Cindy McTee (b. 1953) is an American composer whose award winning works have been performed by orchestras and bands around the world. She got her start in her native Tacoma, Washington, first as an undergraduate at Pacific Lutheran University, then later on the composition faculty there. Before assuming her faculty role, she went to Poland to study with Krzysztof Penderecki at the Krakow Academy of Music (she also lived with his family and taught his children English). She spent the majority of her career at the University of North Texas, where she was on the faculty from 1984 until her retirement as Regents Professor Emerita in 2011. Read more about her at Wikipedia and her website.

McTee wrote Soundings in 1995 on a commission from the Big Eight Band Directors Association. Her website includes this program note (links added by me):

Soundings is a four-movement work for wind symphony of approximately fifteen minutes’ duration. It was commissioned in 1995 by the Big Eight Band Directors Association whose affiliates included:

Iowa State University – Joseph Christensen
Kansas State University – Frank Tracz
Oklahoma State University – Joseph Missal
University of Colorado – Allan McMurray
University of Kansas – Robert E. Foster
University of Missouri – Dale Lonis
University of Nebraska – John H. Kloecker
University of Oklahoma – William K. Wakefield

The title, Soundings, has been used by several composers and authors, including Glenn Watkins for his book about music in the twentieth century. I chose the title quite literally for its “sound,” but also because its definition, “the making or giving forth of sounds,” complements the more descriptive titles of the individual movements: “Fanfare,” “Gizmo,” “Waves,” and “Transmission.”

Each of the four movements explores different musical territory:

I. Fanfare

II. Gizmo

III. Waves

IV. Transmission

“Fanfare” employs familiar musical materials such as quartal harmony and imitative counterpoint, but departs from traditional fanfares in its use of woodwind as well as brass instruments.

“Gizmo” reflects my fascination with gadgets, motoric rhythms, and the sound of major sevenths.

“Waves” was born out of my experience in the computer music studio and my preference for sounds whose shapes slowly expand and contract. Four musical layers are presented: (1) a steady tremolo in the percussion serves to anchor as well as to animate the music; (2) waves of sound through the lower brass and woodwinds are supported by timpani and tamtam; (3) scattered, freely-moving solos in the upper winds are complemented by; (4) a repeated melody played by trumpets, oboe, flute, and piccolo.

“Transmission” is not unlike “Gizmo” in its reliance upon a quickly-moving, steady pulse and sonorities employing major sevenths. The title, “Transmission,” was chosen for its double meaning: (1) information from a transmitter and (2) an assembly of gears and associated parts by which power is transmitted from the engine to the gearbox. In “Transmission” I have “transmitted” musical information using “metric or temporal modulation,” a process analogous to the one executed by the driver of an automobile smoothly shifting gears to change engine speed.

The North Texas Wind Symphony performs each movement:

Want to know more? Check out McTee’s website and Bill Holab Music. While the first movement, “Fanfare”, is available for purchase, the full work is unfortunately only available as a rental. The full work, especially the final movement, is definitely a grade 6, but the first three movements are accessible to grade 5 bands.