Glen Newton's composition for the 1983 West Bank School of Music composers' workshop was a four-movement suite, "The Elements", depicting the physical world as the ancients respected, feared, and misunderstood it:
Element. n.f. [elementum, Lat.]
.
.
.
2. The four elements, usually so called, are earth, fire, air, water, of which our world is composed.--- A Dictionary of the English Language by Samuel Johnson, Ll.D., Sixth Edition (1785)
Movement | Dave Edminster | Jon C. Nelson | Glen Newton | Dave Sletten | Maggie Brinich | Matt Barber |
Water | tenor sax 2 | trumpet (open and cup muted) | tenor sax 3 | tenor sax 1 | piano (normal, strummed & plucked) | glockenspiel, bell tree & Asian bells |
Air | bassoon | synthesizer | flute 2 | flute 1 | piano | bell tree |
Earth | bassoon | euphonium | tuba | clarinet | piano (at Walker); organ (at Wallace) | glockenspiel, snare drum & tenor drum |
Fire | alto shawm, bassoon & rackett | synthesizer | piccolo trumpet (open and straight muted), E-flat trumpet, soprano trombone (with solotone mute) & alto horn | bass clarinet | piano | bamboo wind chime slap, temple blocks, snare drum, vibra-slap, siren whistle & suspended cymbal |
Larry Weller conducted "The Elements" and several other of the pieces on the concert, which was presented Sunday, May 22, 1983, at the Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center of Macalester College and Sunday, May 29, at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.
"The Elements" was the last selection on the first half of the program. The program notes had this to say about it:
Water is based on a five-note motif introduced by the plucked strings of the piano which reappears often as a fragment of a countermelody in the other instruments.
Air begins with the sound of the wind. As time progresses, the wind acquires a focus and its glissando is transformed into a rapid scale-like passage. This is echoed by the bassoon, piano and mark tree, as the flutes provide an airy, sustained contour. The movement ends as it began, with wind.
Earth begins with a hymn-like introduction. The first theme, stated by the euphonium, leads into a 4-part hymn, with heavy vibrato. On the repeat, the wind instruments, sans vibrato, are joined by the keyboard and percussion.
Fire combines a tarantella and a march to depict the most destructive of the four elements.
Air depended heavily on the capabilities of Jon's analog synthesizer, a Roland SH-3. For example, the following instructions appear at the top of the synthesizer part for Air:
Tuesday, April 14, 2020.
Home
| About Us | Public
Performances | Sit-in Nights
| CDs | Meet
the Band | Picture Gallery
| FAQs | Songs
| History | Contact
Us | Search | Members' Corner
www.rosevillebigband.org