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A Day At the Circus
for wind band
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Spencer Arias 2024
What can be more thrilling and exciting than a day at the circus? There are romanticized circuses that travel around the country with a band of outcasts who perform mystifying tricks, attempt dangerous feats, and showcase the unique oddities of the people in the troupe. Then, the modern circus with shows like Cirque du Soleil brings this practice to the mainstream. Instead of outcasts, it focuses on the thrill of incredibly choreographed theater pieces centered on acrobatic dancing. It's interesting to see how this has evolved over the decades. What has stayed the same is the audience's adoration for these mind-blowing athletes who push the body to its limits in the most artistic way possible. Rather than highlighting these people's differences, we look at them for the spectacle they can provide us. This piece takes us through a day at the circus, starting with the ringmaster pumping us up. We feel the nostalgia of being a child seeing all of this, with the wide variety of performers, eventually leading us to observe the beauty of an acrobat suspended in the air. I imagine them ascending in a hoop and floating like a star. As the day continues, we build towards the grand finale, with two acrobats flying in the air to achieve one last dangerous feat - diving through a ring of fire into the net while spinning like a cannonball to massive success. The audience goes wild, and the acrobats, beaming, know they just pulled off the trick of a lifetime.
Instrumentation
Piccolo
2 Flutes
Oboe
English Horn
Bassoon
3 Clarinets in B♭
Bass Clarinet in B
2 Alto Saxophones
Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone
3 Cornets in B
2 Trumpets in B
4 Horns in F
2 Trombones
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
Double Bass
Timpani
Percussion (5 players):
Player 1: Xylophone, Vibraphone
Player 2: Marimba
Player 3: Snare Drum, Hi-hat, Mark Tree, Bass Drum
Player 4: Suspended Cymbal, Crash Cymbal
Player 5: Bass Drum, Tam-tam
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Commissioned by Arizona Winds for their 50th Anniversary Celebration
Commissioned by Arizona Winds for their 50th Anniversary Celebration
Duration: c. 4 minutes
First printing of this edition, August 2024
Copyright © 2024 Spencer Arias (ASCAP). All Rights Reserved. Published by Just a Theory Press | www.justatheorypress.com
With Excitement = 120
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Arias: A Day at the Circus JAT-101-061-FS