Concert Band
The Harbour: Sunday Morning
Grade 3 | 8 Mins
The Harbour: Sunday Morning was commissioned by the Jersey Instrumental Service for the Jersey Youth Wind Band and first performed by them on March 25th, 2006.
Jersey is one of the Channel Islands – British, but self-governing and not actually part of the UK, and situated just off the coast of France.
The history of the islands is inextricably linked to the sea, and this determined the theme for this commission. The composer is intrigued by man’s fascination with elements of nature (such as the sea, mountains, deserts and deep space) which are both beautiful and dangerous.
The Harbour: Sunday Morning opens with a picture of the sea at its calmest — blue, peaceful and majestic — and accompanied by the cries of sea birds.
But we are soon reminded of the dangers within as faster music, in sea shanty style leads to a depiction of a storm. After a huge climax, this gradually subsides and the sea is calm again – though the sense of danger never entirely disappears.