dreamland - Michael Markowski...Dreamland was Commissioned By The Consortium for the Advancement of...

transcript

dreamlandFOR WIND ENSEMBLE

MICHAEL MARKOWSKI

SAMPLE SCORE - NOT FOR PERFORMANCE - NOT A PURCHASED COPY

~INSTRUMENTATION

Piccolo

Flute 1 & 2

Oboe 1 & 2

E Clarinet

B Clarinet 1 - 4

B Bass Clarinet

Bassoon 1 & 2

Contrabassoon

E Alto Saxophone 1 & 2

B Tenor Saxophone

E Baritone Saxophone

B Trumpets 1 - 4

F Horns 1 - 4

Trombone 1 - 3

Bass Trombone

Euphonium

Tuba 1 & 2

String Bass

Electric Piano

(Rhodes Fender patch preferred, with moderate vibrato)

Timpani

Percussion 1: vibraphone, suspended cymbal

Percussion 2: marimba, suspended cymbal

Percussion 3: crotales (2 octaves), bell tree

Percussion 4: chimes, crash cymbal

Percussion 5: toms (3), kick drum, snare drum (sticks and brushes), shaker

Percussion 6: bass drum

DURATION9:30

WWW.MICHAELMARKOWSKI.COM

MICHAEL MARKOWSKI

FOR wind EnsembleDREAMLAND

Dreamland was Commissioned ByThe Consortium for the Advancement of Wind Band Literature

Jim Kull and Gil Wukitsch

St. Charles East High School, St. Charles, IL

The National Wind Band Honors Project

Rick Yancey, Managing Director

Joshua Thompson

Lake Zurich High School, Lake Zurich, IL

Matt Temple

New Trier High School, Winnetka, IL

DJ Alstadt and Brandon Estes

Naperville Central High School, Naperville, IL

John and Jennifer Currey, Directors of Bands

Champaign Central High School, Champaign, IL

Steve Steele

Illinois State University Bands

Steve Sveum

Sun Prairie High School, Sun Prairie, WI

Craig Roselieb, Ron Hornish and Glenn Williams

Downers Grove South High School, Downers Grove, IL

Consortium organized by Jim Kull, St. Charles East High School.

About Dreamland

For me, it always feels a little strange to describe exactly what a piece is “about.” I find myself catching

inspiration for a new composition in a number of different places—in isolated specific influences or unique musical

sources—and somehow, after working with all the odds-and-ends loosely, they all manage to come together under

some common thread. For this piece, the thread, simply, is dreams.

The opening few bars quotes one of my favorite contemporary artists/songwriters, Gary Wilson. The

musical quotation is borrowed from the opening track, A Very Small Town, to Wilson’s album, Mary Had Brown

Hair (Stones Throw Records, 2004). Over the last 30 years of his work, dreams have become a common theme

for Wilson, too—a way for him to revisit and relive the magical (and the painful) memories from his youth. For

Gary, walking into his own dreams is a dose of a nostalgia.

In the section that follows, I quote my own past: a never-before performed choral work called Echo that

I composed just after my high school graduation. The saxophone section sings this new idea in the tradition of

a four-part choral setting. The text that inspires the passage, borrowed from the 19th century poet, Christina

Rossetti, describes dreams as a place to visit with those in the speaker’s life who have passed away—a place where

these spirits might “come back in dreams.”

While both of these influences are beautiful in a darkly romantic way, I thrive on the energy of being a

night person—so much so that the idea that sleep is an inevitable force haunts me a little bit. My own insomnia

juxtaposed with the more traditional lyricism of these other influences is what ultimately defines the musical

landscape. Perhaps to best summarize these thoughts, I will quote my own past, again, in a poem called To Bed.

World PremiereThe St. Charles East High School Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Jim Kull, premiered Dreamland

on May 17, 2011 in St. Charles, Illinois.

About the Composer

MICHAEL MARKOWSKI (b. 1986) is fully qualified to watch movies and cartoons. Although he holds a B.A.

in Film, his music is actively performed around the world. His work can also be heard in short films like Conan:

The Musical, which aired in a bit on NBC’s Late Night with Conan O’Brien, in oddball techno/pop songs, one of

which featured Canadian actor John Dunsworth from Trailer Park Boys fame, in the independent stage musical

From Gumm to Garland: Judy the Musical, which starred Disney Legend Paige O’Hara, in short jingles, various

muzak, and comedic songs for the Phoenix-based sketch comedy troupe, Bully Mammoth, and also in the sci-fi

comedic web series, Voyage Trekkers. Markowski is a member of ASCAP and currently lives in Astoria, New York.

For more information, recordings, and other helpful resources, please visit www.michaelmarkowski.com.

To Bed (2008)Michael Markowski

box spring

time machine

ugliness must exile from

this queen-sized executioner

neurons fire

inspired missiles

temporal warfare that

most mornings don’t remember

this quiet

kills with comfort

a customary comatose

each night must surrender

dreamland - Michael Markowski...Dreamland was Commissioned By The Consortium for the Advancement of...

Documents