Terra Branta Canadensis

Terra Branta Canadensis – “The Land of the Canada Goose” – is a serious piece with deep themes and universal resonance. The original assignment was to find and record real-life sounds and then render them using only instruments in the traditional symphony orchestra. Naturally, I selected some of the most inspiring and beautiful sounds I could find – goose honks, car horns, lawn mowers, and the like – which were then assembled into a perfectly coherent narrative describing a day in the life of the regal Canada Goose.

A few months after the initial recording session, I revisited the piece with the intention of touching up a few errors but found myself composing new material to add to the story, including a new “Gosling Motif” that appears several times throughout the piece and the addition of Fixed Media elements (recordings to be played alongside the orchestra).

This piece is a work of serious art about a magnificent creature that has inspired generations of humankind while living peacefully alongside us. Any humor, intentional or otherwise, should be ignored so that the listener may instead focus on the soul-stirring themes evoked in the music.

-JMW

  The “Story”

The Gaggle (Gosling Motif)

Taking Flight

Cityscape I: Gosling Groove

Cityscape II: Goose Crossing

Goose Fight!

Cityscape III: Lawn Mower

March of the Gaggle

Slow Motion

Wind Up