The Constellations Suite

By Sam Critchley

For Concert Band

Performed in 2024 for the Young Composers of Michigan Concert

The Constellations Suite, written for concert band, tells the story of a journey through the night sky. This piece consists of three movements, each representing a different constellation.

Orion, the Hunter is one of the most prominent constellations in the winter night sky, a symbol for courage and vitality. This movement is full of heroic and lively melodies to convey the spirit of adventure.

Cygnus, the Swan is a less well-known constellation, although it does not fail to have meaning. Cygnus contains one of the strongest X-ray sources that can be detected from Earth, caused by a black hole at the constellation's center. In this movement, the Swan guides the listener on a path of haunting and bitter feelings that swallows all warmth into its cold center, which is hopeless ever to contain anything more than emptiness and longing.

Ursa Major, the Great Bear is one of the oldest, largest, and most recognizable constellations. The Big Dipper, an asterism contained inside of Ursa Major, is universally known to lead the way home when there are no other lights to go by. This final movement begins sparsely and lost, but finds its way to grow into something monumental and glorious. The Great Bear is made up of some of the brightest stars in the night sky, and it stands as a symbol for hope and good things that shine through the bleakness and guide us when we are lost.

The story depicted by this suite is the story that we all know, and one that is present in all our lives. It is a story of adventure, a story of losing one's self, and a story of finding it again. The Constellations Suite tells this story in a way to show that we are part of something much larger and more meaningful than ourselves, and that enough brightness in the universe, however many millions of lightyears away, can illuminate a whole world when all else is dark.