|
Please DONATE to help with maintenance and upkeep of the Wind Repertory Project!
|
Flight of the Hawks (flex)
General Info
Year: 2015 / 2020
Duration: c. 3:30
Difficulty: II-1/2 (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Alex Eddington
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - CAD$50.00
Instrumentation (Flexible)
Full Score
Part 1
C Instruments
- Piccolo
- Flute
- Oboe
- Violin
B-flat Instruments
- B-flat Soprano Clarinet
- B-flat Soprano Saxophone
- B-flat Trumpet
E-flat Instruments
- E-flat Soprano Clarinet
- E-flat Alto Saxophone
Part 2
C Instruments
- Flute
- Oboe
- Violin
B-flat Instruments
- B-flat Soprano Clarinet
- B-flat Trumpet
E-flat Instruments
- E-flat Alto Saxophone
Horn in F
Part 3
B-flat Instruments
- B-flat Soprano Clarinet
- B-flat Trumpet
- B-flat Tenor Saxophone
- B-flat Bass Clarinet
- Baritone T.C.
E-flat Instruments
- E-flat Alto Saxophone
Horn in F
Bass Clef Instruments
- Bassoon
- Trombone
- Euphonium
Viola (alto clef)
Part 4
B-flat Instruments
- B-flat Bass Clarinet
- B-flat Tenor Saxophone
- Baritone T.C.
E-flat Instruments
- E-flat Baritone Saxophone
Bass Clef Instruments
- Bassoon
- Trombone
- Euphonium
Part 5
E-flat Instruments
- E-flat Baritone Saxophone
Bass Clef Instruments
- Bassoon
- Trombone
- Euphonium
- Tuba
- String Bass
- Electric Bass
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III, including:
- Bass Drum
- Brake Drum (or Anvil)
- Glockenspiel
- Marimba
- Mark Tree
- Snare Drum
- Suspended Cymbal
- Tom-Toms (3)
- Vibra-slap
- Xylophone
Guitar (electric and amplified acoustic)
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
When I was commissioned to write a new piece for the Heritage Public School band in Navan, I looked for a way to celebrate their school as well as their lovely part of Ontario in the National Capital Region. The Heritage school mascot is a hawk, and I happen to be a bird lover.
Red-tailed hawks are the most common raptor in Ontario, so I began to imagine a piece that would capture the majesty of the bird -- and the fierce dedication of Heritage students. Flight of the Hawks contains two musical “scenes”. In the first section of the piece, the red-tails are soaring high above the land. In the second section the hawks are in full hunting mode, diving after prey with their claws extended.
The distinctive call of the red-tailed hawk is a sound that most people have heard, sometimes without realising. Film and TV sound designers often use their cry as a stand-in for other birds of prey, like bald eagles, who don’t actually sound as majestic as they look. I brought recordings of red-tail calls to Navan school and asked the students to try to reproduce them on their instruments. The resulting “hawk call” effects for flute, oboe (or alto sax), percussion, and even the full band found their way into the piece.
I’d like to thank the students of Heritage Public School, and music teacher Jennifer Stewart, for their invaluable contributions to this fun (and majestic, and ferocious) piece of music.
This arrangement for flexible instrumentation was created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, to help provide adaptable repertoire for music classes.
- Program Note by composer
Media
State Ratings
None discovered thus far.
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
Works for Winds by This Composer
Adaptable Music
- Dusty Miller March (Flex instrumentation) (2012/2020)
- Flight of the Hawks (Flex instrumentation) (2015/2020)
- Heart and Soul (Flex instrumentation)
- Human Rights Suite (Adaptable Band) (2021)
All Wind Works
- Casa Loma Variations
- Dusty Miller March (Flex instrumentation) (2012/2020)
- Flight of the Hawks (2015)
- Flight of the Hawks (Flex instrumentation) (2015/2020)
- Heart and Soul (Flex instrumentation)
- Human Rights Suite (Adaptable Band) (2021)
- Soup Round
Resources
- Alex Eddington website Accessed 22 June 2020
- Perusal score