Skyscapes (2020, arr. 2021)

For Wind Symphony

Score sample here.

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When I was a young boy, probably around the first or second grade, I found myself fascinated with the weather. It didn’t matter whether it was a clear day or a stormy night, I always found myself full of wonder at just how much mother nature could switch things up, sometimes in the blink of an eye. Skyscapes seeks to both capture this childhood wonder as well as paint a picture in the mind’s eye of a few different weather conditions through the use of harmonies and special effects in the percussion.

Skyscapes was born out of a sketch that I initially wrote as my final project for my Theory IV class at Wayne State University; lots of quintal and quartal harmonies, as well as parallel motion and pedal points, are used throughout the chorale sections to create unique harmonies not often heard in grade 2 music. Additionally, the use of a rain stick, thunder tube, and scrapes on the suspended cymbal make for some very interesting special effects that will surely catch listeners’ ears, as well as serve as an easier introduction to these techniques for young players.