Symphony No 2 (Schoenberg)

From Wind Repertory Project
Adam Schoenberg

Adam Schoenberg


Subtitle: Migration


General Info

Year: 2017
Duration: c. 27:05
Difficulty: (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Schoenberg Music
Cost: Parts Only - $650.00 (Rental)   |   Score Only - $135.00


Movements (I-II and IV-V played without pause)

1. March - 4:00
2. Dreaming - 5:50
3. Escape - 2:40
4. Crossing - 5:50
5. Beginning - 7:55


Instrumentation

Full Score
Flute I-II-III (all doubling Piccolo)
Oboe I-II
Bassoon I-II
Contrabassoon
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III-IV
B-flat Bass Clarinet
B-flat Contrabass Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Saxophone
E-flat Alto Saxophone
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
C Trumpet I-II-III-IV (I-II doubling B-flat Piccolo)
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II
Bass Trombone I-II
Euphonium I-II
Tuba I-II
String Bass
Electric Bass
Piano
Harp
Timpani
Percussion I-VI, including:

  • Bass Drum
  • Crash Cymbals
  • Crotales
  • Field Drum
  • Floor Tom
  • Kick Drum
  • Marching Snare Drum
  • Marimba
  • Nipple Gongs
  • Shakers
  • Snare Drum
  • Splash Cymbal
  • Suspended Cymbal
  • Tam-tam
  • Tom-toms (4)
  • Vibraphone
  • Whip

Electronics


Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

In the weeks following the November 8th [2016] election, I have been thinking a lot about immigration. It’s a controversial and divisive issue. It is also one of the foundations of our great country. I myself am fourth-generation American. My ancestors immigrated from Latvia, Lithuania, and Romania. I grew up in a town of 750 people in rural Massachusetts. It was a pretty typical American childhood. Carefree and idyllic. I never really thought about how my family had gotten here, or what it had taken to make that journey.

The narrative behind Migration is inspired by my wife, and her family’s journey to America. As she likes to say, “No one leaves where they’re from unless they believe that something better awaits them.” While writing this piece she and I talked at length about the emotional journey that many immigrants experience. If you don’t push yourself to dream about what awaits you, then how do you have the courage to leave behind all that you know? If you don’t envision a new home where all of your hopes and dreams can be achieved, then how do you survive in a completely unfamiliar place?

Janine’s parents did what many immigrants dream of doing: they became citizens, worked hard, and eventually bought a home. But their central focus was always making sure that their children would succeed. They fought to give them opportunities that would not have been possible elsewhere. They are the sacrificial generation. Their children are the embodiment of the American Dream.

Each year individuals from all over the world come to the United States seeking more opportunities. Whether they are escaping religious persecution, government instability, or social and political inequality, they are all searching for something better. This is, after all, the land where anything is possible, a place where all of your dreams can come true, no matter where you come from.

Migration is in five movements:

I. March is the catalyst for change. Whether personal or political, it represents the conflict that is taking place within the country of origin.

II. Dreaming is the vision of what awaits. It is the inspiration that allows one to take the leap and begin the journey.

III. Escape represents the uprooting. Whether crossing illegally, going through Ellis Island, etc., it embodies the anxiety, hope, and fear of leaving everything behind.

IV. Crossing captures the feelings associated with leaving your homeland and entering a completely unfamiliar place.

V. Beginning represents the culmination of the journey. It is the start of a new life where anything is possible.

Migration was commissioned by the Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music and Texas Performing Arts for The University of Texas at Austin Wind Ensemble, and is dedicated to Jerry Junkin.

- Program Note by composer


Media


State Ratings

None discovered thus far.


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

  • University of Missouri, Kansas City, Wind Ensemble (Joseph Parisi, conductor) - 18 October 2022
  • University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg) Wind Ensemble (Catherine Rand, conductor) - 22 April 2022
  • Texas Community College Band Directors Association (TCCBDA) Symphonic Band (Eric Wilson, conductor) - 12 February 2022 (2022 TMEA Conference, San Antonio)
  • University of North Texas (Denton) Wind Symphony (Eugene Migliaro Corporon, conductor) – 20 February 2020
  • Michigan State University (East Lansing) Wind Symphony (Kevin Sedatole, conductor) – 6 February 2020
  • University of Colorado (Boulder) Wind Symphony (Donald McKinney, conductor) – 21 November 2019
  • University of South Carolina (Columbia) Wind Ensemble (Cormac Cannon, conductor) – 27 October 2019
  • West Chester University (Penn.) Wind Ensemble (Andrew Yozviak, conductor) – 28 April 2019
  • Sam Houston State University (Huntsville, Tx.) Wind Ensemble (Matthew McInturf, conductor) – 13 April 2019
  • California State University, Fresno, Wind Orchestra (Gary P. Gilroy, conductor) - 19 November 2018
  • Northwestern University (Evanston, Ill.) Symphonic Wind Ensemble (Mallory Thompson, conductor) – 19 October 2018
  • Eastman Wind Ensemble (Rochester, N.Y.) (Jerry Junkin, conductor) – 6 May 2018
  • Ithaca (N.Y.) College Wind Ensemble (Christopher Hughes, conductor) – 7 March 2018
  • University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) Symphony Band (Michael Haithcock, conductor) – 28 September 2017
  • University of Texas, Austin, Wind Ensemble (Jerry Junkin, conductor) – 18 March 2017 (CBDNA 2017 National Conference, Kansas City, Mo.)
  • University of Texas (Austin) Wind Ensemble (Jerry Junkin, conductor) – 5 March 2017 *Premiere Performance*


Works for Winds by This Composer


Resources

  • Adam Schoenberg website Accessed 5 March 2017
  • Perusal score
  • Justin, Adam Schoenberg's assistant, personal correspondence, April 2017
  • Talanca, Dominic. "Migration (Symphony No. 2)." In Teaching Music through Performance in Band. Volume 12, Compiled and edited by Andrew Trachsel, 1002-1021. Chicago: GIA Publications, 2021.