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CONDUCTOR GRADE 5+ Weather The Storm Brian Ralston For Wind Ensemble Instrumentation ! Piccolo Flute 1 & 2 Oboe 1 Oboe 2 / English Horn Bb Clarinet 1 & 2 Bb Bass Clarinet Bb Contra Bass Clarinet Eb Alto Saxophone 1 & 2 Bb Tenor Saxophone Eb Baritone Saxophone Bassoon 1 & 2 Contra Bassoon Bb Trumpet 1 (2 players) Bb Trumpet 2 & 3 French Horn 1, 2, 3, 4 Tenor Trombone 1 & 2 Bass Trombone Euphonium 1 & 2 Tuba Piano / Celeste Harp 6 Percussion ! ( Timpani, Snare Drum, Large Bass Drum, Sus Cymbal, Large Piatti, Large Taiko Drum (or similar), Large Thunder Drum, Wind Machine, Patio Wind Chime, Triangle, Rainsticks, Large Shekere, Tambourine, Glockenspiel, Tubular Bells, Xylophone,! Marimba ) ! Published by Studio 74 Music (BMI) © Copyright 2016 - Studio 74 Music, LLC All Rights Reserved www.brianralston.com left blank. This page intentionally Program notes for the conductor:! ! Weather The Storm is a musical depiction inspired by the summer monsoon storms that rain upon the Arizona Sonoran desert daily throughout the summer months. The work is essentially told in 4 musical sections, but I did not write them in separate movements on purpose as the storm is meant to smoothly flow in its progression.! ! The opening aleatoric section is meant to replicate the distant but approaching sound of light rainfall and wind. Solo trumpet and french horn leads into the grandiose fanfare setting the stage for the grand Sonoran desert where these monsoon storms take place on a daily basis like clockwork. As the raindrops begin to fall harder and harder (letter D), the rain builds a kinetic energy. This constitutes the end of the first section. ! ! Letter H signals the beginning of the second section. The storm takes on a new, darker tone and becomes much more violent and destructive. ! ! Letter P is the beginning of the third section. This is the calm period after the storms, typically every night around midnight. The flash flood waters begin to recede and there is just peaceful calmness that soon give way to an early morning vibrance. From so much destruction hours before comes new life. The desert plants begin to come alive in the morning to a beautiful bloom. ! ! Letter U is the beginning of the final section of the piece. The Arizona desert is beautiful and majestic. If one could just fly around the sunny and cloudless blue skies and see all of the life that has been brought to bear from all of the rains the night before, they would feel the exhilaration in this section. The piece ends where it began, with its majestic fanfare, but now somewhat evolved and ready to begin the storm cycle all over again. ! ! It is the circle of life. Out of much power and destruction, often comes beauty and the replenishment of life. This is the story of Weather The Storm. ! ! Instrumental Notes:! ! • The opening aleatoric section is meant to replicate the sound of rainfall. Its timing should be free and (measure 1 and 2) can go on for as long as the conductor feels is needed to simulate and establish the sonic effect.! • Metered conducting begins at letter A with the entrance of the thunderous percussion.! • A large Thunder Tube should be used at letter A. The large Thunder Tube made by Remo was thought of when writing the piece. ! • The Wind Chimes in Weather The Storm should be the hanging tubular “patio” wind chimes you can find at most hardware stores, and NOT a mark tree.! • A Large Taiko Drum is indicated at Letter H, but if one is not available, any similar large diaphragm drum like large plastic trashcan drums, or a large low Tom Tom can be substituted provided there is a similar large lower sound emitted from playing the drum.! • If the large Shekere indicated at Letter D can not be acquired, other large shakers could be substituted.! • There is a poem written with one line to depict each section of the piece. If these “movements” or section titles were printed in the program, the intent is that they would be formatted as a 4 line poem as shown below that ultimately and distinctly tells the story of Weather The Storm, while at the same time giving a name to the different sections/ movements of the piece. i. POEM LINE 1! ii. POEM LINE 2! iii. POEM LINE 3! iv.