EVOLUTION OF CONTEMPORARY COLLEGE WIND BAND REPERTOIRE...
Transcript of EVOLUTION OF CONTEMPORARY COLLEGE WIND BAND REPERTOIRE...
EVOLUTION OF CONTEMPORARY COLLEGE WIND BAND REPERTOIRE AND
PROGRAMMING IN THE UNITED STATES: 1800-2010
by
KENNETH G. BODIFORD
KENNETH OZZELLO, COMMITTEE CHAIR
MARVIN JOHNSON JOANNA BIERMANN
JOHN RATLEDGE JONATHAN NOFFSINGER
STEVE SHEPARD
DISSERTATION
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts
in the Department of Music in the Graduate School of
The University of Alabama
TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA
2012
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ABSTRACT
The wind band has come to be regarded as a premier and distinct performance ensemble,
particularly as represented by college and university ensembles. Although the wind band has a
military heritage and was, during the first half of the twentieth century, largely conceived of as
entertainment, it has evolved to its present status as a unique vehicle worthy of attention by
recognized composers. This research was designed to provide an historical perspective on the
evolution of contemporary college wind band repertoire in the United States with particular
focus on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and extending through the first decade of
the twenty-first century. The evolution of wind band/ensemble repertoire in the United States
was traced from predominantly orchestral transcriptions to the contemporary era in which wind
band compositions are sometimes transcribed for orchestra. Instrumentation was studied from an
historical perspective as it related to development of repertoire. The evolution of repertoire
comprised the major portion of the research.
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DEDICATION
This document is dedicated in loving memory of my beloved mother and father, Mrs.
Ruby Jewel Glenn Bodiford and Mr. Hubert Walton Bodiford. No one could ask for more loving
and supporting parents. It is impossible to thank them adequately for everything they’ve done,
from loving me unconditionally to raising me in a stable household, where they instilled
traditional values and taught their children to celebrate and embrace life. I could not have asked
for better parents or role models.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I wish to thank the members of my committee, including my Major Professor, Dr.
Kenneth Ozzello, Director of Bands at The University of Alabama, for supporting the ideas that
resulted in the culmination of this project. I would also like to recognize and thank Dr. Ozzello;
Mr. Randall Coleman, Assistant Director of Bands at The University of Alabama; and Mr. Steve
Simpson, Assistant Director of Athletic Bands at The University of Alabama for their kindness
and support while I completed my residency at the university. They made the experience of
working on the doctorate degree most pleasant and one that I will always remember.
Also, I would like to thank Dr. David L. Walters and Dr. Hoyt LeCroy (my first readers)
for their tremendous support and guidance throughout the process of completing this document.
As well, special thanks to my colleagues at Jacksonville State University Mr. Clint Gillespie and
Mr. Jeremy Stovall, the Assistant Directors of the University Band program, and Ms. Sandy
Lynch, secretary of the University Band program, for their support especially while I was away
on sabbatical working on the degree.
Last but not least, thank you to my sisters and brother: Sharon Cherry, Paula Herrin, and
Hugh Bodiford. Your support, love, and encouragement have always been more than words can
express. You had to do without me on several family occasions while I was busy with career
obligations. I thank you so much for being so loving and understanding.
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CONTENTS
ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... ii
DEDICATION .................................................................................................................. iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................... iv
1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 1
a. Purpose of the Research ........................................................................................ 1
b. Research Design ....................................................................................................... 1
c. Literature Review ..................................................................................................... 2
2. HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF WIND BAND INSTRUMENTATION IN THE UNITED STATES ............................................... 3 a. Eighteenth Century .................................................................................................. 3
b. Early Nineteenth Century ..................................................................................... 4
c. Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore ...................................................................................... 6
d. John Philip Sousa ...................................................................................................... 8
e. The Rise of Music Education ............................................................................. 10
3. HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF WIND BAND REPERTOIRE IN THE UNITED STATES ......................................................................................... 14 a. Nineteenth Century .............................................................................................. 14
b. Early Twentieth Century ................................................................................... 16
c. Literature for School Bands .............................................................................. 19
d. World War II Era ................................................................................................... 22
e. The Commissioning Process ............................................................................. 28
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f. Literature for Wind Ensembles ........................................................................ 35
g. 1970s-‐1980s ............................................................................................................ 41
h. 1990s .......................................................................................................................... 46
e. The Twenty-‐first Century .................................................................................. 53
4. SUSTAINABILITY OF WIND BAND REPERTOIRE……………………...….71
a. Joseph Schwantner …………………………………………………………………….72
b. Frank Ticheli ........................................................................................................... 77
c. John Corigliano ....................................................................................................... 81
5. CURRENT STATE ................................................................................................... 87
a. Idiomatic Properties of Wind Instruments as Related to Repertoire Development ................................................................................................................ 87 b. Orchestras Play Wind Works ........................................................................... 92
c. Interviews with Current Composers ............................................................. 93
i. Composer Rob Grice .............................................................................................. 94
ii. Composer Brian Balmages ................................................................................ 96
iii. Composer Robert Sheldon ............................................................................... 99
6. CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................ 101
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................. 107
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LIST OF TABLES
1. Bethlehem Band Instrumentation .................................................................... 5
2. Sousa’s Band Instrumentation ........................................................................... 8
3. 1950 Original Works Part One ...…….………………………….………………..26
4. 1950 Transcriptions Part Two ........................................................................ 27
5. Commissions Awarded 1949-‐1960 ………………...…….………………….…28
6. ABA Composition Award Winners ................................................................ 29
7. 1950s Pi Kappa Omicron Commissions ………………………………………30
8. 1952 United States Military Academy Band Commission ................... 32
9. 1953 Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma Commission ................... 32
10. 1960s National Band Association Commissions ................................. 33
11. 1960s-‐1970s Wind Band / Ensemble Composers ............................... 39
12. 1970s-1980s First Time Wind Band / Ensemble Composers ..............41
13. 1970s-1980s Established Wind Band / Ensemble Composers ............42
14. 1990s Wind Band / Ensemble Composers ...........................................48
15. Wind Band / Ensemble Composers 1995-2000 ...................................50
16. Wind Band / Ensemble Composers 2000-2001 ...................................55
17. Wind Band / Ensemble Composers 2002-2003 ...................................57
18. Wind Band / Ensemble Music 2004-2005 ...........................................61
19. Wind Band / Ensemble Works 2006-2007 ..........................................64
20. Wind Band / Ensemble Music 2008-2010 ...........................................67
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LIST OF FIGURES
1. Shared Monody .....................................................................................75
2. …and the mountains rising nowhere by Joseph Schwantner Trailing in measure 1 ..................................................................................................76
3. Measure 41 of Symphony No.2 Mvt. 2 by Frank Ticheli ......................78
4. Measure 41-45 of Shenandoah by Frank Ticheli .................................79
5. Measures 31-34 of Postcard by Frank Ticheli .....................................80
6. Circus Maximus ‘I. Introitus’ Set-up Chart ..........................................83
7. Circus Maximus ‘I. Introitus’ 1-5 .........................................................86
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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
The wind band has come to be regarded as a premier and distinct performance ensemble,
particularly as represented by college and university ensembles. Although the wind band has a
military heritage and was, during the first half of the twentieth century, largely conceived of as a
form of entertainment, it has evolved to its present status as a unique vehicle worthy of attention
by recognized composers.
Purpose of the Research
This research is designed to provide a historical perspective on the evolution of
contemporary college wind band repertoire in the United States with particular focus on the
nineteenth and twentieth centuries and extending through the first decade of the twenty-first
century.
Research Design
This research will trace the evolution of wind band/ensemble repertoire in the United
States from predominantly orchestral transcriptions to the contemporary era, in which wind band
compositions are sometimes transcribed for orchestra. Instrumentation will be studied from a
historical perspective as it relates to development of repertoire. Evolution of repertoire will
comprise the major portion of the research, and case studies of three twentieth century
compositions for wind band will synthesize compositional qualities to provide conceivable
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possibilities for sustainability. Interviews with three prominent composers will be conducted in
order to ascertain the motivational aspects of their compositions in regard to band or orchestra.
Literature Review
Various sources provide detailed and sometimes unrelated accounts of the history of the
wind band. The purpose of this research, however, will be to present a focused history of
college-level repertoire development and programming in the United States.
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CHAPTER 2
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF WIND BAND INSTRUMENTATION IN THE UNITED STATES
Eighteenth Century
American bands have their ancestry in the wind and brass performing groups that existed
in sixteenth century Europe. These ensembles often varied in instrumentation and number of
players. The most visible performing groups of the day were the Thürmer, which announced the
hours of the day through the performance of specially written music for the tops of tall towers in
European towns. Probably the most famous instrumental music composed for such performers
was that of Giovanni Gabrielli for performances held in the Basilica of San Marco in Venice,
Italy.1
Bands began to take on a more standard instrumentation in the second half of the
eighteenth century. Donald S. George mentions in his doctoral dissertation, Development of the
Clarinet in the American Concert Band, that the usual instrumentation of bands during this
period consisted of two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, and two horns.2 These were the
players of “Harmoniemusik,” a very popular genre from the 1780s onward. Mozart wrote two of
his serenades for this instrumental combination. Handel, Pleyel, and other lesser composers
specified this instrumentation as well.
1Richard Goldman, The Wind Band (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1961), 36. 2Donald Stirratt George, Development of the Clarinet in the American Concert Band (Columbia University, 1968), abstract, Dissertation Abstracts International, 29-03, A: 923.
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From this point in history, the band came into its own as an individual medium. Richard
Franko Goldman places the origin of the wind band in 1789 with the formation of the band of the
National Guard in Paris. Goldman states: “This group of forty-five players was incontestably the
first modern wind band, in terms of size, of function, and of repertoire.”3 This and other
European bands set the example that America was soon to follow.
Bands existed in America before the Revolutionary War, yet documentation of such
groups is sparse. There is, however, information about two bands formed before 1800. The
Massachusetts Band was formed in Boston in 1783. It was this band that became, in 1859,
Gilmore’s Band, the first great American band and undoubtedly one of the finest in the early
years of band development. The other was the United States Marine Band. Documented
instrumentation of this group in 1800 was two oboes, two clarinets, one bassoon, two horns, and
a drum. This instrumentation was similar to those bands existing in Europe at the time.4
Early Nineteenth Century
In the early nineteenth century, the bands of the United States were a reflection of
European tradition. As European musicians migrated to America, imitation continued to be a
factor. The hub of band activity was centered in the northeast. The local military bands of
Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania figured most prominently. For instance, the first
military band of New York City on record was organized in 1810 as a unit of the Eleventh
Regiment, New York Militia. Thomas Brown was its leader. The band served throughout the
War of 1812 and was for a time stationed on Bedloe’s Island in New York Harbor, where the
3Goldman, The Wind Band, 39. 4W. C. Waite, A History of Military Music in America (Hicksville: The Exposition Press, 1944).
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Statue of Liberty now stands. The military laws of Pennsylvania in the early 1800s required that
all men between the ages of 18 and 45 participate twice a year in military tactics. The formation
of the Bethlehem Band at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in 1809 was a result of this system. This
band had a membership of twenty performers. The instrumentation is shown in Table 1.5
Table 1. Bethlehem Band Instrumentation _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Number of Instruments Instrument Used 4 Eb Cornets 1 Bb Cornet 2 Bb Tenor Horns 3 Eb Basses 1 Bass Drum 1 Eb Clarinet 3 Eb Alto Horns 2 Bb Baritones 1 Bass Drum 2 Snares 1 Cymbal It would, however, be difficult to label these bands as service bands because their
membership was made up of mostly civilian musicians. The first independent civilian band to be
5Ibid., 32-35.
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organized in the United States was an Allentown, Pennsylvania, band founded in 1828. The
independent Band of New York, organized in 1825, was the first completely professional band.6
Small bands of irregular and unpredictable instrumentation continued to flourish until
about 1830, when most of the country’s bands became all brass. This trend continued until about
1853 when the band of the New York Seventh Regiment was reorganized with a mixed
instrumentation of woodwinds and brasses.7
Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore
In 1859, Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore assumed the leadership of the Boston Brigade Band,
beginning an era that was to permanently change the course of the development of bands in
America. Gilmore’s original band of 1859 consisted of 32 players, donning snappy uniforms and
new instruments all equipped by Gilmore, who rehearsed regularly and fulfilled a strenuous
schedule of engagements. He also began to build a library of original band music.
Gilmore provided music for anyone that would pay for his services. However, Gilmore’s
business was interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War which channeled his energies in other
areas. The Gilmore Band, enlisting as a unit in 1861, served as a model for all other bands until
the dissolution of all-volunteer bands in 1862. Gilmore’s band returned to Boston where they
played a series of morale-building concerts. At the same time, he was asked by the Governor of
Massachusetts to reorganize all of the state’s military bands.8
6Ibid., 101-102. 7Harry Phillips, “The Development of the Concert Band,” The Instrumentalist (August 1961): 25-29. 8Ibid.
7
Gilmore’s greatest accomplishments were in the standardizing of instrumentation. He
conceived the concert band as a predominantly woodwind-oriented group, contrary to the brass
band concepts that had recently gone out of vogue. Instrumentation of the band over the years
showed a consistent increase in the number of woodwind instruments and proportion of
woodwind instruments to brass. This is largely due to the advancement in the design of
woodwind instruments. Gilmore’s band of 1892, the year of his death, numbered 100 pieces: 61
woodwinds, 34 brass, and 6 percussion. Until then, Patrick Gilmore was the recognized leader of
the American Band movement and had established the position of “grandfather” of the modern
concert band.
One of the most significant concerts of Gilmore’s life, which enhanced his fame, was the
National Peace Jubilee of 1869. The Jubilee combined the elements of patriotism, education,
showmanship, and musicianship in one package. The forces he assembled for a gala concert in
Boston consisted of an orchestra of 500, a band of 1000, a chorus of 10,000, and a vast array of
soloists. The Jubilee opened on June 15, 1869, and continued for five days. Gilmore’s energy,
enthusiasm and persuasiveness, led him to lead an even grander affair, the World Peace Jubilee
of 1872. Groups from Europe were included in a chorus of 20,000, a band of 2000, and an
orchestra of almost 1000. It was this affair that impressed European bands with the superiority of
the American wind band.9
Thus, in the early years of American band history, three types of bands existed: military,
civic, and professional. Each of these three types of bands played a substantial role in the
development of the wind band in America. However, it was the professional bands of Gilmore,
9Ibid.
8
John Phillips Sousa, and, more recently, the bands of the nation’s schools and colleges which
have supplied the leadership in American wind band development.
John Philip Sousa
In 1892, on the day following Gilmore’s death, John Philip Sousa presented the first
concert with his own professional band. During his tenure as bandmaster of the United States
Marine Band, Sousa brought the organization to respected status. Until Sousa’s term with the
Marine Band, the service bands did not compare with the larger, more visible, and proficient
professional bands. Gilmore developed the band as a versatile and sonorous entity, but it was
Sousa who developed the popular march form.10 It was the march, and particularly Sousa’s
marches, that brought the band into popularity with America’s general public. Sousa’s
philosophies were also instrumental in the formation of yet another new attitude toward the band.
He stated repeatedly that the band was for entertainment, not for education, and that he would
give the public what they wanted. It was to that philosophy and those of other successful
bandmasters of the day, such as Pryor and Goldman, that all bandmasters looked to for example.
Sousa’s band expanded Gilmore’s philosophy and consisted of 75 players. The instrumentation
is shown in Table 2.
Table 2. Sousa’s Band Instrumentation _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Number of Instruments Instrument Used 6 Flutes (piccolos)
2 Oboes
10Goldman, The Wind Band, 1961.
9
Table 2. (continued)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Number of Instruments Instrument Used 1 English horn
26 Bb clarinets
1 Alto clarinet
2 Bass clarinets
4 Alto saxophones
2 Tenor saxophones
1 Baritone saxophone
1 Bass saxophone
6 Cornets (four 1st, two 2nd)
2 Trumpets
4 Trombones
2 Euphoniums
6 Sousaphones (basses)
3 Percussion
_____________________________________________________________________________
Many more instruments were added for color as custom arrangements of orchestral
works, lighter pieces (waltzes, polkas, marches), and solo accompaniments were produced for
10
the medium.11 Sousa’s band continued as the leader in the field until 1932, when he died of a
heart attack.
Other professional bands came into existence and exerted some influence upon wind
band development. The most notable of these were bands of Arthur Pryor, Frank Simon, Patrick
Conway, Edwin Franko Goldman, and Leonard B. Smith. However, with the advent of the big
band era, the invention of the automobile and the technological influences of the radio, movies,
and the phonograph came the end of the era of professional bands. Of greatest significance is the
fact that the professional bands, especially those mentioned earlier, established the basics of
instrumentation which many bands still use today.12
The Rise of Music Education
At about the time that the professional bands were fading, a new source of leadership was
making itself known. The nation’s public schools, colleges, and universities, with the advent of
the twenties, began to realize the importance of instrumental music education. The rise of school,
college, and university band programs can be likened to the history of bands before 1900.
Beginning in isolated locations with bands of irregular instrumentation, the bands of the schools
have produced the majority of well-balanced ensembles.
In 1923, C. M. Tremaine became involved with the National Bureau for the
Advancement of Music. This group became the “propaganda arm” for the advancement of school
bands. The group encouraged the participation of professional music instructors.
11Ibid. 12Phillips, “The Development of the Concert Band,” 25-29.
11
Joseph Maddy, the founder of the Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan, was appointed by
the Bureau to organize a system of contests in which bands would be encouraged to play music
from a specific list and would be judged on appearance, playing, and instrumentation. As much
conflict as this system caused, it greatly increased the uniformity of school bands throughout the
country as well as promoted their success. In addition, band method publications such as The
Universal Teacher series by Maddy and Giddings, the Victor Method of 1933, and the World of
Music series by Revelli, Rebmann, and Righter were published and used to build sound school
music programs.13
Throughout the early years of the school band, participation in the group was usually
associated with extracurricular activities. Band rehearsals were often sporadic and, many times,
music was not even included in the curriculum of a school system. Due to the work of many
prominent band figures in the thirties and forties, such as William Revelli (Michigan), Mark
Hindsley (Illinois), Raymond Dvorak (Wisconsin), and Albert Austin Harding (Illinois), the face
of the school band began to change.14
Through articles in specialized publications, such as the Music Supervisors (later Music
Educators) Journal, Revelli, Hindsley, Dvorak and Harding called for a standardization of
instrumentation and the composition of fine band works by prominent composers written
especially for that instrumentation. By bringing their own programs to success, these men were
able to promulgate activity in the improvement of bands. Contest movements became a regular
occurrence. New literature was written and performances were numerous. Music educators
13Goldman, The Wind Band, 1961. 14Ibid.
12
began to question the methods and philosophies of the past and shifted their eyes toward a future
of aesthetically satisfying and technically proficient school music programs.15
In 1962, there were over 9 million children participating in school bands (K-12) in the
United States. The variation, size, and quality of school bands depended on the size of the school
and community and financial commitments as well as general musical enthusiasm. In most
school systems, instrumental instruction started in elementary schools and continued until
graduation.
At the college level, there was a major branching of the concert band concept. For
instance, Revelli’s Michigan Symphony Bands of legend, numbered approximately 120. The
Illinois band numbered likewise. For years (1950s and 1960s) this was normal band
instrumentation in colleges and universities. Many wonderful works were written by prominent
composers (Persichetti, Schuman, Hindemith, Dahl, Husa and Copland to name a few) for the
warm, velveteen sounds these large concert bands were producing. Yet, never willing to stagnate
in its infancy, the large Symphony Band concept gave way to a “symphonic wind” concept. This
was best exemplified by Frederick Fennell’s Eastman Wind Ensemble which stressed fewer
numbers and even one-on-a-part. The Wind Ensemble concept was a more orchestral approach.
This concept allowed variable instrumentation for the performance of wind literature. It is
interesting to hear of this development through Fennell’s own words:
Our decision to establish this new group was made after twenty years of careful study and performance by the Eastman School Symphony Band of the significant musical literature for wind band, both original and transcribed. In establishing the Wind Ensemble as an adjunct to the Symphony Band, it has been our desire to strike out in new directions which would begin from the premise that we could make music with the minimum rather than the maximum number of players, and that we could confine our rehearsal and performance to the study of the original music written for the massed wind medium, and
15Ibid.
13
that we should embark upon a most active program to stimulate the composition of music for the Wind Ensemble by contemporary composers everywhere.16
As the wind bands of America became more specialized, there arose a need for a coherent
philosophy to strike a balance between the musical, aesthetic, artistic, educational, and technical
need of the musician, student, or performer. Music educators today are in the throes of evaluation
and re-evaluation to strike that balance. All arguments are tempered by the fact that those
involved with the wind medium are at a threshold; more importantly they hold the key to the
exciting level of artistic attainment possible for this medium. The “bandmaster” of yesterday is
proud history. Conductors today are required to possess as much musical passion and depth as
their orchestral counterparts to deliver heartfelt interpretations which are true-to-composer, true-
to player, true-to self, and aesthetically valuable (and pleasing) to the listener.
16Frederick Fennell, Time and the Winds (Kenosha: LeBlanc and Company, 1954), 139.
14
CHAPTER 3
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF WIND BAND REPETOIRE IN THE UNITED STATES
Nineteenth Century
At the beginning of the twentieth century, transcriptions from the orchestral repertoire
made up most of the so-called serious band repertoire. Original band music consisted
predominantly of military marches, or quicksteps, and other pieces of a light nature. Little of this
music was published. Most of it was in manuscript form.
English firms such as Boosey and Company and Chappell had begun the publication of
arrangements of standard classic overtures, suites, and operatic selections for their military bands
around the middle of the nineteenth century.17 The first American firm to undertake the
publication of band music with separate printed parts for each instrument was Carl Fischer in
1874.18 Despite the beginning efforts of these firms, little band music was available in published
form prior to 1900. The active professional bands were forced to depend largely on arrangements
in manuscript form made specifically for them. There was a certain amount of borrowing and
copying of manuscript arrangements, but this was limited in scope. Gilmore’s unique concepts of
instrumentation made it necessary for him to plan his own arrangements. In 1892, most of his
entire band library consisted of manuscript arrangements.19 Some of these transcriptions became
17Victor J. Grabel, “The Band-Past, Present, and Future,” Supervisors Service Bulletin (August 1929), 9. 18Peter Buys, Bands in the United States (New York: Lee Stern Press, 1841), 559. 19Herbert L. Clarke, “Famous Leaders-Patrick S Gilmore,” Musical Messenger (February 1920), 3.
15
available through publication by the P. S. Gilmore Band Library Publishing Company beginning
around 1903. A few years later Carl Fischer assimilated this catalogue. Around 1910, Carl
Fischer began publishing revised editions of these transcriptions under a division maintained
distinctively as the Gilmore Band Library. This library contained transcriptions of works by such
composers as Wagner, Dvorak, Mendelssohn, Rubinstein, Tchaikovsky, Glinka, Brahms, and
Massenet, but little from periods prior to Mendelssohn. Lighter works were published as part of
the Gilmore Supplemental Journal.20
Sousa’s personal library of band music, now housed at the University of Illinois, affords a
view of the professional band most active during the early part of the twentieth century. This
library contains more than 3,000 band arrangements, many in manuscript form.21 Much of the
library consists of works of a serious nature, but lengthy works are exceptions. There are
numerous types represented, including symphonic poems, marches, operatic airs, popular
ballads, novelty numbers, and overtures. There are arrangements of works by composers mostly
from the nineteenth century including the following: Berlioz, Debussy, Dvorak, Elgar, Arthur
Foote, Edward German, Ernest Gillet, Glinka, Godfrey, Goldmark, Gottschalk, Gounod,
Grainger, Victor Herbert, Karl Komzak, Lincle, Liszt, Masdowell, Mascagni, Massenet,
Moszkowski, Moussorgsky, Offenbach, Preston Ware Orem, Pierne, Ponchielli, Puccini,
Rossini, Rubinstein, Saint-Seans, Schubert, Schumann, Smetana, von Suppe, Arthur Sullivan,
Coleridge-Taylor, Ambroise Thomas, Tchaikovsky, Veridi, Wagner, Haydn Wood, and von
Weber. The list of arrangers includes the names of Itzel, Bellstadt, Ragone, Henneberg, Wernig,
20Francis Norbert Mayer, A History of Scoring for Band: The Evolution of Band Scoring in the United States, Volume 1 (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 1957), 123. 21Calvin Weber, “The Contribution of Albert Austin Harding and His Influence on the Development of School and College Bands.” (PhD diss., University of Illinois, 1963), 151.
16
Boccavecchia, Klaus, Boccalaci, Buys, and Dan Godfrey. The library also contains many
original works by Sousa. Other originals by Sousa are housed in the Library of Congress.22
Early Twentieth Century
Few American publishers in the early part of the twentieth century attempted to publish
arrangements for the more extensive instrumentations of professional bands. Instead they
confined most of their publications to easy standard works arranged in such a manner that even
the smallest bands could play in a passable way.23 Various small collections of band works were
published in the early 1900s with an appeal to amateur or semi-professional bands, the type most
prevalent at the time. Typical of these published collections was the Standard Overtures, a
compilation from J.W. Pepper’s Twentieth Century Journal of Band Music. The works were
scored for a basic brass band with cued parts for woodwinds. The content of this collection gives
a picture of one type of band repertoire which, in various arrangements, was to be used well past
the first quarter of the century.
Of the few college bands active early in the century, most played the published music
designed for amateur bands. One exception to the prevailing college band of the period was the
band developed by A. A. Harding at the University of Illinois. He, like the directors of leading
professional bands, was forced to seek worthwhile music for his large band outside the small
realm of published band music. As a partial solution, Harding began transcribing for band,
22Mayer, A History of Scoring for Band, 124-126. 23Clarke, “Famous Leaders-Patrick S Gilmore,” 3.
17
literature that was originally conceived for other media, principally the symphony orchestra.
From 1914 to 1957 he personally transcribed nearly 150 works for band.24Apparently the artistic
transcriptions in the libraries of Gilmore, Sousa, and Harding, most of which were unpublished,
had little influence on the commercial transcriptions of the first quarter of the century.25
For the most part, the leading concert bands of the first part of the century were
commercial organizations. Their success was dependent on their ability to please audiences and
thus to secure profitable bookings. For this purpose they could only rely in part on the band’s
repertoire of original works, of necessity, they turned predominantly to transcribed works. The
principal numbers performed by these commercial bands were much the same as those
programmed by the few active symphony orchestras.26 A typical concert, which brought great
success to Sousa, included operatic overtures, excerpts and medleys, marches, descriptive pieces,
instrumental and vocal solos, novelties, popular tunes of the day, and a few serious orchestral
works.27 The band was successful in terms of entertainment and popular culture. In this respect,
the band had little competition at the time due to the lack of development of mass
communication and the limited availability of orchestral concerts. Indeed, Goldman saw the band
as performing in an educational role, largely by bringing transcribed music of the masters to
large audiences who might not be reached by orchestral concerts.28
24Weber, “The Contribution of Albert Austin Harding,” 132. 25Mayer, A History of Scoring for Band, 123. 26Harold Bachman, “Is There an Emerging Band Repertoire?” Proceedings of the College Band Directors National Association (February 1967), 128. 27Fennell, “Hardy-Perennial,” 17. 28Goldman, The Wind Band, 8.
18
E. F. Goldman relied heavily on transcriptions for band, following the practice which
other professional bandmasters had found necessary. This was evidenced by the hundreds of
special transcriptions in manuscript in his personal library. Erik Leidzen served as his leading
arranger. Though Goldman’s early programs consisted mostly of transcriptions, he was
extremely receptive to both arrangements and original compositions. He encouraged the
extension of transcriptions back to the music of Bach and his contemporaries, as well as forward
in time to the music of more contemporary composers such as Stravinsky.29 He personally
contributed numerous marches to the band’s original repertoire. More importantly, he
encouraged the writing of new original works for band and performed them regularly beginning
with a series of concerts in 1918.
Goldman instituted the first American competition for new serious band works in 1920.
Judges were Percy Grainger and Victor Herbert. The award went to Carl Busch for his work, A
Chant from the Great Plains.30 Many other works were written at Goldman’s request and
received their premiers at his concerts. From 1918 through 1949, 148 original works were given
their American premiers by the Goldman Band.31 The progressive work of Goldman in
encouraging new arrangements and original works had an influence largely denied to earlier
bands, in that a large number of these new works were periodically made available in published
editions. Schirmer established a portion of its band catalog as the Edwin Franko Goldman
Repertory.32Apart from the activities of the Goldman Band, the activities of professional bands
29Ibid., 88. 30Ibid., 87. 31“New Band Works Produced by the Goldman Band from 1918 to 1949,” Proceedings of the College Band Directors National Association (December 1949), 95-99. 32Mayer, A History of Scoring for Band, 174.
19
waned near the end of the first quarter of the century, and attention became increasingly centered
on the developing school and university bands.
Literature for School Bands
The repertoire available for school bands was of early concern, as available publications
were of a diverse nature. More and more of the artistic transcriptions, originally arranged for
professional or semiprofessional bands, became available through the military journals of various
publishers or were part of collections such as the Gilmore Library Editions. The larger and more
secure bands continued to select from this repertoire. Many of the older published transcriptions
were “revised” with the addition of parts to conform to the newly expanded standards of
instrumentation. One initial step in the publication of revised editions was the provision of full
scores for recommended contest selections. Francis Mayer declared 1927 as the date of an early
attempt to provide American bands with full scores edited with the same care of orchestral
scores.33 Beginning in this year, the MSNC (Music Supervisors National Conference) Committee
on Instrumental Music sponsored a series known as the National Standardized Symphonic Band
Score Editions. Arrangers such as Cailliet, Leidsen, and Lang were active in the pre-existent
transcriptions. These arrangers, among others, began to supply arrangements of easier works for
the smaller and less capable bands. The needs of these bands led to an enlarged market for
simplified arrangements of standard orchestral literature and for original works of moderate
difficulty. Much of the latter had been referred to as “educational material,” employing the
general characteristic scoring practices of restricted range, difficulty, and independence of part
writing. While the segments of the repertoire mentioned above received most of the attention of
33Ibid., 201-203
20
publishers, only slight attention was given to serious original works and transcriptions of
contemporary works.34
David Whitwell cited the period following World War I as a time of fertile interest in
composition for band instruments by major European composers. The period between 1917 and
1928 saw a total of forty-nine compositions for wind instruments by Webern, Berg, Ives, Villa-
Lobos, Piston, Sibelius, Poulenc, Busoni, Milhaud, Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Hindemith, Roussel,
Shostakovich, Vaughan-Williams, and Ibert. Despite efforts like E. F. Goldman’s competition of
original works, begun in 1920, most band directors failed to capitalize on this opportunity to
offer the band as a serious medium for exploration by these composers. Whitwell saw the lack of
awareness of these developments on the part of band directors of the 1920s as a key factor in
their adoption of transcribed music, a factor which was to influence band music for years to
follow.35
College bands had first begun to appear in significant numbers in the 1920s on the heels
of the secondary school band movement. Considering the background of many of the early
college band directors, it was only logical that they took bands such as Sousa’s as their model.
These conductors apparently felt their purpose was to provide entertainment on as popular a
basis as possible. As a result the college band programs of this period consisted almost entirely
of orchestral and operatic transcriptions, following the pattern of the professional bands.
The following quotation from a 1927 article entitled “The Modern Band” is indicative of
the circumstances described above:
34Ibid. 35David Whitwell, “Forgotten Wind Music,” Proceedings of the Northwestern Division of the College Band Directors National Association (February 1966): 27-28.
21
With the modern concert band raised to its present state, both as to instrumentation and to technique, what a pity that more of our talented and capable composers do not devote a portion of their creative instinct to its repertoire. So little really first-class music has been written with the band in view. For repertoire the conductor of one of these wonderful organizations must rely largely on his own skill in “adapting” orchestral music to the idiom of his medium and to the technique of his personnel.36
The National School Band Association (NSBA) and the American Bandmasters
Association (ABA) did their share to promote good band music during the 1930s. The ABA
was directly and indirectly responsible for the developing interest in the band by serious
composers. Many of the works performed for the first time by the Goldman Band were
dedicated jointly to the ABA and E. F. Goldman. More important was the fact that ABA
members, as conductors of outstanding professional and university bands, gave the works
frequent performances. They also worked closely with the NSBA in guiding the contest
selections for school bands. Because of cooperative efforts and some overlapping of
membership, it is difficult to separate the activities of the two associations. Through their
attempts to standardize the instrumentation of concert bands, they encouraged much new
band music, both original and transcribed. Many new arrangers, including Lucien Cailliet
and Erik Leidzen, were asked to provide new arrangements of standard works better suited
for the larger symphonic bands of the day. Harold Bachman cited Goldman, Harding,
Bainum, McAllister, Maddy, Grabel, O’Neil, Dvorak, Falcone, Buys, Revelli, Hindsley, and
Prescott as some of the men who took the lead in building these large symphonic bands.37
The University of Illinois Band, around 1920 known as one of the “greatest college
bands,” continued to exert leadership in the struggle to improve the repertoire of bands.
Making transcriptions of numerous major orchestral works, Harding pursued his objective of
36Lynne Roche, “The Modern Band,” The Etude (August 1927), 572. 37Bachman, “Emerging Band Repertoire,” 133.
22
playing music of high quality in order to prove that a band could be an effective and
expressive musical ensemble. His ultimate goal was to entice major composers to write for
band just as they wrote for orchestra or any other medium. At that time, major composers had
written little for band. Even though the literature was generally transcriptions and a few
major original works, the symphonic band had been established as an effective performing
medium, particularly in our country’s educational institutions. By the late 1930s, excellent
high school bands had become established in all parts of the country, and a considerable
number of college bands were challenging the University of Illinois Band’s former position
of exemplary influence.
World War II Era
David Whitwell cited two influential books which appeared in 1938, Prescott and
Chidester’s Getting Results with School Bands and R. F. Goldman’s The Band’s Music, as
influential in continuing the band’s affinity for transcriptions. The two books suggested
program materials consisting of over 85 percent transcribed music.38 The work by Goldman
represents the first extensive attempt to catalog the repertoire of the band, as well as program
notes. Goldman had surveyed the leading American and English publishers. He excluded
from this survey the larger part of the band’s repertoire, which consisted mainly of marches
and medleys. Most of the works included were transcriptions. There was a separate list of
approximately 660 published original works for four or more instruments from the period
1400 to 1937. Needless to say, the overwhelming majority of these works were for small
38David Whitwell “The College Band: Can It Escape its Heritage?” The Music Educators Journal (June - July 1965), 57.
23
ensembles of wind instruments. The following related comments from his book give R. F.
Goldman’s views on the state of the band’s repertoire as of 1938:
Most of the music played by bands is transcribed from orchestral or keyboard music. The band’s own repertory of originals is small in comparison to the number of available transcriptions---a few front rank composers are contributing, but some of the most valuable band compositions of recent years remain in manuscript. Serious music in the band repertory is considerably outweighed by light music. One may assume that for the purpose of “improving” the band repertory, more transcriptions of good music are in order. It must be remembered that while the band has existed on a more or less satisfactory diet of transcriptions, and that while theoretically there is no limit to the production of new transcriptions, at the same time, the musical audience is hearing (via radio and the extension of orchestral concerts) more and more of the standard orchestral repertory in its original form. That in itself is not a very weighty argument against transcriptions, but the fact remains that there are rather large numbers of people who prefer to hear a composition in its original form played by instruments for which it was designed. Should this tendency continue the band will, unless it encourages new compositions, be reduced to echoing the orchestra on a lower plane.39
The following selected statements from Goldman’s book of 1946, The Concert Band,
reveal little change in his view of the status of band repertoire, except for a slight note of
optimism:
The basic item of the band repertory, and the only music form that belongs to it by tradition, is the march. But here again, it is necessary to qualify the term, and to limit “march” in this sense to military march or quickstep. Grand marches, or ceremonial marches, have in general been written for orchestra. The military march is the band’s own. … Nearly all of the remainder of the music it plays is transcribed or arranged from the literature of the piano or the orchestra, with some borrowings from other sources. … The band, for the most part concentrates on the “lighter classics,” work which have worn out their welcomes in the concert hall. … The tendency of many concert bands has been, while continuing to play the “lighter classics,” to absorb larger and more elaborate portions of the orchestral repertory. It is sufficient to note here that the practice of performing music from other literatures is general; it is, in fact, necessary if the band is to give concerts at all, for the band’s own serious music is still insufficient to keep a good professional band in programs for even part of a season. The repertory of music specifically written for band is, however, steadily growing, and, with more and more
39Richard Franko Goldman, The Band’s Music (Lanham: Pitman Publishing Corporation, 1938), 10-12, 65-66.
24
significant composers finding in the band a medium for reaching a new mass audience, this repertory should in time assume important proportions.40
After having made this assessment of the band’s repertoire as of 1946, Goldman
proceeded to cite the development of interest in idiomatic writing for wind instruments, which he
saw reflected not only in the composition of numerous works for small wind ensembles, but also
in the general style of orchestral writing. Few substantial works had appeared prior to the 1930s,
but Goldman saw evidence during the 1930s and early 1940s of a real movement to enlarge the
band’s literature of original music. He cited the following European composers who had written
one or more works for band during the 1930s: Holst, Vaughan-Williams, Percy Grainger,
Respighi, Roussel, Florent Schmitt, Toch, Hindemith, Krenek, Weinberger, Prokofieff, and
Miaskovsky. He then included the following list of native Americans and Europeans residing in
America who had contributed a band work since 1940: Arnold Schoenberg, Igor Stravinsky,
Darius Milhaud, Pedro Sanjuan, Henry Cowell, Roy Harris, Paul Creston, Wallingford Riegger,
William Schuman, Gail Kubik, Leo Sowerby, Samuel Barber, William Grant Still, Daniel
Mason, Arthur Shepherd, Morton Gould, Philip James, Robert Russell Bennett, Burnet Tuthill,
George F. McKay, Henry Hadley, John Alden Carpenter, Bainbridge Crist, Ray Green, Dai-
keong Lee, James Gillett, Herbert Haufrecht, Joseph Wagner, Normand Lockwood, Arthur
Kreutz, Robert McBridge, and Robert Sanders.41
Charles Hunt, in 1949, made another assessment of the band’s repertoire. His study
includes a review of selected original music for band written from 1900 to 1948. He selected
composers whose reputations had been established through other media on the assumption that
significance could be attached to the use of the band by such composers. The following selected
40Goldman, The Concert Band, 12-13. 41Ibid., 195.
25
statements summarize the case made by Hunt for the concert band assuming a new role as an
independent medium playing its own music:
Gilmore, Sousa, Innes, Conway, Harding, McAllister, and Goldman developed the civilian concert band to an unprecedented capacity and popularity These leaders and hundreds of lesser-known bandmasters refined the American concert band so that, by 1930, it had become an instrument capable of playing a much more significant musical role than the earlier band which had performed programs consisting mainly of polkas, military marches, and music transcribed from the literature for orchestra, organ, and piano. … Evidence of the presently changing function of the band is found in the increasing use of the medium by contemporary composers and in their comments cited in the main body of this paper. The appearance of a number of original works since 1930, when viewed against the previous dearth of literature, is interpreted as indicating a trend in the function of the band. Exploitation of the band’s unique resources has just begun; its use as a vital medium in contemporary music is dependent upon the coordinated action of composers, publishers, and band directors.42
Hunt felt that certain barriers were deterring the changing performance role of the band as
described above. They were caused, he felt, by the interdependence of the following factors:
Publishers sometimes frustrated the best efforts of composers through instating on the “all-inclusive” type of arrangement for an arbitrarily standardized instrumentation; composers are reluctant to write for a new and somewhat strange medium; bandmasters frequently exhibit lack of musical depth through poor performance and excessive showmanship; the popular audience sometimes acts as a deterrent to artistic innovations; instruments are still in a state of imperfection; … limitations especially pertinent to musical acceptance of the concert band are those having to do with the paucity of original literature. … Granting that there are a number of compositions written for band before 1900, they are minor efforts of major composers and major efforts of minor composers; the exceptions are those works written for ensembles, which include only a small portion of the usual instrumentation.43
On the positive side, Hunt stressed certain factors which were attracting composers to the band
as follows: Composers are recognizing the band as an independent medium—a medium
challenging to creative minds because of its capacity for the expression of musical ideas;
42Charles Brownlow Hunt, The American Wind Band: Its Function as a Medium in Contemporary Music (University of California, 1949), 200, 209-210. 43Ibid., 116-117.
26
stimulating, because of its state of development with non-restrictive traditions; and important
because of its deeply rooted place in American life through its mass appeal.44
Other individuals continued after the end of World War II to make outstanding
contributions to the enrichment of the repertoire of bands. William D. Revelli, Director of Bands
at the University of Michigan since 1935, undertook the editorship of G. Schirmer’s University
of Michigan Band Series in 1946. The two-part series included original works and transcriptions.
Editions were scored with the flexibility to conform to the broad limitations of school band
instrumentations labeled as full band and symphonic band. Both full and condensed scores were
published, however, unfortunately short-lived. In 1950 the original works shown in Table 3
constituted the first part and the transcriptions that constituted the second part are shown in
Table 4 (page 27).
Table 3 1950 Original Works Part One _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Composer Composition Year Ludwig Van Beethoven Military March 1950
Darius Milhaud Two Marches 1950
Felix Mendelssohn Overture for Band 1950
Percy Grainger Banks and Braes O’Bonnie Doon 1950
Arnold Schoenberg Theme and Variations 1950
Paul Creston Zanoni 1950
Virgil Thomson A Solemn Music 1950
44Ibid., 140.
27
Table 3. (continued) _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Composer Composition Year George Frederick McKay Three Street-Corner Sketches 1950
Maurice C. Whitney River Jordan 1950
Frances Mayer included in his dissertation a letter from G. Schirmer, dated August 3,
1956, stating that the University of Michigan Band Series was no longer published separately. It
had been included in one general band catalog, just as the Edwin Franko Goldman Repertory—
formerly published separately.45
Table 4. 1950 Transcriptions Part Two ______________________________________________________________________ Composer Composition Year Edvard Grieg Piano Concerto in A Minor (first movement) 1950
Gabriel Pierne In the Cathedral 1950
Franz Schubert Military March Number Three 1950
J.S. Bach Fugue Number Four 1950
Céasar Franck Symphony in D Minor (first movement) 1950
Camille Saint-Saens Pavane 1950 _____________________________________________________________________________
45Mayer, A History of Scoring for Band, 290, 303-304.
28
The Commissioning Process
The commissioning process, a financial arrangement whereby a composer is guaranteed a
sum of money to write a certain type of composition, was particularly significant in the
appearance of new works for band. E. F. Goldman initiated the first regular series of band
commissions in 1949.46 These commissions were first awarded through the League of Composers
and later through the ABA. The commissions awarded from 1949-1960 are shown in Table 5.
Table 5. Commissions Awarded 1949-‐1960 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Composer Composition Year Virgil Thomson A Solemn Music 1949
Walter Piston Tunbridge Fair 1950
Peter Mennin Canzona 1951
Robert Russell Bennett Mademoiselle—Ballet Suite 1952
Vincent Persichetti Pageant 1953
Howard Hanson Chorale and Alleluia 1954
Paul Creston Celebration Overture 1955
Morton Gould Santa Fe Saga 1956
William Bergsma March with Trumpets 1957
Vittorio Giannini Praeludium and Allegro 1958
Douglas Moore The People’s Choice 1957
Norman Lloyd A Walt Whitman Overture 1960
46Goldman, The Wind Band, 237.
29
In 1956, overlapping the commission awards given by the League of Composers, the
ABA began to administer an annual cash award given by the Ostwald Uniform Company for the
best composition submitted to a panel of judges from the association. The winners are shown in
Table 6.
Table 6. ABA Composition Award Winners _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Composer Composition Year Clifton Williams Fanfare and Allegro 1956
Clifton Williams Symphonic Suite 1957
Mark Quinn Portrait of the Land 1958
Maurice Weed Introduction and Scherzo 1959
Florian Mueller Overture in G 1960
Joseph Jenkins Cumberland Gap 1961
Fritz Velke Concertino for Band 1962
Frederic Ashe Concert Suite 1963
Frederick Beyer Symphony for Band 1965
John Barnes Chance Variation on a Korean Folk Song 1966
Lawrence Weiner Daedalic Symphony 1967
Robert Jager Diamond Variations 1968
During the first eleven seasons of its existence, 1957 through 1967, the unique American
Wind Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Robert A. Boudreau, played a major role in
promoting young contemporary composers by commissioning more than 160 works.
30
Walter Welke, Director of Bands at the University of Washington, was another pioneer in
seeking to enlarge the band’s serious repertoire. He began an annual festival of contemporary
band works in 1947. The only incentive to the composers was the opportunity for a performance
of their work. In the succeeding years, Welke premiered more than forty original works for
band.47
In 1949, Ernest Lyon and Charles Hammond, of the University of Louisville, helped their
students to form a professional band fraternity under the name of Pi Kappa Omicron and began a
series of commissions.48 Their efforts resulted in several significant new works during the 1950s
which are shown in Table 7.
Table 7. 1950s Pi Kappa Omicron Commissions _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Composer Composition Year George Perle Scherzo for Band 1951
Vincent Persichetti Psalm for Band 1952
Claude Almand Roustabout 1952
Wallingford Riegger Prelude and Fugue for Band 1952
Gordon Jacob Flag of Stars 1953
William Schuman Chester 1957 _____________________________________________________________________________
47Ernest Lyon, “An Individual’s Efforts Toward Better Original Band Music,” Proceedings of the College Band Directors National Association (December 1950), Addenda WB, 1-3. 48Ibid.
31
In 1952 Frederick Fennell began to make a considerable contribution through the
formation of the Eastman Wind Ensemble. He wrote 400 composers in May of 1952 explaining
his project of promoting new works for wind band. No commissions were offered, yet his office
was flooded with new works, largely because of the incentive of an artistic performance faithful
to the composer’s wishes.
Several other colleges were directly involved in commissioning new band works during
this time. The following are examples of those who were active in this respect: Baldwin-Wallace
College, Dartmouth College, Duke University, Florida State University, Ithaca College, the
University of Maryland, Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, the University
of Minnesota, Montclair State Teachers College, New Mexico State University, the University of
Oregon, Purdue University, San Francisco State University, the University of Texas, and
Washington University of St. Louis.
Many other colleges, though not directly involved in commissioned works, were active in
premiering original works. A few secondary schools were active in the commissioning process.
Of particular note is the record of twenty-two commissions placed by the Ithaca High School
Band during Frank Battisti’s term as their director.49
Governmental agencies commissioned works for military bands to perform for various
special occasions.50 Exemplary were the United States Military Academy Band Commissions,
which produced new works in 1952 shown in Table 8 (page 32).
49Paul Bryan, “Is There an Emerging Repertoire?” Proceedings of the College Band Directors National Association, February, 1967, 145. 50Proceedings of the College Band Directors National Association (December 1952), Addendum J, 1-7.
32
Table 8. 1952 United States Military Academy Band Commissions _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Composer Composition Year Robert Russell Bennett Choral Overture 1952
Henry Cowell Fantasia 1952
Charles Cushing Angel Camp 1952
Morton Gould Symphony for Band 1952
Roy Harris Symphony In One Movement 1952
Darius Milhaud West Point Suite 1952 _____________________________________________________________________________
College band honorary societies such as Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma became
important contributors to energizing the composition of new band works in the 1950s.51 These
groups jointly commissioned the following works from 1953 leading into the 1970s which are
shown in Table 9.
Table 9. 1953-1967 Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma Commissions _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Composer Composition Year Don Gillis Ballet for Band 1953
Robert Russell Bennett Symphonic Songs 1957
Paul Creston Prelude and Dance 1959
Clifton Williams Symphonic Essays 1963
51The Podium (May 1968), 2.
33
Table 9. (continued) _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Composer Composition Year Vaclav Nelhybel Symphonic Requiem 1965
Gunther Schuller Study in Textures 1967
The National Band Association (NBA) also joined in on the quest for new works by
commissioning several works in the early 1960s shown in Table 10. In addition, the NBA was
responsible for a column in each issue of The Instrumentalist magazine entitled “New Band
Music Review,” in which they reviewed many new band compositions as they were published by
giving general information about their style and degree of difficulty. They also prepared
recommended lists of band music aimed primarily at secondary school bands.52
Table 10. 1960s National Band Association Commissions _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Composer Composition Year R. F. Goldman National Band Association March 1962
Vaclav Nelhybel Andante e Toccata 1966
Phillip Rhodes Three Pieces for Band 1968 _____________________________________________________________________________
In the 1970s, many new works for band came from talented young composers whose
reputations were just beginning to be established in the musical world. A major stimulus in this
regard came from the Ford Foundation. The Contemporary Music Project, activity supported by
grants from the Ford Foundation to the Music Educators National Conference, was an outgrowth
52National Band Association Directory (1968), 10.
34
of the Ford Foundation’s Young Composers Project, started in 1959. In the initial project,
fellowships were awarded to young composers for a year or more of resident work in a public
school system. The success of this program, under which seventy-three composers worked in a
total of seventy-seven school systems, led the Foundation to establish the CMP (Contemporary
Music Project) in 1963, with grants totaling 1.63 million dollars. The Foundation renewed its
commitment to CMP in 1968, with a five-year grant of 1.34 million dollars, supplemented by a
two-year contribution of 100,000 dollars from MENC. Of the composers placed in public
schools, Ronald Lo Presti, Martin Mailman, Joseph Jenkins, Robert Washburn, Arthur
Frackenpohl, Wilson Coker, John Barnes Chance, and David Maves were representative of those
who had composed for band. The CMP library catalogs contain some 500 original works
selected from those written under the project. Volume One contains the works for band, some
published and some unpublished, the latter available on rental.53
It is notable to mention that significant leadership was demonstrated by the CBDNA
(College Band Directors National Association) with regard to repertoire. Though formed in
1941, little specialized attention was given by the CBDNA to the problem of repertoire until the
1949 convention. The entire convention of that year was centered on the literature of the band.
The proceedings for 1949 contained selective lists of literature designed for college use with no
attempt to grade selections according to difficulty. There were separate lists included for the
following categories: published band works, manuscript band works, solo accomplishments
(published and in manuscript), brass choir music, and woodwind choir music.
The work of the CBDNA in support of new repertoire is best seen in 1950 when the
Standing Committee on Band Literature was established. One division of this standing
53Carol Richardson, “Contemporary Music Project,” The Music Educators Journal.
35
committee was the Committee on Published Band Music. The task of this committee was that of
maintaining contact with publishers of band music in order to examine their current releases and
compile a list of works that qualified for study and performance by college concert bands. This
was a continuing activity, in which worthy new works were added to existing lists. These lists
appeared in conjunction with the proceedings from national meetings or in separate mailings in
the years 1949, 1950, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1962, 1964, and 1967. In the early lists, there were three
categories of published music as follows: original works for band (or works arranged by the
composer); transcriptions for band of music by contemporary composers; and transcriptions for
band of music by non-contemporary composers. Military marches and popular songs were
generally excluded because of their large number and general familiarity. A fourth category was
added in 1962—musical show tunes and novelties. Two additional categories were added to the
1964 list—concert marches and solo and ensemble works with band accompaniment and band
works with chorus, vocal soloist, and narrator.
Literature for Wind Ensembles
The late 1950s through the mid-1970s generated the most exciting years in the history of
the twentieth century for band. After the introduction of a new type of concert band, the wind
ensemble, (discussed later in this chapter) composers such as Aaron Copland, Gunther Schuller,
Warren Benson, Norman Dello Joio, Donald Erb, David Amram, Karel Husa, and Alan
Hobaness, who had never written for band before, began to produce new fresh sounds in their
compositions for wind band and ensembles.54 This new literature was much more demanding and
complex than the typical band compositions of the past.
54Battisti, 65.
36
Although there was a vastly increasing number of original works for band by 1960, they
were not being considered as a noteworthy part of the wind band repertoire. After review of
concert programs from 1954 through 1959 by the University of Michigan Symphony Band
(William D. Revelli, conductor), the Ithaca College Band (Walter Beeler, conductor,) and the
United States Air Force Concert Band (Holy Cross College), which were three of the most
respected wind bands of the time, two-thirds of the literature found on the programs consists of
transcriptions and light music. This was representative of the types of programs that were being
performed by the country’s school, college, and military bands during this time period.55
Many concert bands were very large, some numbering 100 players or more. Such large
instrumentation, often being the norm, had a direct effect on the way that composers orchestrated
for band. Standardization of instrumentation became the main topic for all band associations
around the middle of the century. A former president of the CBDNA during this time, Bernard
Fitzgerald spoke to the association on this matter, stating:
It is imperative that the instrumentation of the band be stabilized with respect to the basic ratios, weights, and balances of the various sections as related to the total instrumental sonority. Composers are handicapped by the absence of a standard instrumentation and balance and must continue to compromise until these factors are definitely established. I invite composers to explore further the tonal resources of the band to avoid limiting the band to a relatively small number of scoring effects and devices. New concepts in sonority and scoring are necessary for an emerging musical medium, although many composers appear content to follow the general pattern of a few original band compositions resulting in the overuse of some scoring techniques.56
The surge of the wind ensemble concept, which was introduced by Frederick Fennell of
the Eastman School of Music, sparked new interest in composers to write for the wind band and
ensemble medium. This new concept of basically one player on a part was a stark contrast to the
55Ibid., 72 56Bernard Fitzgerald, “Trends in Contemporary Band Music,” The Instrumentalist 15 (September 1960): 53.
37
late band concept of Sousa and Goldman. This new approach to the wind band met much
resistance in the band community across the nation. The older band directors of the Sousa,
Goldman, and Harding era felt intimidated and challenged. Many of them did not have the
musical training that was necessary to conduct and teach the complex “new music” that was
being written for wind ensembles.57 This new concept ignited debates and discussions throughout
the country among band directors, becoming the main topic of discussion at music conferences
and in music/band magazines. Much of the resistance for the wind ensemble came from
confusion and misunderstanding. The band directors and audiences of the time thought that the
wind ensemble was just a “small band” rather than a philosophy of literature and the use of
flexible instrumentation.58
The new concept of a “wind ensemble” took an entirely different approach to
instrumentation. Fennell gave composers an “instrumentation resource” of approximately 20
woodwinds and 16 to 18 brass. This instrumentation could be used entirely, partially, or even
expanded. This concept would allow the composer to create the best work possible without
restrictions. The instrumentation would be flexible in order to serve the desire of the composer.59
In December of 1965, The Instrumentalist published an article that quoted
Charles Winkling, stating:
A great many conductors of large college bands have viewed the wind ensemble as a serious threat to the positions of themselves and their groups. Dr. Fennell did not intend nor foresee this development but due in part to his influence and also due to the ambiguity of the term wind ensemble, the band world has since been in a state of upheaval more severe perhaps than that precipitated by any other controversy which it has faced. The lack of consistency in nomenclature has added fuel to the existent
57Battisti, The Winds of Change, 66. 58Bachman, “Is There an Emerging Repertoire?” 127. 59Battisti, The Winds of Change, 76.
38
controversy of wind ensembles vs. bands and has resulted in a great deal of misunderstanding centered around Dr. Fennell and his counterparts in schools all over the nation.60
In 1967, Donald Hunsburger, editor of the newsletter, The Wind Ensemble, defined the
symphonic wind ensemble as well as outlined the roles of the composer, conductor, performer,
and audience:
The symphonic wind ensemble is a concert organization, devoted to granting the composer and his audience the most faithful performances of his music. It is an ensemble that calls upon the strictest disciplines possible, for the composer—in establishing his wants and needs; for the conductor—in placing the composer and his music above personal promotion and peripheral activity interference; for the performer—to assume his rightful position as a legitimate symphonic musician dedicated to the furtherance of wind performance; and, for the audience—to discard past prejudices regarding wind music and wind performers as second class musical citizens.61
Nonetheless, this new exclusive type of group in the band medium was enticing to the
more prominent composers of the time. They quickly realized that they would be able to write
more freely without the expectations of only “entertaining the crowd.” For composers, this was
an opportunity to write more “serious” compositions and opened the door to a wider range of
experimentation. The smaller personnel concept would facilitate a higher level of clarity in the
performances. Probably more so than anything else, the wind ensemble concept brought a new
type of prestige to the concert band arena. The concept of higher expectations and responsibility
on the individual performers instantly elevated the performance level of these particular “band”
groups.62
60Charles Winkling, “The Wind Ensemble in the Small College,” The Instrumentalist 20 (December 1965): 48. 61Donald Hunsberger, “The Wind Ensemble Concept” (Unpublished paper, University of Rochester, Eastman School of Music, 1994), 4. 62Ibid.
39
In the 1960s and 1970s, school bands, college bands, and music organizations around the
country were commissioning the more prominent composers of the time to write for the wind
band and ensemble medium. The actions of publishing companies were the driving force behind
this movement. The majority of commercially published music was short, easy music due to the
low overhead and large monetary returns.63 The publishing companies were disinclined to
publish the longer more difficult major works because fewer groups usually performed those
works. In 1967 William Schafer, Director of Band at the University of Southern California,
spoke at the CBDNA (College Band Directors National Association) National Conference
stating:
So to upgrade our literature, we must use unpublished editions. We must understand that the costs of rental music exceed costs of purchased materials of comparable length. We must continue to assist composers and performers by compiling lists, by encouraging publishers to publish more difficult works by, performing works that are inconvenient to obtain-perhaps even by going into the rental or publishing business ourselves.64
Refer to Table 11 for a list of some composers (and their compositions) that were being
commissioned to write new works for wind band/ensemble during this time.
Table 11. 1960s-1970s Wind Band / Ensemble Composers _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Composer Composition Year Ingolf Dahl (1912-1970) Sinfonietta for Concert Band 1961
Vincent Persichetti (1915-1987) Bagatelles for Band 1962
Alfred Reed (1921-2005) A Festival Prelude 1963
Norman Dello Joio (b. 1913) Variants on a Mediaeval Tune 1963
63Battisti, The Winds of Change, 78. 64William A. Schafer, “The Emerging Band Repertoire,” in The College and University Band, eds. Whitwell and Ostling, 63-65.
40
Gunther Schuller (b. 1925) Meditation 1963
Warren Benson (b. 1924) The Leaves Are Falling 1963-64
Vaclav Nelhybel (1919-1996) Trittico 1964
Vincent Persichetti (1915-1987) Masquerade 1965
Warren Benson (b. 1924) The Solitary Dancer 1966
Leslie Bassett (b. 1923) Designs, Images and Textures 1966
Joaquin Rodrigo Adagio for Wind Orchestra 1966
Alfred Reed (1921-2005) Passacaglia 1967
Karel Husa (b. 1921) Music for Prague, 1968 1968
Fisher Tull (1934-1994) Sketches on a Tudor Psalm 1971
Vincent Persichetti (1915-1987) Parable IX 1972
Alfred Reed (1921-2005) Alleluia! Laudmus Te’ 1973 _____________________________________________________________________________
Other composers that became known in the 1960s and 1970s as important contributors to
the wind band/ensemble repertoire were Samuel Adler, Donald Erb, Ross Finney, Morton Gould,
Goerge Rochberg, William Albright, Martin Mailman, Walter Hartley, Howard Hanson, Roger
Nixon, Alfred Reed, Ron Nelson, Ron Lo Presti, Robert Jager, Francis McBeth, and John Barns
Chance.65
The concept of Fredrick Fennel’s wind ensemble, programming the very highest wind
literature from varying musical periods, using various styles and flexible instrumentation,
became very common for the next generation of conductors. Three of the most prominent wind
65Battisti, The Winds of Change, 81.
41
conductors of the next generation were H. Robert Reynolds, David Hunsberger, and Frank
Battisti. Gunther Schuller, Karel Husa, Warren Benson, Leslie Bassett, and Michael Colgrass, to
name a few, became very important composers during the 1970s and 1980s, and were
instrumental in leading the way for the writing of major wind works using flexible
instrumentation.66
1970s-1980s
The mid-1970s through the 1980s were a time of enrichment of wind literature by world-
class composers. During this time, there were four composers that won the Pulitzer Prize in
Music that composed important works for wind ensemble: Consorts by Mario Davidovsky in
1981, Winds of the Nagual (1985) by Michael Colgrass, Gunther Schuller’s Symphony No. 3 (In
Praise of Winds), and Joseph Schwanter’s …and the mountains rising nowhere (1977). Some
other composers of this time period that wrote their first major composition for wind
band/ensemble are listed in Table 12.
Table 12. 1970s-1980s First Time Wind Band / Ensemble Composers _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Composer Composition Year Loris Chobabian The Id 1975
Alfred Reed Armenian Dances Part 2 1977
Alfred Reed Othello A Symphonic Portrait 1977
Nicholas Thorne Adagio Music 1981
David Maslanka A Child’s Garden of Dreams 1981
66Ibid., 69.
42
Table 12. (continued) _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Composer Composition Year Rodney Rogers Prevailing Winds 1983
Guy Woolfenden Gallimaufry 1983
Philip Wilby Firestar 1983
Robert Rodriguez The Seven Deadly Sins 1984
Ronald Perera Chamber Concerto for Brass Quintet 1984
Dana Wilson Piece of Mind 1987
Michael Ball Omaggio 1987
Jochem Slothouwer Concert Variations for Piano and Band 1987
Tristan Keuris Catena 1989 _____________________________________________________________________________
Other distinguished composers very important to the development of the wind band
literature during this period had already written their first wind band/ensemble composition.
They continued to produce additional (very important) pieces in the 70s and 80s. They are listed
in Table 13.
Table 13. 1970s-1980s Established Wind Band / Ensemble Composers _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Composer Composition Year Leslie Bassett Sounds Shapes and Symbols 1977
Leslie Bassett Concerto Grosso for Brass Quintet 1983
Leslie Bassett Colors and Contours 1984
Warren Benson Symphony II - Lost Songs 1983
43
Table 13. (continued) _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Composer Composition Year Warren Benson Wings 1984
Warren Benson Dawn’s Early Light 1987
Karel Husa Al Fresco 1975
Karel Husa Concerto for Wind Ensemble 1982
Karel Husa Concertino for Piano and Winds 1984
Karel Husa Smetana Fanfare 1984
Martin Mailman Exaltations 1983
Gunther Schuller Eine Kleine Posaunemusik 1980
Gunther Schuller Oh Winged Flight: A Divertimento for Band 1989
Howard Hanson Laud 1975
Sydney Hodkinson Stone Images 1975
Edward Gregson Metamorphoses 1975
Alfred Reed Armenian Dances—Part II 1975
Verne Reynolds Scenes Revisited 1977
Henry Brant American Debate 1977
John Corigliano Gazebo Dances 1978
Ross Lee Finney Skating on the Sheyenne 1978
Alec Wilder Serenade for Winds 1979
Daniel Pinkham Serendaes for Trumpet and Wind Ensemble 1979
William Kraft Dialogues and Entertainments 1980
44
Table 13. (continued) _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Composer Composition Year Ernest Krenek Dream Sequence, Op. 224 1981
John Adams Grand Pianola Music 1982
David Bedford Sun Paints Rainbows on the Vast Waves 1982
Ron Nelson Medieval Suite 1983
Karlheinz Stockhausen Luzifer’s Tanz 1984
Vincent Persichetti Chorale Prelude: O God Unseen 1985
Ron Nelson Aspen Jubilee 1986
John Harbison Music for Eighteen Winds 1986
Ivan Tcherepnin Statue 1986
Jacob Druckman In Memoriam Vincent Persichetti 1987
Richard Rodney Bennett Morning Music 1987
Mark Camphouse Elegy 1987
Johan de Meij Lord of the Rings 1987
Leo Brouwer Cancion do Gesta 1988
William Thomas McKinley Symphony of Winds 1988
James Syler The Hound of Heaven 1988
Ivan Tcherepnin Concerto for Two Continents 1989
David Gillingham Heroes Lost and Fallen 1989
45
In 1981 the National Public Radio began a broadcast which was named Windworks, a
series of thirteen, one-hour programs of wind band music. It was hosted by Fred Calland and was
produced by Evelyn Grimes. The show was a cross-section of original wind music from the
sixteenth through the twentieth centuries. This was a wonderful opportunity for American
audiences to hear the “voice” of the wind ensemble. The show had commentary by Frederick
Fennel and was the first national broadcast series devoted exclusively to original wind music.
The show was nominated as the United States’ entry for the Prixa Italia, due to its huge success
in presenting serious music in a very accessible manner.67
Also in 1981, thanks to the tireless efforts of Frank Battisti, The World Association for
Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE) was founded. The two main goals of the
organization are (1) to promote symphonic bands and wind ensembles as serious and distinctive
mediums of musical expression and cultural heritage and (2) to encourage the composition of
music that reflects national heritage transcending international boundaries.68 After its creation,
the American wind band conductors spread their influence globally and also gained from
exchanges with international colleges.69
Frederick Fennell, in 1985, charged the WASBE with the very important endeavor of
encouraging wind band compositions of high quality and artistic standards:
Compositions for band must continue to address the undeniable factors of quality and artistic conscience. We conductors must remember that what we play can help listeners and players explore the marvelously intimate depths of human psyche, a dimension which however remarkable “artificial intelligence” of the computer cannot reach. Compositions in its “here-today-gone-tomorrow” and “what-have-you-done-for-me-
67Richard Hansen, The American Wind Band: A Cultural History, (Chicago: GIA Publications, Inc., 2005), 120. 68Ibid., 121 69Ibid.
46
lately” image hardly make for a music of substance. Without some small percentage of the output of band music being ascribed to what reflects a deeper command of the experience of life, we shall remain child-like in our ways. ... Lasting values in band music can only come from composers who write and conductors who play--a seemingly obvious relationship that today is still far from realized in performances as logged.70
Not only did Fennell’s statement on a need for music that reflected “a deeper connection to life
experiences” illustrate a desperate desire in American music, it anticipated a compositional trend
that would emerge in the later twentieth century. This trend developed as many composers in the
late 1980s and early 1990s began creating music in which physical, emotional and intellectual
appeal was no longer separated.71 The gap between the artist and the audience began
diminishing.72
1990s
The late twentieth century saw several composers intertwine American vernacular
musical materials into their highly sophisticated processes to create vivid musical experiences.
For example, Libby Larsen provided a visual program of historical and comic interest in her first
work for wind band titled Grand Rondo: Napoleon Dances the Can-Can in France, Italy and
Poland. Political cartoons by Sadowa of 1852 inspired this work. Remembering the Vietnam
War, David Gillingham, in his 1989 Hero’s Lost and Fallen--A Vietnam Memorial, stimulated
many emotions at its premier. Warren Benson’s 1990 Meditation on “I Am for Peace,” was
written for the September 29, 1990 dedication of the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.
Mark Camphouse was commissioned in 1992 by the Florida Bandmasters Association to
70Frederick Fennel, “Band Music and the Composer: Old-Fashioned Pursuits in High-Tech Society” (keynote address for the Second International Congress Kortrijik, Belgium, July 15, 1985), 2-3. 71Hansen, The American Wind Band, 123. 72Kyle Gann, American Music in the Twentieth Century (New York: Schirmer, 1997), 184.
47
compose Movement for Rosa. This was a tribute to Rosa Parks’ “Motherhood of the Civil Rights
Movement.” As a memorial gift to the students of Columbine High School in Littleton,
Colorado, who had suffered the loss of twenty-three classmates in a 1999 student massacre,
Frank Ticheli composed American Elegy. In 2002, Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma
national honorary fraternities commissioned Donald Grantham to compose a piece, Come
memory ..., in honor of the lives lost and the persisting spirit of America during the attack on the
World Trade Center in New York City on September 11, 2001.73
There were many premier performances of wind band/ensemble compositions in the
1990s. This is largely credited to the outstanding work of ensembles, individuals, and
associations to elicit music from some of the world’s great contemporary composers. Gunther
Schuller acknowledged this accomplishment and emphasized the need to continue to persevere
as he addressed the 1991 WASBE Conference at the Royal Northern College of Music in
Manchester, England. He stated:
This will take some enterprise and some money! But it will be money well spent and will eliminate the misbegotten notion by some that wind band music is music of a lesser stripe, composed by lesser composers, and thus performed by lesser musicians.74
The early 1990s introduced several works by well-respected composers into the literature
for wind band/ensembles. Some of the most notable works receiving numerous performances are
listed in Table 14 (page 48).
73Hansen, The American Wind Band, 127-128. 74Gunter Schuller, “Storm the Establishment,” Winds 6 (Winter 1991): 9.
48
Table 14. 1990s Wind Band / Ensemble Composers _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Composer Composition Year James MacMillan Sowetan Spring 1990
Francis McBeth Of Sailors and Whales, Op. 78 1990
Yasuhide Ito Gloriosa 1990
Cindy McTee Circuits 1990
Richard Rodney Bennett The Four Seasons 1991
Nicholas Maw American Games 1991
Michael Colgrass Arctic Dreams 1991
Chinary Ung Grand Spiral 1991
David Maslanka Symphony No. 3 1991
Frank Ticheli Postcard 1991
Michael Daugherty Desi 1991
Gunther Schuller Festive Music 1992
Anthony Iannaccone Sea Drift 1992
John Cage Fifty-eight “for a concert band” 1992
Ron Nelson Passacaglia (Homage to B-A-C-H) 1992
Mark Camphouse A Movement for Rosa 1992
Bernard Rands Ceremonial 1993
John Harbison Three City Blocks 1993
Donald Grantham Bum’s Rush 1993
Dana Wilson Dance of the New World 1993
49
Table 14. (continued) _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Composer Composition Year Michael Daugherty Bizzaro 1993
Cindy McTee California Counterpoint 1993
Michael Daugherty Motown Metal 1994
Michael Tippett Triumph 1994
Thea Musgrave Journey Through a Japanese Landscape 1994
Steven Stucky Fanfares and Arias 1994
Dan Welcher Zion 1994
James Syler Minton’s Playhouse 1994
Eric Whitacre Ghost Train Triptych 1994
The number of composers writing compositions for wind bands/ensembles drastically
increased during the 1980s and 1990s. Composers who had written for wind band/ensemble prior
to the 1990s and contributed to the expansion of quality works continued to compose innovative
works for this medium. Among them were Michael Colgrass (Urband Requiem), Warren Benson
(The Drums of Summer), Karel Husa (Les Couleurs Fauves), and Gunther Schuller (Blue Dawn
into White Heat). There was also a new group of composers that began to emerge during this
time. Among the most prolific were Jack Stamp, Cindy McTee, James Barnes, Mark
Camphouse, Thomas Duffy, Dan Welcher, Michael Daugherty, Donald Grantham,
David Gillingham, and Frank Ticheli.75
75Battisti, The Winds of Change, 155.
50
Table 15 shows a list of selected works written for wind band/ensembles from 1995
through the end of the twentieth century. The selections chosen represent various styles that were
written during this time period. The majority of the listed works were commissioned.
Table 15. Wind Band / Ensemble Composers 1995-2000 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Composer Composition Year Norman Dello Joio Fantasies on an Original Theme 1995
Ken Benshoof Out and Back Again 1995
Morton Gould Remembrance Day 1995
Karel Husa Divertimento for Symphonic Winds 1995
Karel Husa Les Couleurs Fauves 1995
William Kraft Concerto for Four Solo Percussion 1995
John Moody Sinfonia for Winds and Percussion 1995
David Standhope Folk Songs for Band, Set 1 1995
Steven Stucky Fanfares and Airs 1995
Augusta Thomas Vivace 1995
Michael Weinstine Two Elegies for Wind Ensemble 1995
Dana Wilson The Shifting Bands of Time 1995
John Adams Scratchband 1996
James Barnes Symphony No. 3, Op. 89 1996
Carolyn Bremer Early Light 1996
Michael Colgrass Urban Requiem 1996
Andrew Downes Symphony No. 4, Op. 59 1996
51
Table 15. (continued) _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Composer Composition Year Nancy Glbraith Danza de los Duebdes 1996
Adam Gorb Awayday 1996
John Harbison Olympic Dances 1996
William Kraft Quientessence Revisited (revised) 1996
Libby Larsen Concert Dances 1996
David Maslanka Mass 1996
Walter Mays Dreamcatcher 1996
Cindy McTee Soundings 1996
Joseph Schwantner In Evening’s Stillness 1996
Phillip Sparke Dance Movements 1996
Frank Ticheli Blue Shades 1997
Warren Benson The Drums of Summer 1997
Judith Bingham Three American Icons 1997
Henry Brant On the Nature of Things 1997
John Casken Distant Variations 1997
Michael Daugherty Niagara Falls 1997
Martin Ellerby Venetian Spells 1997
David Gillingham Waking Angels 1997
Donald Grantham Fantasy Variations 1997
Jere Hutcheson Caricatures 1997
Aulis Sallinen The Palace Rhapsody 1997
52
Table 15. (continued) _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Composer Composition Year Charles Young Tempered Steel 1997
Dan Welcher Symphony No. 3, “Shaker Life” 1997
David Gillingham A Crescent Still Abides 1998
Peter Gramm Montage: A Symphony for Winds 1998
Donald Grantham Southern Harmony 1998
Adam Gorb Yiddish Dances 1998
Francis McBeth When Honor Whispers and Shouts 1998
Joseph Turrin Chronicles 1998
Daniel Pinkham Music for an Indian Summer 1998
David Gillingham When Speaks the Signal - Trumpet Tone 1999
Donald Grantham J’ai ete au bal 1999
Daron Hagen Bandanna (Opera) 1999
Charles Ives “The Alcotts”(1911-1915) trans. Elkus 1999
Augusta Thomas Cathedral Summer 1999
Frank Ticheli Vesuvius 1999
Jere Hutcheson A Quiet Place to Think 1999
Timothy Mahr Te Deum 1999
Thomas Duffy Butterflies and Bees 1999
Timothy Mahr Into the Air! 1999
Jack Stamp Cloudsplitter Fanfare 1999 _____________________________________________________________________________
53
The practice of commissioning works during the 1990s was very active. Due to the
initiative mainly of commissions by college and university ensembles, the quality and quantity of
literature for this level improved. However, no “important world-caliber composers” were
commissioned between 1997 and 1999. Those commissioning the pieces seemed to approach
composers that were “safer risks” rather than renowned world composers who often create
experimental-type pieces. Many of the commissioned works of the late 1990s by educational
music writers for school bands is of low and mediocre quality.76
The Twenty-first Century
The first decade of the twenty-first century saw a great expansion of the body of literature
for the wind band/ensemble. The majority of these works were commissioned by university,
college, school wind band/ensembles, and national band associations. It was through
commissions that many composers were introduced to the wind band/ensemble. The composers
are Pulitzer Prize and Grawemeyer Award winners John Corigliano, Karel Husa, and Aaron Jay
Kernis; Grawemayer Award winner John Tower; Pulitzer Prize winners Michael Colgrass,
Morton Gould, Jennifer Hidgon, Bernard Rands, Joseph Schwanter, David Del Tredici, Melinda
Wagner, and George Walker as well as Barlow International Competition winner David
Rakowski. These artists discovered a community of performers and conductors that strongly
supported contemporary composers and their music. The majority of them have become
dedicated advocates for wind bands/ensembles.77
76Battisti, The Winds of Change, 208. 77Frank Battisti, Winds of Change II: The New Millennium (Galesville: Meredith Music Publication, 2012), 68.
54
The College Band Directors National Association’s (CBDNA) Conference on March 26-
29, 2003, featured the premiere performances of five new works for wind band/ensemble:
“Tattoo” from Symphony for Wind Orchestra by Judith Land Zaimont, Fanfare Canzonique by
Brian Balmages, Jubiare! by John Stevens, Ra! by David Dzubay, and Michael Torke’s Bliss,
Variations on an Unchanging Rhythm. Other recently composed pieces that were performed at
the 2003 CBDNA National Conference included Michael Daugherty’s Bells for Stokowski
(2002), Robert Xavier Rodriquez’s Decem Perfectum, Concertino for Woodwind Quintet and
Wind Ensemble (2002), Michael Djupstrom’s Homages (2002), Spin Cycle (2001) by Scott
Lindroth, and Scott McAllister’s Black Dog (2002).78
Several composers attended the 2003 CBDNA Conference to listen to performances of
their works and to participate in discussions relating to the development of the repertoire and
composing for wind bands/ensembles. The discussions held by these composers were
instrumental in promoting additional quality future works for the wind band/ensemble. The
composers in attendance were Michael Colgrass, Davis Maslanka, Gunther Schuler, Michael
Daugherty, Scott Lindroth, Robert Rodriguez, Alan Fletcher, Michael Torke, Frank Ticheli,
Libby Larsen, and Judith Zaimont.79
On June 29, 2003, the 11th Conference of the World Association of Symphonic Bands
and Ensembles took place in Jonkoping, Sweden. The keynote speaker was Gary W. Hill,
Director of Bands at Arizona State University and President of the CBDNA. He delivered a very
inspirational, provocative and challenging address to participants on “the future of the wind band
field.”
78Ibid., 132. 79Ibid., 142.
55
Our hope for a better tomorrow lies not in “teaching the way we were taught,” in perpetuating worn-out paradigms of performance, or in preserving a second-rate body of literature, but in moving the wind band field from its present place on the cultural fringe, where it is a marginal player, to the cultural edge, where it can become “the next big thing.” It is only there that the fervent dream we have, a dream inherited from our ancestors - to see wind bands share center stage in both music education and art music - can someday be realized.80
Various styles of some music composed for wind band/ensemble in 2000-2001 and 2002-2003
are listed Table 16 and Table 17 respectively.
Table 16. Wind Band / Ensemble Composers 2000-2001 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Composer Composition Year Henk Alkema Sunset Jericho 2000
Edson Beltrami Concerto for Band 2001
William Bolcom Song 2001
Roger Cichy First Flight 2000
Michael Daugherty Rosa Parks Boulevard 2001
Michael Daugherty UFO 2000
Thomas Duffy Corpus Callosum 2000
Eric Ewazen From a River Valley 2000
Steve Bryant Alchemy in Silent Spaces 2000
Michael Colgrass Dream Dancer 2001
David Gillingham Be Thou My Vision 2000
Daniel Godfrey Shindig 2001
Adam Gorb Symphony No. 1 in C 2000
80Gary W. Hill, “The Future of the Wind Band Field: Promise or Peril? Journal of the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles 10 (2003), 47.
56
Table 16. (continued) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Composer Composition Year _____________________________________________________________________________
Peter Graham Harrison’s Dream 2001
Donald Grantham Kentucky Harmony 2000
Donald Grantham Variations on American Cavalry Song 2001
Jeffery Hass Concerto for Amplified Piano 2001
Kenneth Hasketh Masque 2000
Wataru Hokoyama Beyond 2001
David Kechley Restless Birds Before a Dark Moon 2000
Magnus Lindberg Gran Duo 2000
Timothy Mahr Mourning Dances 2001
Toshio Mashima Three Notes of Japan Chamber Symphony 2001
Robert Patterson Symphonic Excursions 2000
Felicia Sandler Rosie the Riveter 2001
Charles Shadle Coyote’s Dinner (one act comic opera) 2001
Joseph Spaniola Escapade 2001
Phillip Sparke Sunrise at Angel’s Gate 2001
David Stanhope Symphony No. 1 2001
Augusta Read Thomas Magnetisfireflies 2001
Frank Ticheli An American Elegy 2000
Michael Torke Grand Central Station 2000
Eric Whitacre October 2000
57
Table 16. (continued) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Composer Composition Year _____________________________________________________________________________
Dana Wilson Vortex 2000
Dana Wilson Leader, Lieder 2001 _____________________________________________________________________________
Table 17. Wind Band / Ensemble Composers 2002-2003 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Composer Composition Year Kenneth Amis Driven! 2002
Judith Bingham Bright Spirit 2002
Laurence Bitensky Wake, You Sleepers 2002
Carolyn Bremer Returns of the Day for Wind Ensemble 2002
Carolyn Bremer Symphony for Wind Band 2003
Chris Brubeck On the Threshold of Liberty 2003
Steven Bryant Rise 2003
Peter Child Concertino for Violin & Chamber Winds 2002
Roger Cichy New Millennium, Different World, New Beginnings 2003
David Del Tredici In Wartime 2003
Eric Ewazen Visions of Light 2003
Michael Finnissey Giant Abstracts Samba 2002
Michael Gandolfi Vientos y Tangos 2003
David Gillingham Concerto for Piano and Percussion 2002
58
Table 17. (continued) _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Composer Composition Year Heiner Goebbels Aus einem Tagebuch 2003
Adam Gorb Towards Nirvana 2002
Adam Gorb Dances from Crete 2003
Donald Grantham Come, Memory ... 2002
Donald Grantham J. S. Dances 2002
Murray Gross Urban Myth 2003
Kenneth Hesketh Diaghilev Dances 2003
Sydney Hodkinson Monumentum Pro Umbris 2003
Jere Hutcheson Concerto for Saxophone 2003
Jere Hutcheson Gradus ad Parnassum: Caricatures IV 2003
Stephen Jones Passages 2003
Chang Su Koh As the Sun Rises 2003
Morten Lauridsen O Magnum Mysterium 2003
Christian Lindberg Concerto for Winds and Percussion 2003
Christopher Marshall L’Homme Arme Varations 2003
Cindy McTee Ballet 2003
Jonathan Newman As the Scent of Spring Rain 2003
Carter Pass Slalom 2003
Kevin Puts Millennium Canons 2003
Kevin Puts Chorus of Light 2003
59
Table 17. (continued) _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Composer Composition Year Marco Pütz Dance Sequence 2002
Brian Robinson The Congress of the Imsomniacs 2002
Jan van der Roost Volcano 2002
Dean Roush Illuminations 2002
David Sampson Moving Parts 2003
Joseph Schwantner Concerto for Percussion (wind version) 2003
Christopher Tucker Twilight in the Wilderness 2003
Joseph Turrin Hemispheres 2002
Michael Weinstein Serenade for Twelve Instruments 2000
Dan Welcher Minstrels of the Kell 2000 Eric Whitacre Sleep (wind version) 2003
Dana Wilson Concerto for French Horn 2002
Evan Ziporyn Drill 2000
Since the 1960s, the CBDNA has held its conferences on college and university
campuses. However, in 2005 a significant break from past practice took place when the
conference was held in New York City (February 24-27). This conference, “A Wind Band
Celebration,” included eleven concerts performed at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the Skirball
Center for the Performing Arts at New York University, and Assembly Hall at Hunter College.
The performances in Carnegie Hall were performed by five of the best wind band/ensembles in
the United States: the Eastman Wind Ensemble, New England Conservatory Wind Ensemble,
60
University of Michigan Symphony Band, USC Thornton Wind Ensemble, and the University of
Texas Wind Ensemble. It was hoped that a concert of this magnitude would attract major New
York media and music critics. Unfortunately it did not.81 In his first “From the Podium” column
in the Spring 2005 CBDNA Report, president Jerry Junkin stated,
Certainly we leave New York with mixed feelings---excitement over the splendid performances, through provoking sessions and wonderful new repertoire, yet at the same time struggling to put into contest the apparent snub by major conductor [Lorin Maazel] who failed to show up for a panel discussion when he discovered he would be talking to “band directors,” and the lack of any critical acknowledgement of our presence.82
Nonetheless, the 2005 conference was a huge success. One of the world’s most
celebrated composers, John Corigliano, was in attendance. He is a winner of a Pulitzer Prize in
Music for his Symphony No. 2, the Grawemeyer Award for his Symphony No. 1, and an
Academy Award for The Red Violin. One of the most anticipated events of the conference was
the East Coast premiere performance of his Circus Maximus by the University of Texas Wind
Ensemble with Jerry Junkin, conductor. Circus Maximus was accompanied by seven other works
premiered at the 2005 CBDNA Conference: The Rivers of Bowery by Jonathan Newman,
Hysteria in Salem Village by Felicia Sadler, Festival March by Michael Valenti, Blackbird by
John Lennon and Paul McCartney as arranged by Shelly Berg, La’ I (Love Song) for Orchestra
without Strings by Bright Shengm, Voice of the City (First Movement) by Richard Danielpour,
and Jeff Tyzik’s Concerto for Trombone and Wind Ensemble.83
Table 18 (page 61) collectively represents the various styles of music composed for wind
band/ensemble in 2004-2005.
81Battisti, Winds of Change II, 231. 82Jerry Junkin, “From the Podium,” CBDNA Report (Spring 2005), 1. 83Ibid., 254.
61
Table 18. Wind Band/Ensemble Music 2004-2005 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Composer Composition Year Luis Alarcon Concertago 2004
Richard Bennett Concerto for Saxophone Quartet 2005
Eddie Bermudez Concerto for Saxophone 2005
Laurence Bitensky Hadra 2005
Derek Bougeois Symphony for William 2004
Steven Bryant Stampede for Calgary 2004
Michael Colgass Bail 2005
Peter Maxwell Davies Commemoration Sixty 2005
J. M. David Sinfonietta No. 1 2005
Michael Djupstrom Gaeng 2004
Brian Richard Earl Sinfonia Concertante for Horn 2004
Roshanne Etezady Anahitta 2005
Eric Ewazen Danzante (for Trumpet & Wind Ensemble) 2004
Peter Graham The Red Machine 2004
Donald Grantham Court Music 2005
Walter Hartley Nonet for Chamber Winds 2005
Kenneth Hesketh Cloud of Unknowing 2005
Jere Hutcheson Desert Flower 2004
Jere Hutcheson Sunrise, Sunset 2005
David Kechley Bang! 2000
62
Table 18. (continued) _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Composer Composition Year Libby Larsen De Toda La Etwenidad (Song Cycle) 2005
David Maslanka Give Us This Day 2005
David Maslanka Symphony No. 7 2005
Stephen McNeff Concerto for Clarinet 2005
Cindy McTee Fanfare for Trumpets 2004
Eric Nathan Jazz Concerto 2005
Lior Navok Gleams from the Bosom of Darkness 2005
Hudson Nogueira Retratos do Brasil 2004
Norbert Palej Canzona III 2005
Joshua Penman The Pilgrimage of Fire and Earth 2005
P. Q. Phan Race of Gods 2005
Joel Puckett Ping, Pang, Pong 2004
Marco Putz Concerto for Clarinet and Wind Ensemble 2005
Robert Sierra Fandango 2005
Joseph Swantner Recoil 2005
Philip Sparke Music of the Spheres 2005
Nathan Tanouye Kokopelli’s Dance 2005
Frank Ticheli Symphony No. 2 2004
Frank Ticheli Sanctuary 2005
Agusta Read Thomas Dancing Galaxy 2004
Agusta Read Thomas Silver Chants the Litanies 2004
63
Table 18. (continued) _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Composer Composition Year Matthew Tommasini Three Spanish Songs 2005
Mark-Anthony Turnage A Quick Blast 2004
Oliver Waespi Symphonic Variations 2004
Michael Weinstein The Angel of Fame 2005
Dan Welcher Symphony No. 4 “American Visionary” 2005
The CBDNA conference returned to its traditional environment of a university campus in
2007. At the University of Michigan fifty-two works were performed over the span of nine
different concerts, and fourteen of the works were by non-American composers. The increasing
number of composers participating in the conference was affirmation of the Association’s
commitment to contemporary composers and their work. Composers attending the conference
included Steven Bryant, Michael Colgrass, Michael Daugherty, David Gillingham, Osvaldo
Golijiv, Douglas Lowry, John Mackey, Jonathan Newman, Joseph Schwantner, Matthew
Tommasini, Frank Ticheli, and Dan Welcher.84
The composers in attendance were very active in the individual sessions discussing the
evolving literature for the wind band/ensemble. Almost 75% of the works performed at the
Conference had been composed between 2000 and 2007. There were four world premieres:
Between Blues and Hard Places by Douglas Lowry, Raise the Roof for Timpani and Symphonic
Band by Michael Daugherty, Passaggi by Stephen Gryc, and Lullaby for Noah by Joe Turrin.
84Battisti, Winds of Change II, 325.
64
There was one North American premier which was Race of Gods by P.Q. Phan.85 Table 19
includes works that are collectively representative of the styles of music composed for the wind
band/ensemble in 2006-2007.
Table 19. Wind Band/Ensemble Works 2006-2007 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Composer Composition Year John Adams Looapalooza (wind version) 2007
Kenneth Amis Concerto for Tuba 2007
Louis Andriessen Hymne to the Memory of Darius Mihaud 2006
Scott Boerma Cityscape 2006
Steven Bryant Radiant Joy 2007
Steven Bryant Suite Dreams 2007
Mark Camphouse Legacy 2007
Fergal Carroll Blackwater 2006
David Chaitkin Celebration 2007
James Chirillo Eventuations 2006
Peter Child Triptych 2007
Michael Colgrass Raag-Mala: Music of India Through Western Ears 2006
Michael Daugherty Aescipilus (fanfare for orchestral brass) 2007
J.M. David Bright Windows 2006
David Dzbay Shadow Dance 2007
Zechariah Goh Toh Chai Concerto for Marimba and Wind Ensemble 2007
85Ibid., 326-327.
65
Adam Gorb Adrenaline City 2006
Donald Grantham Starry Crown 2007
Daron Hagen Banner of My Purpose 2007
Kenneth Hesketh The Doctrine of Affections 2006
Jennifer Higdon Keyy’s Field 2006
Karel Husa Cheetah 2007
Tim Jackson Passacaglia 2007
Guillermo Klein Solar Return Suite 2006
Chang Su Koh As the Sun Rises 2006
Kristin Kuster Interiors 2007
David Little East Coast Attitude 2006
John Mackey Strange Humors 2006
John Mackey Kingfishers Catch Fire 2007
John Mackey Turning 2007
Christopher Marshall Resonance 2006
Roger May Elegiac Impressions 2007
Scott McAllister Krump 2006
Cindy McTee Finish Line 2007
Anthony Mead Concerto for Winds 2006
Ron Nelson Pastorale: Autumn Rune 2006
Jonathan Newman My Hands Are a City 2007
Norbert Palej Song and Dance 2006
Carter Pann Four Factories 2006
66
Table 19. (continued) _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Composer Composition Year _____________________________________________________________________________
Carter Pann The Wrangler 2006
Stephen Paulus Concerto for Piano and Winds 2006
Evan Premo Concertino for Brass Fiddle and Winds 2007
James Primosch Forms of Light 2007
Marco Pütz Concerto for Trumpet and Wind Ensemble 2007
John Fitz Rogcers The Rivers 2006
Christopher Rouse Blaze 2007
Christopher Rouse Wolf Rounds 2007
Edwin Roxburgh Oboe Concerto, An Elegy for Ur 2006
Dmitri Shostakovich The Priest and His Servant Balds 2007
Christopher Theofanidis I Wander the Win a Dream of My Own Making 2006
Frank Ticheli Wild Nights 2007
Michael Torke The Kiss 2006
Joseph Turrin The Scarecrow (opera) 2006
Dan Welcher Symphony No. 4 2006
Liza White Scene 2007
Dana Wilson Day Dreams 2006
Dana Wilson Liquid Ebony 2006
Dana Wilson The Avatar 2006
Bruce Yurko Dialogues and Fanfares 2007 _____________________________________________________________________________
67
During the past decade, composers have shown a heightened interest in writing operas
that use a wind ensemble as the instrumental companion. Among the operas written using a wind
ensemble are Daron Hagen (Bandanna, 1999), Charles Shadle (Coyote’s Dinner, 2001), Joseph
Turrin (The Scarecrow, 2006), and Justin Dello Joio’s (Blue Mountain, 2007).
The University of Texas, Austin hosted the 2009 CBDNA National Conference March
25-28. Ten different groups performed at the conference with programs reflecting CBDNA’s
commitment to the creation and performance of new music. Of the 56 works performed, almost
75% were composed in the 21st century. There were 11 new pieces premiered at the conference:
Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan (2003) by John Corigliano (wind version by
Verena Mosenbichler, 2009), Apollo’s Fire (2008) by Glen Cortese, Symphony for Winds and
Percussion (2008) by Donald Grantham, “Eviler” Elves (2008) by James Kazik, The Future of
Fire (2009) by Zhou Long, Asphalt Cocktail (2008) by John Mackey, La Pequena Habana
(2008) by Todd Malicoate, Popcopy (2009) by Scott McAllister, Tower Ascending (2009) by
Wayne Oquin, Southern Comforts (2008) by Joel Puckett, and UMKC Fanfare (2009) by Chen
Yi. Table 20 includes works representative of wind band/ensemble in 2008-2009.
Table 20. Wind Band/Ensemble Music 2008-2009 Composer Composition Year Ira Hearshen ENTERPRISE 2008
Brett Abigana Sketches on Paintings no. 2 2009
Brett Abigana Chorale and Blaspheme 2009
Paul Basler Psalm 2009
Robert Beaser Manhattan Roll 2009
Steven Bryant Ecstatic Waters 2008
68
Table 20. (continued) Composer Composition Year Mark Camphouse Anthem 2009
Yi Chen Suite for China West 2008
Valerie Coleman Roma 2009
Sebastian Currier Group Dynamics 2008 Andrew Davis Corners 2009
Eric Ewazen The Eternal Dance of Life 2008
Eric Ewazen Concerto for Oboe and Wind Ensemble 2009
Stephen Feigenbaum Rooms by the Sea 2009
Robert Gibson The Sound of Light 2009
David Gillingham Summer of 2008 (Euphonium Solo) 2008
Adam Gorb Farewell 2008
Jennifer Higdon Oboe Concerto (wind version) 2009
Jennifer Higdon Concerto for Solo Soprano Saxophone 2009
Joshua Hummel Haiku Symphony No. 4 2009
Jack Hughes After Rain 2009
Rex Isenberg Night Factory 2009
Charles Ives The Concord Symphony (arr. M. Patterson) 2009
Tania Leon Cumba Cumbakin 2009
Scott Lindroth Passage 2009
David Ludwig Missa Brevis 2009
John Mackey Harvers: Concerto for Trombone 2009
69
Table 20. (continued) Composer Composition Year Christopher Marshall An Emily Dickinson Suite 2009
David Maslanka Concerto No. 2 for Piano, Winds and Percussion 2009
David Maslanka Symphony no. 8 2008
Vicente Moncho Ilzreya 2008
Jeff Meyers Organum-Tambura 2008
Lior Navok Tetris 2009
Jonathan Newman Climbing Parassus 2008
Jonathan Newman Concertino for Flute and Chamber Winds 2009
Jonathan Newman Symphony No. 1 “My Hands Are a City” 2009
Carter Pann Serenade for Winds 2008
Carter Pann Richard and Renee 2009
Williams Pitts Eos 2008
Joel Puckett It Perched for Vespers Nine 2008
Joel Puckett Shadow of Sirius (Flute Concerto) 2009
David Rakowski Cantina 2008
Kathryn Salfelder Cathedrals 2008
Kathryn Salfelder Crossing Parallels 2009
Stanislaw Skrowaczewski Music for Winds 2009
D.J. Sparr Precious Metal 2009
Jacob Ter Verhius Tallahatchie (wind version) 2008
Frank Ticheli Angles in the Architecture 2008
70
Table 20. (continued) Composer Composition Year Frank Ticheli Symphony No. 1 2009
Matthew Tommasini “Taking Sides” for Trombone Solo 2008
Matthew Tommasini Torn Canvases 2008
Jess Turner Fairy Tale for Symphonic Wind Ensemble 2009
Joseph Turrin Fanfare and Prelude 2008
Jeff Tyzik RIFFS 2009
Michael Weinstein Concerto for Flute and Wind Ensemble 2009 _____________________________________________________________________________
71
CHAPTER 4
SUSTAINABILITY OF WIND BAND REPETOIRE
It is valid to wonder whether the literature of the modern wind band/ensemble presents
unique and well-crafted aesthetic truths on a level with those of esteemed master composers.
None of the repertoire for the wind band is yet of the vintage to simply apply the test of
survivability over the passage of time. It is, indeed, a question for all music written in the last
century and into the opening of the twenty-first century. There can be no final assessment made
as to sustainability, but significant indicators can be used to make predictions. Stature of the
composer at the time of a work's composition indicates the degree of preparation with which the
composer approached the work, and it assumes that the composer would wish to compose only
works that would become a part of a lasting legacy.
Dr. Timothy Rhea, Director of Bands at Texas A&M University hosted a clinic at the
2009 Texas Bandmasters Association on Programming and Identifying Quality Band
Repertoire. He included criteria for determining serious band repertoire that can also be
considered for repertoire sustainability:
• The composition reflects shape and design. • The composition reflects craftsmanship in orchestration,
demonstrating a proper balance between transparent and tutti scoring, and also between solo and group colors.
• The composition reflects a musical validity that transcends factors of historical importance, or factors of pedagogical usefulness86.
86Rhea, Dr. Timothy. The Foundation for Music Education, "Music Matters." Last modified 2009.
Accessed October 16, 2012. http://foundationformusiceducation.org/musicmatters/2011/01/programming-identifying-quality-band-repertoire-a-clinic-presented-by-dr-timothy-rhea-part-1-of-6/.
72
Three composers: Joseph Schwantner, Frank Ticheli and John Corigliano will be
discussed along with contrasting compositions that demonstrate characteristics of sustainability.
Selections reviewed in the text are evaluated using one or more of the aforementioned criteria.
Joseph Schwantner
Joseph Schwantner composed …and the mountains rising nowhere in 1977. The Eastman
Wind Ensemble commissioned the work with a grant from the National Endowment for the
Arts. The premier was given in College Park, Maryland, at the 1977 National Conference of the
College Band Directors National Association by the Eastman Wind Ensemble, Donald
Hunsberger conducting.
Many awards, grants and fellowships have marked Schwantner’s compositional career. In
1979 he won the Pulitzer Prize for his orchestral composition Aftertones of Infinity as well as
several Grammy nominations. Among his many commissions is his Percussion Concerto, which
was commissioned for the 150th anniversary season of the New York Philharmonic and is one of
the most performed concert works of the past decade.87
Schwantner is known for his dramatic and unique style as well as being a gifted
orchestral colorist. He received his musical and academic training at the Chicago Conservatory
and Northwestern University and has served on the faculties of The Juilliard School, Eastman
School of Music and the Yale School of Music.88
Although …and the mountains rising nowhere was composed somewhat recently in the
total spectrum of music history (1977), it has sustained for some 35 years. It continues to
87 Joseph Schwanter. “Joseph Schwantner,” Schwantner, Inc., last modified 2012,
http://www.schwantner.net/index.html. 88 Ibid.
73
receive numerous performances by university wind bands/ensembles. The work is dedicated to
children’s author Carol Adler, whose poem “Arioso” inspired the composition:
Arioso
arioso bells sepia an afternoon sun blanked by rain and the mountains rising nowhere the sound returns the sound and the silence chimes
The composer’s intent was to create a work for winds and percussion that “did not sound
like the typical band piece.”89 Schwantner stated:
When I first started to write for wind ensemble there wasn’t much to look at other than Hindemith and Schoenberg. My whole band experience in the public schools had been mostly third-rate music and transcriptions. I grew up with a certain envy of my colleagues who were in orchestra: they got great music to play and we got bad transcriptions and this third-rate “educational” music. You’ll notice in …and the mountains rising nowhere that I go a long way to avoid typical band sounds. I had to overcome my school experience.90
Schwantner wanted the percussion section to play a more prominent role than typically
found in the standard band compositions up to that time. His desire was for the importance of the
percussion writing to be on the same level as the brass and woodwind sections. This accounts for
the extraordinary amount of percussion (50 instruments) used in …and the mountains rising
nowhere.91
Schwanter called for unusual performing techniques from the wind players such as
whistling, singing and the sounding of glass crystals to expand the timbres that are typically
available to the wind ensemble. The percussionists are asked to bow various metallophones and
89 Jeffery Renshaw, “Joseph Schwantner’s From a Dark Millennium, An interpretive analysis,” The
Instrumentalist (August 1989): 22. 90 Scott Higbee, Joseph Schwatner: A Composer’s Insight (Galesville: Meredith Music Publication, 2003),
67. 91 Renshaw, “Joseph Schwantner’s From a Dark Millennium, An interpretive analysis,” 29.
74
use “water gongs” (in which a gong is struck and then lowered into or raised out of a tub of
water). The piano part calls for amplification and serves as a timbral bridge between the
percussion and the winds. It also provides continuity by triggering instrument entrances and by
weaving sounds and sections together.
The instrumentation is as follows:
6 Flutes (4 doubling Piccolo) 2 B-flat Clarinets 4 Oboes (2 doubling English Horn, 4 doubling on glass crystals) 4 Bassoons 4 B-flat Trumpets 4 Horns 3 Tenor Trombones 1 Bass Trombone 1 Tuba Contrabass Amplified Piano 6 Percussionists (playing a total of 46 percussion instruments).
3 Bass Drums 1 Bell Tree 1 Crotale 2 Glockenspiels 1 Marimba 10 Suspended Cymbals 2 Tam-tams 1 Timbale Timpani Tom-Toms (3 sets of 4) 6 Triangles Tubular Bells 2 Vibraphones 2 Water Gongs 2 Xylophones
The instrumentation and instrument roles in …and the mountains rising nowhere bear
little resemblance to wind band/ensemble compositions prior to Joseph Schwantner. In addition,
he was among the first composers to suggest a specific arrangement for the seating of the
75
ensemble while performing a particular composition.92 He requests that the percussion
instruments surround the ensemble and suggests a specific arrangement.
Schwantner often utilizes what he calls “static pillars” of harmonies, in which blocks of
sound may be held unchanging for a length of time. Over these pillars of sound, Schwantner
often writes other instrumental parts engaged in what he calls “shared monody.” This is a
technique that is described by Schwantner as “a melodic idea shared by partial doublings among
several instrumental voices.”93 The combination of the two concepts entails several players
entering and then sustaining on a different pitch of the melodic idea. These notes become one
single line shared by several players, as opposed to a single player on a solo line as shown in
Figure 1.
Figure 1. Shared Monody
Schwatner also introduces another technique in …and the mountains rising nowhere. He
refers to this technique as “trailing.”94 This compositional technique involves changing colors
while sustaining a specific sonority.
92 Ibid. 93 Higbee, Joseph Schwatner: A Composer’s Insight, 69. 94 Jeffery Lynn Briggs, “The Recent Music of Joseph Schwantner: Unique and Essential Elements” (PhD
diss., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1984), 38.
76
An example of trailing occurs in the first measure of the piece (see Figure 2). After the
initial percussion sounds, the glass crystals (played by the oboes) sustain the sonority that
continues throughout this section. The piano articulates the same sonority, although in a different
voicing, with the sostenuto pedal depressed. Instead of ringing strings, the crystal glasses are
heard.
Figure 2. …and the mountains rising nowhere, by Joseph Schwantner, Trailing in measure 1.
Timbre and color are especially important considerations in Schwantner’s compositions
for winds. Orchestral color and balance are trademarks in his music. As stated by Dr. Jeffery
77
Briggs, former composition student of Joseph Schwantner, “orchestration is a controlling
element in Schwantner’s compositional technique. Most selections of his music seem to have
been designed to exploit his coloristic imagination.”95 Schwantner writes:
I like to think of composing like an artisan, building a fine piece of cabinetry. Somebody calls you up and wants a piece, and you get down to work…It would be difficult for me to point to a single source of influence, since I, like so many musicians today, share an enormous collective musical experience. My own work springs from a deep desire to engage the performer with all of his (her) skills, abilities, and sensitivities…the musical language I use is not new, but putting divergent music together in the same piece could never have been done forty years ago. Now, with mass communication, it’s part and parcel of the world we live in.96
Composers’ perception of the wind band/ensemble was eternally changed with the
writing of works such as Schwantner’s …and the mountains rising nowhere. His use of motivic
development, aleatoric effects, musical timbre and the fresh new palette of colors resonating
from the percussion section were revolutionary.97 The composition reflects a musical validity that
transcends factors of historical importance and pedagogical usefulness.98
Frank Ticheli In contrast to Schwantner, another contemporary composer whose works have the
potential to stand the test of time is American composer Frank Ticheli. He is well known for his
concert band works, many of which have become standards in the repertoire ranging from
developing bands to advanced bands. He is the winner of the 2006 NBA/William Revelli
Memorial Band Composition Contest for his Symphony No. 2., the Charles Ives/Goddard
95 Briggs, The Recent Music of Joseph Schwantner, 1984. 96 James Ball, “A conductor’s guide to selected contemporary American orchestral compositions. (Phd
diss., University of Missouri-Kansas City, 1992), 53. 97 Stephen Rhodes. “A History of the Wind Band," Lipscomb University, last modified 2007, accessed
October 7, 2012, http://www.lipscomb.edu/windbandhistory /RhodesWindBand_12_20thCenturyRepertoire.htm.
98 Acton Ostling Jr., “An Evaluation of Compositions for Wind Band According to Specific Criteria of Serious Artistic Merit.” (Phd diss., University of Iowa, 1978).
78
Lieberson Awards and the Walter Beeler Memorial Prize. Ticheli received his masters and
doctoral degrees in composition from the University of Michigan.
In the book, Composers on Composing for Band, he describes his compositional style as
having a three-point focus: (1) texture, (2) color, and (3) the simultaneous use of multiple
musical ideas.99 There are several compositional techniques that he uses to illustrate these three
points. Proper treatment of these components contributes the sustainability of a composer’s
composition.
One of his textural devices involves the emphasis of a sustained pitch by adding a
punctuated note in another voice at the exact time of the attack. The player immediately dropping
out after the attack creates the effect, as the principal voice sustains.100 This punctuation can be
found in the second movement of his Symphony No. 2 at measure 41. Muted trumpet and
trombone play two sixteenth notes underneath a sixteenth-doted eighth note figure tied to a half
note (see Figure 3).
Figure 3. Measure 41 of Symphony No. 2, Mvt. 2 by Frank Ticheli
99 Mark Camphouse, Composers on Composing for Band, (Chicago: GIA Publications Inc., 2002), 349-
384.
100 Ibid.
79
Ticheli juxtaposes texture by experimenting with extreme registers. He
states that he loves “the sensuality of the flute in its lower octave.”101 In his 1999
composition Shenandoah, he explores this color as a flute trio carries the melody.
On F4, each voice enters one beat apart and reaches B-flat 5 within two bars. The
swift change in register is clearly heard above the harmony in the low clarinets
(see Figure 4).
Figure 4. Measure 41-45 of Shenandoah by Frank Ticheli
Another component of Ticheli’s treatment of texture is his sparing use of
tutti sections. He only scores for full ensemble when the effect is needed.102 In A
Composer’s Insight, Ticheli shares his view on scoring and texture:
Tuitti scoring is, of course, more effective when used sparingly. I try to hold onto this principle, even when I compose for young musicians. To be certain, carefully written color combinations can produce unique and beautiful results, and well-mixed colors are usually a necessity during a strong climax. But constant doubling weighs down a piece and reduces its potential.103
Multiple-simultaneous lines and the manner in which they are layered is another
compositional characteristic found in Ticheli’s works. He states, “too much going on at one time
101 Ibid. 102 Ibid. 103 Timothy Salzman, and Linda Moorhouse, A Composer’s Insight: Thoughts, Analysis and Commentary
on Contemporary Masterpieces for Wind Band, (Galesville, MD: Meredith Publications, 2006), 208.
80
creates an amalgam and one must be strategic in layering thematic material.”104 The addition of
rests throughout moving lines is his way of correcting this issue. This technique allows the
emphasis to be given to the entering voices. An example of this technique can be found in his
composition Postcard (1991) in measure 31. Staccato eighth notes are scored for the bass
clarinets and bassoons opposite that of the horns. When the staccato line has a rest, the second
and third clarinets enter with a legato passage. Their pitch continues to change as the staccato
line has rests. By using this technique, each line’s entrance and melodic motion can be clearly
heard by the listener (see Figure 5).
Figure 5. Measures 31-34 of Postcard by Frank Ticheli. Postcard was originally composed for band (1991) and then transcribed for orchestra
(1993). The program notes provided by the composer are clear and descriptive. They give insight
to the compositional material of the piece, thus leading me to find it appropriate to use them
here:
Postcard was originally composed for H. Robert Reynolds in memory of his mother, Ethel Virginia Curry. He requested that I compose not an elegy commemorating his mother's death, but a short, feisty piece celebrating her life. In response, I composed my brief Postcard for wind band in the summer of 1991 as a musical reflection of her character--vivacious, whimsical, and succinct. I created the orchestral version of Postcard two years later for Carl St.Clair and the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, who gave the premiere performance at Segerstrom Hall on February 3, 1994. The piece is cast in a three-part form, and is filled with little musical games, which pay tribute to the Reynolds
104 Camphouse, Composers on Composing for Band, 2002.
81
family. Its main theme is a melodic palindrome, honoring a long-standing tradition in the Reynolds family of giving their children palindromic names such as Hannah and Harrah. As the work progresses, the symmetry is obscured by elongating or cutting off the theme's tail. The middle section is based five notes derived from the dedicatee's name, Ethel: E (E natural) T (te in the solfeggio system, B flat) H (in the German system, B natural) E (E flat this time) L (la in the solfeggio system, A natural). This five-note motive is developed considerably, first appearing in an aggressive, angular context, and then evolving into a fast, lyrical melody. In the end, Postcard is nothing more than a gregarious tribute to a dear friend, honoring the life of his equally gregarious mother.105
John Corigliano
The final wind band/wind ensemble composition to be discussed which I feel will stand
the test of time is Symphony No. 3, “Circus Maximus” composed by John Corigliano.
Composed in 2004, the work transcends time, echoing events and actions in Italy. This
composition transcends factors of historical importance in several dimensions. In ancient Rome,
the Circus Maximus was an arena built for chariot racing and other myriads of spectator events.
The government wanted to keep the people entertained, and the arena served as a venue for
hundreds of thousands of people to gather daily to watch races, battles, and to be amused.
Corigliano’s work is inspired by the concept of mass entertainment, and centers on the idea that a
listener or spectator can be influenced and distracted by many surrounding ideas. For that
reason, he uses a non-traditional staging for his masterwork. Totaling over forty minutes of
music, the work includes an onstage band, an offstage (antiphonal) band, and a marching band.
One can argue that Haydn was one of the first composers to have soloists move around during a
performance by leaving the stage one-by-one in his Symphony No. 45, known as the “Farewell
Symphony”. Other composers have used antiphonal brass or offstage solos for various effects,
but Corigliano combined them into one musical masterwork.
105 Frank, Ticheli. Manhattan Beach Music, "Postcard." Last modified 2010. Accessed October 17, 2012. http://www.manhattanbeachmusiconline.com/frank_ticheli/html/postcard.html.
82
Circus Maximus envisioned new horizons for future composers to progress beyond
parameters of traditional band instrumentation, and it exemplified the manner in which
composers might score for varied combinations of instruments within a single work juxtaposed
in several locations in the performance venue. Figure 6 on the follow page explains the
instrumentation and staging directions for the stage band, the surrounding band, and the
marching band.
83
Figure 6. Circus Maximus ‘I. Introitus’ Set-up Chart106
106John Corigliano. Circus Maximus ‘I. Introitus’, G. Schirmer, Inc., 2004.
84
With brass instruments spread around the “arena”, Corigliano created a sense of spatial
music which provides the listener a stereophonic or surround-sound effect. Circus Maximus
creates an experience best heard in live performance format.
In Beethoven’s era, his music was only available to listeners in live format. In the
twenty-first century, listeners can hear his works anywhere and at any time in digital format on
hand-held devices. Although live format offers a desirable listening experience, Beethoven’s
works serve quite well in recorded format. With Circus Maximus, Corigliano envisioned a
listening experience which would be complete only in live format. His concept of spatial music
is vital to performance success and emotional impact of the work.
The composer's purpose for the work was to bring the Circus Maximus into the
contemporary era. As indicated by descriptive titles of each movement, Corigliano utilized the
idiom of television as a symbol of the ancient Roman form of entertainment. To philosophically
parallel the amusement, distraction, and danger of both, he commented:
But the same technology that brought us our iPhone is also the technology that can bring about our destruction. With one bomb our world will be over. If New York City goes up, everything’s over, kiddo. So Circus Maximus is a piece that celebrates all of this wildness and craziness and yet is terrified of it. That influence is clearly felt in the third movement, appropriately called “Channel Surfing.” Different groups of instruments are spread throughout the hall each with their own music to play. With a remote-control click, we switch from dance music to pathos to cartoons in an instant. Nothing lasts more than a minute because you get bored; the interruptions become faster and faster.”107
A piece such as this exceeds traditional expectations of the wind band literature in several
aspects. First, the historical context of this masterpiece is demonstrated in the composer’s use of
nontraditional notation and shaping of the musical line. For centuries leading in to the modern
period, composers’ musical notation consisted of music notes placed on a staff, or on an
107 Lawrence Johnson. “Chicago Classical Review,” The Classical Review, accessed October 9, 2012,
http://chicagoclassicalreview.com/2012/05/circus-maximus-to-open-two-week-corigliano-festival-with-a-blast/.
85
extension of the staff with the use of leger lines, with a time signature, metered bars, and a
common sense of pulse. These elements help musicians to “stay on the musical line”. Circus
Maximus shapes the musical line in a completely different, nontraditional way. As seen in
Figure 7 (page 85), Corigliano opens a new door for aleatoric and chance music— while rhythm
is present within individual parts, the conductor controls the pulse and timing of the music at his
or her will.
Another element of sustainability for Circus Maximus is the pedagogical factor. Because
of the nontraditional notation and unique compositional style, instrumentalists must rise to a
higher concentration level. The rehearsal time and strategies that are needed to piece together a
masterwork such as this are greater than most pieces performed by an orchestra. Composers,
like Corigliano, rely and appreciate that each instrumentalist must truly learn his or her music.
While an orchestra can have a week’s worth of rehearsal for a performance, the wind band needs
more preparation time. This reason is not based on ability, but rather accessibility.
For centuries, composers’ works have heightened emotions and feelings within the
listener. Many times these true and natural feelings have been those of happiness, sadness,
a sense of excitement, a feeling of mystery, and many others. Corigliano creates more than
a feeling, he creates a complete experience. From a pedagogical aspect, the conductor must
teach instrumentalists how to create space within the music to feel as though time is
suspended, how to read spatial notation, how to keep focused and not be distracted by
other instrumentalists located in other parts of the concert hall, how to adapt to quickly
changing tempi, and how to align polyrhythms. While these elements individually can be
taught in many works, they all must work together in Circus Maximus to create the
experience that makes this work sustainable in the wind band repertoire.
86
Figure 7. Circus Maximus ‘I. Introitus’ mm.1-7.108
108 John Corigliano, Circus Maximus ‘I. Introitus’. G.Schirmer, Inc, 2004, G. Schirmer OnDemand.
87
CHAPTER 5
CURRENT STATE
Idiomatic Properties of Wind Instruments as Related to Repertoire Development
Repertoire of the wind band has developed uniquely because of idiomatic properties of
multiples of wind instruments. Similarly, repertoire of the orchestra has developed uniquely
because of the idiomatic properties of multiples of stringed instruments.
Percussion instruments are common to wind band and orchestra. Generally, however,
percussion parts are scored as single instruments even though composers may, in the twenty-first
century, often request large percussion sections.
Due to the presence of multiple wind instruments in the wind band and due to the
presence of multiple stringed instruments in the orchestra, composers must know and
understand idiomatic capabilities of instruments in multiples as well as individually.
Unique orchestration practices for each ensemble result in generally superior aesthetic
results when performed by the medium for which they were originally written. Idiomatic
properties of combinations of instruments and the resultant sonorities may influence
composers to gravitate to wind band or to orchestra.
Prior to the twentieth century, orchestral composers generally regarded woodwind, brass,
and percussion sections as “color” instruments. They entrusted essential musical material to
stringed instruments primarily because woodwind and brass instruments evolved later than
stringed instruments. Also, string players could play longer stretches than woodwinds or brass.
88
Stringed instruments have wider dynamic ranges than wind instruments due to their
potential to sound well at extremely soft levels of the continuum. Wide dynamic ranges
and bowing techniques offer vast potential for musical expression.
Considered in multiples, there is a homogenous tone color throughout the family of
stringed instruments, and variations in registers are more subtle than in wind instruments. The
complete clarinet family of instruments in the wind band is most closely analogous to the strings
in the orchestra.
Approach to articulation is a notable difference between stringed instruments and
wind instruments. Among wind instruments, the tongue is held forward to prevent air from
passing through the lips until a drawing-‐back of the tongue releases the air column. A wind
tone has much less potential for an indiscernible beginning as contrasted to the gradual
engaging of a string by the bow.109 Wind instruments, particularly in multiples, do not have
the same potential sensitivity as a string instrument when beginning a tone in soft
passages.
Stringed instruments possess more techniques for producing sound than any other
orchestral section. They are able to pass from one style of musical expression to another
with great facility. Additionally, they are capable of playing double notes and chords and
can be considered as melodic and/or harmonic in character.110
The string section offers a variety of color and contrast, but the diversity of range
and timbre is subtle. In the woodwind section, however, the difference in register and
quality of flutes, oboes, clarinet and bassoons is striking. The woodwinds, as a rule, are less
109Walter Piston, Orchestration (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1955), 420. 110 Nicolas Rimsky Korsakow, Principles of Orchestration (New York: Edwin F. Kalmus, 1922), 8.
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flexible than strings; and are less capable of varying shades of expression.111 Although the
brass instruments are far less flexible than the woodwinds, they intensify the effect of other
orchestral groups by their powerful resonance.112
Unlike the wind band/ensemble, the orchestra has been built around a basic choir of
homogenous timbre and a complete extent of range. When writing for wind band/ensemble, a
composer must handle with considerable care the woodwind section, which consists of a varied
assortment of instruments (flutes, oboes, clarinets, saxophones, and bassoons). There is much
duplication in the middle to low registers, and insufficient strength in the extreme top and very
low ranges. The B-flat clarinets, alto and tenor saxophones, alto and bass clarinets, and bassoons
share similar basic ranges. Frequently, in wind band scoring, there is considerable doubling of
parts resulting in sonorities that are lacking in clarity.113
Wind bands sometimes include large numbers of flutes in an attempt to reinforce the top
register. However, the flute does not have the same acoustical value against multiples of other
winds as it has against strings or in the woodwind choir of the orchestra.114
The brass section of the wind band is a homogeneous group. The horns, as in the
orchestra, function with both woodwind and brass sections. The brass section is fundamentally a
middle register group with no high soprano and with much duplication in the alto and tenor
voices. The only true bass is the tuba. However, the inclusion of a string bass is accepted as
standard for the wind band/ensemble.115
111Ibid., 14.
112Ibid., 22. 113Goldman, The Wind Band, 154. 114Ibid. 115Ibid.
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The sforzando, sharp accents, and forte-piano are especially well suited to brass
instruments.116 This factor gives an advantage to wind instruments when playing musical
selections that call for strong, sharp accents. For example, Gershwin’s Cuban Overture sounds
quite different played by an orchestra when compared to a band. The piece seems to function
more satisfactorily for band because wind instruments can put an edge on the beginnings of notes
that strings cannot.
Roy Harris, composer, was commissioned in 1952 by Captain Francis E. Resta,
Commanding Officer and Conductor of the West Point Academy Band, to write a piece to
commemorate the Sesquicentennial Celebration of the United States Military Academy at West
Point. In a letter from Roy Harris, he provided an insight as to how one composer viewed the
challenge of composing for wind band at that time.
The writing of this work has been extraordinarily difficult for me because I hoped to achieve a work of symphonic breadth for your noble West Point Symphonic Band. My attention has been given, for many years, to write for symphony orchestra wherein one can draw heavily on the sustaining quality of the strings. The problem of writing for wind instruments is much more difficult in that one must make proper allowance for breathing. At this time, it seems to me that a symphonic band is like a cross between a pipe organ and a chorus; yet is has a great deal more agility than a chorus and more expressive control than a pipe organ.117
A primary consideration in the transcription of orchestral works for wind band is the
physical human component of breathing. String players, of course, do not have to breathe to
produce a tone. The flute, in contrast, requires a great deal of breath support and ample rests are
116Piston, Orchestration, 218. 117Larry D. Harper, “The Sesquicentennial Celebration Wind Band Commissions of the United States
Academy at West Point (1952),” (PhD diss., Michigan State University, 1987), 111.
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therefore necessary. It is conceivable for flutists to sustain phrases, but consideration must be
given to phrase length.118
Brass instruments are highly fatiguing to play, and performers are far more
susceptible to tiredness than woodwinds or strings. Scoring should include frequent rests.
Wide leaps are unnatural to brass because all tones are harmonics and the embouchure
must find the pitch. High tones are difficult because of increased air pressure and fine
adjustment of embouchure required to sound higher partials. The brass section provides a
homogeneous quality of tone, and it resonates with a breadth and solidity unmatched by
any other grouping of instruments.119
Brian Balmages, contemporary American composer, conductor, producer, and performer,
shared his view on transcribing works from one medium to another:
Typically, I do not like to transcribe band works for string orchestra. I rely so heavily on orchestration and texture that a lot of the piece gets lost in trying to translate. Plus, the piece is not as idiomatic and often sounds watered down as a result of trying to make it fit. I have been asked to transcribe band works for full orchestra. That makes more sense to me, but I also prefer to write organically for full orchestra so I can more aggressively harness the textures available to me in that group.120
Early scoring practices often utilized scoring by parallelism, methods of transcription in
which string parts were assigned to specific wind instruments. Transcribers of orchestral music
for wind band frequently substituted clarinets as the violin section and assigned other
instruments to their band counterparts. This method of transcription placed considerable
118Kent Wheeler Kennan, The Technique of Orchestration (Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1952),
73. 119Donald Rauscher, Orchestration Scores & Scoring (London: The Free Press of Glencoe, 1963), 83. 120Brian Balmages, interview by author, e-mail, July 18, 2012.
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emphasis on the woodwind section. Inconsistencies included restriction of range and issues with
balance and blend because brass tone qualities tended to dominate.121
Frequently, the sensitivity of technical string passages do not relate well to woodwind
instruments. In many cases, transcribed string parts are non-idiomatic for woodwind instruments
and create technical challenges that are almost impossible to surmount.
In the twentieth century, composers began developing new melodic and harmonic
concepts that made wind and percussion instruments a more integral part of orchestration. New
melodic and harmonic language made it obvious that wind and percussion instruments were
acoustically capable of and eminently suited for negotiating disjointed melodic lines and
percussive harmonic rhythms. Changes in compositional style, therefore, resulted in more
idiomatic scoring for winds and percussion.
It is not a surprising phenomenon that compositions developed scored exclusively for the
wind/percussion combination. The vocal-based melodic style of the Romantic Era had resulted in
considerable development for the strings of the orchestra. The disjointed melodic and harmonic
styles of the twentieth century resulted in a similar development of winds and percussion.
Orchestras Play Wind Works
During the first decade of the new millennium there was an increased number of wind
works performed by major symphony orchestras. In 2002, the New York Philharmonic
performed Joseph Turrin’s Hemispheres in New York City and on its tour to Germany and the
Far East. Ingolf Dahl’s Saxophone Concerto, Edgard Varese’s Deserts, John Harbison’s Music
for 18 Winds, Kurt Weill’s Kleine Dreigroschenmusik, and William Schuman’s George
121Mayer, Scoring for the Band.
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Washington Bridge were performed by the San Francisco Symphony, conducted by Michael
Tilson Thomas.122 The September 2002 WASBE Newsletter published an article by Timothy
Reynish about other performances of wind works by symphony orchestras.
The Berlin Philharmonic will play two wind works in Rattle’s first season, Magnus Lundberg’s Grand Duo and [another] new work especially commissioned from Hiner Goebbels. … The City of Birmingham’s Symphony Orchestra ... played Hindemith’s Symphony in B-flat, Lincolnshire Posy, and ... other major wind ensemble works by Mozart, Strauss, Stravinsky, and Messiaen. ... The Singapore Symphony recorded Thea Musgrave’s Journey through a Japanese Landscape with Evelyn Glennie. ... New York Philharmonic principal players Phil Smith and Joe Alessi performed Joseph Turrin’s Fandango with the New York Philharmonic’s wind section at Lincoln Center on July 18, 2000.123
Following a performance with the U. S. Marine Band at the Kennedy Center in
Washington, DC, Leonard Slatkin commented on the increased presence of wind works on
orchestra concerts. “I think you are finding more composers using the orchestral venue to
experiment and use different frameworks. So, some of the works that are emerging from wind
ensemble are designed not only for the use with bands but also for use within an orchestral
concert where you might not require the strings.”124
Interviews with Current Composers
As the popularity grows among professional orchestras to program wind compositions,
one may expect a trend for many composers to begin writing for both wind band as well as
orchestra. The author of this paper conducted interviews with three prominent wind band
composers. Similar questions were asked in an effort to determine why they chose to write
predominately for wind band instead of orchestra.
122Battisti, Winds of Change II , 202. 123Timothy Reynish, “Message form the President,” WASBE Newsletter (September 2002). 124Timothy Reynish, “Message from the President,” WASBE Newsletter (December 2002).
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Composer Rob Grice
Rob Grice’s compositions have been performed widely within the United States as well
as internationally, including Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe and the Middle East. His original
works and arrangements have been selected for performance at the Midwest Clinic, Society of
Wind Instruments (Germany), Texas Music Educators Conference, Carnegie Hall, Bands of
America Regional Championships, as well as numerous state and regional events. His music was
featured on Japan’s JVC Victor Entertainment BRN Compact Disc Series, a standard interpretive
reference source for Japan’s school music program. He receives many requests to commission
new concert works and creates numerous publications for concert band and string orchestra each
year.
Bodiford: What is your main area of composition? Wind Band or orchestra?
Grice: Wind Band
Bodiford: Please discuss why you choose to write for one ensemble over the other.
Grice: The market is wide open for writing for band. Unfortunately, the development of
new orchestral literature is very stagnant in comparison to band. Most orchestras that are at the
professional level tend to predominantly play the old standard literature. For a composer, it is
much easier to make a living writing for band rather than orchestra. Also, bands are hungry for
new compositions. When one writes for band, he can almost be assured that his composition will
be played (usually more than just one performance).
Bodiford: Have you ever written/transcribed a vocal/choral piece for an instrumental
ensemble? If so, what is your opinion? Can you describe the musical validity of instrumental
transcriptions of texted works?
Grice: No
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Bodiford: What is your background: orchestra, wind band, choral?
Grice: I was a member of a band program from sixth grade through college. I have taught
instrumental music for twenty-six years. Most of these years were teaching band programs.
Bodiford: What is your major instrument?
Grice: Euphonium was my major instrument in college. Piano is my main instrument
now.
Bodiford: Have you transcribed any of your band works for orchestra?
Grice: Yes, three of the transcriptions have been performed at the Midwest Clinic.
Bodiford: What is the difference when writing for string orchestra versus wind band in
regards to monetary compensation?
Grice: The Wind Band music market is considerably larger than the string Orchestra
market. The String Orchestra market is about one-quarter the size of the Wind Band Market. In
terms of grade levels, Grades 1-2 combined are 50% of sales, Grade 3 is 35% of sales, and
Grades 4-6 combined are 15% of sales.
In the author’s opinion, monetary compensation, marketability and circulation are
influential factors when composers are faced with the choice to either write for wind band or
orchestra. With the vast amount of wonderful orchestral literature available, orchestras tend to
perform the “standards” rather than exploring new compositions. The composer is also faced
with the additional task of ample monetary compensation, which predominantly occurs when a
work receives repeat performances. From this interview, one could conclude, many of today’s
young composers tend to gravitate toward composing for wind band.
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Composer Brian Balmages
Brian Balmages is an active composer, conductor, producer, and performer. His fresh
compositional ideas have resulted in a high demand for his wind, brass, and orchestral music
throughout the world. Mr. Balmages' compositions have been performed worldwide at
conferences including the College Band Directors National and Regional Conferences, the
Midwest Clinic, the International Tuba/Euphonium Conference, the International Trombone
Festival, and the International Trumpet Guild Conference. His active schedule of commissions
and premieres has incorporated groups ranging from elementary schools to professional
ensembles, including the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Miami Symphony Orchestra, the
University of Miami Wind Ensemble, James Madison University's School of Music, Boston
Brass, members of the United States Marine Band, and the Dominion Brass Ensemble. Members
of leading orchestras including the St. Louis Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, National
Symphony, and others have performed his music. He has also had world premieres in prestigious
venues such as Carnegie Hall and performances at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and
abroad.
Bodiford: What is your main area of composition? Wind Band or Orchestra?
Balmages: I do not really consider myself to have a main area of composition. I simply
write for the instrumentation of the commissioning group. The majority of my commissions tend
to be from wind bands as there tend to be more of those groups and they also are a bit more
active in the commissioning process, but I also receive commissions from orchestras and
chamber ensembles. So I prefer not to have a main area of composition. I just prefer to compose.
Bodiford: Please discuss why you choose to write for one ensemble over the other.
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Balmages: Several things dictate my ensemble preference: 1) The obvious, which is the
instrumentation of the commissioning group. 2) The colors necessary to convey the piece I am
writing (which is why I will sometimes postpone a work for winds if I feel it works better for
different instrumentation). There have been times that I scrapped a wind ensemble work and
started a new one, saving those melodies for an orchestra.
Bodiford: Have you ever written/transcribed a vocal/choral piece for an instrumental
ensemble? If so, can you describe the musical validity of instrumental transcriptions of texted
works? (By not having the words, do you find the piece less powerful, etc.)
Balmages: Yes, I have transcribed one of my own choral pieces for wind band. In this
case, I do not feel there was a compromise in the musical integrity. One of the main reasons is
because the piece was not constructed in verses and refrains. Often, that loses compositional
integrity because words are not present to create compositional variety from verse to verse. In
this case, the melodies and harmonies were ever evolving, so I found it to be quite compelling. In
fact, with a wind band, I was able to achieve a much more dramatic climax in spots, which was
very gratifying.
Bodiford: What is your background: orchestra, wind band, choral?
Balmages: My background includes both wind band and orchestral performance.
Bodiford: What is your major instrument?
Balmages: Trumpet
Bodiford: Have you transcribed any of your band works for orchestra? If so, why?
Balmages: Only two, and that was a long time ago: one for strings only and one for full
orchestra. Typically, I do not like to transcribe band works for string orchestra. I rely so heavily
on orchestration and texture that a lot of the piece gets lost in trying to translate. Plus, the piece is
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not as idiomatic and often winds up sounding watered down as a result of trying to make it fit. I
have been asked to transcribe band works for full orchestra. That makes more sense to me, but I
also prefer to write organically for full orchestra so I can more aggressively harness the textures
available to me in that group.
Bodiford: What is the difference when writing for string orchestra versus wind band in
regards to monetary compensation?
Balmages: If you are speaking about commission fees, I have no difference in
compensation. When a group commissions a work, they are commissioning me to compose.
Orchestration plays a large role in that process, but often it is even more difficult with a string
orchestra because you have to be very creative in order to achieve some unique sounds and the
fullness necessary for a piece to really stand on its own.
It is the opinion of the author of this document that composer Brian Balmages writes for
whatever ensemble commissions him. The instrumentation of the ensemble dictates key choices
in the melodies, orchestration and possibilities of color that can be achieved by the
commissioning ensemble. Orchestral compositions present unique challenges to the composer
because of the level of creativity necessary to produce fullness of sounds as compared to the
complete family of wind instruments found within wind bands. In some instances, the essence of
the piece becomes lost or is diminished when transcribing from one idiom to the other. This
composer feels that original works are more suited for the idiom in which they were written, as
opposed to a transcription.
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Composer Robert Sheldon
Robert Sheldon is one of the most performed composers of wind band music today. A
recipient of numerous awards for the American School Band Director’s Association, Phi Beta
Mu and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, his compositions embody
a level of expression that resonated with ensembles and audiences alike. His music is performed
around the world and appears on many international concert and contest lists. Mr. Sheldon
regularly accepts commissions for new works, and produces numerous publications for concert
band each year. Mr. Sheldon is currently Concert Band Editor for Alfred Music Publishing.
Bodiford: As a composer, have you been approached to transcribe some of your band
compositions for orchestra?
Sheldon: Yes, I have been asked to transcribe some of my band pieces for orchestra, both
full and string. In my opinion, it is far easier to get a new piece performed by a really great wind
ensemble than it is to get a new piece performed by a really great orchestra. For one thing, the
great orchestras are nearly all-professional organizations or are being conducted by people who
want to be perceived as being equal to the conductors of those professional organizations. So the
literature being performed is largely of another century, and that is for many reasons, but in my
opinion, mainly because there is so much great literature available from those past centuries. It
seems like so much of contemporary orchestra literature is really difficult, but not necessarily...
significant? Not sure if that is the right word.
We don’t have that legacy as much in the band world. Additionally, many great bands are
not professional in the same way that the great orchestras are, and it seems as though there is not
only a willingness to play new band works, but also a real hunger to seek them out.
Consequently, the overwhelming majority of my pieces are for band, especially because most of
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my commissions are for winds. Having said that, I have had two orchestra commissions this
year.
It is the opinion of the author that it is the belief of this composer that a new composition
is more likely to be performed by a professional group in the wind band area, than an orchestra.
Due to the vast amount of quality literature from the past century, the demand for new orchestral
literature is not as great as in the wind band area, thereby increasing the attractiveness of writing
for wind band.
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CHAPTER 6
CONCLUSION
Although the American Military Band was strongly influenced by its European
predecessors, the American Bands never completely conformed to the European repertoire. The
American band music, performed by the likes of Patrick Gilmore and John Phillip Sousa, served
as more of a source of entertainment during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries than true
art music.
As the role of the military and professional band’s changed, the nation began to see more
growth of school music programs. Civic events previously manned by local town bands and
professional bands now featured the local school band. A town’s school band became an
important point of civic pride. This phenomenon led to an explosion of the school band programs
in America. It also had a significant influence on a repertoire predominately consisting of
popular orchestral transcriptions, marches and novelty pieces.
The event that caused the most significant paradigm shift in the band repertoire
happened in the mid twentieth century when Fredrick Fennell formed the Eastman School
of Music Wind Ensemble. Out of frustration over the lack of quality literature for wind
bands, Fennell wrote to 400 composers explaining his project of promoting new works that
would fit within the instrumentation guidelines of his new ensemble. His office was flooded with
new works, and a new medium of musical activity began to surface. Prior to 1960, military
marches and orchestral transcriptions had served as the bulk of band repertoire.
Due to record numbers of commissioning projects, along with the continued formation of
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worldwide consortia, original wind band literature has advanced more in the past fifty years than
in all years before it combined. No other ensemble in history has seen its repertoire grow so
quickly in such a short time.
The American educational system and its development of school music programs is
perhaps the reason for the rapid proliferation of the wind band movement. Well-known
composers such as Varèse, Poulenc, Copland, Stravinsky, Hindemith and Barber, among others,
have made significant contributions to the wind ensemble literature. At the present time there is a
lucrative market for educational wind band/ensemble literature. Many of today’s composers are
attracted to this profitable and flourishing market.
As the market for wind band literature continues to grow, sustainability of the music is
sometimes debated. In the 2002 book, Composers on Composing for Band, David Holsinger, a
very successful American composer and conductor states:
I see the band and band repertoire as 'the next big thing.'... I am the first to admit that our history of truly lasting masterworks probably is just getting off the ground, but I am excited with the future of band repertoire and the composers it is beginning to draw into its environment. The primary orchestral repertoire today features works that are 75 to 200 years old. A century from now, the orchestra will feature a repertoire 175 to 300 years old. It won't have changed because the late 1700s to early 1900s was the golden ages of orchestral literature. Yes, I know that there is new music written for the orchestra year in and year out, but I also know that even 100 years from today, the future of the symphonic orchestra will still be in the hands of a generation of 'social' listeners who view the orchestra hall as a center of convivial function, musical grace and purity, and even if Eric Whitacre decides to re-score 'Godzilla Eats Las Vegas’ for electric chamber strings, just the title alone will not do the season subscription sales any favors!125 It is acceptable to wonder whether the literature of the present wind band is well crafted
on a level with those of esteemed master composers. None of the repertoire for the wind band is
yet of the vintage to simply apply the test of survivability over the passage of time. The
125Camphouse, Composers on Composing for Band, 200.
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sustainability of band repertoire is vitally dependent upon the quality of composers who create
for the medium and upon conductors who provide vibrant musical interpretations for audiences
willing to accept new frontiers and challenges as listeners. Should any of those elements go
lacking, proliferation of high-level repertoire for wind band may lack sustainability in the long
term.
Pulitzer Prize winning composer Joseph Schwantner writes for both orchestra and wind
ensemble. Numerous awards, grants and fellowships have marked his career. In his composition,
…and the mountains rising nowhere, he utilized standard techniques of twentieth-century music
and expanded on them. His masterful style of creating new timbres for wind band, facilitated
avenues for other composers to experiment with new techniques. This composition is a major
work that is a model of exotic scoring. The form of the piece is A B A1 with eleven subsections.
The music is presented in extremes with sudden changes in texture, dramatic dynamic shifts and
a very large percussion section. Special coloristic devices include bowed tam tam and crotales,
water gong, glass crystals, singing, whistling and amplified piano.
…and the mountains rising nowhere is centered around sustained sonority techniques. As
a result, the composer drastically reduced the elements of traditional form and harmony, to
explore and enrich timbral possibilities of the band. This composition represented freedom from
any instrumentation limitations and opened the wind band medium for further development of
timbre possibilities, which at that time, had not been fully explored.
Current composers such as Michael Colgrass and David Maslanka are creating new
sounds that reflect a focus on timbre as a compositional element. Their experiments with unique
instrumentation, the identification of less frequently used instruments in solo roles, and
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percussion as an integral part of the music, are a continuation of Schwantner’s alteration to
instrumentation.
Since Schwantner is a recognized composer in his time and his works, including …and
the mountains rising nowhere, are continuing to be performed widely, his works exhibit
characteristics, which indicate that they will be sustainable through the passage of time.
Frank Ticheli is another composer whose compositions show promise as sustainable
literature. His orchestral works have received considerable recognition throughout the United
States and Europe. He has become well known for his concert band compositions, many of
which have become standards in the repertoire. His compositions accommodate levels of all
musicians from middle school to college/university. For example, his Shenandoah was written
with a junior high school level band in mind. The instruments never extend into their extreme
ranges, and the rhythms are very simple. Regardless of its simplicity, the piece offers a challenge
to bands even at the university level. In this way, Ticheli is a pioneer in his field. In the early
twentieth century, there was a pressing need for easy band music that was worthy of serious
study. He has written several works, which are in that category.
Ticheli’s orchestration is atypical, regardless of grade level. His common characteristics
include: using tutti scoring sparingly; he deliberately scores the melody in second and third parts;
his employment of percussion is designed for maximum effect (by not overscoring); he rarely, if
ever repeats a section of music using the same orchestration or texture. His compositions show
promise of sustainability not only at the advanced level but at the intermediate level as well.
Another composer whose compositions show possibilities of sustainability is John
Corigliano. He is an Italian American composer, that served as the concertmaster of the New
York Philharmonic for twenty three years. He composes for both string orchestra and wind
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band. In 2001 he received the Pulitzer Prize for his Symphony No. 2 and an Academy Award for
Original Music Score for the 1999 movie, The Red Violin.
Circus Maximus was his first work specifically written for concert band. It is a large
theatrical piece in which the entire work was concieved spatially. He encircles the audience with
musicians so that they feel as if they are in the center of an arena, hence, the Circus Maximus. It
is a thirty-five minute work in eight sections which are played without pause.
Perhaps the essence of the piece was best captured in a performance review in the Austin
Chronical by music critic, Robert Fair:
The work came at you from all directions-quite literally, as pockets of the ensemble were stationed all about the hall. The sense of being surrounded, of being at the center of the monumental arena of the title, was alternately enticing and intimidating…wisely included passages of peace and reflection, moments that summoned the tranquility of deep night in the country, where nature still reigns, and of human prayer...What was most powerful and extraordinady about Circus Maximus was the way that it reflected those pressures and the character of our culture – the violence, the pride, the impatience, the disconnectedness, the sence of menace and of mourning – to a degree that was unnerving126.
Circus Maximus is a composition that evokes emotion in the listener. Listeners may not
be able to remember every musical component, but they will remember how it made them feel.
They will remember non-quantifiable and non-verbal points of emotional impact. A musical
composition, which has implicit power to connect with listeners on an emotional level, is
(in the opinion of this researcher), a composition which has inherent qualities of
sustainability. In the words of American author and poet, Maya Angelou: “I've learned that
people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget
how you made them feel.”
126 Robert, Fair. The Austin Chronicle, "Circus Maximus." Last modified 2005. Accessed October 13, 2012.
http://citationmachine.net/index2.php?start=&reqstyleid=10&mode=form&reqsrcid=ChicagoWebsite&srcCode=11&more=yes&nameCnt=1&stylename=Chicago&more=yes.
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It is aesthetically significant to evaluate how composers utilize materials, forms, and
idiomatic orchestrations to produce a work that is capable of generating non-quantitative
responses in all who participate in the processes of creating and listening. Even if the work is
created upon valid principles, it may or may not produce pleasurable responses from all listeners.
Its popularity may be greatly affected in early performances due to utilization of unfamiliar
harmonic and melodic language even though the composer may well have regarded it as a
compelling creative effort.
For that reason, compositions which depart from traditional concepts, may not be
attractive to composers. If popularity and publications revenues are primary, composers may
alter and compromise their best instincts. The same is true for conductors who may also desire
public approbation. The wind band medium, however, will move forward only through those
individuals who are willing to assume risks in creativity and performance.
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REFERENCES
Bachman, Harold. “Is There an Emerging Band Repertoire.” Proceedings of the College Band Directors National Association (February 1967). Ball, James. “A conductor’s guide to selected contemporary American orchestral compositions.”
Phd diss., University of Missouri-Kansas City, 1992. Battisti, Frank. The Winds of Change. Galesville: Meredith Music Publications, 2002. __________. Winds of Change II: The New Millennium. Galesville: Meredith Music, 2012. Briggs, Jeffrey Lynn. “The Recent Music of Joseph Schwantner: Unique and Essential
Elements.” PhD diss., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1984.
___________. The Recent Music of Joseph Schwantner. 1984. Bryan, Paul. “Is There an Emerging Repertoire?” Proceedings of the College Band Directors National Association (February 1967). Buys, Peter. Bands in the United States. New York: Lee Stern Press, 1841. Camphouse, Mark. Composers on Composing for Band. Chicago: GIA Publications Inc., 2002. Clarke, Herbert L. “Famous Leaders--Patrick S. Gilmore.”Musical Messenger (February 1920), College Band Directors National Association. “New Band Works Produced by the Goldman Band from 1918 to 1949.” Proceedings of the College Band Directors National Association (December 1949). __________. Proceedings of the College Band Directors National Association (December
1952). Corigliano, John. Circus Maximus ‘I. Introitus’. G. Schirmer, Inc.,
2004. G. Schirmer OnDemand.
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