Eclipse for concert band by Arnold Rosner

Recording Credits for Eclipse: Performance by the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Wind Ensemble, Todd Fiegel, conductor

ARNOLD ROSNER ECLIPSE 1 Full Score 1 Piccolo

FOR CONCERT BAND

4 Flute 1 4 Flute 2 1 Oboe 1 1 Oboe 2 1 Bassoon 1 1 Bassoon 2 4 Bb Clarinet 1 4 Bb Clarinet 2 4 Bb Clarinet 3 1 Eb Alto Clarinet 2 Bb Bass Clarinet 1 Eb Contrabass Clarinet

MANHATTAN BEACH MUSIC

1 Bb Contrabass Clarinet 2 Eb Alto Saxophone 1 2 Eb Alto Saxophone 2

1595 East 46th Street

2 Bb Tenor Saxophone

Brooklyn, New York 11234

1 Eb Baritone Saxophone 3 Bb Trumpet 1 3 Bb Trumpet 2 3 Bb Trumpet 3 2 F Horn 1 2 F Horn 2 2 Trombone 1 2 Trombone 2

Fax: 718/338-1151 Voicemail: 718/338-4137 E-mail: mbmband@aol.com

2 Trombone 3 3 Euphonium B.C. 2 Euphonium T.C. 4 Tuba 2 Timpani

Web: www.ManhattanBeachMusic.com www.BestMusicSeries.com

3 Percussion 1 2 Percussion 2 2 Percussion 3

printed on archival paper

C O M P O R C C O O M M P P O O SSS EE E R R ’’’ SSS

N O T E N N O O T T E E SSS

BBaacckkggrroouunndd Eclipse was commissioned by the Oshkosh West High School Wind Ensemble, through grant from Eclipse Eclipse was was commissioned commissioned by by the the Oshkosh OshkoshWest West High High School SchoolWind Wind Ensemble, Ensemble, through through aaa grant grant from from the Meet the Composer Educational Program. the Meet the Composer Educational Program.

In the the work work II have have tried tried to to describe describe the the actual actual events events of of aa total total solar solar eclipse eclipse in in coloristic coloristic and and proproIn grammatic design.

Listeners may try to follow the astronomical progress, or may listen in a more genergrammatic grammatic design. design.Listeners Listeners may may try try to to follow follow the the astronomical astronomical progress, progress,or or may may listen listen inin aa more more genergeneral impressionistic or emotional way, at individual pleasure.

However, young players are often fascinated alal impressionistic impressionistic or or emotional emotional way, way,at at individual individual pleasure. pleasure.However, However,young young players players are are often often fascinated fascinated by scientific scientific phenomena, phenomena, and and the the conductor conductor may may be be interested interested in in the the bar-by-bar bar-by-bar “program.” “program.” by M m aayyy bbbeee hhheeeaaarrrdd aaw w ""nnigiigghhhtt-t-m M 11---111999 m Meeeaaasssuu urrreeesss 1 ma d aaasss ppprrreee---ddda wnn n "n -m muuusssiicicc;";;""

b˙

meas. 1-5

4 ß& 4

Fls., Obs.

Í Bs. 4Cl., Bsns.

?4 w

œ œ bœ œ bw

œ œ . œ œ b˙ .

˙ œ . œ œ bw

w

uurrreeesss 222000---3332 22 aaasssmm meeeaaasssu m ooronrrnniniinnggg;;; m meas. 20-21

bœ œ bœ œ œ n œ˙ ß & bbœw bœ BØ Cls.

Í

? bw

Bs. Cl.

œ

˙ b˙

£ n œ bœ œ œ bœ ˙˙

£ œ bœ bœ ˙

b˙ .

etc.

Euph. Œ ‰ bœ œ b˙ b˙ n˙

etc.

m aasssu uurrreeesss 333333---4 449 99 aaasssbbrbirrgiigh hh su ssun m meeea ghhtt,t,,hhhiiigggh unnlillgiigghhhttt...

˙. w Œ `~~~~~ œ . n œœ ˙ . œœ œœ œœ #œw & Œ Œ œ œ œ. œ ß œ œ œœ Œ Saxes., Hrns. meas. 36-39 Fls., Obs.

Í Tuba,w Timp. ? w

œ bœ œ ˙ . œœ .. œ J Œ ˙.

˙.

34 œ˙ . #œœ œœ œ

Œ

34 œœ ˙ #œœ œ ˙ œ

w 44 n wœ . n œœœ ...

44 w w

œœ œœ #œœ nœ œ œœ œœ œ œœ # œ œ J œ œ

TThhee llo onngg ppa assssaaggee ffrroom meeaassuurreess 5500--110066 rreepprreesseennttss tthhee eennccrrooaacchhmmeennt t ooff sshhaaddoow mm w::

5

meas. 52-55

ß & 4 b bb ˙˙˙ œœœ nœœœ ˙˙˙ BØ Cls.

Í

5 ? 4 nœ œ œ Timp.

œ œ

b bb ˙˙˙ œœœ b n œœ ˙˙ bœ ˙ œœœ

œ œ

n b n ˙˙˙ œœœ b b œœœ ˙˙˙ œœœ

£ œ nœ b˙ nœ nœ œ

œ œ b˙ .

etc.

M easures 107 and 108 describe the swift sweeping curtain of shadow at ground level just befo re Measures before totality, and the flutes, piccolo and glockenspiel starting at 108 may suggest the sequin-like twinkling of the last bits of visible direct sun called “Bailey's Beads,” although some have suggested that birds experience a disoriented disoriented chirping chirping during an eclipse, eclipse, which would fit these these passages passages equally well. well. Fortissimo brass with timpani bursts represent full eclipse starting at 109; the beads ultimately stop at 119. During totality the black disc is surrounded by corona or solar prominences, creating a fiery halo with irregular long streamers streamers of spilling solar light; I have used horn “ripping” glissandi along with clarinet clarinet rushes rushes and cymbals rolls.

3 b˙ . ß & 4 b b ˙˙ ..

meas. 123-127

Ï Í 3 . n˙ ? 4 n n ˙˙ ..

Full Brass

b˙ . n n n ˙˙˙ ... œ ‰ b n ˙˙ .. Œ œ .J s.

Hrns.

b˙ . b b ˙˙ ..

s gli

n˙ . # n ˙˙ ..

. n bn ˙˙˙œ n n ˙˙˙ .. Œ Œ œ gliss. .J

b bb ˙˙˙ ...

b˙ b˙

etc.

Let me quickly advise that I resisted the impulse to write an actual retrograde of the pre-totality portion to close the piece, dismissing the thought as clever but obvious and expressively vacuous. But the character of the earlier portions comes back in reverse sequence, even though the actual music is largely changed. So in 127 the “beads,” or birds, come back; in 128 the ground-level curtain of shadow shadow sweeps back as rapidly as it came.

Then the solar shadows generally recede but at bars 136 and l40 rapidly generally tthere h e re are loud "aftershocks"; pperhaps e r h aps the bew i l d e red eclipse viewer is simply not sure the sun is bewildered returning to normalcy,- a passing cloud or two may create that impression. But, indeed the sun does gradually return to fullness and holds forth in bars 150 to 169. Finally dark dark "night-music" "night-music" closes the piece in much the same mood in which it began.

Although the music uses a fre e, if conserv ative, cchromatic hromatic style, and makes fairly heavy emotional free, conservative, ddemands, emands, I have tried to tailor the score for High School ensembles by avoiding complex rhy thms, rhythms, extreme ranges, and difficult passage-work for the most part.

ARNOLD ROSNER

Learn about Raga! and Arnold Rosner’s other music and hear select complete recordings at

www.ArnoldRosner.com

Complete information on all of Rosner’s music at:

www.ArnoldRosnerMusic.com

PRESERVING OUR MUSIC IT IS IMPORTANT TO PRESERVE OUR MUSICAL HERITAGE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS

Acidic paper has been in widespread use since the turn of the century, and has become the bane of archivists, librarians, and others who seek to preserve knowledge intact, because it literally will self-destruct as it ages. Some paper, only three or four decades old, already has become impossible to handle — so brittle it crumbles to the touch. Surely we do not want today’s music to be unavailable to those who will inhabit the future. If the music of the Renaissance had not been written on vellum it could never have been preserved and we would not have it today, some four hundred years later. Let us give the same consideration to the musicians in our future.

It was with this thinking that Manhattan Beach Music in 1988 first addressed the needs of the archivist by printing all of its concert band music on acid-free paper that met the standards specified in the American National Standard for Information Sciences — Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials (ANSI Z39.48-1984).

The standard was revised on October 26, 1992 to include coated papers; all of our new editions and reprints of older editions meet this revised standard. With proper care and under proper environmental conditions, this paper should last for at least several hundred years.

Technical notes: Paper permanence is related to several factors: The acidity or alkalinity (pH) of the paper is perhaps the most critical criterion. Archival paper (also known as acid-free paper, alkaline paper, and permanent paper) is acid-free, has a pH between 7.5 and 10, is tear resistant, has an alkaline reserve equivalent to 2% calcium carbonate (to neutralize any acid that might arise from natural aging of the paper or from environmental pollution), and contains no unbleached pulp or groundwood (no more than 1% lignin by weight). The specific standards summarized here are set forth in detail by the National Information Standards Organization in American National Standard Z39.48-1992. For more information, contact: NISO, P.O. Box 1056, Bethesda, MD 20827.

This paper meets the requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (Permanence of Paper)

∞

COVER DESIGN / ART DIRECTION: NEIL RUDDY PRODUCTION: BOB MARGOLIS PRINTING: CHERNAY PRINTING, INC.