In a Glass, Darkly by Matthew Saunders

In a Glass, Darkly for tuba quartet/choir

Matthew C. Saunders (2014)

In a Glass, Darkly (for tuba quartet/choir) for J. Wesley Flinn, bandmate, teacher, colleague I met Wes Flinn when we both began our studies at the University of Cincinnati in Fall 1994 and we were assigned to two of the same ensembles. I was a freshman undergraduate, and Wes was a garulous first-year Masters student. We played gigs together, and became fast friends, although I am by no means the only person able to say that about Wes. In my sophomore year, I took elective composition lessons, and Wes became my first composition teacher. We reconnected years later through social media, and discovered that both of us had entered academia. Rekindling and remaking our friendship, now as colleagues, has been a fine experience, dampened only by the fact that it has been conducted longdistance. It was, then, with pleasure that I accepted a commission from Wes, and the present piece is the result. In a Glass, Darkly is my third work for a like-instrument consort, following Sevens (for trumpets, 2007) and Nod á Don (for flutes, 2012). Works in this vein focus the timbral and registral palette so that other elements must bear the structure of the composition. As in the works mentioned above, the present piece has a palindromic structure, in this instance overlaid with a harmonic plan that moves from consonant structures to dissonant structures and back. As with all a rovescio compositions, the challenge lies in creating musical ideas that make sense when played forward or backward, while maintaining the interest in the second half of the piece as the music that wound itself up in the beginning now unwinds. The title refers to I Corinthians 13:12, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. (King James Version)” Instrumentation: Euphonium 1 Euphonium 2 Tuba 1 Tuba 2 Dr. Matthew C. Saunders has taught music from kindergarten to college in styles from madrigal to mariachi, and strives to make beautiful music for and with captivating people. He has climbed mountains, saved someone’s life, and watched the moon rise over the prairie. He has loved, lost, and loved again; helped friends find salvation, and found it for himself as well; taught genius students, and learned from genius teachers. His dreams are to walk on Mars, hear a grand piano fall into an orchestra pit, make more people laugh than cry, and love his wife Becky passionately and forever. He plays trombone and is always getting better at playing piano, and in the course of a long, love-filled, productive life, he wants to compose the Great American Symphony, ride the rails, hike the trails, read all of the good books, finally watch The Godfather, and storm the castles in the air. He will never write unlistenable music, stop stargazing or lose money in Vegas. He doesn’t call his mother often enough, but he still tries to do a good turn daily. He is always up for a few hands of euchre or a good game of chess, likely winning the former and losing the latter. Dr. Saunders is Associate Professor of Music and music department chair at Lakeland Community College, where he directs the Lakeland Civic Orchestra. He is on the web at www.martiandances.com, but the physical Dr. Saunders lives in Willowick, Ohio with his wife Becky and their children Noah and Melia. Contact Information: Matthew C. Saunders 257 East 286th Street Willowick, Ohio 44095 (580) 461-1617—matthew@martiandances.com www.martiandances.com

for J. Wesley Flinn, bandmate, teacher, and colleague

In a Glass, Darkly MATTHEW C. SAUNDERS Adagio solennemente (q=ca. 66) Euphonium 1

   



  



 









7        

p e cantabile

Euphonium 2

sempre p









p e cantabile

Tuba 1

  















  



  

      

  







  

   mp

       mp

















         

           mf







    





sempre p



     sempre p

p e cantabile

  



sempre p

p e cantabile

Tuba 2



    

           mf

          mf

M. Saunders/In a Glass, Darkly 16

          



         



          

 



 

fp fp

   

  

    

    

  

    

  

        

         mp

      

subito pp

fp fp

19        

   

 

fp fp

subito pp

      

 

sfz p

subito pp

      sfz p

 sfz p

sfz p

   

 

   pp

                        

 

                                 ff





                        pp mp p mf ff



                  31                     27

                                   

           

                          

           



 



                   p        p  mf f



         p

M. Saunders/In a Glass, Darkly 33

        p

     

    



38    

     



       

  

       



  



   pp



          

       pp



   pp



      

         

     

     

   



    pp





     mp

    mp

       mp



     

 mf

      f

   mf

   

          

              f



 

  

       ff 

 

 

 

    

        ff 

 

  





   ff

 

                    



          f mp

  

         f

  

  

            f

  

   

        

   





  



    

 



          mf

50           

M. Saunders/In a Glass, Darkly

       



                  p

    

 

 

 



   

     

     

     



        p

             p

 

   







  



     p



                     57                  



    

      

     

           pp 





  

  

            p

                p f p p mf                     p p

     mf

       mf

                          p p  p mf  f mf



   pp

  p

  

       pp

    





       pp



   



     mf

pp sfz p



      mf

              p        mp pp

  

        pp sfz p

              pp mf

         pp sfz p

M. Saunders/In a Glass, Darkly

   

 

             fz

 









     

 



              mf 





           mf 



sempre p

 







sempre p



sempre p

   



 



    

 

      

    

 

      

   



 

  

   



 

 

 

 

  

   



 

p e cantabile come prima



 

p e cantabile come prima



  







 



 

 

pp e dim.





p e cantabile come prima

   

  





      



p e cantabile come prima

sempre p





                mp mf  81 79              

        







    



   

          

    

 

69        



 

pp e dim.

 





 



 

pp e dim.



pp e dim.

5'18"