Description
Connor Dunford wrote this piece after reflecting on his life, specifically his childhood and the distant memories and people who were impactful during that time. This work also explores complicated emotions in tumultuous times, but ends positively, symbolizing hope for the future.
Program Notes
As I’ve begun to transition into college, I’ve started to reflect on the past 18 years of my life (however short or long those years may seem to you), looking back specifically on my childhood and the distant memories that I, and many other people, hold from that time in their lives. “Childhood Memories” is meant to depict this, looking back on the lighthearted memories that many people have from childhood. However, the piece also explores the other complicated emotions of this time, including times of sadness and worry, but ends with a positive outlook toward the future that can lie ahead.
After opening with a brief flourish, the piece transitions into a waltz-style section, which returns several times throughout the piece. A playful Trumpet solo introduces the central melody of the piece, along with warm chords from the mid and low voices below this. After some additional development and transferring of the melody, a key change to F major at M.34 introduces a new melody in Alto Saxophones and Horns, after which several counterlines begin to interact, building into the climax of the piece back in the original key of E-flat major at M.54. This section stretches out aspects of the main melody between the Alto Saxophones and Horns in common time, with bold chords from other voices and ornamentation from the upper Woodwinds. Following this climax, the piece moves back to the original playful version of the melody with a beautiful counterpoint line with a Flute solo, before completing the final swell of the piece. From here, several solos wane out the melody, before settling into a ritardando and ending the piece.
