PROGRAM NOTES

The Days of Struggle and Discovery (In Praise of Explorers) was written in 2004 on a commission from the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony. The work was written to commemorate the Lewis and Clark bicentennial. Early on, though, I decided to view Lewis and Clark's achievement not only as historic, but also as symbolic of exploration of all sorts, including geographic, scientific, and creative. Still, much of my inspiration was derived from my experience living along the Lewis and Clark trail in Portland, Oregon. It was there that I discovered for myself the magnificent, expansive landscape traversed two centuries earlier by the Corps of Discovery. Indeed, the broad, majestic introduction which begins my composition is intended to be suggestive of that landscape.

Following the introduction, the music assumes a quicker tempo. Using a lilting, 12/8 meter, the music seems to evoke the mighty currents of the Missouri or Columbia rivers. But while the accompaniment establishes this pattern in the woodwinds and lower strings, there are times when the violin melody presents a "cross-rhythms," in effect, going against the rhythmic "current" of the music.

Much of the composition is about the seeking out of goals. This notion of "searching" occurs in two ways: through the use of contrapuntal textures, where several melodic lines are occur simultaneously, and through melodic development, where I take the main theme and transform it in some fashion. Given these various "twists and turns" of the music, the climactic portions of the music are not always predictable. This is also in keeping with the notion of exploration.

The compositional process which enabled me to write this piece also called upon me to simply "let go, and let the music happen." Having composed the main theme, I then needed to be an attentive listener and follow the music to its own logical conclusion. Indeed, in this regard, writing this work was very much the experience of a journey.