Symphony No. 6

Instrumentation:

Piccolo, 2 Flutes, Oboe, English Horn, 3 Clarinets in Bb, Bass Clarinet in Bb, 2 Bassoons, 2 Alto Saxophones, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, 3 Trumpets in Bb, 4 Horns in F, 2 Trombones, Bass Trombone, 2 Euphoniums, 2 Tubas, Harp, Timpani

Percussion (4 players):
Percussion 1: Xylophone, Marimba
Percussion 2: Vibraphone, Triangle
Percussion 3: Suspended Cymbal, Tam-tam, Bass Drum
Percussion 4: Tam-tam, Bass Drum

Preview Performance:

Texas Christian University Wind Symphony; Bobby Francis conducting - February 20, 2025

Program Notes

Similar to Vittorio Giannini, who in 1958 composed his Symphony No. 3 ‘because he felt like it’, I wrote this piece simply because a symphony is what I wanted to write. When this piece was generously commissioned by the Big Twelve Band Directors Association in early 2024, I didn’t hesitate for a minute before deciding that my contribution would be my sixth symphony. There is no program note or deep meaning to this composition. It is simply meant to be an exploration of the many timbrial and textural possibilities for the fantastic and always fascinating wind ensemble medium (a medium I don’t work in often). The work is set in three movements, the second of which is an elegy in the memory of the distinguished American composer Ron Nelson, who passed away around the time I began work on this piece. This music came from the heart and I hope it speaks to the heart, somehow.

-Quinn Mason