Through Purple Mists Ascending (Flex Band Gr. 3)

In this response to the Willa Cather poem “Prairie Dawn,” an animated pastoral frolic gives way to a setting of the bittersweet Scottish ballad, “Barbara Allen.” The historical and literary connections in the work provide opportunities for cross-curricular lesson activities.

Genre: 5-Part Flex Band | # of Players: Standard
Series: SpectraFlex Band Series
Level: 3 | Duration: 3:20

Instrumentation
Transposed Score (showing all transposed parts)
Condensed Score (in "C")

Adaptable Parts
(2 copies each of all parts for each listed instrument)
Part 1: Flute, Oboe, B-flat Clarinet, B-flat Trumpet, Alto Saxophone
Part 2: B-flat Clarinet, B-flat Trumpet, Alto Saxophone
Part 3: Alto Saxophone, F Horn, Tenor Saxophone/Baritone T.C.
Part 4: Tenor Saxophone/Baritone T.C., F Horn, Trombone/Euphonium/Bassoon
Part 5: Bass Clarinet, Baritone Saxophone, Trombone/Euphonium/Bassoon, Tuba

Percussion Parts
(2 required plus 5 optional parts)
Timpani [optional]
Mallets: Bells, Xylophone [optional]
Percussion 1: Snare Drum [required], Bass Drum [optional]
Percussion 2: Snare Drum [required], Shaker, Tambourine, Suspended Cymbal [optional]
Percussion 3: Crash Cymbals, Claves, Suspended Cymbal [optional]

Program Notes
Through Purple Mists Ascending is a response to Willa Cather’s (1873 –1947) poem, “Prairie Dawn.” At the beginning of the poem, a pioneer expresses wonder as the prairie comes to life at sunrise, but as the poem closes, her mood changes when she becomes homesick. This musical interpretation of the poem begins with an animated pastoral frolic that gives way to a setting of the bittersweet Scottish ballad, “Barbara Allen,” a song that would be familiar to a 19th century American farmer.

ABOUT THE SERIES
The SpectraFlex Series for adaptable wind band offers flexibility with pieces across all grade levels, featuring traditional high-to-low scoring with 5 or 6 parts and optional "Through Purple Mists Ascending" is a response to Willa Cather’s (1873 –1947) poem, “Prairie Dawn.” At the beginning of the poem, a pioneer expresses wonder as the prairie comes to life at sunrise, but as the poem closes, her mood changes when she becomes homesick. This musical interpretation of the poem begins with an animated pastoral frolic that gives way to a setting of the bittersweet Scottish ballad, “Barbara Allen,” a song that would be familiar to a 19th century American farmer. ABOUT THE SERIES The SpectraFlex Series for adaptable wind band offers flexibility with pieces across all grade levels, featuring traditional high-to-low scoring with 5 or 6 parts and optional percussion. Each part is transposed and playable by a multitude of wind or keyboard percussion instruments while maintaining the spectrum of sound we have grown to love about the wind band.. Each part is transposed and playable by a multitude of wind or keyboard percussion instruments while maintaining the spectrum of sound we have grown to love about the wind band.