WINTER CEREMONY

Winter Ceremony, scored for two trumpeters also performing on flugelhorns, glass chimes and suspended cymbal, was written to appear in the February 1984 International Trumpet Guild Journal. Part of the inspiration for the work was the influence of living for four years on the campus of Delbarton School, Morristown, New Jersey, which is administered by the Benedictine monks of St. Mary’s Abbey. Through association with several of the monks and actual participation in the centuries-old ceremonies at the church, I became fascinated with the rituals of the Catholic church and with rituals in general. When the opportunity arose to write a new work for the Journal, my interest was able to take form. An additional reason for creating this piece was to honor my father who had died only months before, ending a series of deaths in my immediate family. Because of this, the work is mostly solemn with frequent moments of stillness interspersed with sudden outbursts. Between the sections of brass music are formalized movements by the performers and gentle percussion sounds. The work ends with echoes of previously heard material sounding offstage.