At Dawn They Slept

The second piece in the concert, entitled At Dawn They Slept, was written by Jay Bocook (see below) in 2001 on a commission by the York High School Band in York, South Carolina. It was premiered in April 2002 at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Subtitled “December 7, 1941”, the piece is somewhat programmatic in nature.

From the composer:

“The work starts softly and tries to depict the U.S. military presence at Pearl Harbor in the days preceding December 7, 1941. The following section is the main theme of the work and shows the tranquility and beauty of those days in the late fall of 1941. The mood changes at the early dawn on December 7th. A distant bugler and soft alarm clocks are noticed. Also, the sound of approaching planes and seven notes are heard on the chimes, representing the beginning of the attack at 7 am. The conflict is represented by angular, dissonant and fragmented lines in throughout the band. The battle section reaches a climax, where again the mood changes to one of strength and resolve. The main theme then returns, softly at first but finally building to a triumphant episode where the theme is proudly presented by the full ensemble.”

Besides his work as a composer and arranger, transcriber Jay Bocook is the Director of Athletic Bands at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. He was born in Clearwater, Florida in 1953 and received a Bachelor of Music degree from Furman University in 1975, and went on to receive a Master of Music degree from University of Louisiana at Monroe. Mr. Bocook began his composing and arranging career in graduate school, and began to write published works while the band director at a high school in Travelers Rest, South Carolina. He served as the Director of Bands at Furman University from 1982 until 1989, where he continued his rise to fame as a composer and arranger. His arrangements were featured at the 1984, 1988, 1996, and 2002 Olympic Games. He writes for a wide range of ensembles, from elementary bands

to the United States Marine Band.

The music for At Dawn They Slept was purchased for the band by Dick and Candy Peacock.