Expedition

Description

Schmitz, Christopher Alan

The Superstition Mountains of central Arizona are home to the fabled Lost Dutchman’s gold mine. Expedition depicts an exciting adventure into this unforgiving wilderness. Each section of the band will find opportunities to shine, and the percussion section is featured in the middle.

Program Notes: The Superstition Mountains of central Arizona are home to the fabled Lost Dutchman’s gold mine. Legend has it that the German immigrant Jacob Waltz discovered a huge cache of gold in this vicinity and then revealed its location on his deathbed back in 1891. Ever since, hundreds of hopeful teams have entered these forbidding mountains in search of the treasure trove. No one is sure if it has ever been found, or if it even existed at all.Expedition depicts an exciting adventure into the Superstition wilderness.

This work exposes students to the Dorian and Lydian modes of the diatonic scale. The main theme uses the F Dorian mode, which is like F natural minor with a major sixth scale degree (F-G-Ab-Bb-C-D-Eb-F). The subordinate theme begins in the Bb Lydian mode, which is like Bf major with a raised fourth scale degree (Bb-C-D-E-F-G-A-Bb), continuing with the Lydian modes of Eb, Ab, and Db before returning to F Dorian once again. Each section of the band will find opportunities to shine, and the percussion section, particularly the concert toms, is featured in the middle.

Grade: 3
Duration: 3’00”