Forged by the Sea
INSTRUMENTATION
4 Fl, E-flat Cl, 9 Cl (3 parts), B Cl, Contrabass Cl, 2 Ob, EH, 2 Bn, SATB Sax, 6 Tpt, 4 Hn, 3 Tbn, B Tbn, 1-2 Euph, 1-2 Tba, Timp, 5 Perc, Hp, Pno, DB
4 Fl, E-flat Cl, 9 Cl (3 parts), B Cl, Contrabass Cl, 2 Ob, EH, 2 Bn, SATB Sax, 6 Tpt, 4 Hn, 3 Tbn, B Tbn, 1-2 Euph, 1-2 Tba, Timp, 5 Perc, Hp, Pno, DB
YEAR COMPOSED
2023
DURATION
11'30"
ORDERING SCORES
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COMMISSIONER
United States Navy Band
PROGRAM NOTES
Part of the United States Navy’s mission is to send expeditionary forces to places that are unfriendly to human life, both below the sea and above. I was immediately drawn to the idea that Navy personnel do their utmost to keep the world’s oceans and skies safe in circumstances that can be challenging, dangerous, and constantly changing.
In Forged by the Sea, I chose to feature two areas in which expeditionary forces operate. The first movement, From the depths below, explores the secret and stealthy world under the ocean. The movement begins with a musical representation of a submarine sonar sweep. Technically speaking, submarines are “blind” as they have no windows to see what is in the ocean around their vessel. They use sonar sweeps, among other methods, to map out their location and to detect explosive mines and other submarines in the water. In my piece, the first sonar sweep we hear is played by solo piccolo, which is soon joined by additional sonar sweeps in the woodwind instruments. The sweeps fade away as the submarine dives down further into the far-reaching expanse of the sea, where the deep ocean sings around the craft. The sonar sweeps gain in strength once again as the submarine rises and crests at the ocean’s surface.
The second movement, To the skies above, celebrates the joy of flight. The movement begins as a jet rapidly takes off from an aircraft carrier at sea and soars into the sky. Running through a series of maneuvers, the jet glides over the ocean, performs barrel rolls, and surveys the grandeur below. As the jet climbs higher into the sky, the pilot looks wistfully at the heavens above before diving back to the earth. The jet continues soaring, gliding, and surveying, and the piece ends with the pilot looking to the heavens once more.
Forged by the Sea was commissioned by the United States Navy Band.
-S.G.
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HELIOS • 4’30” • 2 tpts/flugelhorns, hn, tbn, tba
PROGRAM NOTES
In Greek mythology, Helios was the god of the sun. His head wreathed in light, he daily drove a chariot drawn by four horses (in some tales, the horses are winged; in others, they are made of fire) across the sky. At the end of each day’s journey, he slept in a golden boat that carried him on the Okeanos River (a fresh water stream that encircled the flat earth) back to his rising place. The cyclic journey of Helios is depicted in this short work for brass quintet. The first half is fast-paced and very energetic, while the second half is slow and serene, representing day and night.
-S.G.