David Maslanka
Saint Francis
Two Studies
for Wind Ensemble
18 min. •
2014
• Grade 6
About the Work
About the Edition
Some years ago I had a dream of St. Francis. It began with me being in the presence of a metal object that looked vaguely human in form, but was thousands of degrees hot. Touching it would be fatal … I touched it! It changed into the figure of St. Francis dressed as a Chinese peasant. Holding his hands on either side were an African and an Asian child. For me this was an indication for my life path of opening the lives of young people through music. Larry Gookin has had a long-time fascination with St. Francis, and he and Karen have visited Assisi and communed with that spirit. The heated compassion of St. Francis is mirrored in Larry’s lifelong devotion to the movement of young lives through music. This new piece is a tribute to Larry’s devotion. It is both a summation and an open door to the future.
Last year, our wind ensemble played St. Francis at the Taiwan Band Clinic with you, and it was the highlight of the year. When we got back from Taiwan, we had a recording session on other pieces of music and ended that session early. The kids begged me to play St. Francis because they felt like they owned that piece. We ran it twice straight down and it turned out beautifully. It turned out so well that I’m asking if we might be able to include it on our next CD through Mark Records. It would be a terrific addition to that recording project and I think you’d be pleased with all of your touches to the piece. The students remembered so much of what you taught them on that piece. Thank you for that consideration.
The ensemble is absolutely in love with the work, as am I!
Find program notes and more information at davidmaslanka.com.
![Maslanka D - Saint Francis [Wind Ens] - Set of Parts Only - Poster](https://maslankapress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Saint-Francis-Wind-Ens-Maslanka-D-101645-Set-of-Parts-Only-400x490.png "Maslanka D - Saint Francis [Wind Ens] - Set of Parts Only - Poster")
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