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2003 Berkeley Blue Brigade "Songs of Sailor and Sea" by Robert W. Smith "Songs of Sailor and Sea" was commissioned by and dedicated to Lieutenant Commander John R. Pastin and the U.S. Navy Band. This piece was composed in the late summer and fall of 1996 and was premiered at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic (Chicago, IL) in December of the same year. "Songs of Sailor and Sea" celebrates man's eternal fascination with the sea and the centuries of seamen who have battled its powerful waves and mysterious depths. The composition is comprised of three settings, reminiscent of the sounds and images one might encounter when sailing the oceans of the world. Following the introduction, the composer has created a "Sea Chanty." Chanties, historically speaking, were songs sung by sailors to the ryhthm of their movements while working. The composer has combined the chanty with shipboard sounds including the crashing of the waves and the raising of the anchor with it's massive chain. The second setting is entitled "Whale Song." Using a three-note motif actually sung by a humpback whale, the composer has woven together a beautiful melodic line accompanied by the natural sounds of the whale. The percussion have been creatively scored to capture the effect of the whale singing its song of life. The final section of the work is entitled "Racing the Yankee Clipper." This is composed in tribute to the American clipper ships which established dominance on the high seas in the early to mid 1800's. These graceful and beautiful vessels established amazing speed records, some of which were not broken until as late as 1989. The exuberance and exhilaration the sailors must have felt when flying these great ships across the seas was the motivating force behind the creation of this setting.