Aquatic Pastorale

From Wind Repertory Project
Ethan Fields

Ethan Fields


General Info

Year: 2019
Duration: ca. 10:00
Difficulty: VII (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Unknown
Cost: Score and Parts - Unknown


Movements

1. Introduction - The Depths
2. Bayberry
3. Whale and Calf
4. Lights Above and Below


Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
English Horn
Bassoon I-II
Contrabassoon
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
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Bass Trombone
Euphonium I-II
Tuba I-II
Harp
Piano
Timpani
Percussion, including:

  • Bass Drum
  • Crash Cymbals
  • Crotales
  • Glockenspiel
  • Marimba
  • Suspended Cymbal
  • Tam-tam
  • Triangle
  • Tubular Bells
  • Vibraphone
  • Water Gong
  • Xylophone


Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

Growing up on an island meant that the sea was never far away, and it figured heavily into my early life. Aquatic Pastorale combines my personal memories with the sights, sounds, and colors of the ocean to create a musical impression of the ocean. The piece is divided into four sections, starting with Introduction – The Depths, contrasting the darkness of the deep ocean with the crashing of giant waves. Bayberry, named for a plant native to my home’s shores, presents the shoreline as I remember it: a place of roaring waves, crying gulls, bracing winds, warm sand, and idyllic days spent there. The third section, Whale and Calf, offers a pastoral scene of a mother whale and her calf swimming and playing in the ocean, much like a terrestrial pastorale may present other mother-and-child scenes. The final section, titled Lights Above and Below, connects the deep sea and the night sky through the common element of light: the light of bioluminescent organisms in the depths, and the shimmering lights of stars reflected on the surface of the ocean. These elements combine to create a portrait of the ocean as I remember it – deep, mysterious, powerful, and wonderful all at once.

- Program Note by composer


Media


State Ratings

None discovered thus far.


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

  • State University of New York at Fredonia, Wind Ensemble (Paula Holcomb, conductor) – 3 March 2019 *Premiere Performance*


Works for Winds by This Composer


Resources

  • Ethan Fields website Accessed 6 July 2022
  • State University of New York Fredonia Wind Ensemble concert program, 3 March 2019