Physically composed in real time on the shores of ANZAC Cove at Gallipoli, this Grade 4 work for Wind Band serves as contemporary salute to the countless Australian and New Zealand service men and women who served during WWI.
Seventy Letters
- Contents: Transposed Score and Parts (PDF)
- Pages: 91
- Duration: 2'20"
- Grade: 4 / Advanced
- Conductor (score only option available upon request)
- Piccolo
- Flute 1
- Flute 2
- Oboe
- Bassoon
- Bb Clarinet 1
- Bb Clarinet 2
- Bb Clarinet 3
- Bb Bass Clarinet
- Eb Alto Saxophone 1
- Eb Alto Saxophone 2
- Bb Tenor Saxophone
- Eb Baritone Saxophone
- F French Horn 1/3
- F French Horn 2/4
- Bb Trumpet 1
- Bb Trumpet 2
- Bb Trumpet 2
- Trombone 1
- Trombone 2
- Bass Trombone
- Euphonium
- Tuba 1/2
- String Bass
- Timpani
- Percussion 1 (Crash Cymbals, Snare Drum, Bass Drum)
- Percussion 2 (Triangle)
- Percussion 3 (Tambourine)
Following WWI, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission was tasked to establish permanent cemeteries and memorials for those who had lost their lives at Gallipoli. Families of the buried soldiers were reportedly given up to 70 letters to fill the headstone.
This aspect of military history resonated deeply with me as I participated in a battlefield tour of the Gallipoli peninsula back in 2009. For many families, the act of deciding how to express their grief and gratittude within the 70 letter limit was perhaps the last thing they could physically do for their loved ones. Some contributions were quite formal, some were unsurprisingly irreverent, and some were as simple as, “Thanks Mate.”
I knew my compositional process had to be quick, as I didn’t have a lot of time on the beach itself. I took out a spare sheet of paper from my backpack, wildly sketched out some staves and immediately wrote down whatever combination of notes and rhythms that came in to my head. I didn’t quite get enough finished the first time; but luckily, I had an opportunity to head back to ANZAC Cove a few days later to bring it to a point of completion. This stream of consciousness style of writing locked in the structure, and it was later orchestrated for wind band when I returned to Australia.
For the adventurous conductor, I highly encourage a performance which begins with a looped video (or audio only) of the water lapping against the shores (filmed on the same day), which gradually fades out as the piece starts. Please contact me directly if you would like to explore this option.“Seventy Letters” has received performances by the Australian Army Band Sydney (2009), and the Heidelberg Wind Ensemble (2022).