As the Sun Rises (String Orchestra Gr. 3)

Although As the Sun Rises is not strictly programmatic, the composer was inspired watching a stunningly beautiful sunrise on the Atlantic ocean’s horizon while sitting on a beach in South Florida. The opening bars depict the soft glow of light that precedes the appearance of the sun itself, while the rest of the piece is an expression of his sense of joy, awe, and smallness at witnessing the beauty of the sun rising over the ocean.

Genre: String Orchestra | # of Players: 8-8-5-5-5
Series: Emerald Orchestra Series
Level: 3 | Duration: 6:15

Instrumentation
Conductor's Score (8.5"x11" booklet)

Violin I
Violin II
Viola
Cello
Bass

Program Notes
Although As the Sun Rises is not strictly programmatic, I was inspired watching a stunningly beautiful sunrise on the Atlantic ocean’s horizon while sitting on a beach in South Florida. The first 24 measures depict the soft glow of light that precedes the appearance of the sun itself (measure 25). The rest of the piece is an expression of my sense of joy, awe, and smallness at witnessing the beauty of the sun rising over the ocean. String players performing this piece are encouraged to produce a beautiful, rich, warm string tone on every note, and to pay careful attention to bow speed, placement, and weight when varying dynamics from ppp to ff.