Earthdawn Randall D. Standridge

Imagine that every day holds the possibility of hope.  Imagine that every day holds the possibility of goodness and love.  Imagine that every day holds the potential for creation. These are the ideas that spawned Earthdawn.

This works paints the picture of a lush landscape that begins to wake as the first rays of sunlight bring its colors to life.  The opening segment is calm, but holds a sense of anticipation as the instruments enter one by one, adding their voices to the growing chorus.  Finally, a primal scream signals the beginning of a celebration. The rest of the work is a dance for the Earth and all who inhabit it.

On a more practical side, this work explores some very specific ideas for young ensembles.  The primary focus is on rhythm, dynamic expression, and polyphony. With this in mind, I limited the ranges and technical demands as much as I could, and I tried to ensure that all instrument groups had melodic moments to help develop the ENTIRE band, and not just part of it.  Also, careful consideration was given to cross-cueing to allow this work to be performed by as many instrumentation situations as possible.

Earthdawn was commissioned by the Otto Shortell Middle School 7th and 8th Grade Band and their director, Nicholas J. Anderalli.  I wish to thank them for allowing me to create something really different and for trusting me with the process.

Peace, Love, and Music.