Band Bass Clarinet,
Clarinet 1, Clarinet 2,
Clarinet 3, Contrabass
Clarinet, Euphonium,
Flute 1, Flute 2, Horn 1,
Horn 2, Horn 3, Horn 4,
Oboe 1, Oboe 2,
Percussion 1, Percussion
2, Percussion 3,
Percussion 4, Percussion
5, Piccolo, String Bass
and more.
SKU:
PR.165000970
For
Band. Composed by Dan
Welcher. Folder.
Premiered by the
University of Texas
Symphony Band, Scott S.
Hanna, conductor, at
Butler School of Music,
UT/Austin, Austin, Texas.
Contemporary. Set of
Score and Parts. With
Standard notation.
Composed 14-Sep. 40
pages. Duration 7
minutes. Theodore Presser
Company #165-00097.
Published by Theodore
Presser Company
(PR.165000970).
ISBN
9781491100462. UPC:
680160626717. 9x12
inches.
Commissione
d by a consortium of 20
high school and
university bands
coordinated by Scott
Hanna of the University
of Texas at Austin,
Downshifting is inspired
by Welcher’s joy
of bicycle riding.
Welcher explains in the
program note: When I
decided to write a piece
for band that was
basically entertaining
and uplifting, it made
perfect sense to call it
Downshifting... With
three gears on the front
sprocket and seven on the
rear, it’s
possible to keep
one’s legs going
at a constant speed (for
me, q = 126) while the
bike itself may be moving
very slowly or very
quickly. I determined to
capitalize on this in
writing Downshifting,
which keeps the same
mathematical inner pulse,
‘shifting’
(with a ratchet) as the
terrain changes..
One
of the joys of life for
me is riding my 21-speed
bicycle. As a
basically non-athletic
person who nonetheless
likes to stay in shape, I
have found that riding my
bike provides just the
exercise I need. The
workout is strenuous, but
pleasant—and the
infinite variety of
scenery I pass keeps me
alert and wide awake.Â
When I decided to write a
piece for band that was
basically entertaining
and uplifting, it made
perfect sense to call it
Downshifting.With three
gears on the front
sprocket and seven on the
rear, it’s
possible to keep ones
legs going at a constant
speed (for me,
that’s 126 to the
quarter note) while the
bike itself may be moving
very slowly or very
quickly. I determined
to capitalize on this in
writing the music, which
manages to keep the same
mathematical inner pulse,
“shiftingâ€
(with a ratchet) as the
terrain changes. So
Downshifting begins with
that steady pulse, on a
grid of eighth notes in
2/4 to propel the little
vehicle forward.Â
There’s a joyous
little tune in our heads
as we begin our ride.Â
As the initial thrill of
riding on the flat gives
way to monotony, we stay
in that pulse for the
first minute or so of the
ride. Then, as the
first hill becomes
visible, we shift the
bike down: even though
the eighths are equal,
the pulse feels slower
(and we’re now in
6/8 time). Ultimately
the compound meter shifts
again as the climb
begins, and we’re
now plodding doggedly up
the hill. (The music
reflects all of these
changes, with subtitles
such as “Working
harder—Seeing the
climb, aheadâ€,
“Steady and
committed…the climb
begins!â€,
“Straining against
the gradeâ€,
etc.).There are two
hills, and two long
climbs (but in different
keys, reflecting the
change in scenery).Â
When at last the summit
of the second hill is
reached (“Flying,
Over the Topâ€), we
coast at last down the
other side at breakneck
speed. The initial
joyous melody returns,
but now in a spread-out
coasting pulse. At
the end of the ride, we
slow to a
stop—then take one
last sprint (shifting
five times in the
process) in order to end
on a biker’s
high.Downshifting was
commissioned by a
consortium of fourteen
high school and college
bands, overseen by my
longtime colleague at the
University of Texas,
Scott Hanna. The
piece is dedicated to him
(and to all bicycle
enthusiasts).
Going Down Slow
