Wishing Well, The
General Info
Year: 2019
Duration: c. 5:00
Difficulty: III-1/2 (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Associated Music Publishers, distributed by Hal Leonard
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $75.00; (digital) - $75.00 | Score Only (print) - $7.50
Instrumentation
Full Score
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
Bassoon I-II
B-flat Soprano 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 I-II
String Bass
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III, including:
- Crash Cymbals
- Glockenspiel
- Snare Drum
- Suspended Cymbal
- Triangle
- Vibraphone
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
European folklore describes a wishing well as a sacred place where one could utter a wish and then drop a coin into the well as payment. As legend has it, if the coin lands heads up, the guardian of the well would grant the wish, but if the coin lands tails up, the wish would be ignored.
The Wishing Well paints a musical portrait of a young child approaching a well and making their wish. The music ebbs and flows, utilizing solo instruments as well as the full ensemble, to describe the water at the bottom of the well. At the musical climax, the full ensemble states the main theme as the child tosses the coin into the well and we follow its journey down to the water. Delicate melodies, warm harmonies and lush orchestration capture the essence of the child's wish. As the music tapers away during the final chords, we learn that the child has been granted their wish.
- Program Note from Ocean Springs High School Wind Symphony concert program, 4 March 2020
At the end of December [2018], the Harborfields High School Wind Ensemble premiered a composition dedicated to the late Bob Domencetti, one of the district’s beloved past band directors.
“When Bob suddenly passed away in 2014, we wanted to find a meaningful way to honor him through music,” said Harborfields High School Band Director Allison Scilla.
Many of Domencetti’s family, friends and former students, taken with the idea, helped fund a commission penned by world renowned composer Rossano Galante. Using knowledge shared about Domencetti’s life and work, Galante crafted and completed an encomium entitled The Wishing Well in the summer of 2018. The high school wind ensemble began rehearsing the piece in the fall.
A week prior to the premiere, Galante traveled from California to Harborfields High School to work with the band. He spent the day teaching and rehearsing with students, and he shared the good news that this composition will be published by G. Schirmer in 2019.
“Through publication and giving other schools the opportunity to perform The Wishing Well Bob’s legacy will live on and grow,” said Harborfields K-12 Music Department Coordinator Daniel Bilawsky.
- Program Note from Harborfields Central School District
Media
- Audio: Reference recording. Ensemble and conductor unknown
- Audio flash drive: Ocean Springs (Miss.) High School Wind Symphony (Mohamad Schuman, conductor) – 2020
State Ratings
- Texas: III. Complete
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
- Repasz Band (Williamsport, Penn.) (Christian Wilhjelm, conductor) - 8 October 2023
- Moanalua (Hi.) Middle School Symphonic Band (Ryan Howe, conductor) - 7 April 2023
- Keller (Tx.) High School Wind Ensemble (Ryan Heath, conductor) - 16 December 2021 (2021 Midwest Clinic)
- Heart of Texas (San Antonio) Concert Band (R. Mark Rogers, conductor) - 7 March 2021
- Ocean Springs (Miss.) High School Wind Symphony (David Gregory, conductor) - 4 March 2020 (86th Annual ABA National Convention)
- Ocean Springs (Miss.) High School Wind Symphony (Randall O. Coleman, conductor) – 22 February 2020 (CBDNA 2020 Southern Division Conference, Natchitoches, La.)
Works for Winds by This Composer
- Afterlife (2015)
- Arabian Sandscapes (2019)
- Ascent from Darkness (2022)
- Aurora Borealis (2016)
- Beyond the Horizon (2009)
- A Childhood Remembered (2013)
- Colorado Rockies (2019)
- Crosslands (1994)
- The Cry of the Last Unicorn (2010)
- Desert Overture Fanfare (2023)
- Existence Infinite (2022)
- The Falcon of Egypt (2023)
- The Falls (2018)
- Freedom Defended (2021)
- God's Country (2014)
- Hypnotic Memories (2017/2019)
- Journey of the Sequoia
- Journey Through the Stratosphere (2018)
- Journey to the Lion's Castle (2011)
- Land of the Healing Waters (2019)
- Landscapes (Brass Quintet) (2013)
- Landscapes (Wind Ensemble) (2013)
- The Last Centaur (2015)
- Lexicon of the Gods (2015)
- Liberty (2017)
- Life Eternal (2022)
- Midnight Ride (2023)
- Mischievous Behavior (2022)
- Mt Everest (2010)
- Nostalgia (2017)
- Phoenix Ascending (2020)
- Raise of the Son (1998)
- Redemption (2011)
- Red Rock Mountain (2016)
- The Redwoods (2006)
- Resplendent Glory (2005)
- Rise (2019)
- Rise of the Silver City (2017)
- The River Seneca (2017)
- Sailing with Whales (2020)
- San Andreas Landscapes (2016)
- The Sword of the Titans (2018)
- They Solemnly Served (2019)
- Transcendent Journey (2010)
- Vertical Acceleration (2018)
- Victory (2019)
- Whispers from Beyond (2017)
- The Wilderness (2019)
- The Winged Stallion (2012)
- The Wishing Well (2018)
- The Wolves of Alaska
Resources
- "The Wishing Well – A Tribute." Harborfields Central School District. Accessed 4 February 2020
- Perusal score