Jan de Haan: Pisa

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the freestanding bell tower (campanile in Italian) next to the Pisa Cathedral (Duomo di Pisa). This creation by the master builders Guglielmo and Bonanno Pisano can be found in Piazza dei Miracoli. The main motif of the composition symbolizes the three bells of the tower as they echo across the city. This motif reappears in various forms. In the introduction to the work, the bells are interspersed with religious sounds from the Duomo Santa Maria Assunta. Then the spiritual transforms into the secular: a folk theme that expresses the joy of life of the city's inhabitants. The fact that the tower began to lean as early as 1173, shortly after construction began, is expressed in a downward motif played by certain instruments against others that maintain the same pitch. This is followed by a lyrical melody that extols the city's most beautiful aspects. Then we hear the bell motif again, followed by a soft, slow passage commemorating the city's deceased. This culminates in a procession of festive orchestras marching from the villages of the province of Pisa, all heading towards the world-famous leaning tower, after which the work concludes with the bell motif in its most exuberant version.

Merk	De Haske Publications
Serie	Band Section Series
Instrument	Woodwind Ensemble and [Opt] Percussion