West Highlands Sojourn

Robert Sheldon

This work bears the designation Opus 39.

General Info

Year: 1993
Duration: c. 6:35
Difficulty: III (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: C L Barnhouse Company
Cost: Score & Parts - $68.00 | Score Only - $6.00

Movements

1. Stow-on-the-Wold - 1:38
2. Bradford Ballade - 2:50
3. On Derwentwater - 1:40

Instrumentation

Full Score
Piccolo
Flute
Oboe
Bassoon
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
E-flat Alto Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III
French Horn I-II
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III, including:

Bass Drum
Crash Cymbals
Glockenspiel
Snare Drum
Suspended Cymbal
Tambourine
Triangle
Tubular Bells
Xylophone

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

Inspired by this popular composer’s journey through the western hill country of England and Wales, this delightful piece borrows from folk melodies he heard on a river near the Scottish border. The three contrasting sections of the piece make it equally suitable for concert or contest use, and Sheldon’s artful scoring makes this one of the nicest new pieces we have heard.

West Highlands Sojourn was commissioned by the Cobb Middle School Band, Tallahassee, Florida, J. William Miller, director.

- Program Note from publisher

West Highlands Sojourn was inspired by the composer’s travels to the western hill country of England and Wales. The work, in three contrasting movements, is a perfect example of Sheldon’s “real music” for a young band.

The first movement, Stow-on-the-Wold, refers to a rural destination, a market town in Gloucestershire, England. The town is full of stone houses, hotels, shops, and quaint restaurants and tea houses. The music of the first movement is a light, cheerful march.

Bradford Ballade, the second movement, takes us to a borough in Northern England. Bradford, currently a populous area, has an industrial history. The region is now a bustling, metropolitan area, full of shopping and culture, and surrounded by beautiful rolling hillsides and meadows. The lovely, gentle melodies of Bradford Ballade evoke a relaxing, mellow hike through the picturesque countryside.

The third movement, Derwentwater, takes its name from a big lake in northwest England. Derwentwater is a popular vacation destination, with walking trails, swimming, fishing, and boating. Sheldon composed the movement in a brisk 6/8, with several hemiolic interchanges between the brass and the woodwinds.

- Program Note by Nancy Moser for the Joaquin Miller Middle School Advanced Band concert program, 21 February 2015

West Highlands Sojourn was commissioned by the Cobb Middle School Band, Tallahassee, Florida, J. William Miller, director.

- Program Note from publisher

Media

(Needed - please join the WRP if you can help.)

State Ratings

Alabama: Class CC
Florida: III
Georgia: III
Iowa: III
Indiana: ISSMA SENIOR BAND GROUP II
Louisiana: III
Minnesota: MN HS LEAGUE BAND GRADE 3
Mississippi: VI-A, V-A,VI-A
North Carolina: IV
Oklahoma: III-A
South Carolina: IV
Tennessee: II. Complete
Texas: II. (2 contrasting mvts.)
Texas: III. Complete
Virginia: IV
Wisconsin: II. Complete

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

University of South Carolina (Columbia) University Bands (Quintus F. Wrighten, Jr., conductor) - 19 April 2022
University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa) Concert Band (Kevin Welborn, conductor) –2 December 2019
Randolph (N.J.) High School Concert Band (Michael Lichtenfeld, conductor) – 6 March 2019
Allan Hancock College (Santa Maria, Calif.) Concert Band (Greg Stoll, conductor) – 10 March 2018
Ohio State University (Columbus) Scarlet High School Honor Band (Scott A. Jones, conductor) – 14 January 2018
Cypress Symphonic Band (Houston, Tex.) (Clarence Weeks, conductor) – 25 March 2017
New Deal (Tx.) High School Lion Pride Band (James Nance, conductor) - 9 February 2017 (2017 TMEA Conference, San Antonio)
Joaquin Miller Middle School (San Jose, Calif.) Advanced Band (Nancy Moser, conductor) - 21 February 2015 (2015 CMEC Conference, Fresno)
California State University, Fresno, Symphonic Band (David Fullmer, conductor) - 15 March 2013 (2013 Sutherland Wind Festival (Fresno, Calif.))

Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music

Pevensey Castle (Flex instrumentation) (1993/2012)
West Highlands Sojourn (Flex instrumentation) (1993/2014)

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West Highlands Sojourn (1993)
West Highlands Sojourn (Flex instrumentation) (1993/2014)
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Winds of Morocco (2001)
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Resources

Robert Sheldon website Accessed 3 September 2021
Sheldon, R. (1993). West Highlands Sojourn [score]. C.L. Barnhouse: Oskaloosa, Iowa.