A concert band, also called wind band, symphonic band, symphonic winds, wind orchestra, wind symphony, or wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of several members of the woodwind instrument family, brass instrument family and percussion instrument family. Types of woodwind instruments See also List of woodwind instruments Single-reed instruments use a reed, which is a thin cut A brass instrument is a Musical instrument whose tone is produced by vibration of the lips as the player blows into a tubular Resonator. Its various repertoire include original wind compositions, arranged classical items, light music, and popular tunes. Compositions is Anita Baker 's fourth Studio album. The album peaked at #5 on Billboard 200. Light music is a generic term applied to a mainly British musical style of "light" orchestral music which originated in the 19th Century and had its heyday during Though the instrumentation is similar, it is distinguished from the marching band in that its primary function is as a concert ensemble. A marching band is in the broadest terms a group of performers that consist of instrumental Musicians and sometimes dance teams / color guard who generally perform The repertoire for a concert band may, however, contain marches. A march, as a Musical genre, is a piece of music with a strong regular rhythm which in origin was expressly written for marching to and most frequently performed by a Military
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History
In the 18th century, these military ensembles were doing double duty as entertainment at the royal courts, either alone or combined with orchestral strings. Composers such as Mozart were writing chamber music for these groups, called Harmonie bands, which evolved to a standard instrumentation of two oboes, two clarinets, two horns, and two bassoons. Chamber music is a form of Classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber Harmonie is a German word that in the context of the history of music designates a band of wind instruments employed by an aristocratic patron particularly during the In addition to original compositions, these groups also played transcriptions of opera music. Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto
Contact with the music of the Turkish Janissaries contributed to the expansion of the Western European wind band. The Janissaries (derived from Ottoman Turkish ينيچرى ( yeniçeri) meaning "new soldier" comprised Infantry units that formed The splendor and dramatic effect of their percussion prompted the adoption of bass drum, cymbals, and triangle, as well as piccolo to balance the increased weight of the percussion section; see Turkish music (style). A bass drum is a large Drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. Cymbals are a modern percussion instrument Cymbals consist of thin normally round plates of various Cymbal alloys; see Cymbal making for a discussion of their The piccolo is a small Flute. Like the flute the piccolo is normally pitched in the key of C one octave above the concert flute (making it effectively a sopranino "Turkish music", in the sense described here is not really Music of Turkey, but rather a musical style that was occasionally used by the European composers of the More clarinets were gradually added and brass instruments were further developed. By 1810 the wind band had reached its current size, though the instrumentation differed in various countries.
During the 19th century large ensembles of wind and percussion instruments in the English and American traditions existed mainly in the form of the Military band for ceremonial and festive occasions, and the works performed consisted mostly of marches. The music of the United States reflects the country's multi-ethnic population through a diverse array of styles A military band is a group of personnel that perform musical duties for military functions usually Mark from the Old English mearc and march (or various plural forms of these words derived from the Frankish word marka ("boundary" The only time wind bands were used in a concert setting comparable to that of a symphony orchestra was when transcriptions of orchestral or operatic pieces were arranged and performed, as there were comparatively few original concert works for a large wind ensemble. An orchestra is an instrumental ensemble, usually fairly large with string brass woodwind sections and possibly a percussion section as well The first notable and influential original symphonic work for band was Gustav Holst's First Suite in E-Flat, written in 1909. Gustav Theodore Holst (21 September 1874 – 25 May 1934was an English Composer and was a music teacher for nearly 20 years The "First Suite in E-flat major for Military Band" (Op Year 1909 ( MCMIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting To this day the piece is considered the classic work of symphonic band, and beginning with Holst a variety of British, American, Canadian and Australian composers wrote for the medium, including notably Howard Cable, Percy Grainger and Ralph Vaughan-Williams. Gustav Theodore Holst (21 September 1874 – 25 May 1934was an English Composer and was a music teacher for nearly 20 years The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Howard Reid Cable (born December 15, 1920 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) is a conductor, Arranger, Music George Percy Grainger (8 July 1882&ndash20 February 1961 was an Australian born Composer, Pianist and champion of the Saxophone and the Ralph (reɪf Vaughan Williams OM (12 October 1872 &ndash 26 August 1958 was an English Composer of symphonies, Chamber music
The works of the British band masters, in conjunction with the aspirations of college band directors, lead to the belief that the wind band could complement the symphony orchestra as a vehicle of artistic expression at the highest level. This led to the formation of the College Band Directors' National Association, and spawned the commissioning of works from a wide variety of composers.
Development of the wind ensemble
The modern wind ensemble was established by Frederick Fennell at Eastman School of Music as the Eastman Wind Ensemble in 1952 after the model of the orchestra: a pool of players from which a composer can select in order to create different sonorities. Frederick Fennell ( July 2, 1914 in Cleveland Ohio – December 7, 2004 in Siesta Key Florida) was an internationally The Eastman School of Music (also known more simply as The Eastman School, Eastman, or ESM) is a music conservatory located in the The Eastman Wind Ensemble is a famous American Concert band founded by Frederick Fennell at the Eastman School of Music in 1952 Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. An orchestra is an instrumental ensemble, usually fairly large with string brass woodwind sections and possibly a percussion section as well The wind ensemble is generally modeled on the wind section of a "Wagner" orchestra. While many people consider the wind ensemble to be one player on a part, this is only practical in true chamber music. Full band pieces usually require doubling or tripling of the clarinet parts, and six trumpeters is typical in a wind ensemble. According to Fennell, the wind ensemble was not revolutionary, but developed naturally out of the music that led him to the concept. However, the concept was in stark contrast to the large collegiate symphony bands of the time, particularly the 100-member band of the University of Michigan, conducted by William D. Revelli. The University of Michigan Ann Arbor ( U of M, U-M, UM or simply Michigan) is a top-ranked Coeducational public research William D Revelli ( Feb 12, 1902 - July 16, 1994) was the director of bands including the Michigan Marching Band, at the University
H. Robert Reynolds and others of his school of thought extended the Eastman model for wind ensembles, declaring that the wind ensemble should play only original wind ensemble works — no transcriptions, and no band pieces such as the Sousa marches or concert music intended for larger symphonic winds. John Philip Sousa ( November 6, 1854 &ndash March 6, 1932) was an American Composer and conductor of the late This music should be of a serious and worthwhile nature, or the highest quality. Time and practicality have moderated this position, and today even Reynolds has produced quality arrangements for the modern wind band.
Contemporary composers found that wind bands offered a welcome opportunity to perform new music, in contrast to the conservative stance maintained by many symphony orchestras.
Collegiate band directors
College band directors have been the driving force behind the expansion and improvement of repertoire of the concert band. This partial List of University and College Band Directors and Conductors contains American band directors and conductors from Universities and Colleges Nearly every college or university with a music program has a performing wind band; most give concerts that are open to the general public as well as the university community, and often tour other locations as well as perform at conferences.
Some of the foremost collegiate band directors in the world today include:
- Eugene Corporon (University of North Texas)
- Dr. Eugene Migliaro Corporon is a highly regarded North American Wind Ensemble conductor and as a Wind band Pedagogue, is considered an authority Kenneth Ozzello (University of Alabama)
- Gary Green (University of Miami)
- Philip Robinson (University of Manchester)
- Glen Adsit (The Hartt School)
Some famous recently retired band directors include:
- Frank Battisti (New England Conservatory)
- Frederick Fennell (deceased) (Eastman School of Music) (also conducted the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra)
Their collegiate ensembles often play at a professional or near-professional standard, and the availability of these highly skilled groups and their openness to new music is attractive to composers. Gary Green is an American conductor, specializing in the wind band The University of Miami (also known as Miami of Florida, UM, or just The U) is a private non-sectarian University founded in 1925 Philip Robinson is an English conductor, Arranger and music educator. The University of Manchester is a " red brick " civic University located in Manchester, England. The Hartt School is a school of performing arts located in West Hartford Connecticut, primarily providing postsecondary programs in music dance and theatre Frank Battisti is the Conductor Emeritus of the New England Conservatory of Music Wind Ensemble. Frederick Fennell ( July 2, 1914 in Cleveland Ohio – December 7, 2004 in Siesta Key Florida) was an internationally The Eastman School of Music (also known more simply as The Eastman School, Eastman, or ESM) is a music conservatory located in the The is a professional Concert band that has long been regarded as one of the world's finest perhaps rivaled only in recent years by the Dallas Wind Symphony (USA
Military bands
The majority of full-time professional ensembles are military bands and, outside the United States, also police bands. A military band is a group of personnel that perform musical duties for military functions usually One example is the Air Force Academy Band (inception in 1942 as the "Flying Yanks", reactivated for the United States Air Force Academy in 1955, Colorado Springs, CO). The United States Air Force Academy ( USAFA or Air Force) is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officers for the United States Air The City of Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the County seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado,
Professional bands
Professional concert bands not associated with the military are few and far between, and most do not offer "full-time" positions. The few ensembles in this category that exist today include the following:
- Dallas Wind Symphony, led by Jerry Junkin
- Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra, led for many years by Frederick Fennell, and as of 2006 conducted by Sir Douglas Bostock
- Ensemble vent et percussion de Québec [1], led by René Joly since 1995. The Dallas Wind Symphony (DWS is a professional Concert band based in Dallas, Texas ( USA) The is a professional Concert band that has long been regarded as one of the world's finest perhaps rivaled only in recent years by the Dallas Wind Symphony (USA Frederick Fennell ( July 2, 1914 in Cleveland Ohio – December 7, 2004 in Siesta Key Florida) was an internationally
- Knoxville Wind Symphony, conducted by Dr. Marshall Forrester
- Ottawa Wind Ensemble [2]
- Royal Hawaiian Band
- Concordia Santa Fe, a newly formed wind ensemble in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Community bands
Most adult bands outside of colleges and military institutions are community bands. The Royal Hawaiian Band is the oldest and only full-time municipal band in the United States. A community band is a Concert band ensemble generally sponsored by the town or city in which it is located and consisting of Amateur performers A community band is a community-based ensemble of wind and percussion players, generally sponsored by the town or city in which it is located and consisting of amateur performers. It will typically hold regular rehearsals and perform at least one to three times per year. Notable community bands today (2006) include:
- Dragefjellets Musikkorps (Bergen Symphonic Band)
- Savannah River Winds, conducted by Richard Brasco and Lou Cefus
- The Gisborne Youth Concert Band, conducted by Chris Fox. Dragefjellets Musikkorps, also known as the Bergen Symphonic Band is an elite division amateur Wind band in Bergen, Norway. The Savannah River Winds (SRW is a semi-professional Wind ensemble conducted by Richard Brasco and Lou Cefus The Gisborne Youth Concert Band is a Youth Concert Band which presides in Gisborne New Zealand.
- Salt Lake Symphonic Winds, conducted by Dr. The Salt Lake Symphonic Winds is a community concert band in Salt Lake City Utah that plays contemporary band music Thomas P. Rohrer.
- Birmingham Symphonic Winds, conducted by Keith Allen
- State College Area Municipal Band, conducted by Dr. Birmingham Symphonic Winds (BSW is a UK -based amateur wind orchestra in the style of the Eastman Wind Ensemble. Ned Diehl
- Manningham Concert Band, Australia, conducted by Andrew van Gemert
- Guam Territorial Band, Guam, USA conducted by Max Ronquillo, Jr.
- Staunton Municipal Band, conducted by Ken Kay
- The Oklahoma City Symphonic Band, conducted by Dr. Mark Belcik
School bands
School bands vary in size and instrumentation, depending on the number of students that are in the band, and the versatility and virtuosity of the players. A school band is a group of Student musicians who rehearse and perform Instrumental Music together Some school bands follow a set educational program which dictates particular styles of pieces that are standard to the music curriculum. Such curricula usually include a concert overture, a march, and a miscellaneous band piece, often one in the pop music genre. A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of Orchestral Music in one movement in which some extramusical program provides a narrative or illustrative element The director may also slightly bypass the curriculum, choosing music of whatever style he or she pleases, especially if the band is small.
Most school bands start at the 5th or 6th grade, and they go up to upper high school. The high school band resembles a community band in ability and repertoire, with considerations for the increased rehearsal time available to high school students.
Almost every public and private school district has a band, and some schools have a school orchestra as well. An orchestra is an instrumental ensemble, usually fairly large with string brass woodwind sections and possibly a percussion section as well Some private and public schools have both, especially if the district is very large.
Competitions
Throughout much of their history, wind bands have been promoted through regional and national music competitions and festivals. A music competition is a public event designed to identify and award outstanding Musical ensembles and/or soloists. Currently, the largest among these is the annual All-Japan Band Association national contest, which in recent years has included around 14,000 bands. The All-Japan Band Association (AJBA is an organization that exists solely for the purpose of facilitating an enormous annual competition among Japanese wind bands Other large competitions include the World Music Competition, held in the Netherlands; and the Southeast Asia Concert Band Festival, held in Hong Kong. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands
Instrumentation
Instrumentation for the wind band is not standardized; composers will frequently add or omit parts. Instruments and parts in parentheses are less common but still often used; due to the fact that some bands are missing these instruments, important lines for these instruments are often cued into other parts.
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¹Trumpet and cornet parts are often considered interchangeable and are sometimes separated into 3 or 4 cornet parts and two trumpet parts, however this practice is no longer used and is usually only seen in older (e. A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a Musical keyboard. A string instrument (or stringed instrument) is a Musical instrument that produces Sound by means of Vibrating strings In the Hornbostel-Sachs The piano is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard that produces sound by striking steel strings with Felt covered hammers The celesta (pronounced /səˈlɛstə/ or celeste (pronounced /səˈlɛst/ is a struck Idiophone operated by a keyboard. The harp is a Stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicular to the soundboard. The organ (from Greek όργανον – organon "organ instrument tool" is a Keyboard instrument of one or more divisions each An electronic keyboard or digital keyboard is a type of Keyboard instrument. The violoncello (abbreviated to cello, or 'cello, plural cellos or celli —the c is tʃ The double bass is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed String instrument used in the modern symphony orchestra. The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the An electric guitar is a type of Guitar that uses pickups to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into an electrical current which is made louder See also Acoustic Guitar (magazine An acoustic guitar is a Guitar that uses only acoustic methods to project the sound produced by its strings g. pre-1950) works and transcriptions. Trumpet are almost always in B-flat though Trumpets in E-flat and C were used commonly in the heyday of professional concert bands.
²The baritone/euphonium part is usually provided in both bass clef (concert pitch) and treble clef (in B-flat, sounding a major 9th below written). A clef (from the French for "key" is a musical symbol used to indicate the pitch of written notes. A clef (from the French for "key" is a musical symbol used to indicate the pitch of written notes. A major ninth is a compound Musical interval spanning 14 Semitones or an Octave plus 2 semitones
³Percussion ensembles in concert bands can range from 2 to over 14 players. Complicated percussion parts are common in concert band pieces, often requiring many percussionists; many believe this is a major difference between the orchestra, which usually lacks a large battery of percussion, and the concert band.
It should be noted that instrumentation differs depending on the type of ensemble. Middle and high school bands frequently have more limited instrumentation and fewer parts (for example, no double reeds, or only two horn parts instead of four). This is both to limit the difficulty for inexperienced players and because schools frequently do not have access to the less common instruments.
The standard concert band will have several players on each part, depending on available personnel and the preference of the conductor. Conducting is the act of directing a Musical performance by way of visible gestures A concert band can theoretically have as many as 200 members from a set of only 35 parts. The wind ensemble, on the other hand, will have very little doubling, if any; commonly, clarinets or flutes may be doubled, especially to handle any divisi passages, and others will have one player per part, as dictated by the requirements of a specific composition. Also, it is common to see two tubas playing the same part in a wind ensemble.
Contemporary compositions often call on players to use unusual instruments or effects. For example, several pieces call on the use of a siren while others will ask players to play recorders, a glass harmonica, or to sing. In Greek mythology, the Sirens ( Greek singular Seirēn; Greek plural Seirēnes) were three dangerous bird-women The recorder is a woodwind Musical instrument of the family known as Fipple Flutes ' or internal duct flutes &mdash whistle-like The glass harmonica, also known as the glass armonica, hydrocrystalophone, or simply armonica (derived from "armonia" the Italian The wind band's diverse instrumentation and large number of players makes it a very flexible ensemble, capable of producing a variety of sonic effects.
Repertoire
Development of a repertoire
Until early in the 20th century, there was little music written specifically for the wind band, which led to an extensive repertoire of pieces transcribed from orchestral works, or arranged from other sources. However, as the wind band moved out of the sole domain of the military marching ensemble and into the concert hall, it has gained favor with composers, and now many works are being written specifically for the concert band and the wind ensemble. While today there are composers who write exclusively for band, it is worth noting that many composers famous for their work in other genres have given their talents to composition for wind bands as well.
Prominent composers for concert band
Early/Middle twentieth century
Some of the most important names in establishing literature written specifically for concert band in the early and middle 20th century were:
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Late twentieth century through the present
Over the last forty years, many composers have written major new works for wind ensemble. John Philip Sousa ( November 6, 1854 &ndash March 6, 1932) was an American Composer and conductor of the late Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (Игорь Фёдорович Стравинский) ( &ndash 6 April 1971 was a Russian born Composer, considered by many to Ralph (reɪf Vaughan Williams OM (12 October 1872 &ndash 26 August 1958 was an English Composer of symphonies, Chamber music Some of these composers have risen to the forefront as being particularly important in the concert band's development. Among these:
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James Swearingen may also be considered as an important contributor to modern concert band literature. Samuel Hans Adler (born March 4, 1928) is an American ( German -born Composer and conductor. Leslie Bassett (born January 22, 1923 in Hanford California) is an American Composer of classical music, and the Warren Benson ( Jan 26, 1924 – Oct 6, 2005) was an American composer John Barnes Chance ( November 20, 1932 &ndash August 16, 1972) was a composer born in Beaumont Texas. Michael Colgrass (b April 22 1932, Chicago Illinois) is an American-born musician composer and educator John Corigliano (b February 16, 1938, New York City New York) is an American Composer of Classical music and a teacher David Gillingham (1947-) is a contemporary Composer. He attended the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh for his undergraduate degree in Music Education and Michigan Morton Gould ( December 10, 1913 &ndash February 21, 1996) was an American Pianist, Composer, conductor David R Holsinger (born December 26, 1945 in Hardin Missouri) is an American Composer and conductor writing primarily Karel Husa (born August 7, 1921 in Prague) is a Czech -born classical Composer and conductor Johannes Abraham (Johan de Meij (ˈjohɑn dʏ ˈmɛi born November 23, 1953, Voorburg) is a Dutch conductor trombonist and composer best known for Vincent Ludwig Persichetti ( June 6, 1915 &ndash August 14, 1987) was an American Composer, teacher and Pianist. Alfred Reed (January 25 1921 &ndash September 17 2005 was one of America's most prolific and frequently performed Composers with more than two hundred published works for Herbert Owen Reed (born June 17, 1910) is an American Composer, conductor, and Author. Gunther Schuller (born November 22 1925) is an American Composer and horn player Joseph Schwantner (born March 22, 1943 in Chicago Illinois) is a Pulitzer Prize winning American composer and educator and a member Claude Thomas Smith ( March 14, 1932 - December 13, 1987) was an American Educator, conductor, and Composer This article is about the composer For other uses of the name Robert W Philip Sparke (born 1951 in London) is a British Composer and Musician. Frank Ticheli (born Jan 21, 1958 in Monroe Louisiana) is an American composer of Orchestral choral, chamber David Del Tredici, born March 16, 1937 in Cloverdale California, is an American composer. Fisher Aubrey Tull Jr ( September 23, 1934 – August 23, 1994) known professionally as Fisher A
Important concert band literature
See article at List of concert band literature. This is a list of some of the standards of wind band repertoire
Band associations
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References
- "Band", Grove Music Online ed. The American Bandmasters Association was formed in 1929 by Edwin Franko Goldman (1878 - 1956 to promote Concert band music The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians is an Encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians L. Macy Grove Music Online: subscription only
- Berz, William, "What's in a Name?," Tempo, 52 no. 1 (November 1997): 28-29. [3]
See also
- Category: Concert band pieces
- Category: Musical groups
External links
- Brass Bands
- The Kew Wind Orchestra
- Winds: The International Magazine for the Wind Band Enthusiast
- Community-Music - a comprehensive resource for community band musicians and conductors
- Directory of American Community Concert Bands and Wind Ensembles
- Directory of Canadian Community Concert Bands and Wind Ensembles
- Art of the States: symphonic band works for symphonic band by American composers
- Harmonie Municipale de Dudelange - a concert band from Luxembourg (Europe), offers a selection of audio clips from many original works and transcriptions mentioned above.
- Brassmusic.Ru — Russian Brass Community
- A History of the Wind Band
- Band Symphonic Colmenar Viejo
- Manningham Concert Band, Australia
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