Design Thoughts on Aqua Part II – Liquid
Scott Kurtzweil
When sitting down to chart part II, there were two major considerations to take into account. The first is the continuation from the opener of having the design elements in some way represent the theme of the movement. After the demand placed on the individual performer in part I, the second consideration is to give the kids a chance to rest.
When brainstorming with the rest of the staff, we thought a great way to initially convey the concept of liquid would be through rain. To introduce the rain, Emmy had the clever idea of guard soloists dancing with rain sticks. This way we can have the color guard not only provide a visual but also an aural texture that will strongly communicate our intent to the audience. Also, as Wyandotte is an up and coming competitive group, the use of alternative equipment will help them in the vocabulary score.
The drill too picks up on this “liquid” theme. While the guard is dancing with rain sticks, the drill design moves from the chaotic “vapor” that ended the opener and begins to form into open, curvilinear forms. I chose a curvilinear texture here to not only better pick up the concept of “flow” but also remove a lot of demand on the individual performer thereby letting them get somewhat of a rest. This idea flows until the entire wind section finds itself in a single follow-the-leader form that arcs around creating a strong stage for the trumpet soloist and guard. As the battery is not contributing anything musically for the first few pages, I chose to pull them off the stage and really let them get a breather.
Guard soloists on rain sticks.
Open & flowing curvilinear
End of follow-the-leader
As we build toward the big “hit” in part II, we keep the curvilinear theme but begin to combine our guard elements into a unified stage and introduce the drum line.
As the harmonic tension builds, this form continues to pull in on itself both highlighting the build but also better staging the band proper for a stand still hit by putting them in the power box (inside the 30s and forward of the front hash).
When the hit does arrive, the color guard will pull through the winds carrying large pieces of blue fabric on T-poles. Here we are trying to portray a deluge if you will.
As the hit subsides, the color guard ebbs away sequentially until only the band proper and two guard soloists remain. The intent is to return the rain sticks to the field to represent the last bits of the rainstorm. You’ll also note that the battery percussion is now staged to begin its solo which comes in part III.
