Cascades for Flute Choir

Cascades is a three-movement composition for flute choir that represents both the waterfall definition of the word and the mountain range in the Pacific Northwest. The first movement represents Multnomah Falls, the tallest waterfall in Oregon. It drops 635 feet in two tiers. The music has cascading musical figures as well as sense of power and beauty. Mt. Hood is the inspiration for second movement. Standing at 11,249 feet above sea level, this majestic mountain is dramatically visible from the valley floor and is snow covered most of the year. The music of this movement depicts the rising from the valley floor with its low to high orchestration. The almost symmetrical shape is represented by descending lines after the two climaxes.The third movement is a reminder of the relatively youngness of the Cascade mountain range. In 1980, Mt. St. Helens erupted, causing catastrophic damage to the surrounding area and loss of lives. What remains of this former symmetrical mountain is a large crater as a reminder of the volatile nature of the Cascade Range. The music of this movement is filled with tension, from the seismic tremors of the first part to the eruption itself in the second part. A final cascade, this time depicting lava flow rather than a waterfall, brings both the movement and the composition to a close.