Jacob Beranek Music
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WIND QUINTET (2019)
​flute (piccolo), oboe (English horn), clarinet, horn, bassoon

  • Duration
    ​20 minutes
  • Premiere
    July 10, 2019
    Midsummer's Music Festival
    Door County, Wisconsin
  • Commission
    Midsummer's Music Festival,
    Dr. James Berkenstock, Artistic Director, with
    Support from the MMG Foundation​
  • Quotes
    "The performers were unanimous in their accolades for the composition, and many fine woodwind quintets across the country and around the globe are soon going to be having the same experience. [...] This is a formidable work that stands up to repeated hearings, generating continuing interest and a sense of joy. There is nothing derivative about it at all. It is as fresh sounding as one could possibly expect [...], a compelling and attractive work that grabs and holds your attention throughout. "
    —Dr. James Berkenstock, 2019
    Artistic Director, Midsummer's Music Festival
    (Former Principal Bassoon, Chicago Lyric Opera)


    "This is going to be one of the works that will be in the standard woodwind quintet repertoire, it's that good."
    —Margaret Butler, 2019
    Oboe/English Horn, Midsummer's Music Festival
    (English Horn, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra)
Picture
click image for score sample
Purchase
​Score & Parts (digital download): $20.00
Score Only (digital download): $15.00
Score & Parts (hard copy): $50.00 + shipping
Score Only (hard copy): $25.00 + shipping
PROGRAM NOTES

The modern wind quintet has enjoyed a rich, colorful history for two centuries. With this Wind Quintet, I strove to put my own personal spin on the genre while still honoring its heritage. The resulting work, therefore, is a study in tradition and play, upholding my philosophy of writing something I’d enjoy if I were sitting in the audience—and something that hopefully fulfills players in rehearsal and performance.

The first movement is in classic sonata-allegro form. This choice was an experiment to see if this tried, embraced, discarded, and re-embraced mold stands the test of time, making it “my own” only by placing my own ideas inside. The second movement takes the form of a rondo with a reflective introduction and lively coda. This mixed-meter movement is built around a repetitive, jaunty A theme that returns twice after its first statement, with contrasting themes sandwiched in between (ABACA). The third movement is a theme and variations—or perhaps more accurately, a hymn and investigations. After the theme (which begins with a brief quotation of Vaughan Williams’s Sine nomine), a jiglike variation in 6/8 leads into a more pensive variation with the theme covered-up in the bassline. A pointillist restatement of the theme pops up and dances right into a fugue, which is the largest of the five variations. After hearkening back to my original hymn tune in a chorale-like final variation, the third movement settles to a close, and the finale begins. This last movement is ternary (ABA) and features an A theme built around two syncopated tunes which are contrasted by a flowing B section. The A section returns after some finagling, and once it pulls itself together, rushes headlong to a jubilant conclusion, joyously concluding the celebration.


—Jacob Beranek
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Picture
© Copyright 2019-2022 by Jacob Beranek Music. All rights reserved. | Photos by Margaret Butler.
  • Home
  • About
    • Long Bio
    • Short Bio
    • Artist Statement
    • In the News
    • Headshots
  • Works
    • Large Ensemble
    • Solo & Chamber
    • Vocal
  • Listen
  • Events
  • Connect