Composer’s Note:

The Divertimento for Small Wind Ensemble and Percussion was commissioned by Bill Staub for the wind ensemble at East Carolina University. Specifically, he asked for a work that he could pair with Mozarts Gran Partita but that would use some of the instruments that Mozart forgot to include in his work. Incidentally, both Mozarts and Bills instrumentations use 13 players.

I decided to write a suite that would both mirror and contrast with Mozarts serenade in terms of character, texture, and structure. The first movement, which flips Mozarts largo-allegro plan, is followed by two off-kilter minuets (in 5 and 7). These frame a central inside-out theme and variations. The final movement opens with a stately introduction followed by a buoyant, joyous rondo.

Percussion needed: Suspended cymbal, wood block, xylophone, piccolo snare drum, vibraphone, triangle, glockenspiel, tambourine, 2 timpani