Guardians of the Realm

Guardians of the Realm is a lionhearted work reminiscent of times long ago. Contrasts in styles and modalities make explorations of both right and left hand technique engaging and relevant. Divisi strings parts challenge performers comfortable with shifting, while providing a more accessible role for those solidifying fundamentals. With fierce themes and aspirations of valor, orchestras will enliven in audiences and awaken in themselves, the Guardians of the Realm. The Franklin Band & Orchestra Camp commissioned Guardians of the Realm in honor of its 30th anniversary. The piece is dedicated to the directors and students for whom the piece was composed. Musical ideas for the piece were inspired by the life and times of Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), namesake of the camp. Franklin was a contributor to the Age of Enlightenment, a period during the 18th century when people in Europe and America turned towards rational and scientific explanations. He was an author, inventor, philosopher, politician, and printer. A varied skill set, inquisitive mind, and problem-solving ability enabled him to become one of America's Founding Fathers. A contemporary of both Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and a young Ludwig van Beethoven, Franklin's experiments extended into the realm of music. One of his inventions was the glass armonica, a keyboard of ringing glasses, filled with water to produce the correct pitches. Scores of composers wrote for the glass armonica, including Mozart, Beethoven, and Saint-Saens. The opening of the piece calls for glass armonica or singing glasses to accompany the harmonics heard in the upper strings. These sonorities become a foundation for the piece on multiple levels. Structure and styles stemming from the composers and ideals of the Age of Enlightenment are also found throughout the work. The opening soli is given to the low strings as a tribute to Franklin, who played the viola da gamba.