Painted Desert, The

Philip Sparke

General Info

Year: 2004
Duration: c. 3:45
Difficulty: I (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Anglo Music, through De Haske
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - £77.56 | Score Only (print) - £12.62

Instrumentation

Full Score
Flute
Oboe
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II
E-flat Alto Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II
Tenor Part
Bass Part
Piano
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III, including:

Bass Drum
Mallet Percussion
Suspended Cymbal

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

The southwestern U.S. state of Arizona has more than its fair share of stunning landscapes, natural phenomena and national monuments. Best known is the Grand Canyon, but there are also numerous deserts, a petrified forest, extinct volcanoes and the huge Sunset Crater. Not surprisingly, it has featured as the backdrop to many Western movies.

The Painted Desert is a narrow, crescent-shaped arc about 160 miles long which begins near the Grand Canyon and varies in width from 10 to 35 miles. It is largely void of vegetation, and years of erosion by wind and rain have exposed sedimentary layers of rock up to 250 million years old. Chemical differences in the various layers result in an effect not unlike a multi-coloured layer cake with contrasting hues of red, orange and pink, blue, grey and lavender creating a silent and barren landscape which looks like it has been hand-painted. As with much of the planet’s stunning landscapes all the observer can do is stand and stare.

- Program Note from publisher

Media

Audio: Reference recording. Ensemble and conductor unknown
Audio CD: Duncanville High School Wind Ensemble (Mallory Thompson, conductor) - 2005

State Ratings

None discovered thus far.

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Warwick (Eng.) Foundation Concert Band (Phil Montero, conductor) - 2017
Duncanville (Tx.) High School Wind Ensemble (Tom Shine, conductor) – 16 December 2005 (2005 Midwest Clinic)

Works for Winds by This Composer

Atlantic Odyssey (2010)
Ballad for Benny (2001)
Bandwagon (2004)
Barn Dance and Cowboy Hymn (1982)
Beethoven's Greeting (2008)
Bestiarium Suite
- Tropical Fishes (Appermont)
- Dance of the Whale (Sparke)
- Tyrannosaurus Rex (Ferran)
- The Snail (Van der Roost)
- The Apes (Smith)
- The Woodworm (Valencia)
- The Kangaroo (Houben)
- Charlie, the Chameleon (Alarcon)
- The Fly (Navarro)
Between the Two Rivers (2003)
Big Sky Overture
Blazon (2010)
A Bluegrass Overture (2017)
Bolero (as arranger) (1928/2011)
Cambridge Intrada
The Camelot Chronicles
Carnival (1997)
Carol of the Shepherds (2001)
Celebration (1993)
The Centurion (1988/2000)
Chorale and Variations (2004)
Clarinet Calypso (2003)
Colorado Springs (2007)
A Colour Symphony (2015)
Concert Prelude (1976/2000)
Concertino Classico (2010)
Concerto for Clarinet (2003)
Dance Movements (1995)
Dance of the Whale. See: Bestiarium Suite
Deserts (2008)
Diamond Concerto (2012)
Diversions - Variations on a Swiss Folk Song (1998)
Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes
Earth, Water, Sun, Wind (2000)
An English Sea Song Suite (2006)
Euphonium Concerto No. 2 (2005)
Exultation (2010)
Fanfare for Saint Cecilia (2008)
Fanfare, Romance and Finale (1990)
Fantasy for Euphonium (1995)
A Festive Tribute (J.S. Bach)
Fiesta! (1998)
Fiesta de la Vida
Five Festive Fanfares
Flying the Breeze (2002/2004)
The Four Noble Truths (2003/2004)
Four Norfolk Dances (2001)
Girl with the Flaxen Hair, The (as arranger) (1910/2007)
Hail the Dragon! (2010)
Harlequin (2004)
Hanover Festival (2000)
A Huntingdon Celebration (2003)
Infinity and Beyond... (2001)
Invictus (2001)
Jubilee Overture (1983)
A Klezmer Karnival (2004)
The Land of the Long White Cloud (1980/1988)
A Lindisfarne Rhapsody (1998)
The Long Day Closes (as arranger) (1868/2007)
Madrigalum (2006)
Måndalen Landscapes (2004)
Manhattan (2004)
Marchissimo (2004)
Mary's Boy Child (as arranger)
Masquerade (2003)
Merry-Go-Round (2002)
Morning Song (2002)
Music for a Festival (1985)
Music of the Spheres (2004)
Navigation Inn
Once in Royal David’s City (as arranger)
Orient Express (1987)
Out of the Darkness, Into the Light (2003)
Overture for Woodwinds (2000)
The Painted Desert (2004)
Panis Angelicus (as arranger) (1872/2001)
Pantomime (1988/1996)
Pastime with Good Company (as arranger) (15--?/2005)
The Pioneers (2005)
Portrait of a City (2002)
Postcard from Singapore (2004)
A Quiet Moment (2007)
Reflections
Reflections on an Old Japanese Folk Song (2015)
Rhythm and Blues (arr. Wheeler) (1986/2012)
The Roaring Forties (2008)
Sailing with the Tall Ships (2012)
Salute to a Hero (2009)
A Savannah Symphony (2010)
Scenes from a Comedy
The Seasons (2005)
Shalom! (2001)
Sierra Nevada (2006)
Sinfonietta No. 1 (1990)
Sinfonietta No. 2 (1992)
Sinfonietta No. 3 (2001)
Sleepers, Awake! (as transcriber)
Snow Valley Sleigh Ride (2007)
Song and Dance (1984)
Sounds of the Saint Lawrence (2008)
Spirit of the Sequoia (2004)
St. Paul's Suite (as arranger) (1912-1913/2017)
Strathcarron (2002)
Suite from Hymn of the Highlands (2002)
The Sun Will Rise Again (2011)
Sunrise at Angel's Gate (2001)
Symphonic Metamorphosis (2007)
Symphony No. 1. See: Earth, Water, Sun, Wind
Symphony No. 2. See: A Savannah Symphony
Symphony No. 3. See: A Colour Symphony
Tales of the River Wye (2007)
Tallis' Canon (arr. Sparke) (/2012)
Tameside Overture (1989)
Te Deum Prelude (as arranger)
Ten Chorale Preludes (as arranger) (1914/2002)
Theatre Music (1989)
Three English Folk Song Miniatures (2013)
Three Klezmer Miniatures (2009)
Three Washington Statues (2015)
To a New Dawn (2000)
To a Wild Rose (as arranger)
Tokyo Triptych (2007)
Trombone Concerto (2007)
Tuba Concerto (2007)
The Unknown Journey (2014)
Valerius Variations (2005)
Veni Immanuel (2003)
Victory Fanfare
A Weekend in New York (2008)
The White Rose (2002)
Wilten Festival Overture (1999)
A Winter's Tale (2010)
Year of the Dragon (1984/1985)
Year of the Dragon (2017 edition) (1984/1985/2017)
A Yorkshire Overture (1991)

Resources

Perusal score
Philip Sparke website Accessed 25 January 2022