Land of the Long White Cloud

From majestic to pastoral to dance-like, Land of the Long White Cloud is Philip Sparke's representation of New Zealand. This piece is a wonderful addition to the concert band repertoire.

Genre: Band | # of Players: Standard
Level: 5 | Duration: 14:00

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

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

String Bass*

Timpani
Percussion 1 (suspended cymbal, bells, snare drum, bass drum)
Percussion 2 (crash cymbals, tenor drum, xylophone, glockenspiel)

Parts marked with and asterisk (*) are NOT ESSENTIAL, although their presence will obviously enable a fuller realization of the composer's intentions to be achieved.

Program Notes
Long before Europeans ventured out of sight of land, the bold and restless ancestors of the Maori people were making voyages of thousands of miles across the world's greatest oceans. It was around 1000 AD that they landed in New Zealand.

The discovery of New Zealand is attributed in Maori tradition to Kupe and the circumstances of the landfall gave the country its Maori name.

As land was approached, a long, flat volcanic cloud could be seen. Kupe's wife Hine-te-aparangi, looked to the horizon and cried out, "He ao! He ao! A cloud! A cloud!" The name of Aotearoa was given to the islands - The Land of the Long White Cloud.

Land of the Long White Cloud was originally conceived as a brass band work as a result of a commission by the New Zealand Brass Band Association for their National Championships held in 1980 in Christchurch.

This transcription by the composer was commissioned by Keith Allen and Birmingham Schools' Wind Orchestra who gave the first performance in the Adrian Boult Hall, Birmingham, England on Sunday 15 May 1988.