Resplendent Light

From Wind Repertory Project
Tyler Grant

Tyler Grant


Subtitle: On Walden Pond


General Info

Year: 2016
Duration: c. 5:00
Difficulty: II-1/2 (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: FJH Music Co.
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $55.00   |   Score Only (print) - $6.00


Instrumentation

Full Score
Flute
Oboe
Bassoon
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Contra Alto Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II
Horn in F
Trombone I-II
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass (optional)
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III-IV, including:

  • Bass Drum
  • Bells
  • Crash Cymbals
  • Crotales
  • Suspended Cymbal
  • Triangle
  • Wind Chimes
  • Xylophone

Players clicking fingers


Errata

  • B-flat Bass Clarinet, m.59-60: Incorrect pitches. Refer to tuba part for correct pitches.
  • E-flat Baritone Saxophone, m.59-60: Incorrect pitches. Refer to tuba part for correct pitches.


Program Notes

This serene and introspective work is based on self-reflection and the need to block out the noise of the world. It is a magical and harmonically sophisticated work that is quite playable, yet offers a wealth of musical opportunities. Derived from the tenth chapter of Thoreau's Walden, the music will certainly depict a "resplendent light" at sunset and bring peace.

- Program Note from publisher


More often than not, the circumstances of life seem to happen when we least expect; at least, that’s the way it felt upon the genesis of Resplendent Light. Commissioned by a school in Concord, Massachusetts, it was suggested to me to use Henry David Thoreau’s Walden as a source of inspiration for this serene and introspective work. Anyone who has read Walden knows that one of the prominent overarching tones is “reflection”. I had just sketched the first few melodic ideas for the work when I received word that my grandfather had passed away after a long battle with heart disease. Upon the death of a loved one, one can’t help but become immersed in self-reflection -- reflecting on one’s own life and the lives of those around them. Much like the way Thoreau chose to distance himself from the rest of the world in order to reflect, I spent several weeks blocking out the noise of our perpetually loud world to focus on these reflective thoughts.

Upon returning to work on the piece, I began to notice parallels between the concepts in Thoreau’s text and the way my grandfather lived most of his life. While he did not share Thoreau’s viewpoint of transcendentalism, he was a simple man who lived most of his life on a farm in West Virginia. Seldom would he allow the “noise” of the outside world to pollute his life. He was self-reliant and taught his children to be the same. In many ways, this work became a tribute to his life and how, even though he is no longer here, his legacy still shines through those he knew.

The title derives from the tenth chapter of Walden. In his somewhat-borrowed description of the “resplendent light” at sunset, it accurately portrays the many evenings that I spent on the West Virginia farm that holds a significant place in my childhood.

Resplendent Light was commissioned by the Concord Middle School Bands of Concord, Massachusetts, and is dedicated to the memory of my grandfather, Robert Tabler Grant (1936-2015). My deepest thanks to directors Paul Halpainy and Christopher Noce for making this piece possible.

- Program Note by composer


Media


State Ratings

  • Arkansas: II

Performances

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Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music


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Resources

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