Be That of the Wind

Instrumentation
Flute
Oboe
B-flat Clarinet
F Horn
Bassoon

Percussion 1: Bells, 2 Woodblocks
Percussion 2: Vibraphone, Temple Blocks [5 pitches]
Percussion 3: Marimba 1 [4-octave], Small Suspended Cymbal, Medium Tom
Percussion 4: Marimba 2 [4-octave], Medium Suspended Cymbal, Medium-Low Tom
Percussion 5: Marimba 3 [4.3-octave], Large Suspended Cymbal, Low Tom
Percussion 6: Bongos, 4 Concert Toms, China Cymbal, Log Drum [4 pitches]
Percussion 7: Concert Bass Drum, Multi-Bass Drum, Suspended Cymbal, Crotales [2 octaves]
Percussion 8: Tam-Tam, Rainstick, Claves, Ribbon Crasher, Splash Cymbal, Sizzle Cymbal

Program Notes
Be That of the Wind is a piece for woodwind quintet and 8 percussionists that draws inspiration from the 4 tenets outlined in Sun Tzu’s The Art of War:
Let your rapidity be that of the wind, your gentleness that of the forest. In raiding and plundering be like fire, be immovable like a mountain.
As such, the 6-minute work divides into four interconnected vignettes—as swift as the wind, as fierce as fire, as gentle as the forest, and as immovable as the mountain, with a quick final nod to the wind. The thematic and harmonic material was generated by transforming the name Natalie—a young flute player from the band program whose life ended way too soon in the fall of 2023— into the chromatic pitches B-flat, A, E, A, A-flat, F, D-flat.

This main theme is first presented by the flute, bells, and vibraphone against an active tapestry of 8th & 16th notes in the oboe, horn, bassoon, & marimbas. As it is thrown around the ensemble, the melody is transformed and expanded throughout this opening “windy” section. Intensity builds and finally explodes into the “fiery” section, which first showcases all of the percussionists on battle-ready drums and cymbals. The woodwind quintet joins the fight with a much more angular & dissonant presentation of the theme, alternating with driving figures in the marimbas and woodblocks. As the dust settles, the rhythmic intensity remains, but the mood is calmer and more consonant, giving way to individual canonic presentations of the theme in the quintet. The tempo slows into the gentle “forest” section, which showcases the keyboard percussion presenting an inverted version of the theme, subtly supported by members of the quintet. This section grows in momentum & tempo, driving into the final “mountain” section. Motivic material from the opening section of the piece is paired with the inverted theme and is expanded upon as ideas are quickly thrown around the ensemble from player to player. The work concludes with final nod to the re-harmonized opening bars of the work.

Be That of the Wind was commissioned by the the Starkville High School Band Program for performance at the 2024 Mississippi Bandmasters Convention (Natchez, MS), Trenton Brown, Percussion Director and Shawn Sullivan, Director of Bands.