High King of Heaven, My Treasure Thou Art

Description

High King of Heaven is a journey to and through Ireland. The piece of music starts on a ship in the ocean. The stable waters represented by horns and trombones start the piece, while Flute, Sax, and Euphonium state the hymn melody representing Ireland. Once closer to shore, the ship runs into fog, where the hymn is played in orchestration that is meant to sound like a foghorn. Once past the fog, the ship arrives into the archipelago, where the sailor finally sets foot on land, and feels the Irish shore for the first time. The ocean theme is restated in a new key. The sailor sees the mountains, the green land, and the unique culture that is Ireland. The piece comes to a beautiful end, partially quoting the end to David Maslanka’s 4th Symphony. This work is dedicated to Lisa Besancon, my mother.