Cloud Dancing (2019)

Grade 3.5 • 7:15 • published by Sonic Soundscape Productions

Performance: The American Band | Conductor: Dr. Brian Cardeny

PROGRAM NOTES

Everyone has something they really enjoy doing and flying gliders is at the top of composer Roger Cichy’s list. “Sitting in my glider and silently slicing through the air while working with updrafts to prolong my flight is a truly amazing experience”, Cichy explains. Having flown gliders for more than 25 years, Cichy’s time in the air is something he cherishes and now has translated into a musical composition. “Some emotions experienced while piloting a glider are almost hard to explain” Cichy comments, “I can sometimes find myself all excited and totally relaxed, all at the same time.” 

Cloud Dancing, commissioned by the Randolph Community Band (Randolph, MA) communicates a range of feelings and emotions one feels while participating in such an air adventure. The work is structured to depict a single glider flight beginning with the quiet anticipation prior to being towed up. The short take-off roll immediately followed by the moment of lift-off as the glider slides through the air and gains altitude is illustrated through increased rhythmic activity and frequency of chords. As the glider continues to gain altitude while being towed, the simple beauty of the earth creates an awe-inspired mood. Once at a desired altitude (approx. 2,000 to 3,000 feet) the glider detaches from the towplane and the glider is on its own. The pilot searches out for rising air currents to climb to greater heights and playtime begins. This creates both a challenging mood combined with a real sense of serenity as you are “free as a bird.” The composition moves into a relaxed and frolicking, yet skillful section to represent this phase of the flight. Frequently, the glider pilot can soar up to cloud base, the bottom of those fair-weather clouds that look like big heads of cauliflower. To a glider pilot, this is like being on top of the world and the feeling is simply exhilarating. “Cloud dancing,” as Cichy calls it, is the sensation when you reach this point. The air is cool, you’re in the shade of the cloud, and you’re looking down at the glowing earth below you. You’re truly dancing in the air. After the section of music that represents this period of flight, the piece returns to its previous playful melody as the glider descends and rises throughout its flight until it gets low enough that it needs to land. The culmination of sensations and adventures packed into this flight comes out in the final statement of the main theme. The melody descends as the glider finishes its last moment on its approach onto the airstrip. As it settles onto the earth and comes to a stop, the opening music statement returns to capture the pilot’s savoring memory of the experience. 

Composer Roger Cichy is a member of the Greater Boston Soaring Club located in Sterling, MA. Cichy flies a single-place Schleicher ASW-15B, fiberglass ship with a 49 foot wingspan.

INSTRUMENTATION

Winds: Piccolo, Flute 1 & 2, Oboe, Bassoon, Bb Clarinet 1 - 3, Bb Bass Clarinet, Eb Alto Saxophones 1 & 2, Bb Tenor Saxophone, Eb Baritone Saxophone

Brass: Bb Trumpet 1 - 3, F Horn 1 & 2, Trombone 1 - 3, Euphonium, Tuba

Percussion: Timpani, Percussion 1 (snare drum, suspended cymbal), Percussion 2 (bass drum, crash cymbals, triangle, finger cymbals), Percussion 3 (orchestra bells, chimes)