Maslanka Press

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On this Bright Morning was written for a consortium of Montana high school bands. The focus group was the second band at Missoula's Hellgate High School, the thinking being that this second band in a good music program would represent the technical development of the average high school band around the state. The music is bright and engaging, and at the same time quite soulful. It asks players and conductors to commit fully to a very direct and powerful personal feeling. As a motivation for approaching the piece I have attached the following quote, taken from an interview with the poet, Jane Kenyon: "Yes, there are things in this life that we must endure that are all but unendurable, and yet I feel that there is a great goodness. Why, when there could have been nothing, is there something? How, when there could have been nothing, does it happen that there is love, kindness, beauty?" What a beautiful piece. I fell in love with it and purchased it as soon as school was back in from holiday break in January. ... There are not many pieces that produce the emotional depth to follow a monumental work that is Music for Prague, but, we found that the emotions of despair and anger brought on by Prague are tempered and resolved through On This Bright Morning. Todd Ebert The students (and ourselves) have grown to love the On This Bright Morning. Jay Cobb Find program notes and more information at davidmaslanka.com.

On This Bright Morning

Concert Band Score & Parts

I remember seeing Carl Sandburg being interviewed on the "Today" program sometime in the 1950's. He was an old man, still physically alert, with a keen mind and a ready sense of humor. It must have been amazing, and a good laugh for him, a person born in the presidency of Ulysses S. Grant, to be interviewed on TV. To me, who had grown up with his poetry as a schoolchild, he knew so much about America that he seemed the embodiment of it. And yet he was the child of immigrants and spoke Swedish at homeas I was the grandchild of immigrants, though kept from the Polish language in order to be made into an American. It took me many years to break out of the "immigrant" mentality of "us against everybody," and to realize that America was mine, deeply and completely mine. Carl Sandburg, with his poetry and his other writings, especially the monumental Lincoln biography, has been a life- long companion as I have searched for my own American roots. In A Carl Sandburg Reader I have tried to let Sandburg's voice tell his own take on the human condition the masses, the poor, war, cynicism, faith, hope, acceptance and to tell the story as well with his beloved folk songs. For this auspicious occasion of the 150th anniversary of the founding of Illinois State University I wanted a musical celebration, using the words of a native son of the Illinois prairie, that would speak deeply to our past, our present, and our future. What a terrific and enlightening experience! We will hopefully have an opportunity to recreate this wonderful music sometime in the near future. Stephen Steele, Illinois State University I listened to it straight through the first sitting and thought it was great. Since then, I find myself listening through the piece over and over again. Martin Lenard Find program notes and more information at davidmaslanka.com.

A Carl Sandburg Reader

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Immerse yourself in the evocative tones of "Nocturne" by David Maslanka. Ideal for Concert and Contest, this piece offers a deep, resonant exploration of melody and emotion. Perfect for advancing ensembles seeking to captivate and inspire, "Nocturne" promises to be a memorable addition to your musical repertoire. - Note: This music is composed by humans. No human-written product description is available, limiting search visibility. The AI-assisted description is for reference only.

Nocturne

Violin Solo with Piano

For solo piano. First edition. Written for Nicholas Phillips. Includes program notes. Duration: ca. 5' 30". Score

Beloved

Piano Solo

Dive into the profound depths of "Cello Songs" by celebrated composer David Maslanka. This collection for concert and contest showcases the cello's emotive power through intricate melodies and compelling harmonies, perfect for advanced players seeking to explore the instrument's expressive capabilities in a solo setting. An essential addition to any - Note: This music is composed by humans. No human-written product description is available, limiting search visibility. The AI-assisted description is for reference only.

Cello Songs

Cello Solo Collection with Piano

Immerse yourself in "Song of Coming Awake," a profound composition by David Maslanka. Crafted for concert and contest settings, this piece evokes a stirring journey towards enlightenment. Its intricate harmonies and poignant melodies promise to captivate performers and audiences alike, making it a compelling choice for any ensemble's repertoire. - Note: This music is composed by humans. No human-written product description is available, limiting search visibility. The AI-assisted description is for reference only.

Song of Coming Awake

Flute Solo Performing Score V.2

Immerse in the profound emotion of Trio #1 by David Maslanka. This piece, perfect for concert and contest settings, offers a challenging yet exhilarating experience for performers. Its intricate harmonies and dynamic movements will captivate audiences and judges alike, making it a standout selection in any repertoire. - Note: This music is composed by humans. No human-written product description is available, limiting search visibility. The AI-assisted description is for reference only.

Trio #1

Violin, Clarinet, Piano Trio

Voice

"Three Songs" by David Maslanka offers a profound exploration within concert and contest styles. This composition weaves intricate melodies and challenging harmonies, perfect for advanced ensembles seeking to delve deep into emotional expression and technical precision. A must-have piece that inspires both players and audience alike. - Note: This music is composed by humans. No human-written product description is available, limiting search visibility. The AI-assisted description is for reference only.

Three Songs

Vocal Solo Collection

This work is in four movements, with a duration of about 75 minutes. The symphony opens with a reading of the poem "Secrets" by W. S. Merwin, which is paralleled in the fourth movement by a reading of my brief Whale Story. Symphony No. 9 can be described as a large collection of instrumental songs which create a continuously moving tapestry of thoughts and images relating to the nature of memory, the life giving creative force of water, and compassion, forgiveness, and rest. The flow of the entire Symphony is toward the Chorale melody O Sacred Head Now Wounded at the end of the fourth movement. While the Symphony is of extended length it is not physically fatiguing to perform. Its high demand is for patience in pacing, and continuous attention by all ensemble members to each moment of musical sound. The symphony is simply stunning music. ... There was a high school band director who refused to leave the concert hall until he had a copy of the house recording. Stephen Steele, Illinois State University What an extraordinary creation he has here. Zan Furtwangler, Audiophile Audition Find program notes and more information at davidmaslanka.com.

Symphony #9

Wind Ensemble Study Score

"Illumination" lighting up, bringing light. I am especially interested in composing music for young people that allows them a vibrant experience of their own creative energy. A powerful experience of this sort stays in the heart and mind as a channel for creative energy, no matter what the life path. Music shared in community brings this vital force to everyone. Illumination is an open and cheerful piece in a quick tempo, with a very direct A-B-A song form. We have started work on Illumination and I, the other band directors, and the students love it! I think it will be perfect for our opening ceremonies in our new high school. Nicole Wright, Franklin (MA) High School This has become a bit of our "theme song" at Lakeland, we performed it two more times at our Holiday/Christmas concert (as an opener/overture) but on the November program it was our finale and was THE talk of campus. This was definitely a wake-up' type of piece for this band, students, directors that came and the community still are talking of this concert. Christopher Werner, Lakeland University Find program notes and more information at davidmaslanka.com.

Illumination

Requiem is a single-movement fantasia written in response to an event of the Holocaust in World War II. It is not possible truly to grasp the deaths of millions of people, but the death of one, in this case a year-old baby  brought me face-to-face with the horror and revulsion of the whole. We think that history is past, and nothing can change it. But the effects of such things as the Holocaust are still immediately with us; the open wound has not been healed. It is my feeling that music can bring closure, and it is my hope that Requiem will serve in this capacity.


    
        An exceptionally moving piece. It has made its way into the soul of our musical community.
    
    Ronald Johnson

    
        I really was moved by [Requiem]. Deceptively simple' on the page, but it hit my core.

    
    Christopher Werner, Lakeland University

Find program notes and more information at davidmaslanka.com.

Requiem

Music is wonderful. It lets us tell ourselves things we can't speak out in words. It opens the dream space and lets us dream together. It lets us imagine the world as it really is, a place of vitality, power, and possibility. We live in fear of destruction, from climate change, nuclear bombs, increasing population, vanishing resources, continuous war. When the troubles are listed like this it is hard to know what we think we are doing with our seemingly simple and innocent music making. California has always been a place of big dreams. The music of California celebrates the California dream space. There is tremendous beauty here the forests, deserts, mountains and valleys, the ocean and also the strength within the people and in the earth to meet the times that are upon us. Music lets us dream, and in that dream is the possibility of a new world, one in which humans live in harmony, within themselves, with all other people, with all other species, with the planet. Is this dream impossible? Are circumstances too complex? Will human nature never change? My answer to these questions is no. The dream starts somewhere. Let our music making be one such place. On a musical level the piece is to me nearly perfect. There is such refined writing going on which is communicating such precise and powerful emotion it is overwhelming to me in the same sense of listening to the slow movement of the Beethoven Eroica. The form is masterful the way the beginning calls for the listener's attention like a meditation bell. James Sepulvado, Cuyamaca College As the final notes were being coaxed from the piano I think I had some intuitive awareness that all this was happening. I could feel this amazing focused energy consume the room and as I sat there with my eyes closed I felt so powerfully calm and focused in a way that I had no precedent for other than some of the very best meditation experiences I've had and so in that moment when the last note sounded I found myself focusing on my breath. I had initially a passing thought that I hoped the silence would last and in those glorious seconds after the piece was over I felt the most overwhelming sense of beauty that perhaps I have ever experienced. It was deeply personal I suppose because I knew so many of the people in the audience and had lost faith in so many of them and then bam they were changed. At least for those few seconds you had brought complete peace to those 3,000 people. It was the most amazing thing. James Sepulvado, Cuyamaca College Find program notes and more information at davidmaslanka.com.

California

First Light has two characters. They are marked in the musical score as "unforgettable wounds  darkness," and "perseverance  first light." It has been my long personal experience that no real change, no transformation, occurs without crisis. We don't move if we don't have to. This is as true on the societal and environmental levels as it is on the personal. We are facing huge crises in our society and in our world, with every aspect of human darkness rising to the surface. It is my faith that we, with imagination, work, and perseverance, are at the edge of a profound transformation  a movement into light.


    
        ...embodies the spirit and history of the Air Force. .. I think anyone personally can relate to [First Light]. It is the idea of going through a struggle and coming into the light.
    
    Shanti Simon

Find program notes and more information at davidmaslanka.com.

First Light

David Maslanka's wife of 37 years, Alison, was in the final stages of her terminal illness as he was writing Symphony No. 10. The work was shaped by the anticipation of her death. When David himself died only a month after Alison, the symphony was completed by his son Matthew after David's passing. The work is profoundly concerned with death, grief, memory, and how to process trauma. It requires a deep emotional and technical investment from the performers but overwhelmingly rewards that commitment. Matthew Maslanka has done a remarkable job deciphering the sketches Gramophone The Tenth Symphony is a major utterance Gramophone Symphony 10 is indicative of Maslanka's extraordinary mastery of instrumentation. Very highly recommended! Ira Novoselsky, Bandworld Find program notes and more information at davidmaslanka.com.

Symphony No. 10 "The River of Time"

Hosanna a shout of praise. The psychologist Carl Jung has described the first half of life as devoted to the establishment of self and of place in the world, and the second half as the journey towards God. Once past the age of 70, which Gary and I both are, this focus becomes intent. With it comes an attitude of surprise, acceptance and praise the shout of praise for all that is. Everything is divine, and it is our clear, sharp intention to bring this understanding to the generations coming up behind us. It is my pleasure and honor to offer this music to my friend, Gary Green, as he moves onward in his music making, teaching, and mentoring his service to the world. This music shows once again my long-time engagement with J.S. Bach's 371 Four-Part Chorales. I have been singing these pieces almost daily for nearly 25 years, and composing my own chorales in the old style. The practice has become an ever deepening meditative prayer. The melodies and titles are certainly Christian in origin, yet I have come to see and feel them as a deep expression of a common humanity, transcending origin and label. Their attitudes in this composition are centered and quiet, opening the space for self reflection and the voice of praise. I wanted to not only thank you for writing some of the most interesting and challenging low brass parts that I have come across in my playing, but also to commend you for composing quite the amount of music that is all so inspired and spiritual. While practicing the bass trombone parts for Hosannas and your 7th Symphony, I found that I not only needed to, but was excited to spend just as much time and care on those licks as I did for my orchestral excerpts. It is so refreshing to see a composer who is willing and more than able to write such beautiful, virtuosic, and mindful music for every single voice of an ensemble. Patrick Crider I heard Hosannas at Gary Green's retirement concert and Concerto for Piano No. 3 at CBDNA this year and they were both fabulous! Phillip Clements, Texas AM University-Commerce Every time I hear or think about the chorale in Mvt. 5 of Hosannas my soul is changed Brenton Alston, Florida International University Find program notes and more information at davidmaslanka.com.

Hosannas

This beloved hymn is available here in a unique arrangement in 3/4 for beginning band. The piece is constructed in a quasi-theme-and-variation form allowing for each section exploration of the material. Engaging both for performer and listener alike.

The Water Is Wide

The title, "Hymn for World Peace," came from the simple thought that if we want world peace, we can begin as individuals to ask for it. Music making opens hearts and creates peace in individuals and communities. This is a powerful step as musicians that we can take. David's compassion and his plea for peace and tolerance for all life and cultures we hear in Hymn for World Peace. Naxos ...stunning... Joseph Ceballos Find program notes and more information at davidmaslanka.com.

Hymn for World Peace

This brief piece in honor of Karel Husa embodies two statements of a chorale melody ("Christ lag in Todesbanden") and a short responsive instrumental song. The chorale statements are made by a small group of solo players, and the song is presented by the full ensemble. Find program notes and more information at davidmaslanka.com.

Husa : For Wind Ensemble

Parts

The Seeker is subtitled "a symphonic movement." It opens with a slow melody that feels like an Appalachian folk song. It transitions suddenly and sharply into the main body of the work, an energetic and exuberant romp at a very speedy tempo. The opening melody returns in the context of a chorale, my recomposition of "Christe, der du bist der Tag und Licht" (Christ, you who are day and light) from the 371 four-part chorales of Bach. The movement concludes with a partial recap of the fast music, and a very brief coda. His humor is displayed throughout The Seeker. Naxos I hope to someday compose music that affects others as deeply as The Seeker. Matt Tignor Find program notes and more information at davidmaslanka.com.

Seeker : A Symphonic Movement For Wind Ensemble

Concert Band Part

Remember Me is not a concerto in the traditional sense, but a single-movement, free-flowing fantasia. This composition was inspired by my reading of a "relatively minor" Holocaust event the extermination of 5,000 Jews in a small town in William L. Shirer's Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. An eye-witness description of a Jewish family about to be slaughtered mother, father, 10-year-old son, grandmother gently bouncing a year-old baby and making it smile forcefully riveted my mind and heart. This music is for the baby a single death, through which it is possible to begin to experience the massive horror of the totality. Find program notes and more information at davidmaslanka.com.

Remember Me

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