M-R Music's Wind Band Report No. 6

McCormick Place, Chicago

Jeff Girard and M-R Music present

The Wind Band Report

2013 Midwest Preview #1

Vol. 1, No. 6 December 2013

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Hello fellow band director, and and welcome back to The Wind Band Report. Midwest is nearly around the corner, and M-R Music is going to be there in booth 1102 with lots of wind band scores, band and chamber wind music, DVDs, CDs, reference materials and more.

So here are a few samples of some of the newest materials that we will have on display, both for advanced and for younger bands. Not going to Midwest? Drop me a line and I'll have your selections sent to you after the conference.

Look for several more newsletters in the next week with more new materials. Don't worry, I won't be spamming your inboxes like this after Midwest. There's just so many new materials and I want to give you as much a preview as possible, now that I'm nearly done getting the exhibit ready.

So stop by the booth and browse for a bit. You'll be able to listen to many of the new works on your smart phone (details in an upcoming issue). If there's anything you can't take home with you on the plane, we'll ship it to you for free after the holidays. I'm looking forward to meeting all of you in Chicago.

Skip to young band entries

Click the images to listen to each selection

(when applicable)

New Wind Band Music

Grades 5-6

Symphony No. 6

Andrew Boysen

I've mentioned this piece before, but it bears mentioning again. This is a monumental large scale work for your top band. The entire work is in four movements with three interludes, built around an original synthetic scale. The tonal center of each section is based on a different home pitch of the original scale - like the standard scalar modes of western music.

Lots of percussion, numerous solos, chamber winds sections and wall of sound sections, this work has it all. You can listen to sections of movement 1, movement 2, movement 3, and movement 4. Or, pick up Andy Mast's CD with the Lawrence University Wind Ensemble at our booth to listen to the full work. There's a lot to discover within this piece, and it's aurally accessible to both your students and audience. I think this can be a real showcase piece for one of your concerts.

#SYM6

Score - $100

Set - $75

Boz Dances

Malcom Binney

Malcolm Binney composed Master Humphrey's Clock many years ago on a commission from the Kent County Wind Orchestra. Inspired by the weekly periodical of the same name produced by Charles Dickens in which appeared a miscellany of short sketches, Master Humphrey's Clock was a large scale four movement work lasting nearly a half hour.

The Boz Dances (Boz was a pseudonym under which Dickens wrote) are selections taken from all four movements of the original work which explore the myriad of personalities, childhood fantasies of theater, fairy tales and imagined scenes so loved by Dickens. It's fun to listen to, and at just 10 minutes it's easier to program on a concert than Master Humphrey's Clock - though the original work is worth looking into for an even more in depth musical opportunity for your band.

#MC0176

Score - $45

Set - $160

Three Embraces

Carter Pann

From the pen of the master composer who gave us Hold This Boy and Listen comes this new composition written in celebration of Allan McMurray's final concert after 35 years as Director of Bands at the University of Colorado.

Written in three movements, Carter Pann strives to explore completely new musical territory, different from that of his previous works for winds. According to the composer, the first and second movements, "Antique, Calming" and "With Quiet Longing," are meant to sound like aural aromas.

The final movement, "A Joyous Celebration", begins with three bold proclamations for saxophones and high brass. As the movement unfolds there are pastoral melodies juxtaposed over more modern, angular harmonies. In rehearsal for the premiere, Carter described it to Allan as "A chance encounter between Schubert and Stravinsky on the Appalachian Trail".

The work is charming and elegant. There are plenty of parts for harp and celeste in the first two movements if you have access to those.

More technically accessible than some of his topmost wind compositions, I think this piece is going to be a strong favorite for several conductors in the next few years.

#115-40214

Score - in preparation

Large Score - $75.00

Set - $125

Flowing Pens from Concord

Roger Cichy

Composer Roger Cichy was inspired by the writings of four of Concord's greatest authors and wrote a four-movement piece for concert band based on his interpretation of his feelings about the words of these writers and the places associated with these particular books or essays

Cichy traveled to Concord and visited several of the historical places associated with each of the authors for further inspiration. He then strove to bring contrasts between each movement by capturing different aspects of each writer's works or thoughts. Mosses from an Old Manse (Nathaniel Hawthorne) is stately, noble and iconic. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott) is playful and light, much like the young Alcott sisters of Little Women were when they were young.

Walden (Henry David Thoreau) is peaceful and serene like Thoreau's time and musings at Walden Pond. In Nature (Ralph Waldo Emerson), Cichy draws upon Emerson's book of the same title to capture the sense of integration and wholeness that Emerson sought to convey.

The suite is a challenging grade 4, so high schools with good programs can really do some cross curricular education. The piece stands very well on its own merits though is an engaging work in a college setting as well.

#50100102

Score - $30

Set - $150

*** Click on the images to hear recordings of each piece. ***

Grade 3-4

Amen

Rolf Rudin

Most of you should be familiar with Rudin's most famous work, The Dream of Oenghus Part I (If you don't know, ask me about it). Many of Rudin's subsequent works have been rather advanced in nature, but with this Rudin returns to a solid intermediate level of writing.

There's no program notes or back story printed in the score or parts, but I can tell you a little about it's structure. It's a plaintive part song for most of the piece, evoking a sense of yearning. It has an ABA structure, the B section shifting to a minor mode with several lowered tones for a sense of further longing.

After the return of the A section, the piece suddenly shifts into a more spiritual style. The percussion lays down a groove while the band members sing a new melody based in part on the A theme. The singing band breaks the spiritual theme into a four part canon, and then the piece returns to it's plaintive beginnings to close.

When I see Rolf at Midwest, I'll ask him about the story behind this composition. I'm intrigued about what he'll have to say about it's origin.

#AMEN

Score - $50

Set - $140

Tight Squeeze

Alex Shapiro

Some of you may have been introduced to Alex Shapiro last year with her Paper Cut from Hal Leonard's Bandquest series. Alex will be talking about her next work, Tight Squeeze, at one of the clinics at Midwest (The e-Frontier: Music, Multimedia, Education, and Audiences in the Digital World)

Alex describes this high energy work in the following way: imagine Arnold Schoenberg, Henry Mancini, and Charlie Parker walking into a dance club in Havana, and staying for three minutes. Tight Squeeze ventures into new territory as it explores chromaticism and syncopation against a prerecorded percussion groove.

You can download the prerecorded groove at the web address listed in the score. You'll need an audio system capable of playing the prerecorded audio tracks from a laptop computer or other electronic audio device.

I suppose you could describe this piece as an electroacoustic twelve-tone techno Latin bebop band piece (Alex does). It's great fun for your students and can make a memorable closer to a concert. I'd also consider using it as a possible recruiting tool for high schools or even touring university bands.

#04003588

Score - in preparation

Set - $80

Grade 1-2

First Light

Frank Ticheli

Frank Ticheli's 40th composition for band is his first for grade 1 players. The work depicts an early-morning adventure on a river raft. A light-hearted opening glides into a calm setting, followed by a rustic, dance-like section as the sun rises and the players enter rapid currents. The music returns to its carefree origins and then clams as the journey comes to a close.

Ticheli's works are always solid, and this is no exception. Expect to see more grade 1 works from the pen of this master composer in the future.

#FIR

Score - $15

Set - $95

Leaning on the Everlasting Arms

Carl Strommen

A good melody makes for a good piece of music, no matter what it's origin. Strommen's setting of the well known hymn tune is well crafted with some lovely solo opportunities for the flute and clarinet. It's a good exercise in lyricism, phrasing, and flowing dynamic levels. It's gentle without being sappy, strong without being overly dramatic.

If you're not at a Christian based school, I still strongly encourage using this piece. It's what young band music should be - a solid piece that serves as a good tool to teach musical concepts to students.

#YPS124

Score - $10

Set - $60

I'll send out the next issue in a few days, covering a different area of materials - Reference books, CDs, or DVDs. I'll also send out a second newsletter about more new band works as well - including a new Ticheli piece. I'm looking forward to a great time in Chicago, hope to see some of you there!

I'm open to suggestions from you. Tell me about a topic you'd like me to research and present. Email me at instrumental@mrmusicinc.com with your thoughts and I'll look for an opportunity to incorporate it into a Report issue.