Tower Ascending (2009)
for wind ensemble – United States Air Force Band
Program Note – Tower Ascending
Tower Ascending for wind ensemble and clarinet solo is my own depiction of an ongoing aspect of urban city life: the construction of modern skyscrapers. The music’s structure, development, and gradual assimilation of materials are best described as cumulative. Just as skyscrapers are built laying stone upon stone, floor upon floor, so, too, is this music constructed from the bottom up: measure upon measure, phrase upon phrase, rhythm upon rhythm. This ascension is gradual and permeates many dimensions of the music: register (low to high), dynamics (soft to loud), and tempo (slow to fast).
Living on New York’s Upper West Side, I witness firsthand this construction process on a daily basis. Although any skyscraper represents this idea, perhaps the one that stood out for me during the composing of this piece is the Freedom Tower. It goes beyond an architectural marvel to symbolize the resolve of the American spirit.
This eight-minute composition is divided into two equal parts: four minutes of slow music, four minutes of fast. Each of the two sections culminates in a dramatic offstage clarinet solo, the clarinet both summarizing and commenting on the music that has come immediately before, stating the material in its most concise form.
Composed between July 2008 and January 2009, Tower Ascending was commissioned by John P. Lynch for the University of Georgia Wind Ensemble’s performance at the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) 2009 in Austin, Texas. My sincere thanks go to John Lynch for his encouragement, invaluable insights, and involvement during every stage of the composing process.
Tower Ascending is dedicated to my own college band director, John Stansberry, in honor of his retirement. I am deeply indebted to John Stansberry for his strong support of my music during the formative stages of my career.
Wayne Oquin
January 15, 2009
New York, New York