Call of the Righteous (Leslie Condon)

Call of the Righteous is a tone poem that uses the Gospel song melody "When the Roll is Called Up Yonder" as its main theme. Set in a fast-slow-fast form, this thrilling and dramatic work is accessible and listenable at every level, with plenty to challenge on both technical and musical levels.

Genre: Band | # of Players: Standard
Level: 4.5 | Duration: 7:55

Instrumentation
Flute 1
Flute 2/Piccolo
Oboe 1
Oboe 2
B-flat Clarinet 1
B-flat Clarinet 2
B-flat Clarinet 3
E-flat Alto Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
Bassoon 1
Bassoon 2
Alto Saxophone 1
Alto Saxophone 2
Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone

B-flat Trumpet 1
B-flat Trumpet 2
B-flat Trumpet 3
F Horn 1
F Horn 2
F Horn 3
F Horn 4
Trombone 1
Trombone 2
Euphonium
Tuba

Percussion 1 (Timpani)
Percussion 2 (Side Drum, Bass Drum, Suspended Cymbal, Crash Cymbals, Bongos, Tam-Tam, Triangle)
Percussion 3 (Glockenspiel, Xylophone)

Program Notes
Call of the Righteous is a tone poem that uses the Gospel song melody "When the Roll is Called Up Yonder" as its main theme. An unforgiving opening unison trumpet fanfare leads into the first statement of the tune, which then appears, either in its entirety or in fragments, throughout the piece alongside further thematic material derived from the opening fanfare theme. The reflective central section contains a beautiful original melody, introduced by the clarinet and developed elsewhere, before the music reverts to ideas derived from the opening section, introducted by a recapitulation of the opening fanfare figure, which is further developed to bring the music to a thrilling and dramatic conclusion.

Although the music has its creative roots in religious doctrine, it has a lasting and popular appeal that makes it accessible and listenable at every level, with plenty to challenge on both technical and musical levels.