Musica Propria Culloden - Movements I & II - Giroux - Concert Band - Gr. 4

Composer: Julie Giroux
Format: Score and Parts
Instrumentation: Concert Band
Level: 4

A Scottish experience. Beautifully lyrical lines coupled with the spirit of the dance.

PROGRAM NOTES

Culloden (pronounced cuh-LAH-dn) is an attempt to present the folk & Gaelic "commoners" music from the 1745-6 period of Scotland in my own way, without losing its original charm and flavor. To be exact, the goal was to compose one large, flowing, multi-movement work, a symphony for band, using as many as I could of those 8 and 16 bar tunes/songs. The melodies were originally for bagpipe, fiddle or voice, and had either no accompaniment or only a drone. The hundreds of hours of research alone would have prompted me to compile them into a work of some kind, but after immersing myself in the history, the music and overall "flavor" of the period, I became extremely fond of these tunes and my desire to see them breathe the air of the 21st century became overwhelming.

Movement I - Heilan Lochs, Bairns & Heather

Scotland -- just that one word brings to mind the sounds of bagpipes, fiddles and drums, the rolling green hills and moors; the dark, still waters of the lochs; kilts and plaidsa kaleidoscope of colourful sounds and pictures. This movement attempts to capture just that only it is the Scotland of 1745 that you will hear. They are songs about love, war, whiskey, and women; places and people long gone or changed. Woven into a movement that sounds like an aerial overview of Scotland, these short 8 and 16 bar tunes/songs originally had no accompaniment or only that of a single drone. Most were with endless lyrics. Here, they have been brought back to life in a depth and understanding that they must have had all along. These melodies sprang onto my score pages decked in full regalia, wearing the plaids of their ancestors. Simple they may be, but pull on your heart strings they will, for they pulled on mine something fierce. For the most part, I let them be.
Duration: 4:45

Movement II - I Hae Grat for Tho I Kend (I have wept for those I knew)

"Bloody Culloden," so justly nicknamed, left in its wake a river of destruction and death. So many lives were ruined or changed forever; it affected husbands, sons, wives and daughters and a way of life that would never be again. "I Hae Grat for Tho I Kend" is a lamentation for them. In order to compose this particular work, I had to draw not only from their losses, but also my own. The opening line (in 3/4) is underscored by the Latin/Gaelic death chant (in 4/4) which is accompanied by the tubular bells (church bells). The middle section sounds almost hopeful for a reason. It represents the "good" that comes from such an experience, in addition to the good we remember of the departed. The movement is set in an order of dealing with grief: the actual funeral, the anger, the weeping, the fond memories and the acceptance.
Duration: 2:45

- Julie Giroux

Culloden's three movements (Movement III is available separately) may be performed singly, in pairs (I & II, II & III) or as the complete set.