The PRIDE Of Minerva

Paloyoloyo by John Swain
Paloyoloyo was first written by an Anonymous Cahuilla Indian Composer, ca. 1600. This song is an extract from one of the cycles of song and celebration composed to commemorate the migration of the Cahilla to the land in what is now Southern California. A variety of instruments may have been used to accompany the songs, with the rattle and later, the drum, as the most common.

This composition is cast in two parts. The allegro sect is based on a fragment of the original melody that is passed through several sections of the band. The opening melody of the slow section in one voice of a woodwind trio. The third statement of the melody and countermelodies for full band is followed by the melody for one solo instrument with drum accompaniment. In effect, everything that comes before can be considered a fanfare to the presentation to this beautiful melody. –John Swain

Into The Storm by Robert W. Smith
Commissioned by the 1994 Augusta All-County Honors Band, Augusta County, Virginia
Into the Storm was inspired by the “Storm of the Century” , the great blizzard of 1993. This composer spent most of his life in the southern United States, far away from the viscous winter storms of the northeastern part of the country. Spending four days completely snow-bound prompted many hours of watching and listening to the spectacle of nature outside the comfort of a warm house and a roaring fire.

The Forge of Vulcan by Michael Sweeney
Commissioned by the Thomas Jefferson Middle School Band, Port Washington, WI
In Greek and Roman mythology, Vulcan was the god of fire and metal working. “The Forge of Vulcan” musically describes the moods and sounds of an imaginary workplace of this ancient blacksmith.

Voodoo by Dan Bukvich
Voodoo was a commission for the Idaho All-State Band in 1984. The piece was written specifically for the setting it would be premiered in, a gymnasium. Mel Shelton, a professor of conducting and composition at Boise State University, conducted it and was instrumental in pulling off the first successful performance of the piece. The educational purpose of the piece was to challenge the performers to listen to each other. “To accomplish this, it occurred to me to turn the lights off.” The piece is supposed to be performed from memory, without a conductor. It is as much a theatrical event as a piece of music, calling for the use of flashlights, arm waving, chanting, singing, blowing into brass mutes, surrounding the audience, and playing on parts of wind instruments, such as mouthpieces, trombone slides, and trumpets with tuning slides removed.
Voodoo, the band piece, is in no way related to the practice of religion. The name of the piece is derived from a conversation Bukvich had with his friend who was a missionary nun living in Guatemala. “She told me that the sounds of the jungle, at night time, reminded her of ‘those old Voodoo movies’ they used to watch,” he said. Many of these “sounds of the jungle” are imitated in Voodoo, the band piece. The primary melodic material is loosely based on a favorite Gregorian chant; he simply finds the melody appealing. It is also a smooth, flowing, conjunct melodic line which works well while singing the word “voodoo.

Cloudburst by Eric Whitacre
Cloudburst was my second classical work, originally written for chorus in the fall of 1991; it was inspired by an astonishing thunderstorm I witnessed earlier that Spring while on tour in Northern California.
In the fall of 2001 the Indiana All State commissioned me to write and original work for their top festival band, and I convinced them to let me adapt Cloudburst for symphonic winds. The way this new orchestration has transformed the piece is simply amazing to me; I distinctly remember being at the first rehearsal and just being completely speechless. Where the choral version is intimate and delicate, the version for winds is strong and assured, and to my ears it sounds like it’s suddenly in technicolor… on a 50 food screen.

Cloudburst was premiered on March 16th, 2002, at the Indiana All-State Festival, with yours truly at the helm of that magnificent band. It is lovingly dedicated to my dear friends and mentor, Dr. Jocelyn Kaye Jensen. –Eric Whitacre
Rumble On The High Plains by Michael Sweeney
Rumble on the High Plains draws its inspiration from events and characteristics related to the state of Kansas, both past and present. Commissioned by the Pratt High School Band, directed by Don Buhler, descriptive scenarios were suggested by students in the band. These along with ideas from the composer are listed below and offer a wide variety of possible correlations to the world “rumble” as it relates to this piece of music.

1. Approach and passing of a thunderous storm on the plains.
2. Thunder of buffalo herds in early times.
3. Covered wagons crossing the prairie landscape.
4. Civil and political unrest dividing the state in the 1800s.
5. Expansion of the railroads rumbling westward.
6. Low roar of B-29 war plains serviced in Pratt during WWII.
7. Distant rumble of combines and trucks as fields oh wheat are harvested.
8. Underlying pioneer spirit of perseverance, triumph and celebration.
However, the music itself stands on its own and does not seek to portray any specific setting or event. The vibrant and exhilarating nature of the composition is sure to evoke images and emotions, but the specifics are purposely left to the imagination of the listener.

Tangents Angular by Roland Barrett
The title of this piece was initially inspired by the trumpets obstinate figure that begins measure 27. While most sources, including the Oxford American Dictionary, define tangent as “a straight line that touch the outside of a curve but does not intersect it, ” the same sources also mention other common uses of the term, including phrases such as “going off on a tangent”. This often heard phrase means to veer or diverge from a set course or line of thought.