In evening's stillness
This title is correctly written in lower case with ellipses: In evening's stillness...
General Info
Year: 1996
Duration: c. 13:10
Difficulty: VI (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Helicon Music
Cost: Score and Parts - €178.00 | Score Only - €70.00
Instrumentation
Full Score
Piccolo
Flutes I-II-III
Oboes I-II-III
English Horn
Bassoons I-II-III
Contrabassoon
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
B-flat Bass Clarinet
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III
Trombones I-II-III
Tuba
Piano (amplified)
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III-IV, including:
- Bass Drum (2)
- Bongos
- Crotales
- Glockenspiel
- Marimba (2)
- Tam-tam (2)
- Timbales
- Timpani
- Tom-Toms (1 set of 4)
- Triangle (4)
- Tubular Bells
- Vibraphone (2)
- Xylophone
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
In evening’s stillness... was commissioned by the Illinois College Band Directors Association in 1996. It was premiered at the Midwest Music Educators National Conference convention in Peoria, Illinois, by an ensemble made up of students from the ten universities that participated in the consortium, Donald Hunsberger conducting. As in his previous two works for wind ensemble, In evening’s stillness... was inspired by poetry:
In evening’s stillness
a gentle breeze,
distant thunder
encircles the silence.
Characteristic compositional techniques include “shared monody," “static pillars” of harmony (“blocks of sound”, remaining unchanged for a period of time), changing meters, ostinato (repeating bass figure) and contrasting dynamics/tempi/textural density. The instrumentation and physical arrangement of the musicians is quite different compared to the traditional wind ensemble. The setup, outlined in the score by the composer, requires bisecting the ensemble, woodwinds to one side and brass to the other, leaving percussion with a substantial setup in the rear and the piano taking center stage. Additionally, Schwantner does not call for saxophones or euphoniums; however, this work marks the first time that the composer writes for three non-doubling clarinet parts in his wind compositions.
Joseph Schwantner writes:
"The piece is the third of three works I have written for winds, brass, percussion, and piano. It forms the middle movement of a trilogy of pieces that includes and the mountains rising nowhere and From a Dark Millennium. In all three works, the piano is responsible for presenting the primary melodic, gestural, harmonic, and sonoric elements that unfold in the music. While each work is self-contained, I always envisioned the possibility that they could be combined to form a larger and more expansive three movement formal design.”
- Program Note by Nikk Pilato and the San Francisco Wind Ensemble
Media
State Ratings
- Alabama: Class AA
- Florida: VI
- Louisiana: V
- Michigan: Senior High AA
- Oklahoma: V-A
- Texas: V. Complete
- Virginia: VI
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
- University of Delaware (Newark) Wind Ensemble (Lauren Reynolds, conductor; Logan Slansky, piano) - 13 October 2023
- Berry College (Mount Berry, Ga.) Wind Ensemble (Alyssa Grey, conductor) - 20 April 2023
- University of Cincinnati (Ohio) College-Conservatory of Music Wind Ensemble (Thomas Gamboa, conductor) – 22 March 2022
- The Hartt Wind Ensemble (West Hartford, Conn.) (James Minnix, conductor) - 2 December 2021
- Eastman School of Music (Rochester, N.Y.) Wind Ensemble (Mark Scatterday, conductor) – 1 November 2019
- Hope College (Holland, Mich.) Wind Ensemble (Gabe Southard, conductor) – 8 April 2019
- Stephen F. Austin State University (Nacogdoches, Tx.) Wind Ensemble (Fred J. Allen, conductor) - 17 April 2018
- Northwestern University (Evanston, Ill.) Symphonic Band (Shawn Vondran, conductor) – 16 March 2018
- University of Delaware Wind Ensemble (Lauren Reynolds, conductor) – 6 December 2017
- Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge) Symphonic Winds (Mack Wood, conductor) – 29 November 2017
- Temple University (Philadelphia, Penn.) Wind Symphony (Patricia Cornett, conductor) – 29 November 2017
- Kennesaw (Ga.) State University Wind Ensemble (David T. Kehler, conductor) – 18 September 2017
- University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Wind Ensemble (Angela Holt, conductor) – 15 November 2016
- San Francisco Wind Ensemble (Mark Scatterday, conductor) - 5 October 2013
- California State University Long Beach Symphonic Band (Nikk Pilato, conductor) - Spring 2012
Works for Winds by This Composer
- ...and the mountains rising nowhere (1977)
- The Awakening Hour (2017)
- Beyond Autumn (tr. Miles) (2006)
- Concerto for Percussion (tr. Boysen Jr.) (1997)
- From a Dark Millennium (1980)
- In evening's stillness... (1996)
- Luminosity: Concerto for Wind Orchestra (2015)
- Music of Amber (1981)
- New Morning for the World (tr. Pilato) (1982/2007)
- Recoil (2004)
- Sparrows (1979)
Resources
- Higbee, Scott. (2003). "Joseph Schwantner." In: A Composer's Insight, Volume 1. Galesville, Md.: Meredith Music Publications. pp. 131–146.
- Joseph Schwantner website
- Miles, Richard, compiler and editor. (2000). Teaching Music Through Performance in Band. Volume 3. Chicago: GIA Publications. pp. 506–516.
- Pilato, Nikk. (2007). ”A conductor’s guide to the wind music of Joseph Schwantner with a transcription of the composer’s New Morning for the World.” Ph.D. dissertation. Tallahassee: Florida State University.
- Renshaw, Jeffrey. (1991). Schwantner on Composition. Instrumentalist, 45(6)
- Schwantner, J. (1996). In Evening's Stillness-- : for Winds, Brass, Percussion & Piano [score].Helicon Music: [United States].