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Jeff Girard and Midwest Sheet Music present
The Wind Band Report
High/Middle School edition:
Paso Dobles and Rolf Rudin
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Vol. 4, No. 6 April. 2016
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If you are subscribed to the Collegiate level newsletter, much of this will look similar. The only difference is I focused on Rudin's lower level music here, Grades 1-3.. If you want to see the grade 4-5 works, go to the archives and look for the Collegiate edition newsletter I just sent out. Better yet, sign up for the Collegiate level Newsletters through the link up above.
Hi there. Since we're at the end of the school year I finally have time to really delve into topics I've meant to talk about for a while. I know all of you are done with music for the year, but this will give you a few things to think about for the fall. I'll send out 2 or 3 more of these in the summer, then email you a recap with links to those issues so you can go back to it once you're back to thinking about music programming again.
I've got two topics to share with you today - Paso Doble music and the works of Rolf Rudin. |
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Paso Dobles from Piles Music
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I've worked with Piles Music in Spain for many years, starting from when Jim Cochran first learned about the Rodrigo Adagio Para Instrumentos de Viento. In the last few years they've been showcasing their works at our booth at Midwest and they're beginning to get some more attention, especially with the publication of Alarcon's Duende.
The Paso Doble is a specific style of march, a dance of Spanish origin with a lively style and a specific tempo of 120 bpm, adapted widely by both the Spanish infantry and the famous bull fights of Spain. It's a refreshing and exotic change to the traditional American March. With the publisher being based in Spain, they have numerous Paso-Dobles in their catalog. However, they picked out some specific ones to showcase and put together a sharp, concise web page just for me specifically. You can order directly from their site (below) and the sale will be processed through us, or you can go to our web site and order what you like along with anything else you may need.
Click the link above to view the web page Piles set up for us, then take a look and a listen to a few of them. You'll probably find at least one that suits your fancy.
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Rolf Rudin - looking beyond Oenghus
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Jim Cochran first met composer Rolf Rudin over 20 years ago, shortly before I started working with Jim at Shattinger Music. Rolf was getting noticed in the US for his composition The Dream of Oenghus, Part I, and directors were asking Jim how to get the music. Jim talked with Rolf at Midwest and came to an arrangement to be the exclusive US distributors of his works. I was fortunate enough to be able to carry this arrangement through to my employment here at Midwest Sheet Music.
He's still most well known for The Dream of Oenghus Part 1 and Part 2, and also his Song Without Words (Lied Ohne Worte). He's a fairly prolific composer though and has written numerous other works for all levels of band from beginning to collegiate. His compositional style typically follows a strong adherence to classical form and makes great use of classical motivic development, yet his sound is forward thinking and progressive in style. Many of his works draw inspiration from mystical concepts and ideas.
His young band works are very refreshing. They don't sound American, yet they aren't wildly exotic and strange either. They are well crafted miniatures that aren't bound by the tradition young band forms (melodic phrases of AABA, standard ternary ABA form - you've heard them a thousand times in youn band works).. Rolf uses standard forms, yes - he just uses them as a framework instead of being rigidly bound by them. Listen to some of these, you'll see what I mean. He's very good at utilizing motivic elements, you'll see..
I'll list some of my favorites from grades 1-3. If you want to know about his grade 4-6 pieces, you can read about them in the Collegiate edition of the Wind Band Report, which I just sent out. Ask me for a copy, or you can find it in the Wind Band Report Archives.
Right as I was about to send this out, I stumbled across an extensively detailed paper by Gary Brattin about Rolf Rudin, his works, and his compositional style. Click away if you're into reading heavy details.
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Smileys (Gr. .5)
A fun little piece with something to keep all your players involved. Careful counting, dynamic changes, non triadic harmonies, but all at a very easy level.
Set $50
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Lost Message (Gr. .5)
A dark and brooding work, easy for young players, but not dull and repetitive. The energy continues even through a quiet and unexpected ending.
Set $50
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Open Up! (Gr. 1)
A dynamic opener for beginning bands.A clear melodic line punctuated by rhythmic counterpoint, with a few easy flat notes thrown in along the way.
Set $55
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A Little Walk in the Garden (Gr. 1.5)
A lovely and flowing little tune inspired by a beautiful garden from a short story Rolf read. Simple and elegant with no pretension, but far from mundane. It's fresh and engaging all the way through. Set $60
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An Old French Sailor's Tale (Gr. 2)
Based on an old French folk song, appearing several times with different harmonies and varied, colorful instrumentation. The work ends quietly as the sailor heads for distant shores.
Set $60
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Shepherds' Procession (Gr. 2.5)
A pastoral scene with shepherd's calling back and forth to begin with. The work is in 6/4 instead of 6/8, so it's a great teaching tool. It could also be used in a Christmas or holiday concert if you wanted to.
Set $70
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Stille Hoffnung (Silent Hope) (Gr. 2.5)
This is a flowing and lyric work drawing upon the concept that hope and light always lie waiting beyond even the darkest of nights. His coloring is a bit more traditional if your band isn't ready to understand the range of Rolf's unique compositional style.
Set $70
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Curiosity (Gr. 2.5)
Named after the robotic explorer sent to Mars by NASA, this short mysterious sounding tune makes some nice use of chord layering. The piano part is optional but adds a nice aural touch.
Set $90 |
Amen (Gr. 3)
This piece has no sacred connotations. According to Rolf, in German, "Amen" just translates to "So it is". The work has a plaintive and longing tone, with a nice percussive and singing section about 2/3 of the way through.
Set $140
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Firmament (Gr. 3.5)
Firmament draws its inspiration from the breathtaking impression one gets from watching the heavens. Cast in an arch form to match the concept, it goes from hymnal splendor to rhythmic drive to long melodic phrasing and back again.
Set $120
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And of course (if you didn't already know about these) -
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| There's a lot of materials I've presented here, so like I said just file this away if you don't have the time now and I'll send a reminder link in late July. Have a great end of the school year, I'll be taking advantage of this down period to really get our web site into shape for the next school year. I should have dozens of new publishers uploaded and our credit card processor working by then. Take care everyone! |
 Thank you as always -
Jeff Girard Instrumental Specialist Instrumental Music (my direct line): 314/942-1522 General phone line: 314/291-4686 Fax: 314/621-4166 |
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1234 Main Street, Awesomeville, MA � 555.555.5555
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