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''The Witch and the Saint'' by Steven Reineke is a one movement symphonic band piece describing the lives of Helena and Sibylla; twin sisters born in Germany at the end of the 16th century. The piece has five distinct parts and has become a favorite among audiences and bands though the story behind it has been virtually forgotten. ==The Music== ''The Witch and the Saint'' has a running time of 10:22. It is a tone poem, composed in 2004. Overall, it’s an epic pieceanyone listening to it without knowing the story behind it would get the impression of a melancholy story being told through powerful musical phrases. The piece opens with a thundering timpani triplet. A Gregorian chant type motif follows quietly and builds throughout the brass instrument section. The dark, threatening feel is broken suddenly by a melody portrayed by an oboe or flute solo as the bells join on after the new mood is established. That certain melody is recurrent and returns three more times in the entire piece. This first time, the melody is very airy. The eight-bar solo ends with the return of the ominous feel before the entire band is made to crescendo enormously. From here, the piece speeds up dramatically. The primary melody is established by the first flutes, and the texture builds from here, growing progressively uneasy. The climax of the section is very Medieval sounding, and reaches an entirely new altitude not seen again in this piece. This section is noted for being difficult for the flutes and piccolo, as they are expected to play legato and slurred right at the top of their registers and intonation flaws are easily noticeable throughout due to the registers and chords in most parts. The tempo and velocity of the piece dies down, and the slow melody repeats itself here, this time in a lower key and by the first flutes. To accompany this, a French horn melody is introduced, followed again by the previous melody in a different key. The reminiscent fast section begins againthis time in a different key, with an altered melody. This section is far less angry, but houses a different sort of velocity, the emphasis on the low sections of the band as opposed to the higher sections the first time. The final section of the piece comes in with the final occurrence of the slow melody. Note that the previous times evoked sadness, hopelessness and loneliness. This time, it’s heroic, and very full of hope. The band is playing with a thicker assortment of textures and counter-melodies. The piece, which by now seems to end on a happy note, drops the heroism and a few thundering angry notes roar, then suddenly fade into a melancholy echo of the very beginning. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Witch and the Saint」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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