Koshi
Subtitle: An Ancient Festival
General Info
Year: 1978 / 1980 / 1998
Duration: c. 15:00
Difficulty: IV+ (see Ratings for explanation)
Original Medium: Orchestra
Publisher: Hoshina Music Office
Cost: Score and Parts - Rental
Instrumentation
Full Score
C Piccolo/Flute III
Flute I-II
Oboe
English Horn
Bassoon I-II
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
E-flat Alto Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
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
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Harp
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III-IV-V, including:
- Bass Drum
- Crash Cymbals
- Glockenspiel
- Marimba
- Sleigh Bells
- Snare Drum
- Tambourine
- Tam-Tam
- Vibraphone
- Xylophone
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
This concert piece is based on five scenes of an ancient festival.
1. Prayer I. In an evening twilight, people start to get in a procession to the altar and offer prayers.
2. Dance of the crowd I. People start to dance. Their dance is becomes heated as the circle of the dance expands.
3. Dance of the female oracle. A female oracle start to dance a fantastic dance in the middle of the people’s circle.
4. Dance of the crowd II. People start to dance again, and the dance gets frantic.
5. Prayer I. At the end of the festival, people stop dancing and gather in front of the alter to offer prayers. Peoples return to their home in the dawning sky.
- Program Note from publisher
Ancient Festival was originally composed for orchestra under the title A Festival in 1978, honoring a commission from the Okayama University Symphony Orchestra for its 25th regular concert season. In 1980, Hoshina transcribed the piece for band upon a request of the Yamaha Symphonic Band, to celebrate the band’s 20th anniversary. The premiere took place on June 29, 1980, in Hamamatsu. The Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra recorded the piece right after its premiere under Kazuyoshi Akiyama.
- Program Note from WASBE
Media
State Ratings
None discovered thus far.
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
- Musikgesellschaft Konkordia Reinach (Reinach, Switzerland) (Miguel Etchegoncelay, conductor) - 1 December 2019
- Philharmonic Winds HAMAMATSU (Hamamatsu, Japan) (Hiroshi Hoshina, conductor) - 6 April 2019
Works for Winds by This Composer
- Air et vents de mai (2001)
- An American in Paris (as arranger) (1929/1980)
- An Ancient Festival. See: Koshi
- Caprice for Band (1975/2006)
- Ceremonial Dance (1988)
- Fu-Mon (1987/1999)
- Hananoki March
- Intermezzo (2017)
- Koshi (1978/1980/1998)
- Lamentation To (Theme and Variations) (1999)
- Memoire (1998)
- Prince of Antals (1966)
- The Rebirth (2010)
- Symphonic Metamorphosis
- Symphonic Movement for Band (1972)
- Symphonic Ode
- Symphony for Wind Orchestra (1996)
- Symphony No. 2 (2016)
Resources
- Hiroshi Hoshina website Accessed 29 August 2020
- Hoshina, H. (1991). Koshi: An Ancient Festival [score]. Kosei Pub. Co.: Tokyo, Japan.
- "KOSHI – An Ancient Festival by Hiroshi Hoshina (Japan)." WASBE. Web. (Featured as WASBE’s Composition of the Week, 24 August 2020). Accessed 14 January 2023