Kolo (flex)

Derek M Jenkins

Subtitle: For Variable Instrumentation Band

General Info

Year: 2015 / 2020
Duration: c. 7:00
Difficulty: III (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Derek M. Jenkins
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $120.00; (digital) - $40.00 | Score Only (print) - $30.00; (digital) - $20.00

Instrumentation (Flexible)

Full Score
Part 1

Flute
Oboe
B-flat Soprano Clarinet

Part 2

B-flat Soprano Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet

Part 3

B-flat Soprano Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
Horn in F

Part 4

Bassoon
B-flat Bass Clarinet
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
Trombone
Euphonium
Horn in F

Part 5

Bassoon
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba

Timpani
Percussion I-II-III-IV-V, including:

Bass Drum
Crash Cymbals
Glockenspiel
Marimba
Snare Drum
Suspended Cymbal
Tambourine
Triangle
Vibraphone

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

Merrily, merrily whirled the wheels of the dizzying dances
Under the orchard-trees and down the path to the meadows;
Old folk and young together, and children mingled among them.
– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s Evangeline

A kolo, which translates to round or circle, is a fast and lively traditional folk dance that originated in the Balkans. The music accompanying a kolo dance is characteristically quite repetitive. The primary melodic material is introduced at the beginning, and it continues to appear and reappear throughout the duration of the dance. Several composers, including Antonín Dvořák, have adapted the kolo into concert pieces for orchestra. These are often fast and exhilarating showpieces that portray the virtuosity of the entire ensemble.

My piece, Kolo, continues this concert adaption tradition, and it follows the basic structure of the traditional dance with the exception of the middle section. I was fortunate to spend about two weeks in Zagreb and several days in Dubrovnik during the spring of 2009. Looking out upon the Adriatic Sea atop of Dubrovnik’s historic city wall, I was struck by an overwhelming sense of tranquility, and that feeling has become the strongest association I have with my time in Croatia. In order to depict this musically, I forewent the continuation of the fast and lively character of the middle section of my Kolo and instead replaced it with music that is peaceful and reflective. The melody used in this slow section comes from a folk song, “Oj, mlađano mlado mom(če),” in Béla Bartók and Albert B. Lord’s folksong collection Serbo-Croatian Folk Songs. This middle section was my chance to return, if only in my mind, to the Adriatic coast.

Kolo was commissioned in 2014 by Lee Hartman and the Mid America Freedom Band.

- Program Note by Derek M Jenkins

Media

Video: Mid America Freedom Band (Kansas City, Mo.) (Lee Hartman, conductor) – 25 October 2020 (Virtual)
Audio: Reference recording (2015 edition). Mid America Freedom Band (Kansas City, Mo.) (Lee Hartman, conductor)

State Ratings

None discovered thus far.

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Mid America Freedom Band (Kansas City, Mo.) (Lee Hartman, conductor) – 25 October 2020 *Premiere Performance (Virtual)*

Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music

Fountains (Adaptable Band) (2014/2020)
Kolo (Flex instrumentation) (2015/2020)
Solar Flare (Flex instrumentation) (2019/2020)

All Wind Works

Blue Marble: A Symphony for Wind Ensemble
Boreas: The North Wind
Eosphorus: The Morning Star
Fountains (2014/2017)
Fountains (Adaptable Band) (2014/2020)
in transit
inertia
into air, into thin air (2023)
Kolo (2015)
Kolo (Flex instrumentation) (2015/2020)
Rock Bottom (2020)
Solar Flare (2018)
Solar Flare (Flex instrumentation) (2019/2020)
Quintet for Winds No 1
We Seven (2014)

Resources