Echoes of My Mind
General Info
Year: 2019
Duration: c. 13:10
Difficulty: IV+ (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Murphy Music Press
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $175.00
Instrumentation
Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe
Bassoon
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III (I div. a2)
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-III
Trombone I-II
Bass Trombone
Euphonium (div. a2)
Tuba
String Bass (optional)
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III-IV, including:
- Bass Drum
- Crash Cymbals
- Glockenspiel
- Mark Tree
- Ratchet
- Snare Drum
- Suspended Cymbal
- Tam-tam
- Tom-toms (3)
- Triangle
- Vibraphone
- Vibraslap
- Whip
- Xylophone
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
Echoes of My Mind is a musical poem in three paintings for wind band. This piece is a sound allegory of the following concept: a spirit (thoughts or dreams), locked in a body that no longer responds to it, fights against pain or immobility to carry on dreaming. It is therefore an ode to reverie and freedom, but also to perseverance in the face of adversity, and finally to hope.
The first painting symbolizes a dream, wandering randomly from one idea to another, imbued with innocence and lightness. It blossoms timidly in the very first bars with a succession of small motifs before unfolding with joy in an expansive melody. Gathering courage over the bars, the dream transports us to a heroic song filled with joy. After reaching ecstasy, the dream quickly plunges us into the nebulous atmosphere of a lullaby. Then a dissonance arises out of nowhere, leading us into the second painting.
The dissonance, representing pain, emerges in waves and grows inexorably before completely engulfing us in a piercing explosion. The second painting is a frantic race where the dream motif struggles for its survival, constantly harassed by an implacable fatality. Violence reaches its peak and sinks the dream into the depths of the unconscious.
The third painting is a slow and sad procession, where the spirit sings of its despair of being trapped in this body. A rhythmic ostinato gradually emerges from the depths, then the alto saxophone plays a melancholic melody, which is then taken over by the clarinets, leading the whole orchestra to a tragic tutti. The atmosphere calms down somewhat before a new transition leads us to the dramatic peak of the piece, where the main theme resounds powerfully, before gradually evaporating. We then get lost in a few reminiscences before the very last bars of the piece finally bring a glimmer of hope. The pain dissipates, the dream is once more ready to bloom, and the cycle starts again.
- Program Note from score
Awards
- Federal Music Festival Composition Contest 2021, 3rd prize
Media
- Audio: Reference recording. University of California, Los Angeles, Players (Théo Schmitt, conductor)
State Ratings
None discovered thus far.
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
- University of California, Los Angeles, Players (Théo Schmitt, conductor) – 12 November 2019 *Premiere Performance*
Works for Winds by This Composer
- Born to Be Groovy! (2016)
- Echo-System (2023)
- Echoes of My Mind (2019)
- An Eternal Journey (2021)
- Grow Up! (2016)
- Hashtag (2019)
- The Haunted Castle Swing! (2018)
- La Passion (2022)
- Labor et Passio (2017)
- Le Porte-Drapeau (2018)
- Le Trésor du Léman (2016)
- Marche Guy Parmelin (2019)
- Particles Dance (2019)
- Reflections of Dreams (2018)
- Résurrection (2017/2018)
Resources
- Perusal score
- Théo Schmitt website Accessed 29 July 2021