Thom Ritter George

PROCLAMATIONS, CN 222 (1965)
 
 

PROGRAM NOTES

PROCLAMATIONS, Thom Ritter George's second work for band, was written in late 1965 while the composer was living in Rochester, New York.  The score is dedicated to Floyd K. Grave, a musicologist and friend of Dr. George's.

The title, PROCLAMATIONS, is derived from the nature of the music rather than from any specific programmatic idea.  The score consists of three large sections played without pause.  Each section is devoted to a musical proclamation.

The first section, marked "Allegro, features writing for brass in a brilliant style, syncopated woodwind backgrounds, and forceful percussion scoring.

"Largo," which forms the second part of the work, demands fine sostenuto playing from the ensemble.  The music is poetic and lyrical in expression.  Antiphonal effects between the woodwinds and brass are used in the middle of the "Largo" section.

The third section of PROCLAMATIONS is marked "Allegro" and is cast in a tight sonata-allegro design.  The woodwind writing offers many chances for technical display; the brass writing is generally chordal, either staccato or sustained.  Near the end, themes from the opening of PROCLAMATIONS are brought back and combined with the music of the finale.  These ideas are closely interwoven and give the composition a unified and powerful ending.
 

(TRGcm:1975.01.15-16)
Quincy, Illinois