Wind of Life (Band Gr. 4)

Inspired by the life, writings and artwork of Australian artist Alice Muskett (1869-1936), Wind of Life focuses on the struggles of joyful resolutions of the creative spirit, harnessing much energy from the vivid journal entries of this long forgotten Australian artist.

Genre: Band | # of Players: Standard
Series: Maturing
Level: 4

Instrumentation
Conductor's Score (A3 spiral bound)

Piccolo
Flute 1
Flute 2
Oboe
Bassoon 1
Bassoon 2
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
Euphonium
Tuba

Harp
Violoncello
Double Bass

Percussion I: Timpani
Percussion II: Suspended Cymbal, Triangle
Percussion III: Glockenspiel, Suspended Cymbal, Gong
Percussion IV: Vibraphone
Percussion V: Vibraphone, Bass Drum

Program Notes
Alice J. Muskett (b. Melbourne 1869 – d. Sydney 1936) was regarded as generous, self-reliant, independent and a “role model that younger women artists could emulate”. She travelled to Paris three times to work on her artistic skills and in the earlier years (1895-1898) she made regular contributions to The Daily Telegraph. These journal-style articles provide some insight into the heart and mind of this dedicated artist. What becomes evident is that in her earlier travels, living in Paris was not necessarily the dream she had hoped it to be, but she made the best of the situation and seemed to always keep a cheerful disposition, despite bouts of extreme loneliness. A painting dated 1897, “The Lost Halo” depicts a lost innocence, a sadness and a sense of longing and in an article for the Daily Telegraph dated 28 July, 1897 Muskett writes in the third person about her life in Paris, sharing that:

“She has, really bad times occasionally; despair over her work, ill-health from bad air and worse food, overstrained nerves from the constant rush the life entails, money troubles, home-sickness, and absolute horrible loneliness. But she bears it bravely, fighting it out in her own room, and merely says, with a shrug of her shoulders, in answer to inquiries, "Triste!" [sad]."

In much of Alice’s work I discovered this same tug-of-war between the artist who is desperate to improve, dedicated to the solitude of learning, practising and producing new creations verses the effervescent spirit who thrives on company and society. This includes her simple yet illuminating 1905 poem ‘A Spring Melody’. Alice seeks the ‘wind of life’ to provide her with the energy she needs to help others, whilst at the same time, yearns for the ‘sun of love’ to provide her with a sustaining love for humanity itself. In order to be the artist she wishes to be, she feels a need to serve and within that need, is able to find.

Commissioned by Brisbane Girls Grammar School, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Jodie Blackshaw Speaks about Wind of Life