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Written in 2025
Duration: 8 minutes |
Performance materials available for purchase
Digital Score and Parts: $120 Physical Score and Parts: $150 |
RecordingPerformance by Valley Wind Ensemble
Stephen P. Bolstad, Director |
Perusal Score |
Program Note
Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming is a fantasy for wind ensemble on the traditional German Christmas carol of the same name (Es ist ein Ros entsprungen), most widely known in its 1609 harmonization by composer and organist Michael Praetorius. Loosely following the structure of a flowing set of variations, the piece begins with the original Praetorius harmonization in the clarinets, then introduces and develops two original themes through a series of lyrical solos over a reimagined version of Praetorius’s harmony. The first half of the piece centers on the lush and expressive colors of the woodwind family, and the latter half features the brass in a majestic chorale and a dramatic, gradual build to the piece’s climax.
I first began composing at age sixteen, but later realized that some of my earliest formative “composing” happened in church when I was much younger. I came to love the traditional hymnody, and after learning a new hymn and singing it a few times, I frequently found myself imagining new musical lines to accompany each hymn’s harmony as we sang them, and in doing so I taught myself a great deal about melody, harmony, and counterpoint. In Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming, this imagining of new lines is at the heart of the piece: new melodies are woven over classic harmonies and “bloom” as the piece unfolds. In this way, I hope to capture the beauty and elegance of the original carol while inviting the listener to experience its timeless harmony in new, expressive ways.
I first began composing at age sixteen, but later realized that some of my earliest formative “composing” happened in church when I was much younger. I came to love the traditional hymnody, and after learning a new hymn and singing it a few times, I frequently found myself imagining new musical lines to accompany each hymn’s harmony as we sang them, and in doing so I taught myself a great deal about melody, harmony, and counterpoint. In Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming, this imagining of new lines is at the heart of the piece: new melodies are woven over classic harmonies and “bloom” as the piece unfolds. In this way, I hope to capture the beauty and elegance of the original carol while inviting the listener to experience its timeless harmony in new, expressive ways.