SKU: PR.16500092L

UPC: 680160039531. 11 x 17 inches.

Zion is the third and final installment of a series of works for Wind Ensemble inspired by national parks in the western United States, collectively called Three Places in the West. As in the other two works (The Yellowstone Fires and Arches), it is my intention to convey more an impression of the feelings I've had in Zion National Park in Utah than an attempt at pictorial description. Zion is a place with unrivalled natural grandeur, being a sort of huge box canyon in which the traveler is constantly overwhelmed by towering rock walls on every side of him -- but it is also a place with a human history, having been inhabited by several tribes of native Americans before the arrival of the Mormon settlers in the mid-19th century. By the time the Mormons reached Utah, they had been driven all the way from New York State through Ohio and, with tragic losses, through Missouri. They saw Utah in general as a place nobody wanted, but they were nonetheless determined to keep it to themselves. Although Zion Canyon was never a Mormon Stronghold, the people who reached it and claimed it (and gave it its present name) had been through extreme trials. It is the religious fervor of these persecuted people that I was able to draw upon in creating Zion as a piece of music. There are two quoted hymns in the work: Zion's Walls (which Aaron Copland adapted to his own purposes in both is Old American Songs and the opera The Tender Land) and Zion's Security, which I found in the same volume in which Copland found Zion's Walls -- that inexhaustible storehouse of 19th-century hymnody called The Sacred Harp. My work opens with a three-verse setting of Zion's Security, a stern tune in F-sharp minor which is full of resolve. (The words of this hymn are resolute and strong, rallying the faithful to be firm, and describing the city of our God they hope to establish). This melody alternates with a fanfare tune, whose origins will be revealed in later music, until the second half of the piece begins: a driving rhythmic ostinato based on a 3/4-4/4 alternating meter scheme. This pauses at its height to restate Zion's Security one more time, in a rather obscure setting surrounded by freely shifting patterns in the flutes, clarinets, and percussion -- until the sun warms the ground sufficiently for the second hymn to appear. Zion's Walls is set in 7/8, unlike Copland's 9/8-6/8 meters (the original is quite strange, and doesn't really fit any constant meter), and is introduced by a warm horn solo. The two hymns vie for attention from here to the end of the piece, with the glowingly optimistic Zion's Walls finally achieving prominence. The work ends with a sense of triumph and unbreakable spirit. Zion was commissioned in 1994 by the wind ensembles of the University of Texas at Arlington, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Oklahoma. It is dedicated to the memory of Aaron Copland.

SKU: CF.CPS210F

ISBN 9781491153048. UPC: 680160910540.

A driving composition from Sean O'loughlin,?Commence!?begins with a spirited theme that oscillates between triple and duple meter. After developing into a heartfelt lush brass chorale, the lilting theme returns again. The composition concludes with a dramatic return of the B theme and a rousing finale. A beautiful piece,?Commence!?is a?strong choice for any contest or festival.

Commence! was commissioned by the Lynden High School Class 2017-2019 and the Lynden, WA Community, and is dedicated to Steve Herrick in celebration of his retirement. Mr. Herrick and I first collaborated on a commission in 2006, and I was immediately taken by the community and the music program in Lynden. It is truly one of the most beautiful places in the country and full of musical inspiration at every turn.

This piece is a loving tribute to Mr. Herrick and his amazing contribution to the students of Lynden for over thirty years. The music begins with a spirited section oscillating between 6/8 and 2/4 time. It should maintain a pulsing feeling throughout. The main melody appears at m. 25 and has a lilting, reminiscing quality to it. After some further development, it moves to a B-section at m. 41 with some warm brass passages. The woodwinds should soar over the top with their counter line. The lower voices take over the melody at m. 59. The harmony becomes more discordant at m. 71 with passages trading between the brass and woodwinds.

This tension releases into a slow section that features a flowing, heartfelt melody. This builds to the big moment at m. 112. The timpani ushers us back to the 6/8, 2/4 section. The melody is now accompanied by some flowing counterpoint at m. 153 which leads to the B-section again at m. 169. This time the woodwinds take the lead and the brass provide the counter line. A final big moment at m. 194 is the culmination and high point of the composition. A brief fast section puts a bow on the piece for a rousing finale.

Commence! was commissioned by the Lynden High School Class 2017-2019 and the Lynden, WA Community, and is dedicated to Steve Herrick in celebration of his retirement. Mr. Herrick and I first collaborated on a commission in 2006, and I was immediately taken by the community and the music program in Lynden. It is truly one of the most beautiful places in the country and full of musical inspiration at every turn.

This piece is a loving tribute to Mr. Herrick and his amazing contribution to the students of Lynden for over thirty years. The music begins with a spirited section oscillating between 6/8 and 2/4 time. It should maintain a pulsing feeling throughout. The main melody appears at m. 25 and has a lilting, reminiscing quality to it. After some further development, it moves to a B-section at m. 41 with some warm brass passages. The woodwinds should soar over the top with their counter line. The lower voices take over the melody at m. 59. The harmony becomes more discordant at m. 71 with passages trading between the brass and woodwinds.

This tension releases into a slow section that features a flowing, heartfelt melody. This builds to the big moment at m. 112. The timpani ushers us back to the 6/8, 2/4 section. The melody is now accompanied by some flowing counterpoint at m. 153 which leads to the B-section again at m. 169. This time the woodwinds take the lead and the brass provide the counter line. A final big moment at m. 194 is the culmination and high point of the composition. A brief fast section puts a bow on the piece for a rousing finale.