Maritime Overture, A

Cast your self into a storm at sea with this fantastic piece from John Ireland. Turbulent rhythmic motives launch A Maritime Overture to blend into a more lyrical melody contrasting the opening. Don't be fooled though; the first rhythmic motive provides the underlay, a reminder that the calm surface of the sea is only masking the swirling water underneath!

Genre: Band | # of Players: Standard
Level: 5 | Duration: 10:00

Instrumentation
Piccolo
1st Flute
2nd Flute
1st Oboe
2nd Oboe
1st Bassoon
2nd Bassoon
Solo Bb Clarinet
1st Bb Clarinet
2nd Bb Clarinet
3rd Bb Clarinet
Eb Alto Clarinet
Bb Bass Clarinet
Bb Contra Bass Clarinet
Eb Alto Saxophone
Bb Tenor Saxophone
Eb Baritone Saxophone
Bb Bass Saxophone

Solo Bb Cornet
1st Cornet
2nd Cornet
1st Bb Trumpet
2nd Bb Trumpet
1st F Horn
2nd F Horn
3rd F Horn
4th F Horn
1st Trombone
2nd Trombone
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba

Timpani
Percussion [2 players] (Triangle, Castanets, Side Drum, Cymbals, Gong)

Program Notes
A Maritime Overture was written in 1944 and published in 1946. This edition was published in 1988. The score was prepared from the composer's full draft by Norman Richardson, and uses the same material as "Tritons" - a Symphonic Prelude for orchestra dating from the early 1900s. The development of the material however is different in each piece.

The work is conceived in F major - but it is 24 bars before Ireland establishes this tonality. Fortissimo chords of B-flat major open the work, and the Overture hovers between G minor and B-flat as a restless rhythmic motif is introduced.

As soon as F major is finally established it is contradicted as the music fragments, but the key is allowed a further 4 bars to consolidate before more lyrical interplay leads to a second idea, introduced by flutes and oboes in C major.

Marked 'espressivo e ben cantando' this is a complete contrast to the opening, although the first rhythmic motif provides the underlay - a reminder after the opening storms that the calm surface of the sea is only masking the swirling water underneath.

A Maritime Overture has a freer approach to form than say the first movement of a symphony might allow, enabling Ireland to introduce a totally new central section marked 'poco meno mosso' in F minor. A bold cornet (not trumpet) heralds this new idea, in a passage marked 'with freedom' and perhaps for the only time there is a true tranquility in the sextuplet accompaniment.

Thus the restlessness is suspended, but not for long, as the opening storm returns and a recapitulation allows the F major theme and the second theme - this time in the sub-dominant (B-flat) - to reassert themselves.