Aubade Stream

Aubade Stream was commissioned for Ohme Dai-roku Jr. H.S. Band's 70th anniversary.

For the 2017 premier the band club had seven members playing woodwinds and percussion: Fl. & Per. & Pf / Fl. & Per. / Cl. & EbCl. / Cl. / S. Sax.& T. Sax. / A. Sax. / B. Sax. & A. Sax.

Most players doubled, and one also played piano, so the work was done in piano concerto style, switching instruments in an extraordinary manner. The reason for initially quoting Rachmaninoff was to establish a "piano-based concert band" presence. It is not, though, a "concerto".

In this version, brass are added and the instrumentation is larger than the original, but the essence is mostly unchanged.

Aubade means a lover's morning song, here as they part, and Stream is of course a small river. The piece was inspired by the murmur of a stream alongside the school and its beautiful scenery and was named with reverence for the lush natural environment and the wonderful view from the school building.

(Jerry Grasstail)