Instrumental Music
Tone poem: “Scotland: Land of Enchantment”
A full-orchestra tone poem
See Description and Instrumentation at bottom of page.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION: A colorful and accessible tone poem, evoking the splendors of Scotland — See the "Description" tab below for more details.
SOUND CLIP: Synth demo (which gives a fairly good idea of the piece — but note that the non-pitched percussion sounds are missing)
SCORE SAMPLE: Select pages from the full score (showing the main themes)
SCORING: Standard full orchestra, with harp and piano — See the "Instrumentation” tab below for details.
DURATION: 6:30
DIFFICULTY: This piece is suitable for a professional orchestra, or an advanced community orchestra.
PRICE: $85 for pdfs of the score and parts
DESCRIPTION
This orchestral tone poem evokes the glories of Scotland, from its gorgeous scenery to its distinctive and inspirational music. This accessible piece has a variety of moods and colorful orchestration.
There are three main themes in my piece: After an extended introduction, the violins present the first theme (at 0:42 in the sound clip): a lilting and nostalgic melody in A Minor, which later returns as an oboe solo. The second theme (at 1:46) is a musically lush depiction of the stunning and sweeping landscapes of Scotland. The third theme (at 2:56) is a rousing jig, meant to evoke the dance music of Scotland, bringing to mind the famous bagpipes with their drones.
Near the end of the piece, themes two and three combine (at 5:55) to create an exciting and majestic conclusion. While my themes are evocative of Scottish music, they are original and not based on any existing folk melodies.
INSTRUMENTATION
WOODWINDS:
2 Flutes (2nd doubles on Piccolo)
2 Oboes (2nd doubles on English Horn)
2 Clarinets in A
2 Bassoons
BRASS:
4 Horns
3 Trumpets in C
3 Trombones
1 Tuba
PERCUSSION:
1 timpanist (4 timps), plus 3 percussionists on the following instruments: Glockenspiel, Xylophone, Chimes, Piatti, Suspended Cymbal, Snare Drum, Triangle, Tambourine, Mark Tree, Finger Cymbals
HARP: 1 Harp
KEYBOARD: 1 Piano (acoustic or synth)
STRINGS: Ideally, a minimum of 8,8,6,6,3, but slightly less than this is also doable.
REVIEWS
Reviews coming soon! (after the premiere on October 4, 2025)
