Tesseract
Subtitle: Scherzo for Madeleine
General Info
Year: 2022
Duration: c. 4:05
Difficulty: II-1/2 (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: James M. David
Cost: Score and Parts – Available December 2023
Instrumentation
Full Score
Flute I-II
Oboe
Bassoon
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II
Horn in F
Trombone I-II
Euphonium
Tuba
Piano (optional)
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III-IV-V, including:
- Bass Drum
- Chimes
- Crash Cymbals
- Hi-Hat
- Mark Tree
- Ride Cymbal
- Slapstick
- Snare Drum
- Suspended Cymbal
- Tambourine
- Tam-tam
- Triangle
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
My absolute favorite book from middle school was Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, the classic science fiction novel from 1962. A wonderfully rich cast of characters are thrust into a world beyond their comprehension, but it is only through empathy and friendship that they are able to struggle forward.
Central to the story is the fictional form of travel called the "tesseract" that involves transcending the bonds of our four dimensions to move light years in an instant. In the novel, the protagonist Meg and her companions use a tesseract to travel to the beautiful planet Uriel where they fly above powerful, centaur-like beings and confront "The Black Thing" for the first time.
My composition will depict this fantastic journey across dimensions in the form of a propulsive and energetic scherzo. Opening with mysterious crystalline textures for metallic percussion and woodwinds, a powerful accelerando follows from brass and drums to depict the dramatic tesseract itself. This gives way to "the flight above the centaurs" with a shift to a rollicking ostinato. After a brief terrifying encounter with "The Black Thing" the work concludes triumphantly as the journey ends for now.
- Program Note by composer
Media
None discovered thus far.
State Ratings
None discovered thus far.
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
- University of Iowa (Iowa City) University Band (Myron Peterson, conductor) - 1 May 2023
- Waukee (Iowa) Middle School 7th Grade Band (Mary Crandell, conductor) – 3 April 2023 *Premiere Performance*
Works for Winds by This Composer
Adaptable Music
- Lookfar (Adaptable Band) (2020)
- March Tumbao (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
- Menlo Park, 1879 (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
- Zephyrus (Flex instrumentation) (2019)
All Wind Works
- All Dark Is Now No More (2014)
- Auto '66 (2011)
- Big Four on the River (2014)
- Bright Window (2005)
- Codex Gigas. See: Symphony No. 1
- Dymaxion (2021)
- Flying Jewels (2021)
- From the Shaken Tower: Symphony for Percussion and Winds (2014)
- Ghosts of the Old Year (2016)
- Heartland Verses (2019)
- I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold (2017)
- Lookfar (Adaptable Band) (2020)
- March Tumbao (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
- Menlo Park, 1879 (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
- Message from Arecibo (2023)
- Octarine Spark (2009)
- Pavillons en L'Air (2009)
- Sinfonietta No 1 (2004)
- Sinfonietta No 3: "Strange and Mysterious Waters" (2010)
- Swing Landscape (2018)
- Symphony No. 1 (2020)
- Tesseract (2023)
- Troublesome Fire (2022)
- Two-Lane Blacktop (2013)
- Urban Light (2021)
- With Soul Serene (2019)
- Zephyrus (Flex instrumentation) (2019)
Resources
- James David website Accessed 29 April 2023