Post-Apocalyptic Blues, The
Subtitle: For Wind Ensemble with Sound Effects
General Info
Year: 2016
Duration: c. 9:00
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Rachael Coleman
Cost: Score and Parts - Unknown
Instrumentation
Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II-III
Oboe
English Horn
Bassoon
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III-IV-V
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone
B-flat Tenor Saxophone I-II
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III-IV-V
Horn in F I-II
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
Timpani
Percussion (3 or 4 players), including:
- Chimes
- Drum Set
- Fabric Sheet, large
- Leather Belt(s)
- Newspapers
- Two by fours
- Vibraphone
- Whirly Tubes
- Wobble Board
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
'The Post-Apocalyptic Blues is the third in a series of pieces for wind band utilizing American popular music. The first two – A Jazz Funeral and The Snake Oil Peddler -- were based on jazz and ragtime, respectively. I’ve long wanted to write a piece based on the quintessential American music that came from the Mississippi Delta from the slave trade and has spread worldwide. The times we live in couldn’t be more perfectly designed for the blues, with corrupt politicians at every hand, economies in shambles, the environment degrading daily, and the threat of violence shouted by every media sensationalist. It’s almost enough to make you wonder: what if the apocalypse already happened, but we just didn’t notice?
You wake up in the morning, Just can’t get out of bed.
Your body feels like screaming, Your mind is filled with dread.
Everything is a disaster,
Oh, God, turn off the news!You’ve got those Post-Apocalyptic Blues.
The Post-Apocalyptic Blues was commissioned by Wing Kam Chau for the 10th anniversary of the Hong Kong Wind Ensemble and was premiered on October 16, 2016, at the Tsuen Wan Town Hall in Hong Kong.
- Program Note by composer
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
Works for Winds by This Composer
- chrysalis: in memoriam Olivier Messiaen (2015)
- Dark Gardens (1999)
- A Jazz Funeral (2005)
- Lebewohl (2012)
- The Post-Apocalyptic Blues (2016)
- The Snake Oil Peddler (2010)
- Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue (2010)
- Threnody (1979)
Resources
- The Horizon Leans Forward…, compiled and edited by Erik Kar Jun Leung, GIA Publications, 2021, p. 296.
- Perusal score
- Rachael Coleman website Accessed 10 January 2021