Jan van der Roost

The Soldier's Wife

The Soldier's Wife is a short and simple piece commissioned by the Singapore Ministry of Education. It was originally intended as a compulsory piece for the 2012 Singapore Youth Festival. Because many school bands in Singapore are incomplete, the composer was specifically asked to create a work that could equally be played by a limited ensemble-which explains various doubled and optional parts. The warm tones of a melodic passage open this short work: the wife of the wooden soldier sings a kind of lullaby. This lyrical section is followed by a more powerful part which is, however, based on the same melodic material. The rhythm, syncopated at times, infuses this section with a particular energy. The harmony, too, has some surprising turns-and we must never lose sight of the restrictions imposed by the limited level of difficulty of the piece. Although the work begins softly and sweetly, much more 'feminine energy' is projected by the close.