"Olympiada"
by Samuel R. Hazo
Grade Level 4½
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Available from
Boosey & Hawkes Publishing
(2003)

"Olympiada" was premiered in the fall of 1997 by the Duquesne University Wind Symphony, conducted by Dr. Robert Cameron, at Carnegie Music Hall in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I was thirty years old when I wrote in 1996 and it was my first composition for a symphonic ensemble. I rescored "Olympiada" for publication by Boosey & Hawkes in 2002, after receiving a request from Dr. Patricia Grutzmacher of Kent State University, who had heard the premier recording and wished to perform it at the 2003 Ohio Music Educators' Convention.

"Olympiada" was written to capture the human conditions of intense glory and pain that only the Olympic Games can inspire, while musically tying themes with a historic Greek feel to modern chord changes and melodies. It opens with an Olympic style brass fanfare to set the tone, and quickly breaks into a variety of themes and settings representing athletic struggle before recapitulating the fanfare at the end.

In its simplest analysis, the piece can be translated as a tone poem of a race. The piece begins with a driving ostinato in the woodwinds. The melodies, rhythms and textures then take the listener through the pace of such a competition. Adrenalin surges and excitement at the outset make way for the low brass theme representing vigorous effort. Layered on top of the low brass theme is the melodic line that immediately preceded it, only this time sounding much more strained. Then, the primal drums take over, conveying a racing pulse surrounded by asymmetric rhythms. The introductory theme is then repeated in a minor key with Greek woodwind passages played over top, representing the timelessness of physical competition. Following the threshold of pain expressed through rising staccato 16th note passages, the tension is released with uplifting chords and textures symbolizing the end of a struggle and a sense of victory. The recapitulated fanfare is then played by the entire ensemble signifying the sense of global unity, brought about for athleticism, which is the fundamental doctrine of the Olympic Games.