Reprinted with permission from Tempo,
the official magazine of the New
Jersey Music Educators Association.
Citation information: Berz, William, "Band Music New And Old," Tempo, 56(4), May, 2002, 20-21.
Band conductors need to constantly look for music that is artistically
interesting and of educational value. I have written about this in some
detail in the past and would urge readers to consult previous issues of
Tempo if interested. (For those who do not have access to old issues,
we have reprinted my articles on the Rutgers Music website:
http://music.rutgers.edu/windband/tempohome.htm.)
It is very difficult to truly appreciate the dramatic changes in band
literature during the past 50 or 60 years. Prior to that time there
really was not a serious repertoire for bands. Most groups played
transcriptions of orchestral music, novelty numbers, and marches.
Certainly there were some serious works, including the suites by Holst
and Vaughan Williams. However, these were the exceptions rather than
the rule.
Frederick Fennell has spoken and written about the very small quality
of serious repertoire that was available when he founded the Eastman
Wind Ensemble 50 years ago. He spent considerable energy encouraging
composers to write for the medium. (There are a number of accounts of
Fennell’s early work at Eastman and how he encouraged composers to
write for “his” new group. His own account is a short and easy read.
The article by Hunsberger and book by Battisti also tell the story; see
below.) Certainly, Fennell is a true pioneer and champion for a serious
wind movement. His contribution is almost impossible to measure and can
serve as an inspiration to all.
The modern band conductor's task of choosing music to perform is far
different than that faced by Fennell in the 1950s. Today, we have a
considerable repertoire that is continuing to grow by leaps and bounds.
Our end goal remains the same as always: to select music of quality. I
might also suggest that we balance newly composed works with older
pieces to provide contrast of style and to assure historical continuity.
We must continue to encourage composers to write quality music much as
Fennell did in earlier times. One sure way to do this is to program new
music — this having many benefits. First, composers get to hear their
music, which will undoubtedly help them to develop as creative artists.
Second, and more practically, for those composers whose music is
published, sales will assure that their music stays in print, thereby
being available for future performances. And success will encourage
them to write additional works.
We in New Jersey are particularly fortunate to have several outstanding
composers who specialize in music for the serious wind-band. Two of the
most widely recognized are Timothy Broege and Bruce Yurko. I am always
surprised how few New Jersey band conductors seem to program music by
these wonderful composers. Yurko's compositions range from medium to
difficult. Broege writes music of all difficulty levels including
wonderful titles for the elementary band.
I would also encourage directors to consider commissioning composers to
write works specifically for their own groups. Frank Battisti
commissioned some of the real masterworks for the band medium while he
was a high school band director in Ithaca, New York. (See the book by
Norcross cited in the bibliography.) My former colleague Bill Kellerman
commissioned then relatively unknown composer Steven Bryant to write a
piece for his Bartle Elementary School Band. Bryant visited his band
and worked with the students while composing his Overturus Interruptus.
The result is a real masterpiece for the developing band. Especially
with young composers, the commissioning fee can be very modest, and
band boosters could be enlisted to help raise the funds necessary for
this special activity. Grants are also available for this purpose. It
can be a marvelous experience for the students (and the composer). Even
forgetting the quality of the resulting work, the experience in itself
would be memorable.
While I firmly believe in the need to expand our repertoire, I also
believe that band conductors have done a particularly poor job in
preserving our past. Obviously, there were many works written in then
1950s, 1960s, and 1970s that do not deserve much further attention.
However, there are a great many works that have fallen out of favor for
no particularly good reason.
I have spent a significant amount of time recently devoted to research
on the composer H. Owen Reed. Most high school and college conductors
are familiar with his La Fiesta
Mexicana. (William Silvester has recorded it with his fine TCNJ
Wind Ensemble, a terrific performance.) It was one of the first —if not
the actual first — symphony for the modern serious wind band. He
composed the work in 1948 and 1949 as part of his Guggenheim Fellowship
activities. The United States Marine Band conducted by William F.
Santelmann premiered it in 1950, and Fennell’s 1954 Mercury recording
brought it considerable attention. It has received thousands of
performances since.
However, very few conductors know of his other works, many of which are
accessible by high school bands. Most are published again and are
readily available. Heart of the Morn,
Spiritual, The Awakening of the Ents, and Missouri Shindig are all very
playable by high school bands. For
the Unfortunate is somewhat more challenging (Grade 5)[some
might say Grade 6] but still
within the bounds of good high school ensembles. It was composed for
the McKeesport (PA) High School Band and won the Kjos Memorial Award in
1975. All of his works are unique and represent serious artistic
expression lacking in much of today's best selling titles for band.
They deserve more interest than they currently receive.
There are many other composers deserving renewed attention, including
Roger Nixon (Reflections, Elegy and Fanfare-March), Howard
Hanson (Chorale and Alleluia, Dies Natalis), Virgil Thompson (A Solemn Music), Alan Hovhaness
(Hymn to Yerevan, Suite for Band, Tapor
No. 1), Samuel Adler (A Little
Night and Day Music), and Hale Smith (Take a Chance, Somersault). All of the pieces
listed are Grade 4 or easier. There are countless pieces by these and
other distinguished composers that are sadly neglected. Conductors and
students alike would profit from study of this music.
Let me add one postscript and qualifier to this discussion about
literature. I wrote this article during the midst of New Jersey’s
concert band festival season, and repertoire choice is quite fresh in
my mind. I heard a fair number of bands and spoke with several
adjudicators from several different sites about what constitutes
appropriate repertoire for band festivals.
Music selection for band festival presents special challenges for the
band director. (See my Tempo
article from January, 2000 for some specific ideas.) Certainly, musical
interest and pedagogical value are still the most important variables.
The work must generate musical interest. (Adjudicators almost always
make jokes about the lack of musical substance in pieces by certain
oft-performed “band” composers — with good reason perhaps.) However,
directors must also recognize that their selection of repertoire should
not place their students at a performing disadvantage at the festival.
Directors should avoid the most standard works like the plague (such as
the suites of Holst and Vaughan Williams). Adjudicators have
pre-conceived ideas about the interpretation of these works. Avoid
music that features weaknesses in the group such as solos by weak
players. Rather, highlight the strengths. There is a considerable
repertoire that has musical validity that can be played well, but it
might take some research to find it. Conductors should exercise their
best musical judgement.
Choice of repertoire might be one of the most important tasks for the
band director. The nature of the educational experience depends on
studying music that possesses musical substance, and choosing music of
differing styles will make the experience richer. Examining
non-conventional choices might prove to be a most rewarding activity
for student and teacher alike.
Bibliography
Battisti,
Frank. The
Twentieth Century American Wind Band/Ensemble: History, Development and
Literature. Fort Lauderdale, FL: Meredith Music Publications, 1995.
Fennell, Frederick. The Wind Ensemble. Arkadelphia, AR: Delta
Publications, 1988.
Hunsberger, Donald, “The Wind Ensemble Concept,” in The Wind Ensemble
and its Repertoire: Essays on the Fortieth Anniversary of the Eastman
Wind Ensemble, eds. Frank J. Cipolla and Donald Hunsberger, 6-56.
Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press, 1994.
Norcross, Brian H. One Band that Took a Chance. Ft. Lauderdale, FL:
Meredith Music Publications, 1994.