A Movement for Rosa

A Movement for Rosa was commissioned by the Florida Bandmasters Association honoring civil rights heroine Rosa Parks and was composed and orchestrated over a three-month period: August - November, 1992. With a duration of approximately 11 1/2 minutes, this 'movement' -- a quasi-tone poem -- contains three contrasting sections. Section I evokes Rosa's early years, from birth Feb. 1913 in Tuskegee, Alabama, through her marriage in 1932 to Raymond Parks in Pine Level, Alabama. Section II portrays years of racial strife in Montgomery and the quest for social equality. Section III is one of quiet strength and serenity. The works final measures serve an ominous reminder of racism's lingering presence in modern American society.