Thin Places
Bill Thomas
Ensemble: Concert Band
Grade: 3.5
Duration: 06:30
Year of Composition: 2012
Commissioned by: Ontario Band Association
Premiered by: Ontario Provincial Honour Band (Alain Cazes, conductor)
Date of Premiere: November 2, 2012
Publisher: Eighth Note
Year of Publication: 2013
Publisher Catalog Number: CB13231
Available: Yes
How to Acquire: Publisher, Purchase
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
Trombones 1,2,3
Euphonium
Tuba
Timpani
[Mallet Percussion 1:] Bells
[Mallet Percussion 2:] Vibraphone
[Percussion 1:] Suspended Cymbal
[Percussion 2:] Snare Drum, Bass Drum
[Percussion 3:] 4 Tom-toms
Commissioned by the Ontario Band Association in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the Ontario Provincial Honour Band.
Program Notes:
The concept of "thin places" comes from the ancient Celts, who believed that there are places on the earth where the distances between this world and the world beyond is very slight. For me these places occur in Ontario's north, and so this seemed an appropriate theme for the piece.
The melodic material for Thin Places comes from Lowell Mason's music for Sarah F. Adams' hymn text "Nearer My God To Thee" and from melodies of Ontario's indigenous peoples. In combining these themes I hoped to reflect a little of the heritage of the province of Ontario and show the universality of the notion of "thin places".
(Bill Thomas via Eighth Note Publications)
[Editor's note: the provenance of the "melodies of Ontario's indigenous peoples" is unclear, and so it is difficult to answer questions of permission or attribution.]
