"Culloden" is a three movement symphony for concert band by Emmy Award winning[1] American female composer Julie Giroux, published by Musica Propria. Culloden is named after the Battle of Culloden, which is also the basis of the piece.
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The first movement introduces a very Scottish feel. Giroux attempts to capture an "aerial" view of Scotland by composing several characteristic 8-16 bar tunes into the movement.[2]
I Hae Grat for Tho' I Kend, or I have wept for those I knew, immortalizes Bloody Culloden by evoking feelings of loss, but also optimism. The movement is composed in the order of actual loss, "the actual funeral, the anger, the weeping, the fond memories and the acceptance."[3]
Also known as We Emptied Our Glasses for the Handsome Soldiers, the final movement tells the stories of the survivors after the battle. The movement is a mixture of many emotions: "Prince Charles, food – the lack thereof, whiskey – a necessity, Clan Battle Calls, patriotic songs, marriage songs (for many of them married all during the campaign), bawdy sex songs, even a pipe jig that Prince Charles supposedly parlor-danced to two days prior to the battle of Culloden." The ending ends positively, "since the Scots always seem to land on their feet in mid-stride, confirming their honor, heritage and steadfastness in the single sentence: 'I don’t know where I am to go now, but I do know, wherever I go, Scotland goes with me!'"[4]