A drop fell on the apple tree,
Another on the roof;
A half a dozen kissed the eaves,
And made the gables laugh.

A few went out to help the brook,
That went to help the sea.
Myself conjectured, Were they pearls,
What necklaces could be!

The dust replaced in hoisted roads,
The birds jocoser sung;
The sunshine threw his hat away,
The orchards spangles hung.

The breezes brought dejected lutes,
And bathed them in the glee;
The East put out a single flag,
And signed the fete away.

Based on the poem ‘Summer Shower’ by Emily Dickinson, this piece is uses an arch form to show the progression of the weather and the decline in excitement for the fete, which has been ‘signed away’.
It opens with a simple marimba striking single  notes, symbolizing the first drops of rain. This is joined by a xylophone and a clavier, both suggesting increasing rainfall. Then a piccolo joins, representing the birds. The harp joins the ensemble, creating an image of yet more rain, and this initial section (A) ends with four notes from the strings, representing the line ‘made the gables laugh’ in the first stanza.
Section B begins with a solo clarinet playing the motif of the piece, a smooth melody to juxtapose the chaos that will occur as the piece develops and the shower worsens. This clarinet represents the children and their hope and excitement for the fete. The piccolo plays a shorter staccato version of the motif, representing birds singing. A second clarinet and a flute join with the theme in harmony, and pizzicato bass plays the motif underneath.
The next section, section C, represents the rain coming from all directions, and is depicted first by a harp with horn chords underneath, and then by a woodwind choir playing in a fugue. The motif is thrown between instruments, suggesting a further development of the storm. This then moves into the second part of this section, beginning with the theme being passed between the harp and bassoon, the harp representing the rain and the bassoon representing wet mud and dirt from the rain. The trumpets play a layered chordal section, and tremolo bass builds up underneath at the piccolo, which is still tweeting on top of everything, takes over.
The next section, the biggest, main section is section D, during which the strings move in a large chordal section with pizzicato bass playing a variation of the motif and harp is once again introduced. The harp in this section, long glissandos back and forth across the instrument, represent the wind rushing back and forth as the instruments around it play the motif, passing it across the orchestra. Chromatic pizzicato strings also represent the wind. Towards the second half of this section the brass come in. They play chords and there is a trumpet fanfare, representing the storm conquering the fete and forcing it to stop. 
As we return to section C, it is only the first half, with the woodwind choir. There are no trumpets or tremolo bass, and we return into the section B with the clarinet solo yet again, still representing the children and the disappointment of the fete being called off. The single plucked harp notes represent the drops of water from the beginning, the cause for the disappointment. The strikes of the wood block represent a hammer, taking down things that were set up for the fete. The piccolo, instead of going up in pitch, is instead inverted and goes from the higher note to the lower. 
Moving from section B back into section A, the theme is passed around the orchestra once more, ending with the bassoon. The piece finishes as it began, narrowed down to the percussion, piccolo and harp, with the strings ending the piece finally.



Summer Shower

Visitors - music for an animation

A remix created about a year ago as part of my coursework. figured it was worth a share. So here you go.

Apart from bass parts, every sound in this track is altered audio from the original track.

AngelaBRIT