Joseph Schwantner

The Awakening Hour

Subtitle	for wind ensemble
Year(s) composed	2017
Publisher	Schott Music
Duration	6'
Premiere	November 30, 2017; Von der Mehden Recital Hall, Storrs, CT; University of Connecticut Wind Ensemble • Jeffrey H. Renshaw, conductor
Commission	Commissioned by the Jeffrey H. Renshaw Fund for New Music
Composer note	The Awakening Hour was written to honor my friend Professor Jeffrey Renshaw and his retirement from the University of Connecticut. The title is drawn from Thoreau's Walden: “The morning, which is the most memorable season of the year, is the awakening hour.” As Thoreau remarks, “The morning is when I am awake and there is a dawn in me.” The vibrant “awakening” of the day’s first light emerging from the hills near my home in southern New Hampshire, was a continual source of inspiration for the music. – Joseph Schwantner