BIOGRAPHY

Allan Gilliland was born in Scotland in 1965 and immigrated to Canada in 1972. He studied composition and trumpet at the University of Alberta, Humber College, and is currently completing a PhD in Composition at the University of Edinburgh. Gilliland was composer-in-residence with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra from 1999-2004. He writes music for wind band, jazz band, choir, orchestra, opera, and film. He has been commissioned by many symphony orchestras in Canada, and his works are performed worldwide. In 2006 he was commissioned to write a one-act opera for young people, The Hannaraptor (libretto by Val Brandt) for Calgary Opera. He has won several of Canada’s most prestigious composition competitions, including the Jean Coulthard Competition for Composers, the Lydia Pals Composers Competition, and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra’s Centara New Music Festival Composers Competition. Gilliland has taught at the University of Alberta and Red Deer College and is now Head of Composition at Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton.

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PROGRAM NOTES

Programme Note, On the Shoulders of Giants

I came across the phrase "on the shoulders of giants" a few years ago while reading an article on the current generation of jazz musicians. The article pointed out that these young musician’s where gaining much of their attention by standing on the shoulders of the giants who came before them. At the time I thought this was a very "catchy" phrase that might someday make a good title for a work, so I filed it away for an appropriate occasion.

Three years ago my father retired and as we sat around celebrating this event the conversation naturally turned to some of the jobs he and my mother had done. As they described these jobs it occurred to me that each one had its own rhythm and as they moved on in their lives the rhythm of each job got faster. It was then that I began to think about a piece that would reflect this increasing rhythmic activity. It also occurred to me that I had found the "giants" whose shoulders I had been standing on my entire life.

The piece is divided into three sections each representing a different occupation. The first section paints the picture of working in the coal mines of Scotland, which my father did early in his life. It starts with a gesture representing the sound of a work whistle that is followed by a series of chords that descend to the lowest end of the orchestra. The rest of this section is a slow ascent out of those depths.

The second section was inspired by a job both my parents had. The town in Scotland where I was born produced lace as its main industry and one of the images I liked was that of the "shuttle," a large needle like device used to weave the thread, flying back and forth on the looms. During this section a rising figure re-occurs to illustrate this gesture.

Both my parent's last jobs had a high degree of speed associated with them. My father took vibration readings from large machines and my mother worked in the fastest of all field's telecommunication. The last section of this piece focuses on this speed by creating a sense of perpetual motion.

Finally, in the first and last sections a melody appears, entitled "Valentines Lament," which pays homage to Scotland, our place of birth. As you may have guessed, this work is dedicated to my parents Ian and Margaret Gilliland.

Credits: Allan Gilliland
Creator: Allan Gilliland
Subject: On the Shoulders of Giants
Date Created: 2007

INTERVIEW

Interview, Gilliland's Cultural Influences: Scotland to Canada

“I think my task as a composer in general – whether Canadian or not – is to write music that engages me, engages the people I’m writing it for, and engages the audience that’s listening.” –A.G.

In this interview, Alan Gilliland speaks candidly about the inspiration for and structure of On the Shoulders of Giants, and also about his work as a composer in Western Canada. He maintains a somewhat wistful view of his dual Scottish-Canadian heritage, and explains that “there was a certain romance to Scotland that I always wanted to try and incorporate into my music.” In this piece, Gilliland accomplishes this by composing an original Scottish tune, which recurs throughout the piece like a memory of the Scotland he remembers; “my kind of Danny Boy,” as he describes it.

Gilliland wrote the piece as a gesture of thanks to his parents for the sacrifices they made for him and his brother by immigrating to Canada: “I had had this idea about a piece called On the Shoulders of Giants, and at first I thought it was going to be a piece that paid homage to the composers that had influenced me […]. But one day, I realized that what I actually wanted to do was acknowledge [my parents]. So I wrote a piece that played homage to the jobs that they had done throughout their lives. I thought that there was an interesting rhythm to the work that they had done.”

Credits: Colleen Renihan
Creator: Colleen Renihan
Subject: Allan Gilliland
Date Created: 2009

PHOTO GALLERY

WORDS

VIDEO

Interview, Allan Gilliland (11882 KB)

Duration: 00:06:07

“I think my task as a composer in general – whether Canadian or not – is to write music that engages me, engages the people I’m writing it for, and engages the audience that’s listening.” –A.G.

In this interview, Alan Gilliland speaks candidly about the inspiration for and structure of On the Shoulders of Giants, and also about his work as a composer in Western Canada. He maintains a somewhat wistful view of his dual Scottish-Canadian heritage, and explains that “there was a certain romance to Scotland that I always wanted to try and incorporate into my music.” In this piece, Gilliland accomplishes this by composing an original Scottish tune, which recurs throughout the piece like a memory of the Scotland he remembers; “my kind of Danny Boy,” as he describes it.

Gilliland wrote the piece as a gesture of thanks to his parents for the sacrifices they made for him and his brother by immigrating to Canada: “I had had this idea about a piece called On the Shoulders of Giants, and at first I thought it was going to be a piece that paid homage to the composers that had influenced me […]. But one day, I realized that what I actually wanted to do was acknowledge [my parents]. So I wrote a piece that played homage to the jobs that they had done throughout their lives. I thought that there was an interesting rhythm to the work that they had done.”

Credits: Jeremy Strachan, John S. Gray, Colleen Renihan
Creator: Jeremy Strachan, Colleen Renihan
Subject: Allan Gilliland
Date Created: 2008