Music of Foghorns and Seabirds (score/parts) - REED5

Music of Foghorns and Seabirds
for reed quintet: oboe, clarinet, alto saxophone, bass clarinet & bassoon
by Natalie Draper - American composer

From the Akropolis Quintet Collection

NOTES:
Music of Foghorns & Seabirds was written in 2018 for Akropolis Reed Quintet and was premiered in East Haddam, Connecticut, and New York City in August of 2018. Much recent music has reflected visual landscapes and nature. This piece evokes of my scene from the ocean-undulating foghorns, shifting boats, and murmurations and chirpings of seabirds. In this sense it a soundscape, very much influenced by impressionism and experimentalism. Each movement presents a unique scene: I. In the Distance, II. Murmuration, III. Stillness, and IV. Into the Haze. Many thanks to Akropolis Reed Quintet and I-Park for this wonderful collaborative opportunity.

INSTRUMENTATION:
Oboe (doubling with two tuned wine bottles to Eb3 and Es)
Clarinet in Bb (doubling with one tuned wine bottle to Eb3)
Bass Clarinet in Bb
Alto Saxophone (doubling with one tuned wine bottle to Eb3)
Bassoon (doubling with two tuned wine bottles to Eb3 and E3)

A maverick of new wind music, Akropolis is committed to showcasing the vast possibilities of the reed quintet through our adventurous repertoire spanning over 400 years of musical history. Having premiered over 50 works for the unique combination of oboe, clarinet, saxophone, bass clarinet, and bassoon, Akropolis is devoted to expanding the existing reed quintet repertoire with imaginative arrangements and the continued development of new works by emerging and established composers.

From the dozens of professional reed quintets actively performing around the world, to the hundreds of student ensembles forming at universities around the United States alone, we hope this collection of our ever-growing repertoire continues to help inspire reed quintet growth around the globe. In the collection below, you’ll find works Akropolis has commissioned and arranged, plus works commissioned or arranged by other artists from around the world we consider important contributions to the standard repertoire of the reed quintet.