Revelry for winds and percussion (2017) - 3'
Commissioned by the Dobyns Bennett High School Band
Lafe Cook, Director
Level: Medium-Advanced
Premiere: March 8, 2017
American Bandmasters Association
Annual Convention
Lexington, Kentucky
Dobyns Bennett High School Wind Symphony
Chad Kamei, Conductor
Reference Recording:
Fillmore Wind Band
Dr. James Daughters, Conductor
2017 Midwest Clinic
Program Notes:
I spent nearly all my upbringing in the town of Carrollton, Georgia, a close-knit community rich with historical charm. My development as both person and musician were positively influenced by the people, education, and experiences I was fortunate enough to encounter during my time there.
When I first visited Kingsport, Tennessee, I was immediately reminded of my hometown: southern charm, caring people, a major industrial icon, and a community that rallied around its citizens, businesses, and school system. I immediately felt at home with these folks, and it has been a great relationship ever since.
When Lafe Cook asked me to write a piece celebrating the centennial of Kingsport’s founding, I was excited to celebrate a community spirit that was so familiar to me. Revelry is a celebratory fanfare that uses a nine-note theme as its core. The theme (pictured below) is a cryptogram of sorts, spelling out “K-I-N-G-S-P-O-R-T” using a 19th century French system (pictured below), in which the musical notes we know (A-G) are the basis for spelling out words using melodic lines. The version I created was transposed down a whole step to avoid me being fired for writing a band piece in G major...
Revelry is dedicated to the directors and students of the Dobyns Bennett Band Program, along with the community of Kingsport in celebration of its past, present, and future!
