Concert Band - Level 3 - Digital Download
SKU: A0.971613
Composed by Jonathan S. Laflamme. 20th Century,Christmas,Renaissance. Score and parts. 114 pages. Jonathan S. Laflamme #2018099. Published by Jonathan S. Laflamme (A0.971613).
HUMILITY by Jonathan S. Laflamme ©2012 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. Isaiah 9:2* Humility seeks to draw attention to the Advent portion of the holiday season. This programmatic composition seeks to create an aural picture of the atmosphere both physically and spiritually in the eastern world B. C. and then try and connect it to Christmas traditions today. Students will really enjoyed rehearsing and performing this piece because of it’s programmatic nature, use of a plethora of percussion as well as some unusual uses of and combinations of instruments. Piccolo flute in the low register, soprano saxophone, open tom drums and oboe to create some Middle Eastern ambiance. Then, in order to create ‘the land of the shadow of death’ some unusual techniques call for whispers through instruments, french horns ringing their hands in and out of the bell, flutes playing on the head joints only, attaching a tenor saxophone mouthpiece to a euphonium and a baritone saxophone mouthpiece to a sousaphone. Add some trumpets and trombones playing only on their lead pipes and double reeds buzzing on just the reed and a haunting canvas to build the chaos of a world without salvation is created. Then, with the calming of the piano to present an extremely stark and hallow arrangement of the 7th century antiphon Veni Immanuel, ‘O Come, O Come Immanuel’ which crescendos to the coming of the savior at measure 128 precipitates the a highly antiphonal arrangement of ‘Joy to World.’ The piece concludes with the same chord it started with-a bright C major! This is done in the beginning to show the intention of a beautiful creation story without death and in the end as kind of a, this is just the beginning, sentiment by way of a half cadence. After all, in regards to this composition, Christmas day is just the beginning of the purpose of the Word made flesh. While this piece has some characteristics of ‘novelty band music’ there are plenty of technical demands that must be met in order to make it a legitimate concert band literature selection. *THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.
