Of Skies, Rivers, Lakes and Mountains

Of Skies, Rivers, Lakes and Mountains was commissioned by the Northern California Band Directors' Association to honour their 50th Anniversary in 2012. The first performance was given by the Association’s 2012 Honor Band, conducted by Dr Royce Trevis, in the Harlen Adams Theater, California State University, Chico, California, on 4th February that year.The brief for the commission asked for a piece that celebrated the United States’ natural resources and composer Philip Sparke turned to Katharine Lee Bates’s lyrics for the song America the Beautiful, of which the first and last verses are:O beautiful for spacious skies,For amber waves of grain,For purplemountain majestiesAbove the fruited plain!America! America!God shed His grace on thee,And crown thy good with brotherhoodFrom sea to shining seaThe three movements each take their title from these verses:1. O Beautiful for Spacious Skies: Opening with filigree woodwind figuring, this movement aims to recreate the light and lightness of a spring sky, birds and blossoms floating on gentle breezes.2. From Sea to Shining Sea: A vivacious celebration of water bubbling in streams, rivers and lakes.3. For Purple Mountain Majesties: A slow final movement representing an awe-inspiring range of mountains