Montuno

From Wind Repertory Project
Roberto Sierra

Roberto Sierra (trans. James Spinazzola)


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General Info

Year: 2013 / 2015
Duration: c. 5:55
Difficulty: V (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Subito Music Corporation
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $175.00  |   Score Only (print) - $45.00


Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
Bassoon I-II
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
B-flat Bass Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Saxophone
E-flat Alto Saxophone
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
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Piano
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III-IV-V

(percussion detail desired)


Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

Montuno was commissioned and premiered by the Society of Musical Arts, a community orchestra from Maplewood, N.J. Much like Zoltán Kodály, Béla Bartók, and Igor Stravinsky did with folk music from their cultures, Sierra takes Latin American themes, rhythms, dances, and other elements, and transforms them through a prism of twenty-first century sensibilities. The result is fascinating: there is always something to “grab on to” (the native elements and rhythms), yet the transformation is interesting and compelling. It is no wonder that Sierra’s music has been described as the “tropicalization” of Western music.

About his piece, the composer writes:

The main musical elements of this orchestral montuno are the rhythms of the Latin clave and its corollary two-measure chord sequence. This frames this work in the fashion of a chaconne, a series of variations built on a repeating harmonic sequence. Montuno quickly builds by increasing the number of players that join the Latin dance. A sudden change of meter toward the central point provides another variant of the established rhythmic/harmonic pattern that brings the montuno to an exhilarating close.

This arrangement for wind ensemble was completed by James Spinazzola in 2015. It is dedicated to Steve Culbertson.

Program Note by Matt Sadow for the Hodgson Wind Ensemble concert program, 1 March 2016


In Spanish, "montuno" is an adjective meaning wild, untamed, or rustic.


Media

(Needed - please join the WRP if you can help.)


State Ratings

None discovered thus far.


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

  • The Hartt Symphony Band (West Hartford, Conn.) (James Minnix, conductor) - 25 March 2023
  • Ithaca (N.Y.) College Wind Ensemble (James Spinazzola, conductor) - 1 May 2022
  • Cornell University (Ithaca, N.Y.) Wind Symphony (James Spinazzola, conductor) – 17 November 2018
  • University of Georgia (Athens) Hodgson Wind Ensemble (Cynthia Johnston Turner, conductor) – 1 March 2016


Works for Winds by This Composer


Resources

  • The Horizon Leans Forward…, compiled and edited by Erik Kar Jun Leung, GIA Publications, 2021, p. 473.
  • Roberto Sierra website Accessed 24 March 2016
  • Sierra, R.; Spinazzola, J. (2013). Montuno [score]. Subito Music: Verona, N.J.