SKU: PR.114418370

ISBN 9781491111987. UPC: 680160641895.

Dramatic and declaratory, THE TRUMPETS AT JERICHO is a 5½-minute fantasy inspired by the famous biblical story, including captions in the music as the drama unfolds. The Israelites cross the Jordan River in pursuit of the conquest of Canaan, with Jericho as the first city in their path. They circled the city’s walls once a day for six days, led by blaring trumpets. THE TRUMPETS AT JERICHO traces the Israelites’ activities on the seventh day, in which they circle the walls seven times, triumphantly bringing down the walls amidst trumpet blasts. The work ends with the trumpets paying tribute to Jericho’s dead.
When the Chicago Chamber Musicians commissioned me to write a new work for trumpeters Barbara Butler and Charlie Geyer, Barbara and Charlie told me about several historical and fictional stories that involved trumpets. One that vividly captured my imagination was the battle of Jericho. In this biblical story, the Israelites cross the Jordan River in their pursuit of the conquest of Canaan; Jericho was the first city in their path. As instructed by God, the Israelites circled the city’s walls once a day for six days, led by blaring trumpets. The Trumpets at Jericho traces the Israelites’ activities on the seventh day, in which they circle the walls seven times and triumphantly bring down the walls amidst trumpet blasts. The piece ends with the trumpets paying tribute to Jericho’s dead.