Dramatic, nine-minute concert work celebrating restoration and renewal.
Concert Band | Grade 4 | 9:00
Performance materials available through:
Commissioned by
Sean Meagher, Epping High School
Brandon Duras, Brunswick High School
Joel M. Graham, The College of Wooster
Ronald Goodwin, Spaulding High School
Timothy Vigneau, Manchester Central High School
Thomas Bourgault, Bridgewater-Raritan High School
Timothy Russell and David Brien, Manchester Memorial High School
Michael Adams, James Boccia, Laura Iwaskiewicz, and Sandra Olson, Pinkerton Academy
Andrew Boysen, Jr., Casey Goodwin, and Mark Zielinski, University of New Hampshire Bands
About the piece
From the Ashes is about restoration. On a very personal level, it embodies my return to composing. After two years of creative drought – partially due to some vocational choices – this commission gave me a new opportunity to paint with one of my favorite sound palettes: the concert band. However, it is my hope that others will also relate to the theme of restoration. It could mean finding something you thought was lost, getting a second chance, going from death to life, healing from a physical or emotional wound, or reconciliation with someone you love.
Musically, only the very beginning looks back at what used to be ashes. Everyday perseverance is conveyed next, as rebuilding begins. After the six-minute mark, an especially dramatic section begins; this is where current perseverance unites with hope of things to come, resulting in a renewed passion for life. Beauty swells, and the listener knows the fire will continue to burn long into the future.
The piece is dedicated to my wife, Meg, and to my mentor, Andy Boysen. In different ways, both have encouraged me tirelessly and pushed me at times I was ready to quit. Meg insisted I take time to pursue composing vocationally (again), part of what allowed this piece to happen. I also want to offer a special thank you to Andy for leading this consortium, and to the sponsoring band directors, friends all, many of whom I studied with at the University of New Hampshire. I cannot sufficiently express my gratitude to all of you for this opportunity.
It would be impossible for me to talk about second chances without mentioning my faith. All my hope for restoration is ultimately in Jesus Christ, and I owe all I have to him. He is the source of any raw composing talent that I possess, and also my chief inspiration for using it. He is my strength when I am weak, my guide through the darkness when I cannot see. He is the way in the wilderness and the river of life in the desert. He takes a faintly burning wick like me and does not quench it, but rekindles it from the ashes to everlasting light.
A bruised reed He [Jesus] will not break
and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish…
Thus says the LORD…
“Do not call to mind the former things;
pay no attention to the things of old.
Behold, I am about to do something new;
even now it is coming. Do you not see it?
Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness
and streams in the desert.”
From Isaiah 42 & 43 (public domain translation)
From the Ashes was premiered by the Wooster Scot Symphonic Band (Joel Graham conducting) on March 1st, 2020, and by the UNH Concert Band (Casey Goodwin conducting) on March 5th.
Paul Cravens 