Symphony No. 1 (Standridge)
Subtitle: A Ghost Story
General Info
Year: 2022
Duration: c. 27:00
Difficulty: VI (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Randall Standridge Music
Cost: Score and Parts - Available March 2024
Movements
1. Unquiet – 7:24
2. Loss – 8:14
3. Midnight – 5:50
4. Ascent – 4:52
Instrumentation
Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II (I doubling English Horn)
Bassoon I-II
Contrabassoon
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
B-flat Bass Clarinet
B-flat Contrabass 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-III
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
Synthesizer
Timpani
Percussion I-VII, including:
- Anvil
- Bass Drum
- Chimes
- China Cymbal
- Cowbell
- Crash Cymbals
- Crotales
- Death Whistle (2)
- Finger Cymbals
- Glockenspiel
- Marimba
- Ride Cymbal (2)
- Slapstick
- Snare Drum
- Splash Cymbal
- Synthesizer [ed. separate from ensemble synthesizer]
- Suspended Cymbal
- Tam-Tam
- Tambourine
- Temple Blocks
- Tom-Toms (4)
- Triangle (2)
- Vibraphone
- Waterphone
- Wind Chimes
- Xylophone
Electronics
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
Symphony No. 1: A Ghost Story is a symphony in four movements that follows the narrative of a composer who has passed away. The symphony is told from the point of view of his widow, and the movements loosely correlate to the Kübler-Ross stages of grief.
Unquiet. The first movement begins softly, establishing a mood of dread. The widow sits alone at the piano where their spouse once sat. Slowly, the widows plays a dirge as the house creaks and comes to life around them. The unquiet spirit of the composer surfaces in a fury, wishing to be heard. A tapping is heard, morse code for “Here.” This is followed by a flurry of activity as the spirit makes its presence known, refusing to stay quietly in the grave. The first half of the first movement serves as an overture for the symphony, where most of the major themes of the work are stated. A violent and unquiet development follows in the second half as a storm rages outside the house. Lighting flashes and thunder roars as the spirit struggles to be heard. This movement correlates with the denial stage of grief.
Morse Code: .... . ._. . = “Here”
Loss. The second movement begins with a lone clarinet. The widow sits in a shaft of afternoon sunlight, shaking off the phantoms of the previous night. They begin to remember and reflect, haunted by their memories. As scenes from the past play through their mind, they feel grief, love, nostalgia, anger, bitterness, and hope that their loved one sits just beyond the veil, waiting for them. They catch a brief glimpse of his face and feel his presence, and are filled with wonder and joy. They ask over and over “Are you there?” This unleashes a new wave of emotions larger than the widow can bear, and they realize they must move on and live without him. In a whirlwind of love and loss, the movement climaxes with a scream of grief before collapsing into a depressed sigh that ends the movement. This movement correlates with the bargaining and depression stages of grief.
Midnight. The third movement begins quietly as the clock begins to chime at midnight. The spirit of the composer stirs again, once again visiting the widow. What follows is an explosion of rage as the composer screams against the injustice of his death. A savage dance follows as the spirit runs rampant through the house, unable to control its emotions. Furniture flies, glass breaks, and the incessant knocking of “Here! Here! Here!” echoes through the house. This movement also features a wonderfully malevolent instrument, the Aztec death whistle. Movement three correlates with the anger stage of grief.
Ascent. The fourth movement is performed attaca with the third, beginning immediately as the third movement ends. The dirge from the beginning has been transformed and is now presented in a hopeful setting. Dawn begins to break across the horizon, and warm light begins to drift in through the windows. The spirit, finally accepting its fate, appears one final time to the widow. They share one final, ghostly embrace before the spirit ascends, leaving the earthly plane forever, moving on to whatever waits after. Movement four correlates with the acceptance stage of grief.
The symphony owes a debt to both symphonic and cinematic traditions, particularly those of horror films. I have always loved these sounds and have never sought to distinguish one from the other. I believe all musical expression is legitimate and deserves a space in the world. It gives me great pleasure to bring a little bit of the “dark” side to the concert hall.
Symphony No. 1: A Ghost Story was commissioned by the Edina High School Band and supported by a generous consortium of patrons.
- Program Note by composer
Media
State Ratings
None discovered thus far.
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
- Blacksburg (Va.) High School Symphonic Band (Darrell Pearman, conductor) - 2 November 2023
- Tarleton State University (Stephenville, Tx.) Wind Ensemble (David Robinson, conductor) 28 September 2023
- Plainville (Conn.) Wind Ensemble (Ken Bagley, conductor) - 21 May 2023
- Grand Symphonic Winds (Minneapolis, Minn.) (Matthew George, conductor) - 12 May 2023
- Angelo State University (San Angelo, Tx.) Wind Ensemble (Randall Standridge, conductor) - 1 April 2023
- Capital Region Wind Ensemble (Albany, N.Y.) (Brett Wery, conductor) - 26 March 2023
- Edina (Minn.) High School Concert Band (Paul Kile, conductor) - 14 March 2023 *Premiere performance*
Works for Winds by This Composer
Adaptable Music
- Aggressivo (Flex instrumentation) (2013/2020)
- Alarm (Flex instrumentation) (2019/2020)
- Beginners Rock! (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
- Circuit Breaker (Flex instrumentation) (2021)
- Dark Ride (Flex instrumentation) (2018/2020)
- Darklands March (Flex instrumentation) (2014/2020)
- Deus Ex Machina (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
- The Dragon Lord (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
- Earthdawn (Flex instrumentation) (2019/2020)
- Fanfare for the 16th Empire (Flex instrumentation) (2021)
- A Festival of Carols (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
- Groovy-8 (Flex instrumentation) (2021)
- Havana Nights (Flex instrumentation) (2018/2020)
- Hillside March (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
- Kinetic Dances (Flex instrumentation) (2015/2021)
- The Lake of Sorrows (Flex instrumentation) (2021)
- Mechanical Monsters (Flex instrumentation) (2021)
- Metrodance (Reduced instrumentation) (2012/2021)
- Pacifica (Reduced instrumentation) (2019/2021)
- Precious Lord, Take My Hand (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (2020)
- Shadow Cove March (Flex instrumentation) (2021)
- Siege (Reduced instrumentation) (2020/2021)
- Snake Charmer (Flex instrumentation) (2009/2020)
- Spero (Flex instrumentation) (2021)
- Starfire Fanfare (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
- Vanishing Point (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
All Wind Works
- Adrenaline Engines (2010)
- Affirmation (2021)
- Afterburn (2009)
- Aggressivo (2013)
- Aggressivo (Flex instrumentation) (2013/2020)
- Alarm (2019)
- Alarm (Flex instrumentation) (2019/2020)
- Angelic Celebrations (2014)
- Animation (2023)
- Argentum (2015)
- Armory (2015)
- Art(isms)
- Battlesong (2012)
- Bazaar (2017)
- Bees. See: The Garden Suite
- Beginners Rock! (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
- The Black Cat (2021)
- Blue Sky Horizon (2022)
- The Boom Boom Galop (2017)
- Brave Spirit (2015)
- Brighton Camp March (2012)
- Buffalo Island March
- C-141 Starlifter (2015)
- A Carmen Christmas (as arranger) (2015)
- Celebration (2016)
- Celebration Tribalesque (2011)
- Celebrations for Christmas (as arranger) (2020)
- Cha'la (2018)
- Choose Joy (2022)
- A Christmas Bell Carol (as arranger) (2018)
- A Christmas Carol (2022)
- A Christmas Fanfare (2011)
- A Christmas Flourish (2017)
- A Christmas Gathering (2022)
- A Christmas Tale (2016)
- Christmas Village (2021)
- Christmas at the Circus (as arranger) (2014)
- Circuit Breaker (Flex instrumentation) (2021)
- The Clapping Song (2022)
- Columbia (2022)
- Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing (2014)
- Companion of My Voice (2015)
- Creer (2021)
- Dancing Lights (2020)
- Danse Bohémien (2010)
- Danse Carnivale (2013)
- Dark Ride (2018)
- Dark Ride (Flex instrumentation) (2018/2020)
- Darklands Symphony
- Darklands March (2014)
- Darklands March (Flex instrumentation) (2014/2020)
- Darklands Legends (2017)
- DarkHeart (2016)
- Daybreak March
- Deus Ex Machina (2019)
- Deus Ex Machina (Flex instrumentation) (2019/2020)
- Dominion (2021)
- The Dragon Lord (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
- Earthdawn (Flex instrumentation) (2019/2020)
- El Zorro Rojo (2019)
- Extremis (2015)
- Fanfare for the 16th Empire (Flex instrumentation) (2021)
- Fantasia on a Theme of Camille Saint Saens (2022)
- A Festival of Carols (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
- Fiat Lux (2021)
- Fields of Clover (2000/2005)
- Flowers. See: The Garden Suite
- Folk Suite for Beginning Band
- The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (2020)
- Four (2017)
- Fracas (2023)
- Fragile (2022)
- Frogs. See: The Garden Suite
- Gadget (2012)
- Galactic Fanfare (2018)
- Gallowglass (2021)
- Galop Festivo (2023)
- The Garden Suite (2018-2020)
- Frogs (2018)
- March of the Arachnids (2019)
- Flowers (2020)
- Bees (2020)
- Gently Blows the Summer Wind (2008)
- Gestures (2019)
- A Ghost Story. See: Symphony No. 1
- Grace (2007)
- Groovy-8 (2021)
- Groovy-8 (Flex instrumentation) (2021)
- Half-Past One
- Half-Past Two (2016)
- Havana Nights (2020)
- Havana Nights (Flex instrumentation) (2018/2020)
- Her Majesty's Brigade (2011)
- High Voltage (2017)
- Hillside March (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
- A Holiday Galop (as arranger) (2013)
- Imaginarium (2015)
- Impact (2018)
- In Endless Song (2014)
- In Late November (2009)
- In Paths of Truth and Grace (2015)
- In Quiet Hours (2019)
- In Simple Faith (as arranger) (2018)
- In These Last Days of Autumn (2016)
- In the Court of the King (2013)
- Iron and Ice (2017)
- IronHeart (2014)
- The Joyful Rose of Winter (as arranger) (2018)
- A Joyous Christmas (2015)
- Kinetic Dances (2015)
- Kinetic Dances (Flex instrumentation) (2015/2021)
- The Lake of Sorrows. See: Tales from the Darklands
- Legacy Overture (2019)
- Life's Railway (2018)
- Little Suite for Band (2014)
- Lullabye (Waltz for Band) (2009)
- Lux Spiritus (2018)
- A Maid of Bedlam (as arranger) (2020)
- March of the Arachnids. See: The Garden Suite
- March of the Winter Elves (2016)
- March Wunderbar (2022)
- Marzo Zingaro (2017)
- Me (reAffirmation)
- Mechanical Monsters (2021)
- Mechanical Monsters (Flex instrumentation) (2021)
- Metalheads (2016)
- Metrodance (2012)
- Metrodance (Reduced instrumentation) (2012/2021)
- Morpheus (2016)
- Nebula (2021)
- New Era Fanfare (2013)
- The Nine (2018)
- (not) Alone (2022)
- Ode to Joy
- Of Monsters and Men (2019)
- On a Catalonian Carol (as arranger) (2016)
- On an Olde English Carol (as arranger) (2021)
- Pacifica (2019)
- Pacifica (Reduced instrumentation) (2019/2021)
- Pandora (2007)
- The Photo Album (2020)
- Portent (2008)
- A Prayer Before Nightfall
- Precious Lord, Take My Hand (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (2020)
- Providence (2021)
- Pulse (2014)
- Rage (2011)
- The Rains of Scarborough Fair (as arranger) (2017)
- Relentless (2016)
- Ridge Spirit Fanfare
- River Valley Overture (2021)
- A Rollicking Hannukah (2018)
- The Rowan Tree (as arranger) (2010)
- Ruckus (2014)
- Santa the Barbarian (2021)
- Shadow Cove March (Flex instrumentation) (2021)
- Siege (2020)
- Siege (Reduced instrumentation) (2020/2021)
- Skygazer Fanfare (2015)
- Snake Charmer (2009)
- Snake Charmer (Flex instrumentation) (2009/2020)
- Snow Angels (2014/2017)
- The Soft-Shoe Rag (2012)
- Spero (2021)
- Spero (Flex instrumentation) (2021)
- Spring (2021)
- Starfire Fanfare (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
- Stay (2024)
- Steel (2011)
- Still, Still, Still (as arranger) (2011)
- Stonewall: 1969 (2019)
- Sultana: 1865 (2020)
- Summer Song (2016)
- Symphony No. 1 (2022)
- Taiko (2020)
- Tales from the Darklands
- The Lake of Sorrows (2021)
- The Lake of Sorrows (Flex instrumentation) (2021)
- Taiko (2020)
- Tanchōzuru (2016)
- That Old Hound Dog Rag (2009)
- Thrash (2019)
- Tiger: The Shadow Hunter (2018)
- Timepiece (2015)
- To Horizons Unseen (2019)
- Tomorrow's Celebration (2013)
- Too Much Percussion!
- Towercrest March
- unBroken (2021)
- Undecim (2015)
- Under the Cherry Blossoms (2018)
- Union Street March
- Utopia (2021)
- Vanishing Point (2019)
- Vanishing Point (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
- Venom (2017)
- Victory Parade March
- Warriors of the 16th Empire (2022)
- We Wish You a Scary Christmas! (2020)
- The Western Journey (2020)
- When Summer's in the Meadow (as arranger) (2019)
- When the Spring Rain Begins to Fall (2013)
- Where Words End... (2019)
- Whiplash (2014)
- Winds of Change (2016)
- The Witching Hour (2014)
- With Every Winter's Breath (2012)
- Wolverine Summer (2018)
- A Yuletide Festival (2012)
- Zooveniers (2011)
Resources
- Randall Standridge website Accessed 27 March 2023