L'Esprit du Tour

Randol Alan Bass

Subtitle: A Fanfare for Lance

General Info

Year: 2006
Duration: c. 4:45
Difficulty: V (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Alfred Music
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $75.00; (digital) - $75.00 | Score Only (print) - $10.00

Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo/Flute
Flute I-II-III
Oboe I-II
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 Contrabass 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
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
Harp
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III-IV, including:

Bass Drum
Bells
Cabasa
Chains
Chimes
Chinese Cymbal
Crash Cymbals
Crotales
Guiro
Maracas
Marimba
Mark Tree
Metal Plates (4)
Ratchet
Sizzle Cymbal
Snare Drum
Suspended Cymbal (small and large)
Tam-Tam
Tambourine
Tom-Toms (array of 6)
Triangle (small, medium, and large)
Vibraphone
Xylophone

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

In the summer of 2004, I was asked by the staff at Bailey Middle School of Austin, Texas, to compose a piece for the appearance of their remarkable school band at the Chicago Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic later that year. Since both this ensemble and I are based in Texas, the request was a timely and fitting opportunity for an attempt to commemorate, with music, the continuing triumphs of one of Austin's favorite sons: a consummate athlete and truly generous individual, the celebrated Lance Armstrong.

At the time I began to work on L'Esprit du Tour, Mr. Armstrong was in the process of achieving his sixth win of Le Tour de France, the legendary road-bicycling marathon (since then, he has retired from competitive cycling after an unprecedented seventh triumphal finish in the summer of 2005). In writing this particular composition, my intent was to capture some of the excitement, challenge, intensity, sense of accomplishment and ultimate thrill that a rider might experience during such a physically grueling and demanding trial as Le Tour.

Musically, I employed both tonal and non-tonal compositional materials, indeterminate and serial techniques, traditional and non-traditional development procedures, and special percussion (a six-tom-tom cluster, heavy chains, and four metal plates). All of this was in hopes of impressing upon listeners, through sound, a sense and feel of competitive cycling from the points of view of the athletes themselves. Imbuing the music with the flavor of the various cultures that came together for this contest, this composition contains extant source material as well, including La Marseillaise, The Star-Spangled Banner, and a brief reference to The Eyes of Texas.

I would like to dedicate this composition to the Bailey Middle School Band of Austin, Texas, to its musical-directorial staff, to Lance Armstrong himself and, finally, to the Lance Armstrong Foundation, whose fundraising contributions toward the successful treatment and cure of various forms of cancer are commendable and beneficial to us all.

- Program note by composer

Media

Audio: Reference recording. Ensemble and conductor unknown
Audio CD: Bailey Middle School Wind Ensemble (Bill Haehnel, conductor) - 2004

State Ratings

None discovered thus far.

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Bailey Middle School (Houston, Tx.) Wind Ensemble (Bill Haehnel, conductor – 17 December 2004 (2004 Midwest Clinic)

Works for Winds by This Composer

Resources

Bass, R. (2006). L'esprit du Tour : a fanfare for Lance [score]. Alfred Publishing Co.: Van Nuys, Calif.
Perusal score
Randol Bass Music website Accessed 17 March 2021