Moth

Duration: 8′
For Wind Band (Grade 6).
Commissioned by the Brooklyn Wind Symphony, Jeff W. Ball, artistic director.



Program Notes
The “moth to the flame” narrative is a familiar one. We have all seen moths in the glow of flames or stadium lights. Scientists call this phenomenon “phototaxis,” but I prefer to think of this attraction in much more romantic terms. The dusty moth, though destined to live in shadow, has an insatiable craving for the brightness of day. Drab, but elegant, nervous, but swift, his taste for the glow of the flame or the filament is dire. Perhaps he dances in the light because it holds the promise that he might be as beautiful as his favored kin, the butterfly. For only there, in its ecstatic warmth, may he spend the last of his fleeting life, and believe himself to be.

Moth seeks inspiration from the dualities between light and dark, beautiful and grotesque, reality and fantasy, and the ultimate decision to sacrifice sensibility for grace.

Thank you to the members of the Brooklyn Wind Symphony and their Artistic Director, Jeff Ball, for trusting me to write a piece for their momentous 2013 Midwest Clinic performance. I have nothing but gratitude and respect for their dedication to the music, and for their commitment to sharing the wind repertoire with the New York City community. The Brooklyn Wind Symphony’s ability to flourish outside of an institution is, in a word, extraordinary.


Perusal Score – Performance materials can be acquired in the store.
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