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Ra!
General Info
Year: 1997 / 2002
Duration: c. 4:50
Difficulty: VI (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Pro Nova Music
Cost: Score and Parts - $295.00 | Score Only - $45.00
Instrumentation
Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
English Horn
Bassoon I-II
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
B-flat Bass Clarinet
B-flat Contrabass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Cornet I-II
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II
Bass Trombone
Euphonium I-II
Tuba I-II
String Bass (optional)
Piano (optional)
Harp (optional)
Timpani
Percussion I-VI, including:
- Bass Drum
- Cowbell
- Crotales
- Glockenspiel
- Gong
- Marimba
- Roto-toms
- Splash Cymbal
- Suspended Cymbal
- Tam-Tam
- Tom-Tom
- Triangle
- Vibraphone
- Xylophone
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
The sun god Ra was the most important god of the ancient Egyptians. Born anew each day, Ra journeyed across the sky in a boat crewed by many other gods. During the day Ra would do battle with his chief enemy, a serpent named Apep, usually emerging victorious, though on stormy days or during an eclipse, the Egyptians believed that Apep had won and swallowed the sun.
Ra! is a rather aggressive depiction of an imagined ritual of sun worship, perhaps celebrating the daily battles of Ra and Apep. There are four ideas presented in the movement: 1) a "skin dance" featuring the timpani and other percussion, 2) a declarative, unison melodic line, 3) a layered texture of pulses, and 4) sun bursts and shines. The movement alternates abruptly between these ideas, as if following the precise dictates of a grand ceremony.
- Program Note by composer
Awards
- NBA William Revelli Memorial Composition Contest, 2003, winner.
Media
- Audio CD: North Texas Wind Symphony (Eugene Migliaro Corporon, conductor) - 2003
State Ratings
None discovered thus far.
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
- Indiana University (Bloomington) Wind Ensemble (David Gregory, conductor) - 3 March 2022 (87th Annual ABA National Convention)
- Indiana University (Bloomington) Wind Ensemble (Eric Smedley, conductor) – 22 February 2022
- Eastern Michigan University (Ypsilanti) Wind Symphony (Mary K. Schneider, conductor) – 21 February 2020 (CBDNA 2020 North Central Division Conference, Chicago, Ill.)
- Oregon State University (Corvallis) Wind Ensemble (Chris Chapman, conductor) -17 March 2018 (2018 Sutherland Wind Festival (Fresno, Calif.)
- Indiana University (Bloomington) Wind Ensemble (Steven Pratt, conductor) - 26 March 2015 (2015 CBDNA National Conference, Nashville)
- Indiana University Wind Ensemble (Stephen Pratt, conductor) - 17 February 2015
- University of South Florida (Tampa) Wind Ensemble (Matthew McCutchen, conductor) – 26 February 2010 (CBDNA 2010 Southern Division Conference, Oxford, Miss.)
- University of Montana (Missoula) Wind Ensemble (Steve Bolstad, conductor) – 15 March 2006 (CBDNA 2006 Western/Northwestern Division Conference, Reno, Nev.)
Works for Winds by This Composer
- as filaments of memory spin… (1998)
- Elegy and Quickstep (2006)
- Fanfares on Re for Ray (2003)
- Gloriana, Frangipana (2018)
- Incantation (1992)
- Myaku (1999)
- Nocturne (2007)
- Ra! (2003)
- Shadow Dance (2006)
- Shake, Rattle and Roll (2004)
- Snake Alley (1989/2010)
- Symphony No. 2 (2016)
- Two Celebratory Fanfares (1995/2007)
Resources
- Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music. "David Dzubay." Accessed 10 February 2015
- Dzubay, D. (2002). Ra! :Symphonic Band (Wind Ensemble) [score]. Pro Nova Music: Bloomington, Ind.