$75
This version is for wind ensemble and electronics. This listing is for the full score only. Performance parts are available for rental at saadnhaddad.com/contact. For the electronics, email Saad at saad@saadnhaddad.com for the latest version.
Instrumentation: wind ensemble
Manarah (“beacon” in Arabic) is scored for two digitally processed antiphonal trumpets and wind ensemble, lasting approximately 8 minutes. The work features the wind ensemble’s two trumpet players in the left and and right balconies, calling back and forth to one another and the rest of the ensemble. They serve as pillars nestled high above the ground, inviting the ensemble to join them, like lighthouses beckoning ships safely to their shores. Both trumpet players are processed live through a software patch I created through MAX, which is triggered live onstage through a laptop. With this program, I explore microtonal intervallic relationships, glissandi, and unconventional changes in vibrato that are heard extensively in the traditional performance practice of Arabic musicians, most notably the Egyptian singer, Oum Kalthoum. With this work, I hope to showcase the rich musical culture of my Middle-Eastern heritage through the lens of my upbringing here in the United States. The piece is dedicated to my godfather, Marwan Haddad, whose initials comprise the first and last letters of the title.