Jacob de Haan: Pisa: Woodwind Ensemble

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the freestanding bell tower (campanile in Italian) next to the Cathedral of Pisa (Duomo di Pisa). This creation built by the masters Guglielmo and Bonanno Pisano can be found on the Piazza dei Miracoli. The main motif of the composition symbolizes the three bells of the tower resounding over the city. This motif will keep returning in different forms throughout the work. In the introduction, the bells alternate with religious sounds from the Duomo Santa Maria Assunta. Then spirituality changes into worldliness: a popular theme that echoes the city’s inhabitants’ zest for life. The fact that the tower already started tilting in 1173, shortly after the start of the construction, is expressed in a downward motif of certain instruments versus instruments that remain at the same pitch. After that, we hear a lyrical melody that sings the praises of the most beautiful features of the city. Then the bell motif sounds again, followed by a soft, slow passage commemorating the dead of the city. This leads to a parade of festive wind bands coming from the villages of the province of Pisa, all of them on their way to the worldfamous leaning tower, followed by a conclusion with the bell motif in its most exuberant version.