RIPTIDES
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FOR WIND BAND
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RIPTIDES
2020 | Grade 4 | 6:00 KATAHJ COPLEY (b.1998)
Throughout Earth’s time, many myths about what the ocean contains have emerged. Mermaids, sea monsters and creatures of the unknown are expected to be dwelling under the sea. In 1721, Hans Egede, a Dano-Norwegian missionary, set sail to Godthåb, the largest city on the western coast of Greenland. On this voyage, he observed:
“[the] most terrible creature resembling nothing they saw before. The monster lifted its head so high that it seemed to be higher than the crow’s nest on the mainmast. The head was small and the body short and wrinkled. The unknown creature was using giant fins which propelled it though the water. Later the sailors saw its tail as well. The monster was longer than the whole ship.”
The deepest point ever reached by man is 35,858 feet below sea level, which happens to be the deepest known point on Earth’s ocean floor. Around 700 feet below sea level, light disappears; therefore, the rest of the journey to the bottom of the hydrosphere is in complete darkness through the unknown. To me, the ocean represents the fear of the unknown.
RIPTIDES explores the ocean, along with the fear of life and the unfamiliar. The piece begins with a call to the sea and develops into its melody, which is surrounded by a scheme of danger. As RIPTIDES continues, the energy of the piece races through this alluring quality of danger and fear, represented by a mermaid call. The music is built on eccentric percussion instruments such as the conch shell horn, ocean drums and thumb rolls on the timpani and bass drum. Decorated elements such as dissonant textures and glissando techniques are used, differing from any other piece I have written. As the frantic thrill continues to the pivotal point of the piece, RIPTIDES forces listeners to travel to the deepest parts of the unknown- of the unfamiliar. However, unafraid and confident, the listener continues their journeys farther, passing the outlet of music into their own unknown.
Program note by Ann Wilson
Please credit Ann Wilson when reproducing or excerpting this program note.
INSTRUMENTATION
Piccolo
Flute I/II
Oboe
English Horn / Oboe II
Bassoon
Eb Alto Saxophone I/II
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Bb Tenor Saxophone
Eb Baritone Saxophone
Bb Trumpet I/II/III
Horn in F I/II
Trombone I/II
Bass Trombone / Trombone III
Tuba
Double Bass (Optional)
Timpani
Percussion I: Conch Shell Horn, Snare Drum, Tambourine, Triangle
Percussion II: Bass Drum, Bongo
Percussion III: Crotales, Xylophone, Tam-Tam, Bongos
Percussion IV: Vibraphone, Whip, Brake Drum
Percussion V: Ocean Drum, Marimba, Triangle, Tam-Tam
Percussion VI: Rain Stick, Tom-Tom, Jawbone
Carrollton, Georgia native, Katahj Copley (he/him/his) premiered his first work, Spectra, in 2017 and hasn’t stopped composing since. As of 2017, Katahj has written over 100 works, including pieces for chamber ensembles, large ensembles, wind ensembles, and orchestra. His compositions have been performed and commissioned by universities, organizations, and professional ensembles, including the Cavaliers Brass, Carroll Symphony Orchestra, California Band Director Association, Admiral Launch Duo, and the Atlanta Wind Symphony. Katahj has also received critical acclaim internationally with pieces being performed in Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, China, and Australia.
Katahj received two Bachelor of Music degrees from the University of West Georgia in Music Education and Composition in 2021. In 2023, he recieved his Masters in Music Composition at the University of Texas at Austin, studying with Omar Thomas and Yvegeny Sharlat.
Aside from composing, Katahj is an excited educator who teaches young musicians the joy of discovering music and why music is a phenomenal language.
“Music for me has always been this impactful thing in my life. It can soothe, it can enrage, it can quiet, and it can evoke emotions that are beyond me and this world we live in. I believe that music is the ultimate source of freedom and imagination. The most freedom I have had as a musician was through composing. Composition is like me opening my heart and showing the world my drive, my passion, and my soul.”
OTHER KATAHJ COPLEY WORKS:
Canvases (2020)
Cerulea (2018)
Dragonfly (2018)
DOPE (2022)
Eureka (2020)
Colors in the Sky (2018)
HayWire (2018)
Hurry (2018)
INFINITY (2021)
NOVA (2019)
Sunshine (2019)
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Unspoken (2020)
Where the Sky Has No Stars (2020) and more on www.KatahjCopleyMusic.com
Flute I + II Oboe
English Horn
Measure 1-9
RIPTIDES
Have the band randomly pat their legs and snap their fingers. Some players can blow air through their instruments. Measure 9-18
Still have a few members patting and snapping but it should fade out at measure 18.
Eerieq = 60
Bb Clarinet I
Bb Clarinet II + III
Bass Clarinet
Alto Saxophone I + II
Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone
Trumpet I in Bb
Trumpet II + III in Bb
Horn in F I + II
Trombone I + II
Bass Trombone
3 4 3 4 3 4 &b
Eerieq = 60
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2 4 3 4 2 4
3 4 2 4 3 4
3 4 2 4 3 4
3 4 2 4
3 4
3 4 2 4 3 4
3 4 3 4 3 4