Where the Waters Meet
Folksong arranged by Carol Brittin Chambers
Subtitle: O Waly Waly
General Info
Year: 2021
Duration: c. 3:00
Difficulty: III (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Excelcia Music Publishing
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $75.00; (digital) - $75.00 | Score Only (print) - $12.00
Instrumentation
Full Score
Flute I-II
Oboe
Bassoon
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
B-flat Bass 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
Trombone I-II
Euphonium
Tuba
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III, including:
- Bells
- Chimes
- Marimba
- Suspended Cymbal
- Tam-tam
- Tom-tom
- Triangle
- Vibraphone
- Wind Chimes
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
Where the Waters Meet is based on the British Isles folk tune O Waly Waly (the same tune use in The Water Is Wide. Lee Smith, former Texas music educator, loved nature, and he enjoyed spending time in the mountains and at his lake home of Lake Fork. He also loved teaching children. Lee felt that human need two thing above all else: to love and be loved. That was the basis for his teaching: if students did not know you loved them, you would not reach them.
As I set out to write this special piece in honor of Lee, I decided to use the imagery of water to portray this particular sentiment: loving students, then truly being able to reach them. One set of waters (a river) meets or flows into a larger body (a lake). The river is the teacher, and the lake is the body of students. Where the Waters Meet symbolizes the moment or moments when the teacher show love, gives knowledge, and thereby reach the students. Lee's principal instrument was the trombone, which explains my choice of trombone solo for the river's opening statement.
- Program Note by arranger
Feature a trombonist and trumpet player with this beautiful adaptation of O Waly, Waly. Lush harmonies, emotional moments of impact, and fine percussion writing make this more than a simple lyrical piece. The climactic moment results in a beautiful chorale that brings out the colors of the ensemble.
- Program Note from publisher
Commissioned by the Irving ISD 2019 High School All-City Band in Irving, TX, in memory of Lee South, James South, conductor.
- Program Note from score
The Water Is Wide (also called O Waly, Waly or simply Waly, Waly) is a folk song of Scottish origin. It remains popular in the 21st century. Cecil Sharp published the song in Folk Songs From Somerset (1906).
- Program Note from Wikipedia
Media
State Ratings
None discovered thus far.
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
- Mead High School (Spokane, Wash.) Wind Ensemble (Rob Lewis, conductor) - 4 March 2023
- University of Wisconsin-Stout (Menomonie) Symphonic Band (Aaron M. Durst, conductor) - 4 December 2022
- Clovis (Calif.) High School Wind Ensemble (Esmeralda Lozano, conductor) – 22 April 2022 (2022 San Joaquin Valley (Calif.) Concert Band Invitational)
- Reyburn Intermediate (Clovis, Calif.) Symphonic Band (Scott Downs, conductor) – 22 April 2022 (2022 San Joaquin Valley (Calif.) Concert Band Invitational)
- Mansfield Wind Symphony (Fort Worth, Tx.) (Jeff King, conductor) - 15 December 2021 (2021 Midwest Clinic)
- University of Portland (Ore.) Wind Symphony (Patrick Murphy, conductor) - 2 October 2021
Works for Winds by This Composer
Adaptable Music
- Byzantine Dances (Flex instrumentation) (2018/2020)
- Carol of the Bells (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (1914/2020)
- Rhythmania! (Flex instrumentation) (2020/2021)
All Wind Works
- Alegría (2022)
- All for One, One for All (2019)
- All That We Are (2023)
- Beautiful River (as arranger) (1864/2011)
- The Bold Brigade (2020)
- Bright Light in the World (2022)
- Byzantine Dances (2018)
- Byzantine Dances (Flex instrumentation) (2018/2020)
- Carol of the Bells (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (1914/2020)
- Cedar Canyon Sketches (2014)
- Clear Creek Canyon
- ConnectUS
- Cruisin' Bluesin' (2016)
- Dances for the Muse, Terpsichore (2022)
- Danza de España (2015)
- Down on the Delta (2022)
- Embark (2022)
- Energy Ball (2022)
- Fandango (2023)
- Fanfare Esprit (2022)
- Fearless (2022)
- The Great Green Kazoo (2019)
- Jumpstart! (2014)
- Kalos Eidos (2020)
- La Terre Sacrée (2021)
- Land of Enchantment (2022)
- March of the Freedom Fighters (2016)
- Moon Song and Tribal Dance (2014)
- Night Fury (2016/2017)
- Noble Procession (2014)
- Pipe and Thistle (2019)
- Rainbow in the Clouds (2017/2018)
- Rhythmania! (2021)
- Rhythmania! (Flex instrumentation) (2020/2021)
- Ridgeview Overture (2020)
- Rock Attack (2015)
- The Rusty Bucket (2015)
- So Wondrous Bright (2015)
- Softly Speaks the Night (2016)
- Song of the Fjords (2021)
- Squirrel Chase (2021)
- Summer Glen (2020)
- Sunchaser (2017)
- Tarantella (2022)
- To Create a Voice (2018)
- Where the Waters Meet (2021)
Resources
- Carol Brittin Chambers website Accessed 10 December 2021
- Perusal score
- The Water Is Wide (Song). Wikipedia. Accessed 10 December 2021