West Highlands Sojourn

West Highlands Sojourn, op. 39
Cobb Middle School Band, Tallahassee, Florida
J. William Miller, Director
1993 – grade 3 – 6:20
C. L. Barnhouse Company

View sample score

Inspired by a journey through the western hill country of England and Wales, this delightful piece is inspired by some of the lovely villages in this region.  Stow-on-the-wold, a market town in the Cotswolds, was having a folk festival during the composer's visit, and the music of the first movement attempts to capture the mood in a jaunty style.  The second movement was written after a visit to Bradford-on-Avon, during a romantic evening walk by the lantern-lit stream, downriver from Statford.  The 3rd movement borrows its style from folk dance rhythms heard while sitting on the shore of Derwentwater, in the Lake District near the Scottish border. The three contrasting sections of the piece make it equally suitable for concert or contest use.