APRICITY for Wind Ensemble by HILARY PURRINGTON (USA, 1990)
- WASBE Marcom
- Jul 28
- 3 min read
[#314] July 28, 2025 2023 | Wind Ensemble | Grade 5 | Tone poem
Premiered by University of Illinois Wind Symphony conducted by Kevin Geraldi
on Sep 29, 2023 at Foellinger Great Hall Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
apricity , by American composer Hilary Purrington is our Composition of the Week.
apricity was commissioned by a consortium led by the University of Illinois Bands. Its premiere performance took place on September 29, 2023, at Foellinger Great Hall Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, with the University of Illinois Wind Symphony, conducted by Kevin Geraldi.
The work is scored for the following instrumentation: piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, Eb clarinet, 4 Bb clarinets, bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet, soprano sax, alto sax, tenor sax, baritone sax, 4 Bb trumpets, 4 F horns, 2 trombones, bass trombone, euphonium, tuba, double bass, piano, timpani, 6 percussionists.
It has a duration of around 14 minutes. It is available directly from the composer.
“apricity is a jubilant and vivid two-movement work for wind ensemble. The title is a now-archaic word that describes the warmth of sunshine during winter. This sensation, which looks ahead to springtime renewal and fairer weather, struck me as a poignant moment of joy and optimism. The movements’ titles, “If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy” and “Joy is not made to be a crumb,” expand on this idea of seizing and savoring joys—especially the small and unexpected. The first movement, “If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy,” opens with a clamorous motive that alternates with moments of resonance. A meandering melody, played by the piccolo, emerges during these resonant pauses. While the piccolo’s winding tune develops and reappears throughout the movement, the opening clamorous motive stretches into a defined melody that first appears in a soulful oboe solo. These two melodies—one quick-moving and meandering, and the other lyrical and expressive—alternate and return. At the first movement’s high point, the two melodies coincide: the high woodwinds sing out a lyrical melody in the foreground while the Bb clarinets play the meandering melody in the background. The movement ends with a reference to the work’s fragmented opening music and a final solo exploration of the lyrical melodic material. The sprightly second movement, “Joy is not made to be a crumb,” opens similarly to the first: a gestural motive alternates with moments of rest and resonance, but the music’s lighthearted character is markedly different from the first movement. This lively motive expands in range and gathers force, eventually tumbling into a peaceful, contemplative passage featuring an emotive trombone solo. An emerging brass chorale swells and develops, eventually bringing the work to a joyful and resolute climax. The final measures recall the movement’s opening materials, now sounding against a shimmering veil of sound. Program notes by Hilary Purrington
Hilary Purrington holds degrees from The Juilliard School and the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, and a Master of Musical Arts degree at the Yale School of Music.
In the summer of 2012, Purrington received funding through a Wagoner Foreign Study Grant to study music composition and German Language at the Freie Universität Berlin, and in the summer of 2013, she participated as a Fellow at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival’s New Music Workshop. Her music has been commissioned and performed by many distinguished ensembles, including the American Modern Ensemble, Voices of Change, the NOVUS Trombone Quartet, and the Musical Chairs Chamber Ensemble. Recent projects include commissions from the Chicago Harp Quartet and the Melodia Women’s Choir of NYC.
Ms. Purrington's work has received recognition from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), and Voices of Change/Dallas Symphony Orchestra, among others.
Other works for winds include:
• Events and their horizons (2013)
• The Treachery of Images (2014)
• Orbit is Falling (2015)
• Heartbeat without rhythm (2016)
More about Hilary Purrington
