Jon Wilson

Title of Piece Composer Date written/published

George Washington Bridge William Schuman 1951

Composer biography:

William Schuman (1910 1922) was a 20th Century American composer, educator, and arts
administrator. Throughout his life, he studied with Max Persin, Charles Housiel, and Roy Harris (who
introduced Schuman to Serge Koussevitsky). Schuman served as President of The Julliard School, as the
first president of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and was the first individual to be awarded a
Pulitzer Prize in music.

Circumstances of Composition/Commission:

Composed for the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association, first performed on July 31st,
1951 by the Michigan All-State Band. Of the composition, Schuman wrote:

There are few days in the year when I do not see George Washing Bridge. I pass it on my way to
work as I drive along the Henry Hudson Parkway on the New York shore. Ever since my student days
when I watched the progress of its construction, this bridge has had for me an almost human
personality, and this personally is astonishingly varied, assuming different moods depending on the
time of day or night, the weather, the traffic and, of course, my own mod as I pass by.

Instrumentation:

Standard Instrumentation, Exceptions:

- Clarinet in Eb
- Alto Clarinet in Eb
- Bb Bass Saxophone

Availability:
- Hal Leonard (Published by G. Schirmer, Inc.)
- J.W. Pepper (Published by G. Schirmer, Inc.)

Length: One movement, 278 measures, roughly 8:00 minutes in duration.

Form/Key:

The form of George Washington Bridge is figuratively shaped like the actual George Washington
Bridge spanning the Hudson River. The macro shape of the piece is in A B C B A form, with a coda to close
the piece.
Major Conceptual Issues of Piece: What makes it special? What makes it unique?
This piece makes use of 20th Century compositional techniques such as bitonality, bimodality,
extreme contrast of dynamics, and a mathematical design.

Section Time Event and Scoring

A 0:00 0:25 Theme 1: Bitonal fanfare in C and Bb Major

B 1:38 Theme 2: Woodwind vs. Brass groups in G major and G minor

2:12 2:35 Woodblock and Timpani solos

C 2:35 3:07 Theme 3: 12 tone theme (not serialist)

B1 5:42 Return of Theme 2

A1 6:25 Return of Theme 1

Main influences on the composer (teachers, mentors, friends, etc.):

- Roy Harris
- Max Persin
- Charles Housiel

Significant facts about the piece:

- Mathematical structure
- Utilizes bitonality, bimodality, and 12 tone composition
- Features prominent percussion parts
- Selected for the first University of Rochester/Eastman School of Music/Mercury Records Longplay
recording on May 14, 1953