POINTS

Points for brass octet (three trumpets, French horn, three trombones and tuba) and percussion was written in 1983 for Solid Brass and first performed by them that year. It was subsequently substantially re-written in 1987. The work, in three unusually titled movements: “Ontario: 4:30 P.M.; South Carolina: Saturday; Kansas: 3 A.M.”, refers back to various points in my life that have particular significance. As an example, “South Carolina: Saturday” evokes my childhood, which was spent in a small town in South Carolina called Camden. Saturday, a day in which school was mercifully closed, meant a time to be an uncontrollable, mischievous, ball-of-fire brat. This was an age of great innocence where one of the best and most daring pranks one could pull was to sneak up on some unsuspecting girl and cut the bottom out of her Halloween candy bag without her noticing. “South Carolina: Saturday” is my nod to that freest of times. “Kansas: 3 A.M.” is dedicated to all of you who have ever driven non-stop across that most gargantuan of states. Actually, it is something I have done several times leaving strong indelible impressions: boundless sky, billions of stars, a ceaseless wind, breathtaking vastness. “Ontario; 4:30 P.M.” refers to a camping trip in Canada with my wife, Christine, with all of its unexpected experiences.