Affirmation
for wind ensemble
Program Note – Affirmation
To affirm the world is meaningless, unless one also affirms the tragic reality which is at the core of existence. To live on—to develop means, as I see it, to enter always more and more deeply into the very essence of tragic reality.
Aaron Copland
April 21, 1931
That these lines were written in a private letter by one America’s foremost composers, one known for his optimistic populist works, is eye-opening. Though Copland intended this description for his own dark and sinister Piano Variations, the meaning of his words—that it is impossible to affirm life without also considering the tragic—serves as the impetus for my own Affirmation, a ten-minute reflection on wide range of often conflicting emotions that encompass the human condition: life and death; love and loss; darkness and light.
At no point in the work are these extremities juxtaposed side by side; but rather, they gradually materialize. While the music travels far in terms of its range of register, harmony, and dynamic it does so almost imperceptibly, as one long arc from beginning to end.
Affirmation is dedicated to the American Bandmaster’s Association and to The University of Florida Bands with much appreciation for their continued support. I’m also indebted to Col. Larry Lang and The United States Air Force Band for giving an astounding world premiere.
Wayne Oquin
August 30, 2014
Huntsville, Alabama