Harambe

for orchestra (2018)

The Swahili word, Harambe means “all pull together”. Used as a proper name, it belonged to a 17-year-old Western lowland silverback gorilla who lived at the Cincinnati Zoo.

Inexplicably, on May 28, 2016, a 3-year-old boy was somehow able to enter Harambe's habitat. After careful consideration, the zoo officials decided to shoot and kill Harambe.

Gorillas are rapidly marching toward extinction in the wild.

They’re commonly slaughtered, many times just for their hands which are, more often than not, sold as ashtrays.

Recording produced by Albert Ahronheim
Special thanks to Kelley Barnett, Maria Im, Erin Lensing and Patrick Pridemore

Time 8:06

Instrumentation

Woodwinds:
2 flutes (2nd doubling piccolo)
2 oboes
2 clarinets in Bb
2 bassoons

Brass:
4 horns in F
2 trumpets in Bb
2 trombones
tuba

Percussion:
3 tympani (medium soft mallets)
bass drum
small suspended cymbal (medium mallets)
triangle
orchestra bells (hard plastic mallets)
tubular bells
shakers

Strings:
first violins
second violins
violas
cellos
double basses