Each Summer Sound is a Summer Round

Each Summer Sound Is a Summer Round for Symphonic Band

"Each Summer Sound Is a Summer Round," commissioned for the 80th anniversary of the University of New Hampshire's Summer Youth Music School's Senior Blue Concert Band, directed by Andrew Boysen, was made possible through the generous support of the Duane Whittier Music Fund.

The title comes from a series of texts by Henry David Thoreau found in the collection of essays and nature writings titled Excursions. In these texts, Thoreau celebrates the abundance of woodland bird sounds in May and June. I found his comparison of the multitude of singing birds to a round intriguing and decided to explore one of the earliest and most famous rounds, "Summer is Icumen in," (Summer has arrived). This six-part medieval English folk song from the thirteenth century is an early example of polyphonic music. Throughout the piece, the round's thematic elements are used in increasingly intense instrumental textures, leading to a forceful statement of the main theme and a spirited conclusion.