some glad morning

for wind ensemble

18’

1. by and by

2. oh glory

Premiere: The University of Mississippi Wind Ensemble, Tim Oliver, conductor. May 1, 2025

I first fell in love with music in the second row of our country church. With my grandfather leading congregational singing and my mother on the piano, it was easy to get swept away in the many people raising their voices around me. A favorite, then and now, was the quintessential gospel hymn, “I’ll Fly Away”, number 648 in the light blue hymnal we sang out of. The two movements of “some glad morning” are a meditation and an explosion, respectively, of that hymn’s joy and hope. “by and by” slowly gathers the ensemble into a hymn of its own, with beams of sunlight sparkling through the stained glass. The finale, “oh glory!” then journeys through different instruments and key centers, eventually landing in a machine-like celebration of Bb major to prepare us for flight.