Lars Ericsen

Scottish Sunrise

Probably any other country in the world is as identified with a particular musical instrument as Scotland is with the bagpipes. In fact there were and are bagpipes in various types and tunings in almost all European countries; but the 'Great Highland bagpipe' originating from the Scottish Highlands is certainly the instrument that is commonly thought of when one speaks of the bagpipes. And if the player or players wear a kilt and their distinctive Scottish traditional costume, the expectation is perfectly fulfilled.

The idea for this composition Lars Ericsen got when he took part in an international Military Tattoo. In the morning, a rehearsal with all participating musicians was scheduled. As Ericsen stood outside the event hall, a bagpiper marched out of a side entrance while playing, gradually followed by all his colleagues from the Scottish bagpipe corps, who apparently wanted to serenade a birthday child who was also standing outside. The volume increased enormously as the players approached, and as Ericsen turned his gaze to follow the pipers, he saw that the bright morning sun had just risen over a neighboring building and bathed the scene in glistening light.

'Scottish Sunrise' begins quietly and gradually increases to fortissimo, which corresponds to the acoustic process outside the hall, but also symbolically to the rising of the sun. The melody is in the style of a traditional Scottish folk tune. The deep sustained tone characteristic of the bagpipes (the so-called 'drone') underlies the melody at the beginning. Even without a bagpipe, the composition receives a typical 'Scottish' timbre. However, the edition also contains a part for a real bagpipe - for all those who want to and are able to make their performance even more authentic.

By the way: In addition to bagpipes and kilt, the Scottish highlands are also world-famous for its whisky ('Scotch'). There is a whiskey cocktail called 'Scotch Sunrise'. This ambiguity was incidentally the author’s humorous intention.

Note: The audio sample is the version from the RUNDELs KLEINE BLASMUSIK (Quintet+) series, not the wind band version !