on rains and rapture (Band Gr. 4.5)

on rains and rapture is a cyclical and vaguely programmatic work for wind ensemble, which wonders how it might feel to be caught in the rapture, as imagined through the perspective of a raindrop.

Genre: Band | # of Players: Standard
Series: Ruby Band Series
Level: 4.5 | Duration: 6:10

Instrumentation
Conductor's Score (11"x17" spiral bound)

Piccolo
Flute 1
Flute 2
Oboe 1
Oboe 2
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
F Horn 3
F Horn 4
Trombone 1
Trombone 2
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
B-flat Euphonium T.C.
Tuba

String Bass
Piano

Timpani ( 4 drums)
Glockenspiel
Xylophone, Patio Chimes, Siren
Percussion 1: Bass Drum
Percussion 2: Suspended Cymbal, Ride Cymbal, Snare Drum
Percussion 3: Triangle, Crash Cymbals, Concert Tom

Program Notes
on rains and rapture is a cyclical and vaguely programmatic work for wind ensemble, which wonders how it might feel to be caught in the rapture, as imagined through the perspective of a raindrop.

The piece begins with a hazy collection of consciousnesses–a raincloud–as single notes start to individuate and break out of the noise. As these raindrops form, they fall, escalating into a gentle rainfall that eventually create a critical mass on the ground. There, under the heat of the sun, they burn and ascend, recombining into a joined consciousness, before it all begins again.

With each ensuing section, there is a growing sense of urgency, as the tempo and intensity of the music escalate. However, by the end, we wind up where we started, ready to begin anew. As consequential and once-in-a-lifetime as the rapture may feel, it’s worth remembering that the raindrop experiences this every day, and it’s nothing to fear. It might even feel good.

– L.R.K.

High Point University Wind Ensemble, conducted by Louis Raymond-Kolker