Jessica Brummel

Conducting 417
Wind Band Literature Review
2 October 2016

1. Claude T. Smith, God of our Fathers

Wingert-Jones Publications, 1974. Closer. $60
Some parts of the piece have deep harmonies with all parts playing the same melodic
idea, like a chorale. Other parts of the piece build two separate but equal melodic lines, so it
would be a great learning experience for young musicians not only to tune their melodic line but
understand how the second line is just as important and how it can fit together.

2. Robert W. Smith, Inchon

Belwin Mills Publishing, 2001. Novelty. $87
Giving young musicians the backstory of the Korean War and how each section of the
piece represents parts of the battles can really foster a love for music and a sensitivity for
creating contrasting musical emotions. The piece uses the pentatonic scale to represent peaceful
Korea, and the mixolydian mode to represent the Americans, and sometimes they literally fight
during the piece. I think fusing students’ own experiences to such a novelty piece and teaching
them history all the while is a true learning experience.

3. Frank Ticheli, An American Elegy

Manhattan Beach Music, 2000. Big work/ballad. $195
An American Elegy is a beautiful legato ballad that focuses on the forms of musical
tension and release that a band can create. The heavily scored piece relies on the low brass and
low woodwinds for a groundwork for the upper brass and woodwinds to rest on, so a strong low
brass and low woodwind section is required to truly create the musical storyline.

4. Pierre La Plante, American Riversongs

Daehn Publications, 1991. Opener. $85
Huge dynamic contrasts really make this musical work interesting. It’s in rondo form, so
even though each part shares similar themes, they are widely different and require well-rounded
musicians from the marcato beginning, to the chorale/ballad middle, to the proud ending.

5. Carl Teike, The Conqueror (Graf Zeppelin)

Carl Fischer, 1912. March. $125
The Conqueror is the epitome of a traditional military march. Students can learn the style
of the traditional march as well as the different sections. Woodwinds and brass alike have
difficult sections in this piece, but they work together and can depend on each other for the most
part because the piece is heavily scored. All of the fast runs are scalar, so it’s a great opportunity
for students to get comfortable with their scales.

6. Percy Grainger, Irish Tune from County Derry

Southern Music Company, 1894. Ballad. $90
 A heavily scored piece that will require young musicians to tune properly to harmonies
and specific chords. Even though it is heavily scored, there are many important moving lines that
need to be brought out at various times that require sections to listen and balance to one another.
This piece requires great musicality and shaping of each phrase, so it would be a good challenge
for a young band.

7. Frank Erickson, Toccata for Band

Bourne, 1957. Opener/closer. $66
An overall great music-theory rich piece. Uses the dorian mode in some of the main
themes, and really extrapolates off one central theme. Woodwinds and brass move in unison at
the main theme, so it is a great lesson in tuning across the ensemble and fitting into each others’
sound.

8. David Maslanka, Mother Earth

Carl Fischer, 2006. Opener/novelty. $90
Mother Earth is an intense, fast, and challenging piece in compound meter. Many of the
moving parts are exclusively to sections, so there are many rounds of the same melody being
played at different times by all. A true challenge for musicians to become independent of the
band while still listening and blending.

9. Rimsky-Korsakov (arr. Erickson), Russian Easter Overture

Alfred Music Publishing, 1958. Opener. $80
A classic and one of the biggest pieces of Rimsky-Korsakov’s career, this is a huge piece
in music history for young musicians to experience and be a part of. The orchestration is
sometimes passing from section to section, so it requires performers to tune to their individual
sections and play confidently without the full band sound to cover them up. Beautiful harmonies
and block chords that could be worked on to create beautiful musical effects.

10. Copland (arr Patterson), Down a Country Lane

Aaron Copland Fund for Music, 1962. Ballad. $60
Down a Country Lane is a heavily-scored harmonic chorale piece that requires
performers to be true musicians and show their musicality through phrasing and articulation.
Mostly legato in nature, the piece slowly builds to become more separated and ends with legato
articulation.