Of Gale Force Winds

Richard Saucedo

General Info

Year: 2013
Duration: c. 4:00
Difficulty: III (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Hal Leonard
Cost: Score and Parts - $65.00 | Score Only - $7:50

Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe
Bassoon
B-flat Clarinet I-II-III
B-flat Bass 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
Trombone I-II
Baritone
Tuba
String Bass
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III-IV, including:

Bass Drum
Bells
Concert Toms (4)
Crash Cymbals
Snare Drum
Suspended Cymbal
Xylophone

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

I am so thrilled to have written a piece for the outstanding young musicians of the Creekside Middle School Wind Symphony. I will always be indebted to directors Wendy Higdon and Chris Grifa, the outstanding music educators who were kind enough to ask me to create Of Gale Force Winds.

A gale, simply put, is a very strong wind. There are conflicting definitions of how strong a wind must be to be considered gale force. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as 34—47 knots (63—87 km/h, 17.5—24.2 rn/s or 39—54 miles/hour) of sustained surface winds. Forecasters typically issue gale warnings when winds of this strength are expected. The National Hurricane Center uses the term gale to refer to winds of tropical force for coastal areas. On the Beaufort Wind Scale, a gale is classified as: Moderate Gale (32—38 miles per hour), Fresh Gale (39-46 mph), Strong Gale (47-54 mph) and Whole Gale (55-63 mph). A gale is a type of wind description preceded by calm, light air, light breeze, gentle breeze, moderate breeze, fresh breeze, strong breeze and succeeded by storm, violent storm and hurricane on a Beaufort Wind Scale.

Of Gale Force Winds is based around rhythmic figures that create a wind-like effect along with a very playful melody heard throughout the work. The piece alternates between 6/8 and 9/8 and stays rhythmically active throughout, with the one exception of a very short moment of repose, which is meant to hint at that calm moment that often comes in the middle or “eye” of bigger storms. At one point the piece deviates from the 6/8 - 9/8 feel to produce what might be considered a more turbulent part of the storm, represented by darker sounding figures in more of a 4/4 feel. The piece then concludes with a long dominant harmonic feel that finally resolves in the last bar of the piece.

My most heartfelt congratulations to the Creekside Wind Symphony students, staff, parents and administration on their performance at this year’s Midwest Clinic. I am honored to have been a small part of such an incredible accomplishment!

-Program Note by the composer for 2013 Midwest Clinic by the Creekside Middle School Wind Symphony

Media

Audio: Reference recording. Ensemble and conductor unknown

State Ratings

None discovered thus far.

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Fresno (Calif.) High School Symphonic Band (Matthew Okumoto, conductor) - 15 April 2016 (2016 San Joaquin Valley (Calif.) Concert Band Invitational)
Computech Middle School (Fresno, Calif.) Wind Ensemble (Marco Mellone, conductor) - 15 April 2016 (2016 San Joaquin Valley (Calif.) Concert Band Invitational)
California Band Directors Association All-State Junior High School Symphonic Band (Richard Saucedo, conductor) - 14 February 2016 (2016 CASMEC Conference, San Jose)
Creekside Middle School (Carmel, Ind.) Wind Symphony (Richard Saucedo, conductor) – 20 December 2013 (2013 Midwest Clinic)

Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music

Asian Folk Rhapsody (Flex instrumentation) (2001/2017)
Fanfare for the Third Planet (Flex instrumentation) (2004/2006/2012)
Into the Clouds! (Flex instrumentation) (2007/2016)
(Risk) Everything for a Dream (Flex instrumentation) (2015/2020)
Ukrainian Bell Carol (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (1904/2004/2018)

All Wind Works

Along an English Countryside (2012)
American Barndance (2009)
Andante and Tranquillo (as arranger) (1943/2009)
Angelic Festival (1998)
Antares (1999)
As Tears Fall on Dawn's New Light (2013)
Asian Folk Rhapsody (2001)
Asian Folk Rhapsody (Flex instrumentation) (2001/2017)
At the End of the Rainbow (2016)
Awakening Hills (2003)
Beyond the Clouds and Into the Heavens (2013)
Bobbleheads! (2014)
Brick Street Encounter (2008)
A Brass Thing (as arranger) (2005/2007)
Cambrian Explosion (2010)
Caravan (as arranger) (1937/2000)
Carol of the Night (2003)
Celebrating My Three Best Friends (2016)
A Celtic Christmas
Chorale and Presto (2001)
Christmas Festival Overture
Cloud Dancing (2022)
Concerto No. 1 (2016)
Confluence (2010)
Copacabana (as arranger) (1978/2002)
Coventry Carol (as arranger) (2010)
Dashing Through the Snow (2005)
Dreamsong (2006)
Duelin' Xylos (as arranger) (1998)
Eagles Awake! (2017)
Earth, Wind and Fire in Concert (as arranger) (1996)
Everything for a Dream
Fanfare and Call to the Post (2014)
Fanfare for Justice (2018)
Fanfare for the Third Planet (2004)
Fanfare for the Third Planet (Flex instrumentation) (2004/2006/2012)
Fanfare to New Beginnings (2019)
Fantasy on a Theme by Samuel Barber (as arranger) (1931/2005)
Fantasy on "Deck the Halls" (2019)
Fantasy on Keystone Chorale
Fantasy on an Irish Air (2001)
Finale to "Symphony No 3" (as arranger)
The Fives Prevail! (2013)
Flash in the Pan! (2014)
Flight of the Thunderbird (2004)
Forever Holding Close the Memories (2008)
French Carol Festival (as arranger) (2002)
Full Tilt (2008)
Funky, Rockin' Choo Choo (2011)
Georgian Court Fanfare (2008)
Grasshopper Dance (2008)
Groovee! (2010)
A Guide Along the Pathway (2011)
Heroes Near and Far (2016)
Hymn for the Cream and Crimson (2006)
Hymn to Loved Ones Lost (2016)
If It Were Easy... (2020)
Imagine (as arranger)
In Perfect Silence, I Often Gaze at the New Stars (2012)
In Search of Ancient Aliens (2020)
Incandescence (2012)
Interstellar Fanfare (2017)
Into Moonlight's Mist (2016)
Into the Clouds! (2007)
Into the Clouds! (Flex instrumentation) (2007/2016)
An Irish Party in Third Class (as arranger) (1999)
Jubilancelation! (2017)
Looking Past the Shadows (2009)
Lady Marmalade (as arranger)
Legacy (2021)
Lodestar Fanfare (2020)
Looking Past the Shadows (2009)
Lord of the Dance (as arranger)
Lullaby From a Distant Star (2011)
The Lullaby in the Mirror (2017)
March of the Hyperion Robots (2010)
Meeting at Tyron Palace (2009)
Nightsong (2003)
Noel (as arranger) (2006)
Northwest Odyssey (2020)
Ode to Greensleeves (as arranger) (2002)
Of Gale Force Winds (2014)
On Cloud Nine! (2012)
On to the Next Frontier (2020)
One Hit Wonders (as arranger) (2002)
Poem Romantic No. 1 (2015)
Persistence (2004)
Pulsation (2009)
Purple Whispers (2014)
Quest for the Mountain Top
Regal Fanfare (2002)
Rendezvous With the Other Side (2003)
Rhythm Danse (2007)
(Risk) Everything for a Dream (2015)
(Risk) Everything for a Dream (Flex instrumentation) (2015/2020)
Rondo for Band (1999)
Scherzo for Horn and Wind Ensemble (2021)
Scorpion! (2013)
Shooting Stars (2011)
Short Ride in a Fast Machine (as arranger) (1986/2006)
Silhouette of a Dream (2018)
Sky Dance (2010)
Smooth (as arranger)
Sneak Attack! (2011)
Snow Caps (2004)
Song and Dance (2006)
Song of the Gandy Dancers (2007)
Spirit of the Falcon (2003/2008)
Spy Ring (2017)
Sure on this Shining Night (as arranger)
Symphony No. 1 (2007)
Temecula Valley Fanfare (2008)
Theme and Fugue from "The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra" (as arranger) (2019)
Theme and Tirade (2009)
Three Trails Turning West (2020)
Through the Wormhole! (2019)
To All Things Left Behind (2018)
To Dance With Storm Clouds (2019)
To This Heartbeat There Is No End (2006)
Toccata Rhapsodic (2016)
Triumphant Fanfare (1997)
Ukrainian Bell Carol (as arranger) (1904/2004)
Ukrainian Bell Carol (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (1904/2004/2018)
Valley Montage and Celebration (2015)
Walking into History (2009)
Waterdrops Come Spring (2017)
What a Wonderful World (as arranger)
When the Lovely Miss (as arranger) (2016)
Whirlwind(s) (2005)
Wind Dances (2018)
Windsprints (2003)
With Each Sunset (2005)

Resources

Perusal score