Windows is a one-movement orchestral composition written by Jacob Druckman in 1972. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in the same year. Windows was commissioned by the Serge Koussevitzky Music Foundation for conductor Bruno Maderna and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and is dedicated to conductor Serge Koussevitzky and his wife Natalie.
Druckman himself explained the name of the composition as follows:
Much of the work involves the use of aleatoric processes, similar to those associated with Witold Lutosławski. Windows was originally going to share a program with Claude Debussy's Jeux when it was premiered and Druckman wanted to pay homage to Debussy.
A typical performance of the piece lasts about 20 minutes.
Instrumentation The work is written for an orchestra with the following instrumentation.
Woodwinds
2 oboes 1 English horn 2 B clarinets 1 B bass clarinet 2 bassoons 1 contrabassoon
Brass
3 trumpets (C)
1 tuba
Other 1 harp
Percussion (3 players) 1 glockenspiel 1 vibraphone 1 marimba 1 steel drum chimes 1 timpani 2 bass drums 2 conga drums 1 snare drum 1 pair of timbales 2 pairs of bongos 3 temple blocks 2 wood blocks 2 tam-tams
2 large suspended cymbals 2 small suspended cymbals 1 large sizzle cymbal
1 sawThe long type with one end mounted in a wooden block which rests on the floor
Strings violins violas cellos contrabasses
References