Renascence
2017
INSTRUMENTATION
Band |
DURATION
ca. 5 minutes |
GRADE
3.5 |
woodwinds | piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 3 Bb clarinets, Bb bass clarinet, bassoon
saxophones | 2 altos, tenor, baritone
brass | 2 horns, 3 Bb trumpets, 3 trombones, euphonium (bass or treble clef), tuba
percussion | timpani, 4 percussion
saxophones | 2 altos, tenor, baritone
brass | 2 horns, 3 Bb trumpets, 3 trombones, euphonium (bass or treble clef), tuba
percussion | timpani, 4 percussion
Renascence was inspired by the poem of the same name by Edna St. Vincent Millay. Millay lived in my region of Maine for part of her life, and her impact on the town of Camden in particular is evident. A statue of her stands in the harbor park, overlooking the bay. The opening verse of this poem can be found in many places around Camden, painted on the inner walls of our public library and etched into stone tablets on the top of Mount Battie:
All I could see from where I stood
Was three long mountains and a wood;
I turned and looked another way,
And saw three islands in a bay.
Renascence does more than just depict the natural beauty of Penobscot Bay. It is an epic story, and an epic-length poem for Millay, who was only twenty years old and nearly unknown at the time she wrote it. The protagonist goes through a dramatic transformation, a philosophical hero's journey, as she falls from innocence and experiences the pain of understanding others' suffering. Just when she seems unable to die, despite her intense longing for death, she reclaims her will to live and sees the world through new eyes, with appreciation for all the things around her.
Commissioned by the MSU Campus Band as a winner of the 2017 MSU Large Ensemble Composition Competition. Premiered on April 26, 2017, directed by Connor Fetting.
All I could see from where I stood
Was three long mountains and a wood;
I turned and looked another way,
And saw three islands in a bay.
Renascence does more than just depict the natural beauty of Penobscot Bay. It is an epic story, and an epic-length poem for Millay, who was only twenty years old and nearly unknown at the time she wrote it. The protagonist goes through a dramatic transformation, a philosophical hero's journey, as she falls from innocence and experiences the pain of understanding others' suffering. Just when she seems unable to die, despite her intense longing for death, she reclaims her will to live and sees the world through new eyes, with appreciation for all the things around her.
Commissioned by the MSU Campus Band as a winner of the 2017 MSU Large Ensemble Composition Competition. Premiered on April 26, 2017, directed by Connor Fetting.