St. John's, 1828
Benjamin Bolden
Ensemble: Wind Ensemble
Duration: 05:00
Year of Composition: 2010
Publisher: self-published
Available: Yes
How to Acquire: Composer
Links:
Flutes 1,2
Oboe
Bassoon
B♭ Clarinets 1,2,3
B♭ Bass Clarinet
E♭ Alto Saxes 1,2
B♭ Tenor Sax
E♭ Baritone Sax
B♭ Trumpets 1,2
F Horns 1,2
Trombones 1,2,3
Euphonium
Tuba
Timpani
4 Percussion
Program Notes:
[Content warning: colonial violence]
When European settlers first arrived in Newfoundland, they encountered the Beothuk people. By 1829, the last Beothuk was dead.
Some years ago I composed a music theatre piece based on the tragic yet fascinating events surrounding the final years of Shanawdithit, the last Beothuk, and her people. St. John's, 1828 is derived from the opening scene of that theatre piece. What I originally created for voices and accompaniment, I re-arranged for Wind Ensemble. This is the music that sounds as the curtain rises, to reveal:
A seedy St. John's street, foggy. Evening. September 1828. A single native drum sounds a slow and ominous pattern. The rising curtain reveals a dirty, slovenly, evil, drunken, and lecherous St. John's street. Close to the harbour, it teems with those who make a living from the sailors who have come ashore. The drum beat remains steady, but the rhythm changes to that of a 6/8 bodhran rhythm. The music is in a minor mode, Celtic and fast. The harbour parasites sing; they sell their wares, the dark rum, and themselves...
- Benjamin Bolden