Welcome to Holland

Welcome to Holland is a tone poem that tells a specific story. It is composed in five main sections: I. Conception and Anticipation; II. Celebration of Birth, Hopes, and Dreams; III. Lullaby for the Newborn; IV. Grief and Devastation; and V. Rediscovary of Hope and Love.

Program Notes

Welcome to Holland is a tone poem that tells a specific story. It is composed in five main sections: I. Conception and Anticipation; II. Celebration of Birth, Hopes, and Dreams; III. Lullaby for the Newborn; IV. Grief and Devastation; and V. Rediscovery of Hope and Love.

The themes of the first three sections are very simple and childlike, centering on the universal innocence of the interval of the minor third. Harmonies are likewise simple, functional, and non-complex in an effort to reflect the basic and simple desires of all parents for their unborn children. In the midst of all of these happy and contented feelings is the foreshadowing of the unseen and unexpected event about to unfold. The number 21 figures prominently in this work, which begins with a 21-bar phrase. The 21st measure provides the first hint that something is amiss. This is all unnoticed in the excitement and joy of birth.

The lullaby is reflective of the deep love of a new life and the calm that is unsuspecting of the coming storm. It is the last such moment of pure peace and contentment. The grief and devastation at the news that things are not as they seemed is as real as the shock of the death of a loved one, only now the loved one lost is the long-cherished dreams and expectations. This section is introduced by the sound of a heart that is not beating, as it should, with a rush of blood through incomplete ventricular walls. The chaos that ensues is that of parents trying to understand and trying to cope, finally leading to physical and emotional exhaustion.

The final section begins with a slow awakening to new possibilities, the realization that positives can arise from a morass of negatives and that those seemingly insurmountable negatives might be conquered by the unconditional love of a newborn. Finally, a new set of dreams and expectations is discovered, obviously different from the first, but just as exciting. The return of the Celebration and Lullaby themes demonstrates the merger of the old hopes and dreams with the new. Reality is never far away, as is shown by the metric bump in the twenty-first measure of this section, and one never completely forgets that the road is now a different one. However, there is always hope in the future with new goals to achieve and victories to be won. As the Special Olympics Oath says, "Let me win. If I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."

- Steven Barton

Grade Level: 4
Copyright: 2006
Number of Players: Standard
Duration: 10:00

Listen to Recordings

Sample PDF

Instrumentation

Piccolo
Flute 1/2
Oboe 1/2
English Horn
Bassoon 1/2
Bb Clarinet 1
Bb Clarinet 2
Bb Clarinet 3
Bass Clarinet
Alto Saxophone 1/2
Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone

Bb Trumpet 1
Bb Trumpet 2/3
Horn 1/3
Horn 2/4
Trombone 1
Trombone 2
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
(Baritone T.C.)
Tuba

Piano

Timpani (Suspended Cymbal)
Percussion 1 (Claves, Suspended Cymbal, Marimba, Xylophone, Finger Cymbals)
Percussion 2 (Bells (with Finger Cymbals), Vibraphone, Chimes, Wind Chimes, Water Gong, Marimba)
Percussion 3 (Wind Chimes, Suspended Cymbal, 4 Concert Toms, Triangle, Crash Cymbals)
Percussion 4 (Triangle, Bass Drum, Window Screen, Finger Cymbals, Crash Cymbals, Tambourine)
Percussion 5 (Large and Medium Gongs, Bass Drum, 2 Snare Drums, Triangle, Wind Chimes)