)
Young Voices (brass ensemble) (2018)
Young Voices (wind ensemble) (2018/2020)

Resources

Harrison Collins, personal correspondence, December 2018
Harrison J. Collins website Accessed 11 June 2019
Perusal score