Saturnalia
General Info
Year: 1968
Duration: c. 7:00
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Frank Erickson Publications
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $70.00
Instrumentation
- Full Score
- Condensed Score
- C Piccolo
- Flute I-II
- Oboe I-II
- Bassoon I-II
- E-flat Soprano Clarinet
- B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
- E-flat Alto Clarinet
- B-flat Bass Clarinet
- E-flat Contra Alto Clarinet
- B-flat Contrabass Clarinet
- E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
- B-flat Tenor Saxophone
- E-flat Baritone Saxophone
- B-flat Cornet I-II-III
- Horn in F I-II-III-IV
- Trombone I-II-III
- Euphonium
- Tuba
- String Bass
- Timpani
- Percussion, including:
- *Bass Drum
- *Snare Drum
- *Xylophone
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
Saturnalia, a Roman festival of the harvest in honor of Saturnus, was held in December at the end of the vintage and harvesting season. In early times it was the prototype of our American Thanksgiving and a season of relaxation and merriment.
During the days of the Republic, although the whole month of December was dedicated to Saturn, only one day was set aside for the sacred rites of the divinity. When the month was lengthened by the addition of two days upon the adoption of Julian calendar, Augustus enacted that the Saturnalia would be extended from one to three days (the 17th, 18th and 19th of December) thus embracing both the old and new style.
Only two thematic ideas are used in this work: the first, the twelve-tone row, presented in the opening three measures is followed immediately by a fragment from the second theme, a light, tonal, scherzo-like idea. The slow middle section (letter G) begins with a presentation of the retrograde from of the row and in the final portion of the piece (letter K) several different elements are brought back and combined. Although melodic and harmonic ideas based on the tone row are quite prevalent, the row itself has strong tonal characteristics and the piece, as a whole must be considered a tonal work.
-Program note by composer
Media
None discovered thus far.
State Ratings
None discovered thus far.
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
Works for Winds by This Composer
- Air for Band (1956/1966)
- Allegro Animato (1991)
- American Christmas Festival (1975)
- American Patriots (1991)
- Americana (1986)
- Aria Cantabile (1990)
- Aria on a Bach Prelude
- Arrietta and Rondo (1960)
- Arietta for Band (arr. Echols) (1973/2014)
- Arietta for Winds (1973)
- Balladair (1958)
- Ballad for Peace (1995)
- Barcarolle (1992)
- Black Canyon of the Gunnison (1954)
- Blue Ridge Overture (1976)
- Borodin's Symphony No. 1 (as transcriber) (1867/1968)
- Cameo Overture
- Castles and Dragons (1984)
- Cheerio March (as arranger)
- Children's March (as reviser) (1919/1971)
- Chroma
- Citadel
- Clair de Lune (as arranger) (1890/1960)
- Colwyn Bay
- Deep River Suite (1953)
- Desert Suite
- Double Concerto for Trumpet, Trombone, and Concert Band (1956)
- Drummer's Delight (as arranger) (1969)
- Elegy (as arranger) (1961)
- English Folk-Song Fantasy
- Eroica Variations
- Fanfare for a Festival
- Fantasy for Band (1955)
- Fantasy on Nordic Themes
- Fantasy on Themes from Tchaikovsky
- Festiva Musica
- First Symphony for Band (1961)
- Folk Dances (as arranger) (1942/1979)
- Folk Song Suite (as transcriber) 1909/1968)
- A Gaelic Ballad
- Golden Gate (1961)
- A Handel Celebration (as arranger) (1985)
- "Hansel and Gretel" Overture (as arranger) (1892/1960)
- Heritage Hills (1982)
- Introduction, March and Shepherd’s Dance from "Amahl and the Night Visitors" (as arranger)
- Irish Folk Song Suite (1952)
- Irish Tune from County Derry (as arranger) (1918/1970)
- James Bond Suite (as arranger) (1962/2003)
- La Danza (as arranger) (1835/1967)
- Land of the Vikings (1959)
- Light a Distant Fire
- Lyric Episode
- Lyric Suite (1974)
- March Capriccioso (1979)
- March of the Mimes
- March with Fanfares
- Marche from the Opera "Love for Three Oranges" (as arranger)
- Mexicana
- Misty Rain, Softly Falling
- A Mozart Celebration (1991)
- Music for the Royal Fireworks (as arranger) (1749/1997)
- A Nordic Trilogy (with Davis and Reed) (1967)
- Norwegian Folk Song Suite (1953)
- Notturno (1965)
- Overture for Synthesizer and Band (1989)
- Overture Jubiloso (1978)
- Percussion Mystique
- A Percy Grainger Suite (as arranger) (1996)
- Pillars of the Earth
- President's Suite (1993)
- Red Bridge March
- Red’s White and Blue March (as transcriber) (1965)
- Reverence for Life
- Rhythm of the Winds (1964)
- The Rhythms of Christmas
- Rim of the World
- River Wind
- Rondonova
- Royal Armada (1963)
- Russian Easter Overture (as arranger)
- Rustic Overture (1991)
- Sarabande (as transcriber) (1894/1967)
- Saturnalia (1967)
- Second Symphony for Band (1958)
- Selections from "1776" for Concert Band (as arranger) (1969)
- Sinfonia India (as arranger) (1935/1971)
- Soliloquy (1958)
- Sonatina for Band (1962)
- Spoon River Variations
- Suite for Percussion in Three Movements
- Suite for Synthesizer (with Megill) (1986)
- Symphonette for Band (1959)
- Symphony No. 1. See: First Symphony for Band
- Symphony No. 2. See: Second Symphony for Band
- Symphony No. 3. See: Third Symphony for Band
- Third Symphony for Band (1984)
- Three Impressions (as transcriber) (1970)
- Tia Juana Trumpets
- Tide Rises, the Tide Falls, The
- Toccata for a New Age (1995)
- Toccata for Band (1957)
- A Touch of Bach (1979)
- Two Songs Without Words (as arranger) (1906/1996)
- Walt Disney Overture (as arranger) (1967)
- Wind Dancer
Resources
- Erickson, F. [1967]. Saturnalia: For Concert Band [score]. G. Schirmer: New York.
- Frank Erickson Papers, 1923-1996 | Music Special Collections, Old Dominion University Accessed 20 April 2016
- Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music. "Frank Erickson." Accessed 20 April 2016.
- Perusal Score