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Kingfishers Catch Fire

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John Mackey

John Mackey


General Info

Year: 2007
Duration: c. 11:05
Difficulty: V (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Osti Music
Cost: Score and Parts (Rental) - $375.00   |   Score (Purchase) - $60.00


Movements

1. Following falls and falls of rain - 4:500
2. Kingfishers catch fire - 5:25


Instrumentation

Full Score
Flute I-II-III (III doubles piccolo)
Oboe
Bassoon
Contrabassoon
Eb Soprano Clarinet (tacet, movement 1)
Bb Soprano Clarinet I-II-III-IV (IV tacet, movement 1)
Bb Bass Clarinet
Bb Contrabass Clarinet
Soprano Saxophone
Alto Saxophone I-II
Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone
Trumpets I-II-III-IV
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III (III tacet movement 1)
Bass Trombone (tacet movement 1)
Euphonium
Tuba (2 players preferred)
Piano (tacet movement 1)
String Bass
Timpani (tacet movement 1)
Percussion I-II-III-IV-V-VI, including:

  • Bass Drum
  • Crotales
  • Cymbals (crash; 3 suspended)
  • Glockenspiel
  • Gong (Tam-tam)
  • Marimba
  • Triangle
  • Tubular Bells
  • Vibraphone
  • Xylophone


Errata

  • There is a piano part in the second movement, but it is not indicated on the instrumentation page of the score.
  • Chimes, Mvt. 2, m.192: First note of grace note group should be a B-flat and not an A. Mackey confirms this.


Program Notes

A kingfisher is a bird with beautiful, brilliantly colored feathers that look in sunlight as if they are on fire. Kingfishers are extremely shy birds and are rarely seen, but when they are seen, they are undeniably beautiful.

The first movement, Following Falls and Falls of Rain, is suspended in tone, but with hope, depicting the kingfisher slowly emerging from its nest in the early morning stillness, just after a heavy rain storm. The second movement, Kingfishers Catch Fire," imagines the bird flying out into the sunlight.

The work features optional antiphonal trumpets placed behind the audience. The trumpet solo in the first movement is played from the back of the hall, and the trumpet flourishes in the second movement are played by the antiphonal trumpet choir. You may catch the reference to Stravinsky's Firebird at the end of the piece.

Kingfishers Catch Fire was commissioned by Kentaro Hino (Hikarigaoka Girls' High School), Mamoru Nakata (Wind Ensemble du Nord), Masafumi Matsumoto (Okayama Sanyo High School), Kotai Yo (Wind Ensemble "KANADE"), Toshiya Iwata (Kawasaki University of Medical Welfare "Heartful Winds"), Taizo Okuyama (Wind Ensemble Soleil), and Shintaro Fukumoto (Community Band of Sagamihara). Consortium organized by Mamoru Nakata.

The work was premiered on March 17, 2007, JWECC '07 Special Band, conducted by Ichiro Saito.

- Program Note by John Mackey


Awards


Commercial Discography


Audio Links


State Ratings

None discovered thus far.


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

  • Milton (Ga.) High School Wind Ensemble (Chris Shumick, conductor) – 19 January 2020
  • Hikarigaoka Girls High School (Okazaka, Japan) Winds (Kentaro Hino, conductor) – 19 December 2019 (2019 Midwest Clinic)
  • University of Illinois (Champaign) Wind Orchestra (Beth Peterson, conductor) – 4 December 2019
  • University of Georgia (Athens) Hodgson Wind Symphony (Jaclyn Hartenberger, conductor) – 18 September 2019
  • Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta) (Symphonic Band) (Benjamin J. Diden, conductor) – 14 April 2019
  • Metropolitan Wind Symphony (Lexington, Mass). (Louis J. Buckley, conductor) – 3 March 2019
  • Illinois State University (Normal) Symphonic Winds (Anthony Marinello, III, conductor) – 15 February 2019
  • Boston (Mass.) College University Wind Ensemble (Sebastian Bonaiuto, conductor) – 4 November 2018
  • West Virginia University (Morgantown) Wind Symphony (Stephen Lytle, conductor) – 29 October 2018
  • Atlanta (Ga.) Wind Symphony (David Kehler, conductor) – 12 May 2018
  • Senzoku White Tie Wind Ensemble ((Kawasaki, Japan) (Jerry Junkin, conductor) – 3 December 2017
  • Messiah College (Mechanicsburg, Penn.) Wind Ensemble (James Colonna, conductor) – 3 November 2017
  • Appalachian State University (Boone, N.C.) Wind Ensemble (John Stanley Ross, conductor) – 25 April 2017
  • Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, Md.) Peabody Wind Ensemble (Harland D. Parker, conductor) – 10 December 2016
  • Duke University (Durham, N.C.) Wind Symphony (Verena Mösenbichler-Bryant, conductor) – 17 November 2016
  • Kennesaw (Ga.) State University Wind Symphony (Debra Traficante, conductor) – 14 November 2016
  • Rowan University (Glassboro, N.J.) Wind Ensemble (Joseph Higgins, conductor) – 25 October 2016
  • University of Missouri (Columbia) Wind Ensemble (Brian Silvey, conductor) – 11 October 2016
  • Central Washington University (Ellensburg) Wind Ensemble (Larry Gookin, conductor) – 3 December 2009
  • JWECC '07 Special Band (Ichiro Saito, conductor) – 17 March 2007; Kurashiki, Japan *Premiere Performance*


Works for Winds by this Composer

Adaptable Music


All Wind Works


Resources

  • John Mackey website
  • Mackey, J. (2007). Kingfishers Catch Fire: 2007 [score]. Osti Music:[Boston].
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