JAMES M. DAVID, composer
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TESSERACT
2022 Young Band Consortium

Tesseract: Scherzo for Madeleine
New Concert Work for Young Band

My absolute favorite book from middle school was Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, the classic science fiction novel from 1962. A wonderfully rich cast of characters are thrust into a world beyond their comprehension, but it is only through empathy and friendship that they are able to struggle forward. Central to the story is the fictional form of travel called the "tesseract" that involves transcending the bonds of our four dimensions to move light years in an instant. In the novel, the protagonist Meg and her companions use a tesseract to travel to the beautiful planet Uriel where they fly above powerful, centaur-like beings and confront "The Black Thing" for the first time. My composition will depict this fantastic journey across dimensions in the form of a propulsive and energetic scherzo. Opening with mysterious crystalline textures for metallic percussion and woodwinds, a powerful accelerando follows from brass and drums depict the dramatic tesseract itself. This gives way to "the flight above the centaurs" with a shift to a rollicking ostinato. After a brief terrifying encounter with "The Black Thing" the work concludes triumphantly as the journey ends for now.

Contact James.David@colostate.edu directly for invoicing. 
​
​Consortium Contract (opens in new window)


Commission Details

  • Limited to 20 members and drawn primarily from the states of Colorado and Iowa
  • Lead Commissioner: Mary Crandell, 2023 President, Iowa Bandmasters Association
  • Cost per institution: $150 due by January 31, 2023
  • Duration: 4 minutes
  • Difficulty: Grade 2.5 
  • Instrumentation: 2 Flutes, Oboe (opt.), 2 Clarinets, Bass Clarinet, Bassoon (opt.), 2 Alto Sax., Tenor Sax., Bari. Sax. (opt.), 2 Trumpets, F Horn, 2 Trombones, Euphonium, Tuba, String Bass (opt.), Percussion (5 or 6 parts including timpani)
  • Anticipated Completion: December 31, 2022

Commission Benefits

  • Performance Exclusivity through December 1, 2023
  • Unlimited performance rights for member institutions and associated conductors
  • Composer will provide up to one hour of ensemble interaction for each institution in the form of attending streaming rehearsals or verbal feedback from recordings for no additional fee.
  • A video introduction of the piece will be provided by the composer
  • Each institution will receive a bound score with inscription of the conductor's name and institution on the title page. Parts provided in PDF format.

Previous Works for Concert Band

  • Home
  • about
  • wind ensemble
    • Message from Arecibo
    • Flying Jewels
    • Urban Light
    • Troublesome Fire
    • Symphony no. 1
    • Ghosts of the Old Year
    • Call to Commitment
    • With Soul Serene
    • March Tumbao
    • Lookfar
    • Menlo Park, 1879
    • Zephyrus
    • Flexible Instrumentation
    • Heartland Verses
    • Swing Landscape
    • I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold
    • Concerto for Vibraphone
    • The Moorlands
    • Big Four on the River
    • All Dark Is Now No More
    • Temple's Grace
    • From the Shaken Tower
    • Two-Lane Blacktop
    • Sinfonietta no. 3
  • compositions
    • wind ensemble
    • clarinet >
      • all clarinet works
      • clarinet sonata
      • AUTO '66 - Clarinet Concerto
    • saxophone >
      • all saxophone works
      • Saxophone Sonata
      • L'oiseau dans l'espace
      • Saxophone/Percussion Double Quartet
    • trombone >
      • all trombone works
      • Trombone Sonata
      • Five American Dances
      • Song of the Valar
      • Bass Trombone Sonata
      • Partiels 2
      • Garden of the Gods
    • Other Brass Works >
      • Of Unsurpassed Heroes
      • Trumpet Sonata
    • Percussion >
      • The Dandelion
      • NOLA - BELA - SOWEGA
    • large ensemble >
      • Tin Lizzies on Old Fall River
      • LASCAUX
      • KAFKA - Sax Concerto
    • chamber ensemble >
      • Clarinet and Horn Trio
    • solo / electroacoustic
    • choral / vocal >
      • KUBLA KHAN
  • contact
  • Report Performance