Instrumentation: Symphonic Wind Ensemble
Year Composed: 2011
Commissioned By: The Kamloops Community Band
This piece is based on a Doukhobor folk song of the same name. (English translation is “Elizabeth”) The song is about a young man who is quite taken with the beautiful Elizabeth, who, alas, has her heart set on the Knight In Shining Armour. As Doukhobor music is not written down, this piece is based on a transcription I made of a recording of a male trio performing it. In that particular performance, the melody was in the Bass voice, and I have chosen to primarily leave the melody in the Bass instruments, in keeping with my transcription of the recording.
There are three verses, each with their own character. The first verse serves mainly as an introduction of the melody, and has a few shifts in expected harmonies. The second verse is my take on a more “traditional” band arrangement of a folk melody, and is the most different of the three. The third verse is my concept of how it would sound if Doukhobors were to take up wind instruments, instead of their tradition of a cappella singing.