Hanson, Shelley - Volver a la Montana description:  Symphonic Band (full score) ISMN 9790051660452 Publisher Boosey & Hawkes (New York) Series Windependence Availability:  Stock Title

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Volver A La Montana (Return to the Mountain) is based on several folk tunes of the Quechua ("Inca") people of Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. Near the end of the movement, the folk song Sepracion (Separation) is quoted briefly. The words are "My mother told me no to cry, though I'm leaving the mountains forever." Over the past century, many of the Quechua people have had to leave their villages forever because of the economic difficulty of trying to maintain their traditional mountain lifestyle.

The movement opens with a stately processional, followed by a fast dance that uses the characteristic Latin American alternation or simultaneous appearance of two- and three-beat patterns. In the return to the processional theme near the end of the movement, muted trumpets echo the flutes, as sound would echo in the mountains.
Press Reviews

Volver a la Montaña by Shelley Hanson is the second movement of the four-movement suite Islas y Montañas. Based on several folk songs of the Quechua (Inca) people of Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia, the composition begins with a brief flute solo leading to a stately processional (quarter note = 52-54) featuring mixed meters (4/4 and 3/4). A contrasting, lively dance section (dotted quarter = 138-148) incorporates characteristic Latin-American rhythms. The processional returns in the final section, muted trumpets echo the flute passages similar to the way sound echoes in the mountains. This vibrant composition has rhythmic interest, a variety of tone colors, and interesting lines for all sections, and percussion scoring includes timpani, bombo (Andes drum) or bass drum or floor tom, vibraphone, optional xylophone and optional marimba.

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