Return of Spring, The (Band Gr. 2)

Unleash your developing band through a creative mash-up of motives from Beethoven’s "Pastoral Symphony" and Stravinsky’s "The Rite of Spring" in a work that celebrates the renewed vitality of the season of spring through music. From opening fanfares to stylistic twists and turns to a heroic and lyrical final section, this is a piece that will inspire performers and audiences with mature music-making!

Genre: Band | # of Players: Standard
Series: Sapphire Band Series
Level: 2 | Duration: 3:30

Instrumentation
Flute
Oboe [optional Flute 2]
Bassoon [optional]
B-flat Clarinet 1
B-flat Clarinet 2
Bass Clarinet
Alto Saxophone
Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone

B-flat Trumpet 1
B-flat Trumpet 2
F Horn
Trombone 1
Trombone 2
Euphonium
B-flat Baritone T.C.
Tuba

Timpani [4 drums]
Bells
Percussion 1: Snare Drum, Bass Drum, Medium Tom
Percussion 2: Suspended Cymbal, Crash Cymbals, Tambourine, Triangle, Floor Tom

Program Notes
Commissioned by Cooper Middle School (McLean, VA) in honor of their program receiving the Sudler Silver Cup Award in the spring of 2022, The Return of Spring celebrates the renewed vitality of ensemble music making that we have experienced since being able to return to sing, play, and perform together following the COVID-19 pandemic. The melodic material takes its inspiration from two iconic works from the orchestral repertoire that reflect the season of spring: Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, “Pastoral,” and Igor Stravinsky’s ballet, The Rite of Spring. In the very first measures of the work, the brass begin boldly with a melodic fragment from the first movement of the Beethoven, presented in a fanfare style. In the second measure, the woodwinds joyfully enter with the first motive from the opening bassoon solo from the Stravinsky. From that point forward, the ensemble takes the listener on a journey with twists and turns, with each section in the band having a chance to take center stage and deliver the ever-present energy in the music. The piece culminates with a heroic and lyrical combination of the two masterworks that soars over a driving rhythmic underpinning from the percussion, with the ensemble coming together at the very end to deliver two final statements from those iconic pieces that force us to remember the joy, hopefulness, and power of spring!