Deus Ex Machina (2019)

Randall Standridge

Randall Standridge

General Info

Year: 2019
Duration: c. 4:50
Difficulty: IV+ (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Randall Standridge Music
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $90.00; (digital) - $90.00   |   Score Only (print) - $15.00

Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe
Bassoon
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Contra Alto 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-III
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
Synthesizer
Timpani
Percussion I-VIII, including:

• Bass Drum
• Bells
• Brake Drum (high)
• China Cymbals
• Cowbells (2: high and low)
• Crash Cymbals
• Hi-Hat
• Log Drum (opt. 2 Wood Blocks)
• Marimba
• Snare Drum
• Suspended Cymbal
• Tam-tam
• Tom-Toms (4)
• Triangle
• Vibraphone
• Xylophone

Sound FX

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

Some people say I suffer from an overactive imagination.

That is not true. I don’t suffer from it at all. I enjoy every minute of it.

I remember being in English class in high school, and learning about classical plays. Mrs. Eggburn (my fantastic 11th grade English teacher) mentioned the “Deus Ex Machina,” or “God of the Machine.” I’m not sure what she said after that because my mind was busy envisioning an ancient god brought into the modern age, with glowing neon eyes, speakers inside his mouth, and pulsing circuits growing out from his body into his temple built of circuit boards. It’s an image that has stayed with me ever since every time I hear that particular term.

This work for concert band combines exotic scales, cinematic scoring, digital effects, and a dub-step feel to create a truly unique experience for the player and audience. Is it pop? Is it symphonic? Does it matter? Music is music and it’s either effective or it’s not.

Deus Ex Machina was commissioned by the Georgia Music Educators District Six for their 9ths-10th grade honor band. They were very kind by allowing me to write something that was far outside the norm, and I will always be grateful.

Peace, Love, and Music.

- Program Note by composer

Commissioned by the GMEA District Six 9-10 Honor Band.

- Program Note from score

Deus ex machina (god from the machine) is a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem in a story is suddenly and abruptly resolved by an unexpected and unlikely occurrence. Its function can be to resolve an otherwise irresolvable plot situation, to surprise the audience, to bring the tale to a happy ending, or act as a comedic device.

- Program Note from Wikipedia

Media

• Audio: Reference recording. Ensemble and conductor unknown

State Ratings

None discovered thus far.

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

• Plainville (Conn.) Wind Ensemble (Ken Bagley, conductor) - 21 May 2023
• Angelo State University (San Angelo, Tx.) Wind Ensemble (Randall Standridge, conductor) - 1 April 2023
• University of North Alabama (Florence) Symphonic Band (Joseph Gray, conductor) - 26 March 2022

Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music

• Aggressivo (Flex instrumentation) (2013/2020)
• Alarm (Flex instrumentation) (2019/2020)
• Beginners Rock! (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
• Circuit Breaker (Flex instrumentation) (2021)
• Dark Ride (Flex instrumentation) (2018/2020)
• Darklands March (Flex instrumentation) (2014/2020)
• Deus Ex Machina (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
• The Dragon Lord (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
• Earthdawn (Flex instrumentation) (2019/2020)
• Fanfare for the 16th Empire (Flex instrumentation) (2021)
• A Festival of Carols (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
• Groovy-8 (Flex instrumentation) (2021)
• Havana Nights (Flex instrumentation) (2018/2020)
• Hillside March (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
• Kinetic Dances (Flex instrumentation) (2015/2021)
• The Lake of Sorrows (Flex instrumentation) (2021)
• Mechanical Monsters (Flex instrumentation) (2021)
• Metrodance (Reduced instrumentation) (2012/2021)
• Pacifica (Reduced instrumentation) (2019/2021)
• Precious Lord, Take My Hand (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (2020)
• Shadow Cove March (Flex instrumentation) (2021)
• Siege (Reduced instrumentation) (2020/2021)
• Snake Charmer (Flex instrumentation) (2009/2020)
• Spero (Flex instrumentation) (2021)
• Starfire Fanfare (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
• Vanishing Point (Flex instrumentation) (2020)

All Wind Works

• Adrenaline Engines (2010)
• Affirmation (2021)
• Afterburn (2009)
• Aggressivo (2013)
• Aggressivo (Flex instrumentation) (2013/2020)
• Alarm (2019)
• Alarm (Flex instrumentation) (2019/2020)
• Angelic Celebrations (2014)
• Argentum (2015)
• Armory (2015)
• Art(isms)
  • Pointallism
  • Surrealism
  • Abstract Expressionism
• Battlesong (2012)
• Bazaar (2017)
• Bees. See: The Garden Suite
• Beginners Rock! (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
• The Black Cat (2021)
• Blue Sky Horizon (2022)
• The Boom Boom Galop (2017)
• Brave Spirit (2015)
• Brighton Camp March (2012)
• Buffalo Island March
• C-141 Starlifter (2015)
• A Carmen Christmas (as arranger) (2015)
• Celebration (2016)
• Celebration Tribalesque (2011)
• Celebrations for Christmas (as arranger) (2020)
• Cha'la (2018)
• Choose Joy (2022)
• A Christmas Bell Carol (as arranger) (2018)
• A Christmas Carol (2022)
• A Christmas Fanfare (2011)
• A Christmas Flourish (2017)
• A Christmas Gathering (2022)
• A Christmas Tale (2016)
• Christmas Village (2021)
• Christmas at the Circus (as arranger) (2014)
• Circuit Breaker (Flex instrumentation) (2021)
• The Clapping Song (2022)
• Columbia (2022)
• Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing (2014)
• Companion of My Voice (2015)
• Creer (2021)
• Dancing Lights (2020)
• Danse Bohémien (2010)
• Danse Carnivale (2013)
• Dark Ride (2018)
• Dark Ride (Flex instrumentation) (2018/2020)
• Darklands Symphony
  • Darklands March (2014)
  • Darklands March (Flex instrumentation) (2014/2020)
  • Darklands Legends (2017)
  • DarkHeart (2016)
• Daybreak March
• Deus Ex Machina (2019)
• Deus Ex Machina (Flex instrumentation) (2019/2020)
• Dominion (2021)
• The Dragon Lord (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
• Earthdawn (Flex instrumentation) (2019/2020)
• El Zorro Rojo (2019)
• Extremis (2015)
• Fanfare for the 16th Empire (Flex instrumentation) (2021)
• Fantasia on a Theme of Camille Saint Saens (2022)
• A Festival of Carols (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
• Fiat Lux (2021)
• Fields of Clover (2000/2005)
• Flowers. See: The Garden Suite
• Folk Suite for Beginning Band
• The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (2020)
• Four (2017)
• Fracas (2023)
• Fragile (2022)
• Frogs. See: The Garden Suite
• Gadget (2012)
• Galactic Fanfare (2018)
• Gallowglass (2021)
• The Garden Suite (2018-2020)
  • Frogs (2018)
  • March of the Arachnids (2019)
  • Flowers (2020)
  • Bees (2020)
• Gently Blows the Summer Wind (2008)
• Gestures (2019)
• A Ghost Story. See: Symphony No. 1
• Grace (2007)
• Groovy-8 (2021)
• Groovy-8 (Flex instrumentation) (2021)
• Half-Past One
• Half-Past Two (2016)
• Havana Nights (2020)
• Havana Nights (Flex instrumentation) (2018/2020)
• Her Majesty's Brigade (2011)
• High Voltage (2017)
• Hillside March (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
• A Holiday Galop (as arranger) (2013)
• Imaginarium (2015)
• Impact (2018)
• In Endless Song (2014)
• In Late November (2009)
• In Paths of Truth and Grace (2015)
• In Quiet Hours (2019)
• In Simple Faith (as arranger) (2018)
• In These Last Days of Autumn (2016)
• In the Court of the King (2013)
• Iron and Ice (2017)
• IronHeart (2014)
• The Joyful Rose of Winter (as arranger) (2018)
• A Joyous Christmas (2015)
• Kinetic Dances (2015)
• Kinetic Dances (Flex instrumentation) (2015/2021)
• The Lake of Sorrows. See: Tales from the Darklands
• Legacy Overture (2019)
• Life's Railway (2018)
• Little Suite for Band (2014)
• Lullabye (Waltz for Band) (2009)
• Lux Spiritus (2018)
• A Maid of Bedlam (as arranger) (2020)
• March of the Arachnids. See: The Garden Suite
• March of the Winter Elves (2016)
• March Wunderbar (2022)
• Marzo Zingaro (2017)
• Me (reAffirmation)
• Mechanical Monsters (2021)
• Mechanical Monsters (Flex instrumentation) (2021)
• Metalheads (2016)
• Metrodance (2012)
• Metrodance (Reduced instrumentation) (2012/2021)
• Morpheus (2016)
• Nebula (2021)
• New Era Fanfare (2013)
• The Nine (2018)
• (Not) Alone (2022)
• Ode to Joy
• Of Monsters and Men (2019)
• On a Catalonian Carol (as arranger) (2016)
• On an Olde English Carol (as arranger) (2021)
• Pacifica (2019)
• Pacifica (Reduced instrumentation) (2019/2021)
• Pandora (2007)
• The Photo Album (2020)
• Portent (2008)
• A Prayer Before Nightfall
• Precious Lord, Take My Hand (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (2020)
• Providence (2021)
• Pulse (2014)
• Rage (2011)
• The Rains of Scarborough Fair (as arranger) (2017)
• Relentless (2016)
• Ridge Spirit Fanfare
• River Valley Overture (2021)
• A Rollicking Hannukah (2018)
• The Rowan Tree (as arranger) (2010)
• Ruckus (2014)
• Santa the Barbarian (2021)
• Shadow Cove March (Flex instrumentation) (2021)
• Siege (2020)
• Siege (Reduced instrumentation) (2020/2021)
• Skygazer Fanfare (2015)
• Snake Charmer (2009)
• Snake Charmer (Flex instrumentation) (2009/2020)
• Snow Angels (2014/2017)
• The Soft-Shoe Rag (2012)
• Spero (2021)
• Spero (Flex instrumentation) (2021)
• Spring (2021)
• Starfire Fanfare (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
• Steel (2011)
• Still, Still, Still (as arranger) (2011)
• Stonewall: 1969 (2019)
• Sultana: 1865 (2020)
• Summer Song (2016)
• Symphony No. 1 (2022)
• Taiko (2020)
• Tales from the Darklands
  • The Lake of Sorrows (2021)
  • The Lake of Sorrows (Flex instrumentation) (2021)
• Taiko (2020)
• Tanchōzuru (2016)
• That Old Hound Dog Rag (2009)
• Thrash (2019)
• Tiger: The Shadow Hunter (2018)
• Timepiece (2015)
• To Horizons Unseen (2019)
• Tomorrow's Celebration (2013)
• Too Much Percussion!
• Towercrest March
• unBroken (2021)
• Undecim (2015)
• Under the Cherry Blossoms (2018)
• Union Street March
• Utopia (2021)
• Vanishing Point (2019)
• Vanishing Point (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
• Venom (2017)
• Victory Parade March
• Warriors of the 16th Empire (2022)
• We Wish You a Scary Christmas! (2020)
• The Western Journey (2020)
• When Summer's in the Meadow (as arranger) (2019)
• When the Spring Rain Begins to Fall (2013)
• Where Words End... (2019)
• Whiplash (2014)
• Winds of Change (2016)
• The Witching Hour (2014)
• With Every Winter's Breath (2012)
• Wolverine Summer (2018)
• A Yuletide Festival (2012)
• Zooveniers (2011)

Resources

• Deus ex machina, Wikipedia Accessed 20 July 2020
• Perusal score
• Randall Standridge website Accessed 20 July 2020