Paul Lewis
ENGINEERIUM for orchestra
Goodmusic Concert Originals No.168
Catalogue Number: GMCO168
Difficulty level: D What's this?
ISMN: 9790222308800
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Orchestration: Piccolo, Flute db.Piccolo, 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinets in Bb, 2 Bassoons, 4 Horns in F, 3 Trumpets in Bb, 3 Trombones, Tuba
Timpani, Percussion (5 players: Marimba, Xylophone, Glockenspiel, Tubular Bells, Side Drum, Bass Drum, Large Tam-tam, Cymbals, Scraper, Wood-blocks, Tambourine, Triangle, Vibraslap, Suspended Cymbal, Large Rainstick), Harp
Strings (Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, Cello, Bass)
Engineerium is a musical celebration of the British Engineerium, a glamorously ornate Victorian pumping station in Hove, Sussex. It was designed in 1865 by Thomas Hawksley, a visionary architect whose passion was to make constant supplies of fresh water available to rich and poor alike, and his building with its magnificent beam engine is now a protected site of special architectural and industrial importance.
The commission from the Sussex Symphony Orchestra, generously funded by Southern Water, was for a water-themed piece, celebratory in nature for the orchestra's 25th anniversary year. I noticed that the Engineerium, long closed to the public, was planning to hold an open day on which the machinery would be fired up and displayed in full working order. I duly visited the Engineerium and noted down some of the many clicking, grinding and thumping rhythms that emanated from different parts of the astounding complex of pumps and boilers.
My piece, which is something over five minutes long, begins with a depiction of the gradual awakening of the mighty beam engine, the percussion section reproducing the rhythms until the sound of subterranean water, increasing from a trickle to a rush, can be heard, represented by a large rainstick. After another climax, the music of the man-and-woman-in-the-street bursts forth with a jaunty melody in Victorian popular style. A wind band marches past and the popular music continues, interspersed with occasional reminders of the pumping station, until an apotheosis is reached in which the tune is transformed into a grand paean of praise for 19th century British engineering achievement and for the Sussex Symphony Orchestra itself. Paul Lewis
Duration 5½ minutes
A PACK includes a score and complete set of orchestral parts including strings 4/4/3/4/2.
Timpani, Percussion (5 players: Marimba, Xylophone, Glockenspiel, Tubular Bells, Side Drum, Bass Drum, Large Tam-tam, Cymbals, Scraper, Wood-blocks, Tambourine, Triangle, Vibraslap, Suspended Cymbal, Large Rainstick), Harp
Strings (Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, Cello, Bass)
Engineerium is a musical celebration of the British Engineerium, a glamorously ornate Victorian pumping station in Hove, Sussex. It was designed in 1865 by Thomas Hawksley, a visionary architect whose passion was to make constant supplies of fresh water available to rich and poor alike, and his building with its magnificent beam engine is now a protected site of special architectural and industrial importance.
The commission from the Sussex Symphony Orchestra, generously funded by Southern Water, was for a water-themed piece, celebratory in nature for the orchestra's 25th anniversary year. I noticed that the Engineerium, long closed to the public, was planning to hold an open day on which the machinery would be fired up and displayed in full working order. I duly visited the Engineerium and noted down some of the many clicking, grinding and thumping rhythms that emanated from different parts of the astounding complex of pumps and boilers.
My piece, which is something over five minutes long, begins with a depiction of the gradual awakening of the mighty beam engine, the percussion section reproducing the rhythms until the sound of subterranean water, increasing from a trickle to a rush, can be heard, represented by a large rainstick. After another climax, the music of the man-and-woman-in-the-street bursts forth with a jaunty melody in Victorian popular style. A wind band marches past and the popular music continues, interspersed with occasional reminders of the pumping station, until an apotheosis is reached in which the tune is transformed into a grand paean of praise for 19th century British engineering achievement and for the Sussex Symphony Orchestra itself. Paul Lewis
Duration 5½ minutes
A PACK includes a score and complete set of orchestral parts including strings 4/4/3/4/2.
