Samurai
From Wind Repertory Project
Contents |
General Info
Year: 1995, rev. 2007
Duration: c. 12:00
Difficulty: VI (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Maecenas Music distributed by Masters Music
Cost: Score and Parts - $220.00 | Score - $55.00
Instrumentation
Full Score
Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
English Horn
Bassoon I-II
Contrabassoon
Eb Soprano Clarinet
Bb Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
Bb Bass Clarinet
Alto Saxophone I-II
Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone
Trumpet (in Bb) I-II-III-IV
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III-IV-V, including:
- Bass Drum (2)
- Claves
- Cowbells (small, medium, large)
- Cymbal (suspended)
- Gong (Tam-tam)
- Snare Drum
- Tom-toms (2)
- Tubular Be;;s
- Xylophone
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
Samurai is dedicated to and commissioned by Timothy Reynish and the RNCM Symphonic Wind Orchestra for the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Wind Ensembles Conference at Hamamatu in Japan. The world premiere was conducted by Sachio Fujioka in July, 1995 at the conference.
At the time of writing Samurai, I was seeking to produce a work that would not be out of place in an Akira Kurosawa film. Although Samurai is written in one movement, I have divided it into three scenes, "Signals and Flags", "The Ceremony of Departure", and "Attack". The first sectin represents the signaling methods used by the Samurai on the battle field where powerful war-drumming and heraldic flags help identify the various units within the army. The central scene, "The Ceremony of Departure", is more tranquil circumscribing the review of the troops by the daimyo (aristocratic leader) and his generals before the battle and the ritual offering of prayers which was presided over by a Buddhist monk. The final scene returns to the powerful war-drumming, signaling the attack.
Contrary to popular belief not all Samurai were warriors. They were highly educated people from the Japanese military ruling class - the Eastern equivalent of Renaissance men who were just as skilled in the discipline of warfare as the were in the arts of painting and music. In this work, I have juxtaposed these two very difference facets of the culture.
Musical instruments played an important part in early Japanese warfare. On the battlefield a wide range of audible as well as visual signals were used, the most significant beight the taiko, a large war drum. Also featured was the horegai which was a conch-shell trumpet. The horegai was sounded to tell the warriors to put their battle plan into action and could be heard as far away as six miles! When soldiers heard the taiko they knew they had to re-group. In ancient rural Japan, the village boundaries were not onlly decided by geography, but also by the farthest distance from which the taiko could be heard.
Program Note by Nigel Clarke
Commercial Discography
None discovered thus far.
State Ratings
None discovered thus far.
Recent Performances
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Additional Works for Winds by this Composer
Additional Resources
- Clarke, Nigel. The Composer's Analysis of Samurai Winds Magazine.
