''All Things Majestic'' is an

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

l suite written by the American composer Jennifer Higdon. The work was commissioned by the Grand Teton Music Festival to commemorate the organization's 50th anniversary. Higdon, Jennifer
''All Things Majestic'': Program Note
Retrieved April 23, 2018. It was first performed at Walk Festival Hall on August 19, 2011.

Composition

Background

In the score program notes, Higdon, who described the

National Parks A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individua ...

as "one of America's greatest treasures," recalled that she "jumped" at the chance to compose a work commemorating the Grand Teton Music Festival. She described ''All Things Majestic'' as "a tribute to not only the festival and it's ichome, the Tetons, but also to the grandeur and majesty of all of our parks."

Structure

''All Things Majestic'' has a duration of approximately 22 minutes and is cast in four

movements Movement may refer to: Common uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Motion, commonly referred to as movement Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * "Movement" (short story), a short story by Nancy Fu ...

: #Teton Range #String Lake #Snake River #Cathedrals

Instrumentation

The work is scored for an orchestra consisting of two

flutes The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

, two

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. ...

s, two clarinets, two bassoons, four

horns Horns or The Horns may refer to: * Plural of Horn (instrument), a group of musical instruments all with a horn-shaped bells * The Horns (Colorado), a summit on Cheyenne Mountain * ''Horns'' (novel), a dark fantasy novel written in 2010 by Joe Hill ...

, three

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

s, three

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

tuba The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th century, making it one of the ne ...

, harp, celesta,

timpani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally ...

, three percussionists, and

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

Reception

The music critic Donald Rosenberg of '' Gramophone'' praised ''All Things Majestic'', "whose four movements paint portraits of thrilling landscapes." He added, "Higdon uses the full resources of the orchestra to convey the splendour of mountains, motion of bodies of water and wonders of other natural phenomena." Carlos María Solare of ''

The Strad ''The Strad'' is a UK-based monthly classical music magazine about string instrumentsprincipally the violin, viola, cello and double bassfor amateur and professional musicians. Founded in 1889, the magazine provides information, photographs and ...

'' similarly wrote, "The kaleidoscopic variety of ''All Things Majestic'', a four-movement suite inspired by the breathtaking landscapes of the Teton mountain range, showcases the orchestra's collective virtuosity."

References

{{italic title Compositions by Jennifer Higdon 2011 compositions Compositions for symphony orchestra Commissioned music