From a Higher Place (Band Gr. 4.5)

From a Higher Place presents itself as a musical journey taking the listener through the five stages of grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance. The piece ends with a final statement that gives a resonant feeling of happiness and accord.

Genre: Band | # of Players: Standard
Series: Ruby Band Series
Level: 4.5 | Duration: 4:25

Instrumentation
Transposed Score (8.5"x11" stapled booklet)

Flute 1
Flute 2
Oboe
Bassoon
B-flat Clarinet 1
B-flat Clarinet 2
B-flat Clarinet 3
Bass Clarinet
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
Trombone 1
Trombone 2
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
B-flat Euphonium T.C.
Tuba

Timpani (4 drums)
Mallets 1: Chimes
Mallets 2: Vibraphone, Marimba
Percussion 1: Suspended Cymbal
Percussion 2: Bass Drum
Percussion 3: Large Tam-Tam, Tambourine

Program Notes
From a Higher Place evolved into something much darker than originally intended. The original name of this piece, From Your High Place, comes from the second line of Katherine Lee Bates’s poem, If You Could Come. Though I originally composed this work for SATB chorus in my junior year of my undergraduate studies, I figured it might be performed more as a work for band. The files for the original song are long lost due to multiple failed hard drives. I plan to reset the words to this orchestration in the future.

What began as an effort to create something hopeful and consoling instead unfolded as a musical journey through the five stages of grief. The piece opens with “Denial:” a calm chorale that suggests an attempt to steady oneself in the immediate aftermath of loss. This fragile stillness gives way to “Anger,” as the music gathers momentum, darkens in color, and intensifies through biting dissonances and mounting tension.

“Bargaining” is marked by the entrance of two chime tones, initiating a section that grows increasingly chromatic and unsettled, as hope begins to fade. The penultimate stage, “Depression,” is carried by the brass choir in a solemn, weighty texture, with echoes of “Anger” lingering beneath the surface.

The final stage, “Acceptance,” emerges as the horns introduce a sense of resolution. The opening chorale returns, now tinged with melancholy through subtle shifts in mode. A final echo of “Anger” briefly resurfaces, only to dissolve into a deeper sense of peace. The work concludes with a resonant, unified statement, suggesting not a conventional joy, but a quiet sense of accord.

It’s not lost on me that even though I originally composed the two versions of this piece between 2013 and 2014, I present this published version to the world after a tumultuous time of losing both of my parents in the span of four months. While the timing of this release may seem that this piece is another attempt to musically capture this immense loss, that would be my 2025 percussion quartet titled Descansos

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From a Higher Place has been tucked away in my digital files for over ten years before being published. It serves as a primordial attempt to write programmatic music in my very early years as a composer. When I originally wrote this, I never expected for this timeline to unfold in this way, much less having it published after these significant life events. Nevertheless, this piece now belongs to the world and may give solace to those who need it.