Syzygy

"Sygyzy" is a term used in astrology to describe interesting configurations of three or more celestial bodies, such as the sun, earth, and moon. My piece begins with every instrument playing the same melody together, as if they’re planets in alignment. Afterward, the band is divided into three groups and their entrances on this same melody are staggered. (The fancy musical term for this sort of writing is a "canon" - think Row, Row, Row Your Boat.) By both aligning and staggering the melody in various ways, I hope to represent different formations that celestial bodies can create while in orbit, from perfect eclipses to zigzag-like formations. Syzygy is one sixth of a group commission with the Blue Dot Collective for the Center Grove Middle School Central Instrumental Music Program, Ashley Carney and Samuel Fritz, Directors."