Dust Devils

Work Overview

  • 2011; Revision: 2014

  • Instrumentation: Piccolo, Flutes, Oboes, English Horn, Clarinets, Bassoons, Horns in F, Trumpets in C, Tenor Trombones, Tuba, Timpani, Percussion, Marimba, Vibraphone, Xylophone, Glockenspiel, Antique Cymbals, Bass Drum, Snare Drum, Ratchet, Tambourine, Rainstick, Maracas, Suspended Cymbal, Harp, Piano, Strings

  • Commission: Eastern Music Festival for their 50th Anniversary, with funding from Jeanne Tannenbaum

  • Duration: 10 minutes


Program Note

Dust Devils is the journey of emotional swirls in my mind, sometimes calm, but more often than not, full of raw and intense energy. The opening starts quite forcefully and darts back and forth, culminating in a fiery pounding of the timpani, which wanes and brings this section to mere silent breaths in the brass. A slow section ensues, filled with upward cascades of arpeggios that interrupt the ethereal atmosphere. An ominous eerie string section follows leading to a powerful chorale in the brass, which overtakes the music and brings the 10- minute work to an emphatic close.


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Study score available for purchase; parts available for rental. Please contact Bill Holab Music for a rental quote.


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