Composer’s Notes

 

Full Orchestra, Grade 4

Duration: 5 minutes

 

In photography, the golden hour, or “magic hour,” is a small window of time (which may be more or less than an hour, depending on one’s geographical location and time of year), which typically occurs shortly before sunset or after sunrise. The sun angle during a golden hour is between 10-12 degrees, providing the perfect amount of diffusion to cast a photogenic, golden light upon the landscape. Shadows, texture, and depth are greatly enhanced, and the warm glow adds an air of drama to everything it touches.

 

To represent the qualities of a golden hour, the piece features many “perfect” intervals: fourths, fifths, and octaves. The middle section represents the peak of the golden hour and highlights both the golden ratio (1.618, represented in the scale degrees used in the motif beginning at m.88) and the first few digits of the Fibonacci sequence (eg: crotales, m.89).

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The Golden Hour was premiered in November 2023 by the

Osher School of Music (University of Southern Maine) combined PYSO/SMSO Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Robert Lehmann.