Prayer of a Distant Island
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General Info
Year: 2010
Duration: c. 8:00
Difficulty: V (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Bravo Music
Cost: Score and Parts - $110.00
Instrumentation
Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
Bassoon I-II
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
E-flat Alto Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
B-flat Contrabass Clarinet
Soprano Saxophone
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 I-II(Bass Clef & Treble Clef)
Tuba I-II
String Bass
Harp
Piano
Timpani
PercussionI-II-III-IV-V-VI
(percussion detail desired)
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
Prayer of a Distant Island was commissioned by the Seika Girls High School Band. Director Yoshihisa Fujishige requested that Mr. Suzuki use folk music from the Amami Island culture. Those eight islands, part of the greater Ryukyu Archipelago ranging from Kyushu (Seika’s home island) to Okinawa and Taiwan, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to their enduring verdant ecology, treasured history and vanishing indigenous culture. For millennia this delicate Eden has been a stepping stone between East and West, and thus has a history of rich influence as well as invasion and plunder. The “prayer” is actually an evocative plea for lost souls and culture, tempered by an appeal for a peaceful and secure future. The most solemn moments are marked by the mass ringing of small bells, indicated by “triangle” in the score. Many islanders have retained Christian traditions, a legacy of Western missionaries from generations past. Those missionaries brought with them the music of their respective homelands, which over the years influenced the folk music Shima-Uta, or “island songs.” “I was inspired by both Shima-Uta and Western ways of musical expression when writing this piece,” says the composer. “The heterophony of Shima-Uta, the impact of war on the islands, the prayerful singing of the Amami and their optimism are all motivations reflected in the score.”
- Program Note from publisher
Commercial Discography
- Audio CD: Seiko Girls High School Band (Fukuoka City, Japan) (Yoshihisa Fujishige, Conductor) - 2010
Media
- Audio: Seiki Girls High School Band
State Ratings
None discovered thus far.
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
- CBDA All-State (Calif.) High School Concert Band (Frank Tracz, conductor) - 23 February 2014
- Seika Girls High School Band (Fukuoka City, Japan) (Yoshihisa Fujishige, conductor) – 18 December 2010 (2010 Midwest Clinic) *Premiere Performance*
Works for Winds by This Composer
- Cantique de Jean Racine (as arranger) (1865/2000)
- Carmen Fantasy (as arranger) (1875/2001)
- Cantos Sonare (2004)
- Chingis Khan (2007)
- Dance Suite (as arranger) (1923/2000)
- Die Fledermaus (as arranger) (1874/2004)
- Fanfare "S-E-A" (2001)
- The Fete of Light for Wind Ensemble (2001)
- Genesis (2022)
- Gianni Schicchi (as arranger) (1918/2015)
- Ho-O Jin-ai cho-fu (2004)
- Huntingtower (arr Suzuki) (as arranger) (1932/2001)
- Intrada "S-S-S" (2003)
- Life Variations (2003)
- Merry Widow, The (as arranger) (1905/2001)
- Prayer of a Distant Island (2011)
- Song and Legend (2014)
- Songs and Dances (1995/2010)
- The Soaring Freedom Bell (2004/2018)
- Three Spectacles for Navy Blue (2003)
- Viva Massima (2010)
Resources
None discovered thus far.