Ouroboros (Band Gr. 4)

The serpent eating its own tail is an engaging image in and of itself , but perhaps more thought-provoking is an ouroboros as metaphor for curiosity. Inquisitiveness can bring about great growth, but in some situations may come back to “bite” you, and it is this dissonance between risk and its potential consequences that traverses throughout Chad Heiny’s fanfare for winds and percussion.

Genre: Band | # of Players: Standard
Series: Ruby Band Series
Level: 4 | Duration: 2:20

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

Timpani [4 drums]
Glockenspiel
Vibraphone
Marimba [4.3-octave], Crotales [low octave + high D]

Percussion 1: Snare Drum, Small Shaker
Percussion 2: Concert Bass Drum, Cajón, Medium Shaker
Percussion 3 [optional]: Bongos
Percussion 4: Tam-Tam, Mark Tree, Large Shaker, Crash Cymbals [pair], Triangle, Slapstick
Percussion 5: Ride Cymbal w/ rivets or sizzle beads, Swish Knocker (or China Cymbal w/ sizzle beads), Tambourine, Finger Cymbals

Program Notes
The serpent eating its own tail is an engaging image in and of itself, but perhaps more thought-provoking is an ouroboros as metaphor for curiosity. Inquisitiveness can bring about great growth, but in some situations may come back to “bite” you, and it is this dissonance between risk and its potential consequences that traverses throughout Chad Heiny’s fanfare for winds and percussion.

Ouroboros is dedicated to Timothy Daniels and the Norwin High School Wind Ensemble (Irwin, PA).