Light

From Wind Repertory Project
Christopher Marshall

Christopher Marshall


General Info

Year: 2010
Duration: c. 6:45
Difficulty: (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Murphy Music Press
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $70.00


Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe
Cor Anglais
Bassoon
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
B-flat Contrabass Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Saxophone
E-flat Alto Saxophone
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone


Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

The title makes reference to what I see as the spirit of the music

Light as in the absence of dark
Light as in the absence of heaviness

Light as in the absence of seriousness


Structurally, Light is in a kind of arch form. The material of the slow prologue is brought back in the epilogue. Then two lively sections enclose a slower, more lyrical section.

The melodic material of the prologue and epilogue is based on the interval of the fourth.

The lively sections are built on an ostinato, five quarter notes in duration. This ostinato comprises a rising arpeggio-like figure built on three minor chords a major third apart. The only time this pattern varies is when it is inverted and heads downwards. Superimposed on these figures we hear various lighthearted melodies, usually in 3/4 or 2/4 time, weaving their way between all the instruments of the ensemble.

In the middle section, a slow, lyrical melody, initially in the clarinet, is supported by a rolling arpeggio figure (in bass clarinet) built on chords of superimposed fifths. This section leads to a modified restatement of the playful ostinato section.

The brief epilogue closes the piece, with a fleeting reference to the gentle arpeggiated texture of the middle section.

The University of Massachusetts Wind Ensemble, James Patrick Miller, conductor, commissioned this music in 2010 at the instigation of Brian Messier who directed the premiere. It is scored for all 13 wind instruments commonly found in the wind ensemble.

- Program Note by composer


Media


State Ratings

None discovered thus far.


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

  • Indiana University of Pennsylvania Wind Ensemble (Tim Paul, conductor) - 2 May 2021
  • Florida State University (Tallahassee) Wind Orchestra (Stephanie DeLuca, conductor) - 27 April 2021
  • Marshall University (Huntington, W. Va.) Wind Symphony (Adam Dalton, conductor) - 19 November 2020
  • University of Hawaii (Honolulu) Wind Ensemble (Jeffrey Boeckman, conductor)– 23 October 2016


Works for Winds by This Composer


Resources