Panic
for Wind Band (Grade 5)
sightread by the University of
Texas Wind Ensemble
conducted by Jaclyn Hartenberger
"Panic" is a short, aggressive, and rhythmically driven fanfare.
The title is derived from the final book of the Hitchhiker's Guide to
the Galaxy series.
The hitchhiker's guide is a symbol of comfort throughout the series. At
a pivotal point,
one of the main characters is unexpectedly faced with a new version of
the guide,
and his reaction sets off one final exciting and intense series of
events:
It was circular and black and about the size of a small side
plate. Its top and its bottom were smoothly convex
so that it resembled a small lightweight throwing discus. Its
surfaces seemed to be completely smooth, unbroken and featureless.
It was doing nothing.
Then Ford noticed that there was something written on it.
Strange. There hadn't been anything written on it a moment ago
and now suddenly there was. There just didn't seem to have been
any observable transition between the two states.
All it said, in small, alarming letters, was a single word:
Panic.