Rivers Will Flow (Band Gr. 5 + Percussion Trio Feature)

Inspired by the death Dietz's mother after suffering from Parkinson's Disease, Rivers Will Flow is a powerful concerto for percussion trio & wind ensemble that draws inspiration from a Biblical passage from the Book of John and hymn "Shall We Gather by the River."

Genre: Band + Percussion Trio | # of Players: Standard + 3
Series: Diamond Band Series
Level: 5 | Duration: 19:00

Instrumentation
Conductor's Score (11"x17" spiral bound)
[one on a part wind ensemble]
Piccolo
Flute 1
Flute 2
Flute 3
Oboe
English Horn
Bassoon 1 & 2
Contrabassoon
B-flat Clarinet 1
B-flat Clarinet 2
B-flat Clarinet 3
B-flat Clarinet 4
B-flat Clarinet 5
B-flat Clarinet 6
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
F Horn 3
F Horn 4
Trombone 1
Trombone 2
Bass Trombone
Tuba

Piano
Harp

SOLO PERCUSSION 1
4-octave Marimba, 8 Thai Gongs, 3 Low Toms, 2 Congas, Low Jam Block, Low Cowbell, Low Tambourine, Low Trash Stack, Low Crash Cymbal

SOLO PERCUSSION 2
Vibraphone, 10 Almglocketn, 3 High Toms, Bongos, High Jam Block, High Cowbell, High Tambourine, High Trash Stack, High Crash Cymbal

SOLO PERCUSSION 3
Drum Set, Pandeiro, 3 Woodblocks

Timpani (4 drums)
Percussion 1: Glockenspiel, Triangle, 2 Brake Drums, Suspended Cymbal, Crotales (2 octaves), Chimes, Tambourine, Bass Drum
Percussion 2: Tam-Tam, Woodblock, Suspended Cymbal, Claves, Chimes, Bass Drum, Tambourine, Crash Cymbals, Glockenspiel

Program Notes
The title of Rivers Will Flow comes from Biblical passage of John 7:37-39. “On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” The piece is also inspired by the hymn "Shall We Gather by the River" (1864) by the American Poet and gospel music composer, Robert Lowry (1826 - 1899) and its well-known version "At the River" (1952) by Aaron Copland (1900 - 1990). The title of the individual movements come from the lyrics of the hymn. I was inspired to write "Rivers Will Flow" after the death of my mother, Ann at the age of 83. She grew up on the shores of the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and often told me stories of how much she enjoyed swimming and playing in the river as a child. My mother was suffering from Parkinson’s Disease for over 11 years and was having severe movement problems, night terrors, and hallucinations. On February 12, 2021, she took all of her medication and drove herself to our family’s summer home on the Allegheny River in Franklin, Pennsylvania. She walked down to the river and sat in the water until she died. At the River was played at her funeral.

– B.W.D.