SpaceShipOne
Nova Pon
Ensemble: Symphonic Band
Duration: 10:30
Year of Composition: 2010
Publisher: self-published
Available: Yes
How to Acquire: Composer
Links:
Piccolo
Flutes 1,2
Oboes 1,2
Bassoon
B♭ Clarinets 1,2,3
B♭ Bass Clarinet
E♭ Alto Saxes 1,2
B♭ Tenor Sax
E♭ Baritone Sax
B♭ Trumpets 1,2,3
F Horns 1,2
Trombones 1,2,3
Euphonium
Tuba
Double Bass
Percussion (3 players):
1. Marimba, Crash Cymbals, Glockenspiel, Triangle, Xylophone, Tom-toms, Vibraphone, Chimes
2. Tam-tam, Triangle, Marimba, Crash Cymbals, Castanets, Hi-Hat, Snare Drum, Tom-toms, Suspended Cymbal
3. Suspended Cymbal, Glockenspiel, Bass Drum, Anvil, Tambourine, Snare Drum
Supported by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts.
Program Notes:
SpaceShipOne for Symphonic Band is a musical tribute to one of the most positive and significant historical events of our times: the first privately funded human spaceflight, completed by SpaceShipOne on June 21, 2004, through the genius of Burt Rutan and investment of Paul Allen. Like Charles Lindbergh’s historic flight of the Spirit of St. Louis in 1927, this event marked the launch of a new age: that of commercial space travel. Along with giving courage to anyone who has ever dreamed of going to space, this heroic feat also reaffirmed the immense achievement possible to the private individual. This piece follows, in stylized musical terms, the flight profile of the rocket-powered SpaceShipOne aircraft.
The work opens with a passacaglia on a theme first stated by the tuba, then by each instrument through nine variations, representing SpaceShipOne carried by the “White Knight” aircraft in a long ascending spiral to its separation altitude. SpaceShipOne is then released, and glides free for just an instant, before firing its rocket engines for sudden acceleration, represented by a fast, driving, and dense section. After the scheduled burn time, SpaceShipOne one has enough inertia to coast on up to its suborbital apogee, where it experiences the ethereal calm of freefall and a reflective view of our planet from above, portrayed in a section for bowed vibraphone, woodwind solos, and muted brass. As SpaceShipOne starts to falls back towards the earth, a fugue begins, with a theme passing gradually from the highest piccolo voice down successively through the ranges of the entire ensemble. Intensity builds as SpaceShipOne glides homeward, previous musical material returns, and a triumphant landing is made.
(Nova Pon)
