|
Deep in the Vaults of Earth |
For wind band and tape.
Deep in the Vaults of Earth
My head pressed to the ground,
I heard the rumble of ancient feet,
The springs of time worn down.
The dust along the river bank
Obscured my secret view,
But there, were men who once stood tall
Now rusted, stooped and few.
Lost, in the Vaults of Earth
Emerged a ghostly march,
Along the dusty river bank
Beneath a broken arch.
The men were all in dented iron,
The women, cold and pale,
The children running after them
Were hungry, weak and frail.
The work was commissioned by Keith Robinson and the Wade Deacon School, Cheshire and premiered by them at the BASBWE International Festival, Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, 24 March, 2002. The computer generated tape was produced in May, 2000 at the Electronic Music Studios of the University of Texas, Austin, when Stephen Montague was a Guest Professor at the univeristy for the Spring term, 2000.