Hub City March

As I was approached by Jason for this commission, I was really only vaguely aware of this small hamlet near Alabama’s Gulf Coast. Having not spent very much time at all in Alabama, I just had not had the occasion to come to know Robertsdale. But in the conversations with Jason for this project for the Baldwin Pops, I began to read about the town. Thankfully, the town has done its part to present its history and its community to the public via the Internet.

Throughout the work, I tried to pull together the community of Robertsdale in two ways. First, I wanted to bring aspects that stand out in the city’s history. Robertsdale has served as a transportation hub in its region on the Gulf Coast, giving the piece its title and also through the nod to trains rolling on the tracks, as played on the hi-hat in the main thematic section of this march. The second thematic section of the march has a subtle and admittedly tongue-in-cheek reference to one of Robertsdale’s more famed natives, Tim Cook of Apple Computer. in the third thematic area, the brasses present an interpretation of the traditional hymn tune, Old Hundredth, recognizing the religious foundations of the community.

The final phrase of the work presents the last homage to the community of Robertsdale, and that is the intertwining of all the facets of the town. Simply put, a community cannot exist without all the unique parts coming together, weaving a beautiful tapestry of colors and textures, created of all the people who live together. My aim in this last phrase is to bring together all the musical materials heard earlier, in a way that reflects the people of this wonderful city.