The Seeker

The Seeker2020-08-18T01:35:11+00:00

Project Description

Wind Ensemble
2016
10 min.
Grade 5

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Listen Now

2017 VA All-State Symphonic Band, Dr. Gary Green, cond.
Live performance (premiere), 8 April 2017

Instrumentation

Picc Fl-2 Ob E♭Cl B♭Cl-3 BCl CbCl Bsn ASx-2 TSx BSx | Hn-4 B♭Tpt-3 Trb-3 Euph(opt.) Tuba-2 | Hp Pno E.Org Perc-6

  • Piccolo
  • Flute 1, 2
  • Oboe
  • Clarinet in E♭
  • Clarinet in B♭ 1, 2, 3
  • Bass Clarinet in B♭
  • Contrabass Clarinet in B♭
  • Bassoon
  • Alto Saxophone 1, 2
  • Tenor Saxophone
  • Baritone Saxophone
  • Horn in F 1, 2, 3, 4
  • Trumpet in B♭ 1, 2, 3
  • Trombone 1, 2
  • Bass Trombone
  • Euphonium
  • Tuba
  • Piano
  • Timpani
  • Required Percussion (5 players)
    • Percussion 1
      • Vibraphone (cello or bass bow)
    • Percussion 2
      • Xylophone
      • Marimba
    • Percussion 3
      • Anvil
      • Sus. Cym. (Lg.)
      • Sizzle Cym.
      • Orch. Bells
      • Crash Cym.
      • Tam-tam
    • Percussion 4
      • Crash Cymbals
      • Tam-tam
      • Hanging metal piece (a ringing sound; a short length of railroad track, a very large wrench, or equivalent)
      • Bass Drum
    • Percussion 5
      • Tom-toms (Sm., Med., Lg.)
      • Bongos
      • Tenor Drum
      • Snare Drum
      • Woodblock
For wind ensembles and concertos, please use one player per part. For symphonies and concert pieces, more players may be used as desired. David’s full statement.

Commissioned by

The Seeker is commissioned in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors’ Association.

Premiere

26 February 1982 by the Northwestern University Symphonic Wind Ensemble, John P. Paynter, conductor, at Pick-Staiger Hall, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.
8 April 2017 by the VA All-State Symphonic Band, Dr. Gary Green, conductor, at Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors’ Association All-Virginia Band, Chorus, and Orchestra, Manassas, VA.

Program Note

In Buddhist tradition, the bodhisattvas are the seekers after enlightenment. It can be said that we are all seekers on this path, the path of self-understanding, of the heart of compassion, of caring for the world.

The bodhisattvas are put forward as models for our own seeking:
Avalokiteshvara: the way of listening in order to relieve the suffering in the world.
Manjushri: the way of being still and looking deeply into the heart of things and people.
Samantabhadra: the way of acting with the eyes and heart of compassion.
Ksitigarbha: the way of being present where there is darkness, suffering, oppression, and despair.
Sadāparibhūta: the way of never disparaging or underestimating any living being.

The Seeker is subtitled “a symphonic movement.” It opens with a slow melody that feels like an Appalachian folk song. It transitions suddenly and sharply into the main body of the work, an energetic and exuberant romp at a very speedy tempo. The opening melody returns in the context of a chorale, my recomposition of Christe, der du bist der Tag und Licht (Christ, you who are day and light) from the 371 four-part chorales of Bach. The movement concludes with a partial recap of the fast music, and a very brief coda.

Program Note by David Maslanka (January 2017)

Further Reading

From the Maslanka Archive – No. 35, Damon Talley’s Interview of David

27 August 2020|0 Comments

From the Maslanka Archive features media and stories of David's life and work. This week, we are excited to feature one of David's very last interviews. In April of 2017, Damon Talley - Director of Bands at LSU - had the opportunity to sit down with David and discuss Symphony No. 4 during a residency with the LSU Wind Ensemble.

From the Maslanka Archive – No. 28, David in Rehearsal with Mike Fansler and the WIU Wind Ensemble

9 July 2020|0 Comments

From the Maslanka Archive features media and stories of David's life and work. This week, we are excited to feature a video of David in rehearsal with Mike Fansler and the Western Illinois University Wind Ensemble from December 2011. The rehearsal footage captures an amazing realization of the "Doxology" from Symphony No. 4.

Maslanka Weekly: Best of the Web – No. 106, Dances

30 June 2020|0 Comments

Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we feature three compositions in which David experiments with dance forms: Montana Music: Three Dances for Percussion, Concerto for Clarinet and Wind Ensemble, and Concerto No. 2 for Piano and Wind Ensemble.

From the Maslanka Archive – No. 26, Joseph Lulloff Performs Saxophone Concerto in Lucerne

25 June 2020|0 Comments

From the Maslanka Archive features media and stories of David's life and work. This week, we are excited to feature a classic performance of the Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Wind Ensemble with Gregg Hanson leading Joseph Lulloff, Alto Saxophone and the University of Arizona Wind Ensemble from the 2001 World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE) Conference.