About the pieceThe city of Minneapolis was built on the back of water power and milling. In 1874, C.C. Washburn harnessed the power of the Mississippi River and completed construction of the world’s largest flour mill, the Washburn A Mill. On May 2, 1878, a spark ignited airborne flour dust which constantly clouded the air. This caused a massive explosion which destroyed the Washburn A Mill and killed 18 workers instantly. This tragic event led to flour mill reforms across the country and new methods to prevent the buildup of the highly volatile flour dust were developed. By 1880, the Washburn A Mill had been rebuilt and produced an astonishing 2,000,000 pounds of flour a day at its peak.
In May of 2014, I visited Minneapolis and toured the museum at the remains of Washburn A Mill, now known as the Mill City Museum. I was inspired by this story of industry from some of America’s early entrepreneurial pioneers. This tone poem for wind band chronicles the bustling beginnings of the flour industry in Minneapolis, the catastrophic explosion of Washburn A Mill, the rebuilding period, and the final return to productivity. The piece is intended to be adventurous and exciting. Approximate duration: 5 minutes, 30 seconds Media |
PurchaseMill City Sketches is available for purchase from Southern Music Company here: J.W. Pepper
Instrumentation (Grade 3)2 Flutes
2 Oboes 2 Bassoons 2 Clarinets in B-flat Bass Clarinet in B-flat 2 Alto Sax. in E-flat 1 Tenor Sax. in B-flat 1 Baritone Sax. in E-flat 2 Trumpets in B-flat 2 Horns in F 2 Trombones Euphonium Tuba Timpani in B-flat, E-flat, and F Glockenspiel (one player) Vibraphone (one player) Snare Drum Suspended and Crash Cymbals (one player) Bass Drum (tam-tam optional) |