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Steampunk Suite

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Erika Svanoe

Erika Svanoe (transcribed by the composer)


General Info

Year: 2015 / 2017
Duration: c. 15:35
Difficulty: VI (see Ratings for explanation)
Original Medium: Chamber ensemble
Publisher: Swan Maiden Press
Cost: Score and Parts - (print) $250.00; (digital) $200.00


Movements

1. Charlie and the Mechanical Man Marching Band - 3:55
2. The Strange Case of Dr. Curie and Madam Hyde - 3:45
3. Bertie Wells attends Mr. Verne's Lecture on Flying Machines - 3:48
4. Barnum & Tesla's Tandem Bicycle - 2:45


Instrumentation

Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
Bassoon I-II
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-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
Double Bass
Percussion I-II-III-IV, including:

  • Bass Drum
  • Bicycle Bell
  • Castanets
  • Cowbell
  • Crash Cymbals
  • Hi-Hat
  • Hotel Desk Bell
  • Low Tom
  • Marching Machine
  • Marimba
  • Ratchet
  • Ride Cymbal
  • Snare Drum
  • Splash Cymbal
  • Suspended Cymbal
  • Tambourine
  • Temple Blocks
  • Triangle
  • Two-Pitched Bike Horn
  • Vibraphone
  • Xylophone


Errata

In Score and Parts:

  • Movement 1
    • Bassoon II, m. 48: Should have an Ab.
    • Xylophone, m. 111: Should have a G.
    • Percussion, m. 216: Cowbell note on the and of 1 should be added to the bass drum part, and deleted from the cowbell. The final splash cymbal should indicate "choke" at the end.
  • Movement 2
    • Trombone I & II, m. 72-32: Should glissando from D down to G#
    • Trombone I & II, m. 74-75: Should glissando from D down to A
    • Trombone I & II, m. 77-78: Should glissando from Bb up to D
    • Trombone I, m. 82-83: Should glissando from D down to G#
  • Movement 4
    • Trombone I, m.131: Missing a glissando between A on beat 2 to the Bb in the next bar.


Program Notes

Steampunk refers to a subgenre of science fiction and sometimes fantasy that incorporates technology and aesthetic designs inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery. It places an emphasis on steam- or spring-propelled gadgets. The most common historical steampunk settings are often set in the Victorian era, but in an alternative history where technology employs steam power. It may, therefore, be described as neo-Victorian. Steampunk features retro-futuristic inventions as people in the 19th century might have envisioned them, and is likewise rooted in the era's perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, and art. Such technology may include fictional machines like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne. (Wikipedia)

Steampunk Suite attempts to depict various scenes that take place in a fictional alternate history that features notable people alive in the Victorian era, including Charles Ives, Marie Curie, H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, P.T. Barnum and Nikola Tesla. It borrows from popular music of the era, including the cakewalk, march, and waltz, and combines them with sounds of clockwork and imagined steam technology. It also borrows various musical elements from numerous composers of time, including Ives, Sousa, Satie, Karl King, Stravinsky, and Weill, with some Khachaturian and Danny Elfman thrown in for good measure. This piece has been transcribed for wind ensemble from the original chamber work Steampunk Scenes by the composer.

- Program Note by composer


Steampunk Suite for band was adapted from Steampunk Scenes for chamber ensemble. The fanciful titles of each of the four movements:

  • Charlie and the Mechanical Man Marching Band
  • The Strange Case of Dr. Curie and Madam Hyde
  • Bertie Wells attends Mr. Verne’s lecture on flying machines
  • Barnum and Tesla’s Tandem Bicycle

pay homage to the literary genre of steampunk. Steampunk has many variations but is most often defined as neo-Victorian. In these works, steam power dominates technology, and there is often an anachronistic element involved. Some examples of the genre include alternative history set in the British Victorian era, or a post-apocalyptic future where steam power is still used to power our modern technology. As seen in the movement titles of Svanoe’s composition, inspiration is drawn from famous figures of the Victorian era and their inventions to create a quirky composition. She relies on musical traditions and forms from the past while infusing those traditions with modern techniques to create a unique and fun composition.

- Program Note from publisher


Media


State Ratings

None discovered thus far.


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

  • Luther College (Decorah, Iowa) Concert Band (Cory Near, conductor) - 8 April 2022
  • University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Wind Symphony (John R. Stewart, conductor) – 7 April 2022 (CBDNA 2022 North Central Conference, Madison, Wisc.)
  • University of Louisiana at Lafayette Symphonic Winds (Jason Missal, conductor) - 24 February 2022
  • Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory (Berea, Ohio) Symphonic Wind Ensemble (Brendan Caldwell, conductor) - 11 February 2022
  • University of New Hampshire (Durham) Wind Symphony (Andrew Boysen, Jr., conductor) - 14 November 2021
  • Luther College (Decorah, Iowa) Concert Band (Cory Near, conductor) - 3 October 2021
  • University of North Florida (Jacksonville) Concert Band (Erin Bodnar, conductor) - 6 April 2021
  • Murray (Ky.) State University Wind Ensemble (Brent Johnson, conductor) - 16 February 2021
  • Farmington (Minn.) High School Wind Ensemble (Erin Holmes, conductor) - 11 February 2021
  • University of Colorado Boulder Symphonic Band (Branden Steinmetz, conductor) – 28 February 2020
  • Association of Texas Small School Bands (ATSSB) Symphonic Band (Eugene Migliaro Corporon, conductor) - 15 February 2020 (2020 TMEA Conference, San Antonio)
  • Westchester Symphonic Winds (Tarrytown, N.Y.) (Curt Ebersole, conductor) – 9 February 2020
  • Baylor University (Waco, Texas) Symphonic Band (Isaiah Odajima, conductor) – 7 February 2020
  • Purdue Fort Wayne (Ind.) Symphonic Band (Daniel Tembras, conductor) – 5 December 2019
  • Western Carolina University (Cullowhee, N.C.) Wind Ensemble (Margaret Underwood, conductor)– 15 November 2019
  • University of Southern Main (Gorham) Concert Band (Jackie Townsend, conductor) – 5 October 2019
  • University of Arkansas (Fayetteville) New Music Ensemble (Benjamin Lorenzo, conductor) – 30 April 2019
  • Brigham Young University (Provo, Utah) Wind Symphony (Don L. Peterson, conductor) – 12 April 2019
  • Spartan Youth Wind Symphony (East Lansing, Mich.) (Arris Golden, conductor) – 2 December 2018
  • Ohio State University (Columbus) Wind Symphony (Russel Mikkelson, conductor) - February 2017 *Premiere Performance*


Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music


All Wind Works


Resources

  • Erika Svanoe website
  • Errata List
  • The Horizon Leans Forward…, compiled and edited by Erik Kar Jun Leung, GIA Publications, 2021, p. 492.
  • Thompson, Ken. "Steampunk Suite." In Teaching Music through Performance in Band. Volume 12, Compiled and edited by Andrew Trachsel, 856-862. Chicago: GIA Publications, 2021.
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