Click here to go back Symphony for Wind Orchestra Introduction Submitted in partial fulfillment towards a Master of Music degree in Music Composition at the California State University, Los Angeles, this work was written in commemoration of the 15th anniversary of Armenia’s independence from the Soviet Union. The first performance of the symphony was given on December 3, 2007, by the CSULA Wind Ensemble, conduced by Abel Ramirez. The following project report includes a discussion of the concept on which the piece is based, the compositional technique used, an analysis of the work, and musical as well as philosophical conclusions formulated as a result of its creation. The duration is approximately 12 minutes. Composer's Note A reading of some of my earlier works by the Los Angeles Symphonic Winds, conducted by Stephen Piazza in 2005, whetted my appetite for composing more music for wind ensemble. And during my study at the California State University, Los Angeles, I was introduced to a great variety of wind-ensemble music. The other side of my temptation was that wind instruments offer a greater possibility to imitate Armenian folk instruments, which makes it possible to perform folklore-inspired music without the inclusion of actual folk instruments into the established symphonic wind orchestras. Before attempting the work, I had only written a few short compositions for such ensembles, and it was high time to compose something of a larger scale - one that provides more symphonic context and space for the exploration of my newly acquired technique. I worked on the project on and off during a course of a few months in the summer of 2006 and occasionally went back to it to make a few minor changes after it had been finished. I dedicated the project to the commemoration of the 15th anniversary of Armenia’s independence from the Soviet Union. I was happy beyond measure to know that Aram Khachaturian’s Symphony No. 1 was written in commemoration of the 15th anniversary of the establishment of Soviet power in Armenia. Far from being an innocent coincidence, this fact still holds a special significance for me; not only because Khachaturian has been my great hero, but also because I see Armenia’s independence as a great achievement that may help Armenians to establish a stronger democratic nation, and such a symbolic anniversary gives an air of seriousness to the work I have already been doing so self-absorbedly - putting my efforts into the integration of Armenian national music into the world’s symphonic repertory. Rather than creating a triumphant symphony which would rejoice the end of the Soviet Union, I decided to instead portray the sufferings of Armenian people who struggled to recover from the collapse and build a new Armenia. The music expresses despair, hesitant hope, and at times brief moments of joy. It is charged with an intense longing for peace and a happy life. In my opinion, there would be no other appropriate way to commemorate realistically the aftermath of Soviet Socialism in Armenia. Statement of Purpose Ever since I relocated from my native Armenia to the United States, I have been paying a close attention to the cultural developments in the Armenian communities of Southern California, especially those which relate to music. Unfortunately, the idea of what is “Armenian music” among Armenians seems to be very vague and often wrong, since the communities consist of immigrants not only from Armenia but from many other countries as well. Various national influences have eventually caused mischaracterization and even disintegration of Armenian folklore, in spite of its distinct characteristics, which have been recognized, classified and thoroughly refined by many musicologists - most notably by the late 19th century musicologist Soghomon Soghomonyan (Komitas). Today, even in Armenia, not only authentic music is not developed but it is not even being preserved properly. It must be mentioned that such an unfavorable condition for folk music is a universal problem. As a composer who has begun to realize what treasure folk music really is, I suffer greatly at seeing the mass indifference to it. Thousands of people join organizations to save the whales and other animals that are going extinct. People are very sentimental about preserving the nature, and, of course, they should be even more so. But folk music - that marvelous phenomenon, which contains the highest degree of musical thought and meaningful simplicity, having developed through a long human evolution - will soon go extinct too if it is not preserved in contemporary forms. The existence of archived recordings of folk songs does not at all guarantee that folklore will thrive, just as the breeding of captured tigers in fenced preserves does not guarantee their survival. Taking all of this into account, I have dedicated my life to developing and preserving the Armenian folk elements in my music, where it is not merely stored but rather used as raw material for a formation of a personal style. However, this particular piece (very much unlike works by Khachaturian, for instance, and even my own other compositions), will not introduce folk idioms in a direct and easily distinguishable form. Only certain rhythmic and melodic motifs, which are characteristics of Armenian folk music, will bespeak of its relation to folklore. In this sense, it represents Armenian folklore similar to the way Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” represents Russian folklore. Instrumentation A standard symphonic winds ensemble or wind orchestra (the European equivalent) can be used to perform this composition. Extra doublings of instruments are to be avoided. Instruments included are: Piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, English horn, Eb clarinet, 3 Bb clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, 2 alto saxophones, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, 3 Bb trumpets, 4 French horns, 2 tenor trombones, euphonium, bass trombone, tuba, timpani, triangle, snare drum, cowbell, cymbals, bass drum. Analysis Notwithstanding the occasional repetitions of certain ideas and important thematic lines, this one-movement symphony is generally through-composed. It is not based on established formal structures, such as sonata, rondo etc. Its main formal integrity is held by the sectional development of the ideas heard in the beginning of the work. After two-three motives introduced in the very beginning, the entire symphony then becomes a development based on these motives. Other ideas and themes occasionally merge into the context of such continuous development. The first motive is the opening trombone solo, silenced by a diminuendo of timpani roll: The second motive, marked “misterioso” (mysteriously), appears in the first flute (measure 7) in its lower register and is characterized by an unusual quazi-chromatic melody: Then a loud tutti introduces a refreshing new idea, with woodwind trills in their extreme high register, against powerful affirming markato lines in the base, enforced by the threatening military sound of the snare drum (measures 28-36). The instruments are used in various small combinations and in tutti sections throughout the work. Certain combinations of instruments are introduced to imitate Armenian folk instruments and the sound of folk ensembles. The combination of English horn and piccolo, for example, resembles the unique sound of the combination of duduk and shvi (measures 94-98). The percussion are used not only to reinforce certain passages in a traditional manner, but also in a soloistic capacity, such as a triangle line (measures 159-163), which imitates the flute motive quoted above, against the base clarinet solo which develops a variation of the same motive. The developments in the symphony are often relied on the distinctiveness of the relationships between different instrument families, the peculiarities of their ranges, and the way in which they relate to each other in a continuous progress of melody and rhythm. For instance, a variation of a theme first introduced by the trumpets (measure 126) is carried out by a piccolo and two flutes in a high register and the development is ensured not so much by variation as by the relationship between these instrument families and their ranges. The following extract illustrates the original melody in question. In the score it is accompanied by the brass section, the timpani, and a distinct 6/8 pattern in the snare drum. And here (measures 197-205) a variation of the same theme appears in the flute family, supported only by the mysterious sound of the cowbell.     The instrumental sections are often used against each other for the resulting effect of contrast, such as the shift from brass to woodwind at measure 138. The piece in general is thickly orchestrated and long sections of tutti passages are used for the triumphal effect. Acknowledgements I would like to thank Dr. John M Kennedy for his assistance and guidance. I have long admired Dr. Kennedy’s remarkable abilities in understanding the potentials of his students with a personal and charismatic approach. And, above all, my heartfelt appreciation for Dr. Kennedy’s kindness and dignity is beyond measure. I also wish to thank Dr. David Connors, Dr. Sara Graef, Dr. David Buck, Dr. Chris Rose, and Mr. Steve Wight for their help and assistance during the course of my study and through my work on this project. Prof. Wight in particular has all but astonished me by his deep intelligence and impeccable human qualities. Special thanks should be given to my student colleagues, the fellow composers who helped me in many ways. And finally I am forever indebted to my parents in Yerevan for their encouragements and patience during all the years they have not seen me. A symphony is too small of a price to pay for me to deprive them of seeing their only son for such a long time. Nothing equals their unconditional love and support. Click here to go back