Sailing Wind by Halim El-Dabh performed by Blake Tyson, vibraphone, at PASIC 2010

Notes by Halim El-Dabh:

When my longtime friend Blake Tyson suggested that I write a composition for vibraphone I was excited and challenged. I had used the vibraphone as part of the orchestra, but the idea of writing for it as a solo instrument was new to me. He organized a consortium of twenty-three musicians who collectively commissioned the work.

I told Blake that I would like all of the musicians to write me letters expressing their relationship with the instrument and the kinds of music that they enjoyed. The result of receiving the letters was overwhelming. The energy of the performers reached me and automatically connected me to the magic of the vibraphone. I started writing with great excitement and desire. I couldn't stop writing. I accumulated over seventy pages of sketches for the work. Soon after this Blake visited me in Kent, Ohio and played through everything that I had written. It was wonderful to hear the music brought to life and this helped me connect even further with the vibraphone. That night I dreamt I was in midair surrounded by many vibraphones. In the dream I was part of the whole atmosphere, floating and dancing with vibraphones while I was sailing with the wind. I woke up and named the composition Sailing Wind.

The title Sailing Wind is inspired by the desire to ride the wind (the vibrations of the vibraphone) and to sail with it to visit the twenty-three percussionists from across North America who commissioned the work. The first movement, From the East, is meditative, allowing the audience to float with the wind experiencing the spaces between sky and earth. The second movement, From the West, is an expression of soulfulness, a nostalgic feeling for the industrial big cities of the West, having a sense of subtle blues and jazz. The third movement, From North and South, is a simple statement of joy that is full of resonances that reach the wide stretches of the planet, connecting all people into One.

Commissioned by: Blake Tyson (project coordinator), Kyle Acuncius, Justin Alexander, Thad Anderson, Megan Arns, Jason Edwards, Benjamin Finley, Sam Gould, Christopher Graham, Brian Graiser, Adam Groh, Thom Hasenpflug, Julie Hill, Josh Knight, Greg Jukes, Payton MacDonald, Benjamin Martin, Robert McCormick, William Moersch, Jeffrey Moore, Neal Moss, Erick Saoud, Alan Zimmerman.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• vibraphone
• vibes
• Halim El-Dabh
• University of Central Arkansas
• UCA
• mallets
• marimba
• solo
• Pro-Mark
• Egyptian