[#292] February 24, 2025
2015 | Octet(1012/0220) | Grade 6 | 10’ – 15’ | Chamber Winds
Octet, by American composer David Liptak is our Composition of the Week.
Octet was written in 2005 and revised in 2015. David Liptak not only uses the famous instrumentation of Stravinsky’s octet, but also pays homage to the composer, quoting some melodic turns, rhythmic gestures, and textures.
The revised version was first performed on April 1, 2016 by the Eastman Wind Ensemble and Kevin Holzman.
The first movement is called “it began with a dream…” giving the subtitle as well to the entire work, as Stravinsky liked to tell the story:
The instrumentation for Octet – flute, clarinet, two bassoons, two trumpets, and two trombones – is taken from Igor Stravinsky’s famous Octet for Wind Instruments from 1922. The title alludes to Stravinsky’s well-known remarks about his composing this piece: “The Octour began with a dream. I found myself (in my dream state) in a small room surrounded by a small number of instrumentalists who were playing some very agreeable music. .....I looked again and saw that they were playing bassoons, trombones, trumpets, a flute, and a clarinet.
Program notes by David Liptak
Octet has a duration of 10 minutes, and it is structured in 4 movements. The other movements are Scherzo, Fantasia, and Finale.
The music is written and dedicated to Mark Scatterday and the Eastman Wind Ensemble.
It is available at American Composers Alliance.
Professor David Liptak has taught composition and theory from 1976-1980 at Michigan State University. In 1980, he joined the music faculty at the University of Illinois. In 1987, he was appointed to the composition faculty at the Eastman School of Music, where he is a professor of composition. He also has been on the faculty at the Seal Bay Music Festival and the Brevard Music Festival.
Liptak’s music has been performed by such ensembles as the San Francisco Symphony, Montreal Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Youngstown Symphony, Sinfonia da Camera of Illinois, and the New England Philharmonic, to name a few.
Other works for winds include:
· Soundings (1982)
· The Sacred Harp (1997)
· Chasm (1998)
· Folgore’s Months (2010)
· Through the Brightening Air (2017)
More on David Liptak