When Friends Rejoice

Grade Level: 4

Commission Info: Plymouth Concert Band (MN), David Elmhirst, conductor

Duration: 5:30

Audio: YouTube

Purchase at: C. Alan Publications

Program Note

Commissioned by the Plymouth Concert Band (MN) to celebrate their 20th anniversary season, When Friends Rejoice expresses the spirit of friends coming together to make music, simply for the love of music. Community Bands hold a special place in the band world, where players of all ages and walks of life can create art, making memories for their audiences and for themselves. The piece is also written in memory of Dr. Robert Doan, a founding member of the ensemble, who passed away in the years before this 20th anniversary season. With Dr. Doan being a bass clarinetist, I decided to feature that instrument at the beginning of the piece. The opening solo is the melodic inversion of the hymn tune How Can I Keep From Singing?, with all of the intervals flipped upside down. The music then undergoes many twists and turns, expressing joyful sounds, dance like moments, and heartfelt melodies. Beethoven’s famous Ode to Joy melody makes an appearance later in the piece, combined with How Can I Keep From Singing?, this time with the intervals right side up!