Turning

John Mackey

General Info

Year: 2007
Duration: c. 8:50
Difficulty: VI (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Osti Music
Cost: Score and Parts (Rental) - $300.00 | Score (Purchase) - $40.00

Instrumentation

Full Score
Piccolo
Flute I-II-III-IV
Oboe I-II
Bassoon I-II
Contrabassoon
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III-IV
B-flat Bass Clarinet I-II
B-flat Contrabass Clarinet
E-flat Soprano Saxophone
E-flat Alto SaxophoneI-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III-IV
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba I-II
String Bass
Percussion I-II-III-IV-V-VI, including:

Bass Drum
Brake Drums (2)
Crash Cymbals
Crotales
Gong (Tam-tam)
Snare Drum
Steel Plates (2 :suspended)
Suspended Cymbal
Vibraphone
Waterphone

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

Turning was commissioned by a consortium led by my high school friend Josh Thompson who is now a high school band director in the Chicago area. The overriding idea when writing the piece was to convey "strong" beauty as well as loss, rather than traditional "pretty" lyricism.

I chose the title Turning for this piece because the word can mean any number of things, all of which might be heard in the piece itself. It could refer to the turning of a massive, prehistoric planet, as the first signs of life begin to bubble up from cracks in the ground. It could refer to the turning of leaves in the fall, a beautiful -- but melancholy -- thing to see. Or, in the piece's darkest moments, the title could refer to the turning of a knife into one's chest.

Turning was commissioned by Josh Thompson, Lake Zurich High School; Jim Kull, St. Charles East High School; Jon Walsh, Conant High School; Ramiro Barrera, James Logan High School; Steve Andre, Grapevine High School; Marc Mueller, Moore High School; Phil Obado, University High School; Bobby Francis, Texas Christian University; and David Papenhagen, Portage Northern High School.

- Program Note by composer

Media

Audio: Reference recording. Florida State University Wind Orchestra (Richard Clary, conductor)

State Ratings

None discovered thus far.

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Montgomery High School (Skillman, N.J.) Wind Ensemble (Adam Warshafsky, conductor) - 8 June 2011
Texas Christian University (Fort Worth) Wind Symphony (Bobby R. Francis, conductor) – 29 March 2007 (CBDNA 2007 National Conference, Ann Arbor, Mich.)

Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music

Let Me Be Frank with You (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
Night on Fire (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Ambrose) (2013/2021)
Sheltering Sky (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Dunnigan) (2012/2020)
Strange Humors (Flex instrumentation) (2006/2020)
This Cruel Moon (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Dunnigan) (2017/2020)

All Wind Works

Antique Violences (2017)
Asphalt Cocktail (2009)
Aurora Awakes (2009)
Clocking (2007)
Concerto for Soprano Sax and Wind Ensemble (2007)
Damn (1998)
A deep reverberation fills with stars (2022)
Divine Mischief (2022)
Drum Music: Concerto for Percussion (2011)
Fanfare for Full Fathom Five (2015)
Foundry (2011)
The Frozen Cathedral (2012)
Harvest: Concerto for Trombone (2009)
High Wire (2012)
Hymn to a Blue Hour (2010)
Hymn to a Blue Hour (arr. Wallace) (2010/2021)
Kingfishers Catch Fire (2007)
Let Me Be Frank with You (2020/2021)
Let Me Be Frank with You (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
Lightning Field (2015)
Liminal (2016)
Mom Song
The Night Garden (2017)
Night on Fire. See: The Soul Has Many Motions
Places we can no longer go (2018)
(redacted) (2013)
Redline Tango (2004)
The Rumor of a Secret King (2017/2018)
The Rumor of a Secret King (arr. Blegen) (2017/2018/2020)
Sacred Spaces (2019)
Sasparilla (2005)
Sheltering Sky (2012)
Sheltering Sky (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Dunnigan) (2012/2020)
Snarl (2018)
Some treasures are heavy with human tears (2021)
Songs from the End of the World (2015)
The Soul Has Many Motions (2013)
- Night on Fire (2013)
- Night on Fire (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Ambrose) (2013/2021)
Strange Humors (2006)
Strange Humors (Flex instrumentation) (2006/2020)
Strange Humors (saxophone ensemble) (2006/2021)
This Cruel Moon (2014/2017)
This Cruel Moon (Flex instrumentation) (2017/2020)
Turbine (2006)
Turning (2007)
Undertow (2008)
Until the Scars (2014/2019)
Wine-Dark Sea (2014)
Xerxes (2010)

Resources