The Saint and the City

The Saint and the City, Jacob de Haan.

Grade 3 Difficulty.

Duration 8' 00"

Commissioned y "Christelijk Harmonieorkest De Bazuin" in Zwolle, The Netherlands, om the occasion of its 75th anniversary.

The piece is based on a well-known myth about the city of Zwolle in the Netherlands. In the waters surrounding Xwollw, lived a dragon that regularly emerged. Time and again he threatened to destroy the city with its fiery breath if he was not given a living sacrifice. The archangel, Michael, who manifested himself as a young knight, saved the city. In a fight without equal, he beheaded the monster with his sword. Later, Saint Michael fighting the dragon, which was a symbol of evil and injustice, acquired a permanent place on the city arms. Also, there used to be a huge statue of the patron saint at the bottom of the high tower of St. Michael's Church, above the main entrance. For this composition, the hymn tune Laudate Dominium has been chosen as a central musical theme for the archangel. The dragon is reflected in a series of chords that evoke a somewhat ominous association.