Flying Jewels

James M. David

General Info

Year: 2021
Duration: c. 10:35
Difficulty: V+ (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Murphy Music Press
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - unknown | Score Only (print) - $65.00

Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II (II optional)
English Horn (optional)
Bassoon I-II
Contrabassoon (optional)
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
B-flat Bass Clarinet
B-flat Contrabass Clarinet (optional)
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-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Piano
Harp
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III-IV, including:

Bass Drum
Bongos
Cabasa
China Cymbals
Claves
Crash Cymbals
Crotales
Glockenspiel
Guiro
Marimba
Ride Cymbal
Sandpaper Blocks
Sizzle Cymbal
Splash Cymbal
Suspended Cymbal
Tambourine
Tam-tam (medium)
Triangle (medium)
Vibraphone
Vibra-slap
Wind Chimes (metal)
Wood Block (small and medium)

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

Flying Jewels is a symphonic poem for wind ensemble that attempts to capture the joyous and hopeful spirit of a famous essay [Joyas Voladoras] by the late author Brian Doyle (1956-2017). The essay asserts the connection that all people and creatures share; we all have one heart that carries us through life’s struggles, victories, and simple pleasures. My composition deals with the themes of Doyle’s essay by depicting the heart rhythms of different creatures through various metric/tempo modulations and relationships.

First is the hummingbird, flitting about with bright flourishes from woodwinds and metallic percussion at superhuman speeds. A reptile’s three-chambered heart is heard next with nods to the triple-meter dances of the Caribbean. At the center of the work is the human heart, which is a simple tune that slowly builds to a cadence at the heart rate of a blue whale: four giant chords that resound under the ocean depths. Finally, the work recapitulates each idea while gaining speed to combine all of the tempi in an exuberant and ecstatic finale.

This work was commissioned by the United States Air Force Band, Washington, D.C., Col. Don Schofield, commander and conductor.

- Program Note from score

Awards

NBA/William D. Revelli Composition Award, 2022, winner

Media

Video: Reference recording. U.S. Air Force Band (Don Schofield, conductor)

State Ratings

None discovered thus far.

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

University of Utah (Salt Lake City) Wind Ensemble (Darrin S. Thiriot, conductor) - 22 March 2023
West Virginia University (Morgantown) Wind Symphony (Scott C. Tobias, conductor) - 6 December 2022 (Pittsburgh, Penn.)
University of North Texas (Denton) Wind Symphony (Eugene Migliaro Corporon, conductor) – 7 April 2022

Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music

Lookfar (Adaptable Band) (2020)
March Tumbao (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
Menlo Park, 1879 (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
Zephyrus (Flex instrumentation) (2019)

All Wind Works

All Dark Is Now No More (2014)
Auto '66 (2011)
Big Four on the River (2014)
Bright Window (2005)
Codex Gigas. See: Symphony No. 1
Dymaxion (2021)
Flying Jewels (2021)
From the Shaken Tower: Symphony for Percussion and Winds (2014)
Ghosts of the Old Year (2016)
Heartland Verses (2019)
I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold (2017)
Lookfar (Adaptable Band) (2020)
March Tumbao (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
Menlo Park, 1879 (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
Message from Arecibo (2023)
Octarine Spark (2009)
Pavillons en L'Air (2009)
Sinfonietta No 1 (2004)
Sinfonietta No 3: "Strange and Mysterious Waters" (2010)
Swing Landscape (2018)
Symphony No. 1 (2020)
Tesseract (2023)
Troublesome Fire (2022)
Two-Lane Blacktop (2013)
Urban Light (2021)
With Soul Serene (2019)
Zephyrus (Flex instrumentation) (2019)

Resources

Doyle, Brian. "Joyas Voladoras." The American Scholar, 12 June 2012. Web. Accessed 18 January 2022
"FLYING JEWELS for Wind Ensemble by James David (USA, 1978)." WASBE. Web. (Featured as WASBE’s Composition of the Week, 16 January 2020). Accessed 16 January 2023
James M. David website Accessed 18 January 2022
McCutchen, Matthew. "James David's Flying Jewels with the NBA's 2922 William D. Revelli Memorial Band Composition Contest." NBA Journal, Winter 2023, pp. 34-37.
Perusal score