CART STATUS

CONCERTO SCION

Kevin M. Walczyk

wind ensemble   |   grade 5   |   22' duration   |   view score or solo

Concerto Scion was composed for clarinetist Joseph LeBlanc of "The President's Own" United States Marine Band and commissioned by a consortium of 18 university wind ensembles led by Dr. Paul Popiel and the University of Kansas Wind Ensemble.

The work's title, which can be defined as progeny, child, descendant, heir, or grafted, was selected since the two primary building blocks for the work's pitch materials are derived from the names of the composer's two adopted children - Gabriel and Sophia. The work musically captures the incessant energy, creativity, and capricious nature of these two children.

The opening movement, Rhapsody, is an abstract presentation of the pitch materials generated from the children's names. The opening three-note motive, which comes from Sophia's name, is present throughout all three movements and, along with the "Gabriel" and "Sophia" pitch matrices, serve as the concerto's unifying factor. The pitches associated with Sophia's name also lend themselves to the large-scale tonal centers of the seven-part form in the Rhapsody.

The second movement obtains its title, Reverie, from the fanciful musings and absent-minded daydreams that represent impractical notions that can only be born from the mind of a child. The solo clarinet represents these visions through two disparate musical ideas: a simple, lyrical melody alternating with multiple-sonority sections. These latter sections, which feature the soloist performing multiple notes simultaneously, lose their sense of focus on all musical fronts in order to obtain a meditative, daydream-like quality.

The third movement is entitled Xtoles, which is a children's folk song of Mayan descent that speaks to the anticipation of the sun returning to mark the beginning of spring. This particular folk song was selected since Gabriel is of Mayan lineage and the energy and momentum of the melody can almost keep up with the energy and momentum of Gabriel and Sophia!

The world premiere of Concerto Scion took place in Chiayi City, Taiwan as part of the 2011 World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE) conference and was performed by the Southern Illinois University (Edwardsville) Wind Symphony under the direction of Dr. John Bell with clarinet soloist Dr. James M. Hinson.

Recording...

Keveli Music gratefully acknowledges Dr. John Bell and the Southern Illinois University Wind Ensemble and clarinet soloist James Hinson (pictured here) for this live recording of Concerto Scion (recorded in April 2011). Please note: This recording features extended excerpts from each movement.

Instrumentation...

Clarinet and Wind Ensemble

• solo Bb clarinet
• flutes 1-3 - 3rd doubles piccolo
• oboes 1-2 - 2nd doubles english horn
• clarinets - clarinets 1-3, bass clarinet, and contra-alto clarinet
• bassoons 1-2
• saxophones - 2 altos, 1 tenor, and baritone
• F horns 1-4
• Bb trumpets 1-3
• trombones 1-3 - 3rd is bass trombone
• euphonium - treble clef and bass clef
• tuba
• timpani
• percussion 1 - vibraphone, xylophone & triangle
• percussion 2 - marimba, suspended cymbal, glockenspiel & 2 suspended gongs (medium small & medium)
• percussion 3 - chimes, glockenspiel, 2 bongos, bell tree, bass drum, suspended cymbal, crash cymbals, & orchestral sleigh bells
• percussion 4 - tam-tam, triangle, suspended cymbal, bass drum, ride cymbal, and tambourine
• harp
• string bass

Commissioning Consortium...