Afton water (WIND BAND)  

‘Afton Water’ is a poem by the Scottish Poet Robert Burns (1759-1796). In 2019, I set that poem for mixed choir. While Burns is perhaps best known for authoring ‘Auld Lang Syne’, ‘Afton Water’ is written as an ode to the River Afton - a small river in the south of Scotland. The romantic themes of the text, as well as its vivid imagery, make the poem very songlike. Even as I was setting it for choir, I could hear a setting for symphonic winds in my head. The lush chords, and dynamic swells are meant to portray the dynamic emotions of the poet towards the landscape, rather than to portray the peaceful and idyllic scene itself.