Fantasia on Bogoroditse Devo

Frederick Speck

Subtitle: Based on Rachmaninov's Bogoroditse Devo from All-Night Vigil

General Info

Year: 2015
Duration: c. 4:40
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: TRN Music Publishers
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $90.00 | Score Only (print) - $12.00

Instrumentation

Full Score
Flute I-II
Oboe
Bassoon
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
E-flat Alto Clarinet
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-III
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass (optional)
Percussion, including:

Bass Drum
Chimes
Glockenspiel
Marimba
Suspended Cymbal
Tam-Tam
Vibraphone

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

Fantasia on Bogoroditse Devo is a free musical elaboration inspired by the beautiful choral writing of Sergei Rachmaninov. The chant-like gracefulness of the melodic source serves as the cornerstone for figural embroidery in the colors of the woodwind, brass and percussion instruments.

The music unfolds from a quiet opening, inviting the listener into a distant, reserved first statement of the main melody in a choir of trumpets and trombones. Past this, the work develops as a broad arch, becoming increasingly vivid until its climax, the musical manifestation of the word raduysia - Rejoice! Following an exuberant arrival and release by the full ensemble, the woodwinds reminisce a few moments that are orchestrated to suggest the reverent simplicity of Rachmaninov's original setting. From this point, fantasia elements reminding the listener of the beginning of the work return to shape a delicate and reflective coda.

- Program Note from publisher

Rachmaninov’s Bogoroditse Devo is a choral setting of the Russian equivalent of the Ave Maria. It is drawn from his extended work known as Vespers, Op. 37 or “All-Night Vigil” which was premiered on 1915. Though more often heard in concert halls than the church itself, its liturgical function is for the music to be sung in services that precede major feast days and is often sung as the Resurrectional Vigil. The Bogoroditse Devo is possibly the most performed piece of Russian Orthodox music, and it was one of Rachmaninov’s favorites among all of his works.

- Program Note by composer

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

North Hardin High School (Radcliff, Ky.) Wind Symphony (Brittany Ford, conductor) - 17 December 2015 (2015 Midwest Clinic)

Works for Winds by This Composer

Resources

All-Night Vigil (Rachmaninoff), Wikipedia Accessed 11 December 2015
"New Music Reviews." The Instrumentalist. August 2017, 40. Print.