Mill City Sketches
General Info
Year: 2015
Duration: c. 5:25
Difficulty: III (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Southern Music
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $65.00 | Score Only (print) - $9.95
Instrumentation
Full Score
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
Bassoon I-II
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II
Horn in F I-II
Trombone I-II
Bass Trombone
Tuba
Timpani
Percussion, including:
- Bass Drum
- Bells
- Crash Cymbals
- Snare Drum
- Suspended Cymbal
- Tam-Tam
- Vibraphone
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
The city of Minneapolis was built on the back of water power and milling. In 1874, C.C. Washburn harnessed the power of the Mississippi River and completed construction of the world's largest flour mill, the Washburn A. Mill. On May 2, 1878, a spark ignited airborne flour dust which constantly floated in the air. This caused a massive explosion which destroyed the Washburn A Mill and killed 18 workers instantly. The tragic event led to flour mill reforms across the country and new methods to prevent the buildup of the highly volatile flour dust were developed. By 1880, the Washburn A Mill had been rebuilt and produced an astonishing 2,000,000 pounds of flour a day at its peak.
In May of 2014, I visited and toured the museum at the remains of Washburn A Mill, now known as the Mill City Museum. I was inspired by this story of industry from some of America's early entrepreneurial pioneers. This tone poem for wind band chronicles the bustling beginnings of the flour industry in Minneapolis, the catastrophic explosion of Washburn A Mill, the rebuilding period, and the final return to productivity, The piece is intended to be adventurous and exciting.
- Program Note by composer
Media
State Ratings
None discovered thus far.
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
Works for Winds by This Composer
- Cottonwood Falls (2017)
- Metropolis Triptych (2016)
- Mill City Sketches (2015)
- Scottish Highland Overture (2017)
Resources
- Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music. "Nathan Jones." Accessed 5 September 2016.
- Jones, N. (2015). Mill City Sketches: For Concert Band [score]. Southern Music: San Antonio, Tex.
- "New Music Reviews." The Instrumentalist 71.1 (2016): 41. Print
- Perusal score