Tears of Ramah
General Info
Year: 2018
Duration: c. 7:00
Difficulty: IV+ (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Manuscript
Cost: Contact Allen Molineux
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
B-flat Bass Clarinet
B-flat Contrabass Clarinet (or contrabassoon)
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
Euphonium
Tuba
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III-IV, including:
- Bass Drum
- Chimes
- Crash Cymbals, medium
- Glockenspiel
- Marimba
- Snare Drum
- Suspended Cymbal, large
- Tenor Drum
- Tom-Toms (3)
- Wood Block, large
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
This work is a brief tone poem regarding what happened from the moment King Herod made the horrific decree that all male children, age two and under, be slaughtered in and around Bethlehem through the devastation made by his soldiers carrying out that order. The Bible, in an amazingly few words, encapsulates the ordeal through the eyes of a solitary mother in a small village.
Matthew 2:18:
“A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”
- Program Note by composer
Awards
- Hillcrest Wind Ensemble Composition Contest, 2019, 1st place
Media
(Needed - please join the WRP if you can help.)
State Ratings
None discovered thus far.
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
- University of Louisville (Ky.) Wind Ensemble (Amy I. Acklin, conductor) - 24 October 2019
- Hillcrest Wind Ensemble (San Diego, Calif.) (John Winkelman, conductor) - March 2019
Works for Winds by This Composer
- Bittersweet Ballad (2018)
- Capriccio (1984)
- Double Concerto Fantasy (2020)
- The Journey of New Horizons (2015)
- Merengue Madness (2016)
- Miniatures
- The Plague (1985-1986)
- Quiet Desperation (1989)
- Solitary Mood (1972)
- Tears of Ramah (2018)
Resources
- Allen Molineux, personal correspondence, June 2019