The Call to Arms

SKU: MRT-006-CS
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Composer: Michael Rene Torres

Duration: 7:45

Scoring: Bb Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Violin, and Cello

Materials: Score (8.5x11) and Parts (8.5x11) ​​

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Program Note

​The Call to Arms for Bb Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Violin, and Cello was written for No Exit New Music Ensemble from Cleveland, Ohio. I was inspired to write this work after visiting a traveling exhibit on loan to the Columbus Museum of Art of sculptures by French artist, Auguste Rodin. I was struck specifically by Rodin’s piece, “The Call to Arms.” This bronze sculpture depicts a fierce angel, wings stretched out with fists in the air, protecting a wounded, dying soldier. Rodin submitted the sculpture to a public competition by the French state in 1879 and it was rejected in the first round with Rodin suggesting that it “must have seemed too violent, too strident.” The sculpture is evocative and my music, sharing the same title, tries to express the juxtaposition of the soldier’s vulnerability and the ferocious anger of the defending angel. The sculpture, in a roundabout way, also caused me to reflect and explore through the music how we, as individuals in the complicated 21st century, must bravely stand against the challenging issues which we face socially, politically, environmentally, economically, and geographically. At times, in this effort, we are both the righteous angel and the dying soldier. The instrumentation is designed to resemble a string quartet with the clarinet as the 2nd violin and the saxophone as the viola.
​— Michael Rene Torres
Reproduction Notice:
This program note may be freely reproduced in concert programs, provided that proper credit is given to the composer.