Moth

From Wind Repertory Project
Viet Cuong

Viet Cuong


General Info

Year: 2013
Duration: c. 8:15
Difficulty: V (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Viet Cuong
Cost: Score and Parts - Rental ($350.00)   |   Score Only - $70.00


Instrumentation

Full Score
Piccolo
Flutes I-IV (all parts a2 divisi)
Oboes I-II
English Horn
Bassoon I-II
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III-IV
B-flat Bass Clarinet
B-flat Contrabass Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Saxophone
E-flat Alto Saxophones I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpets I-II-III
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
Harp
Timpani
Percussion I-VI, including:

  • Bass Drum
  • Bongos
  • Chimes
  • China Cymbal
  • Claves
  • Crotales
  • Glockenspiel
  • Marimba
  • Sizzle Cymbal
  • Suspended cymbal
  • Tam Tam
  • Toms (3; large)
  • Triangle (small and large)
  • Vibraphone
  • Wind Chimes
  • Xylophone


Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

The “moth to the flame” narrative is a familiar one. We have all seen moths in the glow of flames or stadium lights. Scientists call this phenomenon “phototaxis,” but I prefer to think of this attraction in much more romantic terms. The dusty moth, though destined to live in shadow, has an insatiable craving for the brightness of day. Drab, but elegant; nervous, but swift; his taste for the glow of the flame or the filament is dire. Perhaps he dances in the light because it holds the promise that he might be as beautiful as his favored kin, the butterfly. For only there, in its ecstatic warmth, may he spend the last of his fleeting life, and believe himself to be.

Moth seeks inspiration from the dualities between light and dark, beautiful and grotesque, reality and fantasy, and the ultimate decision to sacrifice sensibility for grace.

Thank you to the members of the Brooklyn Wind Symphony and their artistic director, Jeff W. Ball, for trusting me to write a piece for their momentous 2013 Midwest Clinic performance. I have nothing but gratitude and respect for their dedication to the music, and for their commitment to sharing the wind repertoire with the New York City community. The Brooklyn Wind Symphony’s ability to flourish outside of an institution is, in a word, extraordinary.

- Program Note by the composer


Awards


Media


State Ratings

None discovered thus far.


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

  • University of Cincinnati (Ohio) College-Conservatory of Music Wind Ensemble (Benjamin Wilcox, conductor) - 16 November 2023
  • San Jose (Calif.) Wind Symphony (David Vickerman, conductor) - 1 October 2023
  • Kennesaw (Ga.) State University Wind Ensemble (Daniel Lee, conductor) - 14 April 2023
  • Texas All-State Symphonic Band (Emily Threinen, conductor) – 11 February 2023 (2023 TMEA Conference, San Antonio)
  • University of Missouri (Columbia) Wind Ensemble (Brian Silvey, conductor) - 26 January 2023
  • Bethel University (St. Paul, Minn.) Wind Symphony (Steven Thompson) - 29 October 2022
  • University of Oklahoma (Norman) Symphony Band (Don Linn, conductor) - 21 April 2022
  • University of Texas (Austin) Wind Symphony (Drew Eary, conductor) – 6 April 2022
  • San Jose (Calif.) State University Wind Ensemble (David Vickerman, conductor) – 18 March 2022 (CBDNA 2022 Western/Northwestern Conference, Tacoma, Wash.)
  • Flower Mound (Tx.) Wind Symphony (Brent Biskup, conductor) - 12 February 2021 (2021 TMEA Conference, San Antonio) (Virtual)
  • Arizona State University (Tempe) Wind Symphony (Elliott Tackitt, conductor) – 27 February 2020
  • Truman State University (Kirksville, Mo.) Wind Symphony I (Curran Prendergast, conductor) – 27 February 2020
  • University of Iowa (Iowa City) Symphony Band (Richard Mark Heidel, conductor) – 20 February 2020 (CBDNA 2020 North Central Division Conference, Chicago, Ill.)
  • Ohio State University (Columbus) Wind Symphony (Russel C. Mikkelson, conductor) – 11 February 2020
  • University of Toronto (Ont., Can.) Wind Ensemble (Gillian MacKay, conductor) - 30 November 2019
  • Texas Tech University (Lubbock) Symphonic Wind Ensemble (Sarah McKoin, conductor) – 25 November 2019
  • University of Kentucky (Lexington) Wind Symphony (John Cody Birdwell, conductor) – 24 November 2019
  • Manhattan (N.Y.) Wind Ensemble (Sarah Fernandez, conductor) – 23 November 2019
  • University of Iowa (Iowa City) Symphony Band (Mark Heidel, conductor) – 21 November 2019
  • Eastman School of Music (Rochester, N.Y.) Wind Orchestra (Mark Scatterday, conductor) – 18 October 2019
  • University of California Berkeley Wind Ensemble II (Matthew Sadowski, conductor) – 17 March 2019


Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music

  • Syzygy (Flex instrumentation) (2019/2020)


All Wind Works


Resources

  • Viet Cuong website Accessed 29 May 2016
  • Vondran, Shawn D. "Moth." In Teaching Music through Performance in Band. Volume 11, Compiled and edited by Richard Miles, 957-966. Chicago: GIA Publications, 2018.