Blues Innovation by Carl Holmquist
for soprano, alto, and tenor saxophones
performed by members of St. Olaf College Jazz I

Blues Innovation

Sing, Willow
Grade 4
Wind Ensemble with antiphonal strings

Program Note:

When approached by Dr. Kitelinger with the idea of writing a work for the Wind Symphony and Symphony Orchestra to perform together, my mind seemed to be going in multiple directions with how this music could exist in time and space between these two ensembles, and instead of choosing one of the directions, I chose all of them. 

The orchestral string section will be surrounding the audience in the auditorium and the woodwinds, brass and percussion of the Wind Symphony will be on the stage. With this element of placement of the forces, my mind went to the polychoral music of Venetian composer, Giovanni Gabrieli, whose works would often focus on the interplay between groups of musicians that were separated by distance in a large space, St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice, as an example. 

My mind then went to the music of American Composer, Charles Ives, whose music at around the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries would also find ways to make elements of the music feel separated and disjointed. He would often achieve this through polytonality (music happening in multiple keys simultaneously) and through overlapping rhythmic and metric elements that would create a disjointedness in the music.

Finally, my mind - or maybe more, my heart - took me to an overall feeling of sadness, grief, frustration with where we find ourselves as a society of people in this world. I feel like we are struggling more and more to be connected to our fellow humans in positive and meaningful ways, both as individuals and as groups of people. This piece, "Sing, Willow" will attempt to tap into these thoughts and feelings. Here is how...

The strings begin by presenting a somber, original melody in the key of g minor. As the willow tree, you will hear the notes of the melody descend, rise, and descend again. As the piece unfolds, the strings will repeat this idea in cycles, each time with an additional layer of complexity. You will hear the theme played in canon. At the climax of the work, you will hear the strings' them played in a bitonal canon.They will move away from that climax by removing those complexities, eventually returning to our somber "Willow" theme.

And now for the band, who will present material that, at the onset, is aligned with what the strings are playing in the audience surrounding you. But as the music continues, what the woodwinds, brass and percussion will present will become less and less connected to the strings. Things will clash. Tensions will rise. It may feel a bit confusing or even overwhelming, likely because there will be moments where the music is existing in three different keys simultaneously! I have borrowed some of this melodic material from other sources. The woodwinds will present a tune that is from the Renaissance, typically performed in canon, sung to the text of "By the Waters of Babylon." The brass instruments, starting with the solo French Horn, present a common Kyrie melody, "Lord have mercy upon us..." 

Though the musical forces surrounding you will reach a point where it seems like they are no longer connected at all, I think it is a good reminder that they started out connected and that returning to that connectedness is not only possible, but essential.

Sing, Willow (SDSU Premiere)

Songbook: Concerto for Oboe and Winds is based on Sevdahlinka folk tunes from Sarajevo, Bosnia and was written to mark the 20th anniversary of the end of the siege of Sarajevo.  The work represents a collaboration between myself, oboist Katelyn Kyser, and Brian Bersh, director of the Yorktown High School Symphonic Band.  This recording is of the world premiere performance, which took place on May 25, 2016.

Songbook, Concerto For Oboe & Winds

Carl Holmquist is a composer, conductor, and music educator living in Annandale, VA.  He is the Director of Bands at the H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program in Arlington, VA.

Sing, Willow (SDSU Premiere)

carlholmquistcomposer

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