Early Light

Carolyn Bremer

General Info

Year: 1999
Duration: c. 5:20
Difficulty: V (see Ratings for explanation)
Original Medium: Orchestra
Publisher: Carl Fischer
Cost: Score and Parts - $125.00 | Score Only - $20.00

Instrumentation

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

Bass Drum
Snare Drum
Crash Cymbals
Chimes
Glockenspiel
Marimba
Slapstick
Suspended Cymbal
Temple Blocks
Triangle
Xylophone

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

An up and coming name in the world of contemporary composers, Carolyn Bremer has created this arresting transcription for band of her orchestral work of the same name. Bright, tonal, and uplifting, the composition is as joyous and as full of wonder as is the title.

- Program Note from publisher

Originally written for the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, Early Light premiered in July 1995. According to the score notes:

The material is largely derived from The Star Spangled Banner. One need not attribute an excess of patriotic fervor in the composer as a source for this optimistic homage to our national anthem; Carolyn Bremer, a passionate baseball fan since childhood, drew upon her feelings of happy anticipation at hearing the anthem played before ball games when writing her piece. The slapstick heard near the end echoes the crack of the bat on a long home run.

- Program Note from University of California, Los Angeles, Wind Ensemble concert program, 27 April 2016

Media

Audio: Reference recording. Ensemble and conductor unknown
Audio CD: El Paso Wind Symphony (Ron Hufstader, conductor) - 2003
Audio CD: Palmetto Concert Band (James K. Copenhaver, conductor) - 2008

State Ratings

Alabama: Class A
Georgia: V
Iowa: IV
Indiana: ISSMA SENIOR BAND GROUP I
Louisiana: IV
North Carolina: V
Oklahoma: V-A
South Carolina: VI
Texas: IV. Complete
Virginia: V

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

University of Cincinnati (Ohio) College-Conservatory of Music Wind Ensemble (Patty Saunders, conductor) - 16 November 2023
University of Oklahoma (Norman, OK) Wind Symphony (Shanti Simon, conductor) - 29 October 2023
University of Miami (Fla.) Frost Symphonic Winds (Robert Carnachan, conductor) - 5 December 2023
Northshore Concert Band (Evanston, Ill.) (Mallory Thompson, conductor) – 4 June 2023
Troy (Ala.) University Symphonic Band (Susan L. Smith, conductor) - 27 February 2023
University of South Florida (Tampa) Symphonic Band (Tina DiMeglio, conductor) - 3 November 2022
Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts (Murfreesboro) Wind Ensemble (Denny Hawkins, conductor) – 11 June 2022
Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Wind Symphony (Rubén Darío Gómez, conductor) - 1 March 2022
University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA) Wind Ensemble (Doris Doyon, conductor) – 6 November 2021
Middle Tennessee State University (Murfreesboro) Symphonic Band (Denny Hawkins, conductor) - 28 October 2021
Northwestern University (Evanston, Ill.) Symphonic Wind Ensemble (Jeff de Seriere, conductor) - 22 October 2021
Lawrence University (Appleton, Wisc.) Wind Ensemble (Andrew Mast, conductor) - 15 October 2021
Rutgers University (New Brunswick, N.J.) Wind Ensemble (Todd Nichols, conductor) - 14 October 2021
University of Massachusetts (Amherst) Wind Ensemble (Matthew Westgate, conductor) - 1 May 2021
Penn State University (University Park) Symphonic Wind Ensemble (Hannah Redd, conductor) - 29 April 2021
University of Georgia (Athens) Hodgson Wind Symphony (Cynthia Johnston Turner, conductor) - 21 April 2021
Ohio Wesleyan University (Delaware, Ohio) Symphonic Wind Ensemble (Richard Edwards, conductor) - 21 March 2021
Virginia Tech (Blacksburg) Wind Ensemble (Derek Shapiro, conductor) – 1 March 2020
Appalachian State University (Boone, N.C.) Symphony Band (Joseph D. Conti, conductor) – 23 February 2020

Works for Winds by This Composer

Resources

Bremer, C. (1999). Early Light [score]. Carl Fischer : New York.
The Horizon Leans Forward..., compiled and edited by Erik Kar Jun Leung, GIA Publications, 2021, p. 271.
Miles, Richard B. 2000. Teaching Music Through Performance in Band. Volume 3. Chicago: GIA Publications. pp. 477-480.
"SCORE STUDY EPISODE #11: EARLY LIGHT (Carolyn Bremer)." YouTube. Uploaded by Anthony O'Toole, 26 October 2018. Accessed 22 August 2023