They Desire a Better Country
Chris Byman
Ensemble: Wind Symphony
Grade: 5
Duration: 06:00
Year of Composition: 2017
Commissioned by: Brandon Community Orchestra
Publisher: self-published
Year of Publication: 2019
Available: Yes
How to Acquire: Composer
Links:
Piccolo
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 1,2,3
F Horns 1,2,3,4
Trombones 1,2,3
Euphonium
Tuba
Timpani
Percussion I (Suspended Cymbal, Bass Drum, Tam Tam)
Percussion II (Glockenspiel)
Percussion III (Chimes)
Piano
Originally the second movement of Northwest Passages for symphony orchestra.
Program Notes:
"They Desire a Better Country" is the second movement of the larger orchestral piece Northwestern Passages, commissioned in 2017 by the Brandon Community Orchestra for Canada's 150th anniversary of confederation.
The title of the movement is taken from the Order of Canada ('desiderantes meliorem patriam') found on the Canadian coat of arms. The Motto of Canada ('a Mari usque ad Mare' or 'From Sea to Sea') also plays a part/musical joke in this movement as the music travels through various keys, starting in C Major, eventually finding its way back home to C Major.
The music in this movement could be described as teeming with life: it is yearning, hopeful, rhythmic, nomadically shifting, all the while paying homage to the form and melody of Stan Rogers' "Northwest Passage" - an unofficial national anthem of Canada.
(Program note by Chris Byman)
