Tempus Fugit

Tempus Fugit, "Time Flies," first and foremost, is written for and dedicated to H. Robert Reynolds upon the occassion of his retirement. I imagine from his perspective, when looking back upon his accomplishments and the many lives he has touched, he must feel that "Time flies when you are having fun."

But the higher meaning of this cliche applies to all facets of life. When we take time to reflect upon our lives, we see that when successfully engaged in activities that we enjoy and that consume our concentrated efforts, the element of time is barely noticed. In fact it often goes by evading our acknowledgement. We can evade time by being actively within, and fully consumed by, the present. In doing so, this provides life's moments we hold most dear; a fascinating conversation, a great book, an engaging movie, a honeymoon, a spiritual awakening, challenging work or even directing a multitude of symphonic band seasons that have set a higher musical standard. It is only when we stop to reflect (if we have the chance) that the notion of time's passing even dawns on us.

Tempus Fugit is cast within a refrain form that presents energetic, parallel musical lines which are ornamented, expanded and given to various instrumental combinations as they recur during the course of the piece.

Instrumentation
Piccolo
Flutes 1, 2, 3
Oboe
Bassoons

Clarinets in B-Flat 1, 2, 3
Bass Clarinet

Alto Saxophones
Tenor Saxophone(s)
Baritone Saxophone(s)

Trumpets in C 1, 2, 3
Horns in F 1, 2, 3, 4
Trombones 1, 2, 3
Euphoniums 1, 2, 3, 4
Tubas
Percussion 1, 2, 3, 4, 5