Tyger, The

From Wind Repertory Project
Frank Ticheli

Frank Ticheli


General Info

Year: 2008
Duration: c. 5:35
Difficulty: VI (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Manhattan Beach Music
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $250.00   |   Score Only (print) - $35.00


Instrumentation

Full Score
Flute I-II-III-IV (III & IV doubling Piccolo)
Oboe I-II
English Horn
Bassoon I-II
Contrabassoon
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III-IV
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III-IV
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
Piano
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III, including:

  • Bass Drum
  • Castanets
  • Claves
  • Glockenspiel
  • Maracas
  • Snare Drum
  • Suspended Cymbal (2)
  • Temple Blocks
  • Timbales
  • Tom-Tom (4)
  • Triangle
  • Vibraphone
  • Vibra-slap
  • Wood Block
  • Xylophone


Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

The Tyger takes its title from William Blake’s well known poem of the same name, published in 1794 as one of the Songs of Experience.

The connection of my piece to Blake’s poem stems from my life-long love of Blake and his poetry. I was particularly drawn to “Tyger” for its dark energy. Power, terror, and awe are all symbolized by the tiger in the poem’s opening stanza:

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

Like the poem, my piece possesses an unsettling, at times terrifying, quality, exploring the darker side of existence. There is also a striking similarity between a tiger’s hunting and survival habits and my own work’s dramatic structure: long periods of quiet suspense are overcome by sudden explosions of violent energy.

The Tyger begins in the lowest register and gradually reveals a dark, driving ostinato. First appearing in the piano, the ostinato is varied and passed around the ensemble and contributes mightily to the work’s incessant, predatory quality. The energy never ceases, even during quiet periods. The tension mounts to reach its apex at the end -- a violent twelve-tone chord pounding furiously in repeated sixteenth notes, the haunting ostinato still sounding below.

- Program Note by composer


Media


State Ratings

None discovered thus far.


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

  • University of Louisiana at Lafayette Wind Ensemble (William J. Hochkeppel, conductor) - 18 March 2023
  • Oklahoma City (Okla.) University Wind Philharmonic (Matthew Mailman, conductor) - 12 April 2022
  • University of Nebraska (Lincoln) Wind Ensemble (Carolyn Barber, conductor) - 1 December 2021
  • University of Wyoming (Laramie) (Robert Belser, conductor) – 13 February 2020
  • Northeastern State University (Tahlequah, Okla.) Wind Ensemble (James Adams, conductor) – 27 September 2018


Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music


All Wind Works


Resources