On 14 Jan 2007 at 12:15, Daniel Wolf wrote: > Aaron Rabushka wrote: > > Perhaps I should know better than to debate what is or isn't an > > established classic, but how 'bout Korsakov's Concerto for Trombone > > and Band (which the Russian in me dearly loves no matter how many > > others find it a waste), and Tchaikovsky's March in B-Flat? > > There is a wealth of older wind band music from throughout Europe -- > from Viennese Harmoniemusik to French court and revolutionary music to > Spanish Shawm bands, Italian civic bands, and early to the > Posaunenchor etc..
I don't really think that's a valid observation, any more than saying that orchestras could expand their repertory by playing the huge body of string quartets. Harmoniemusik is a form of outdoor "chamber music" (if that's not an oxymoron), in the sense that it is one instrument on a part. The band repertory has two major strands, the wind ensemble and the symphonic band and its variations, the distinction being that the former has as an ideal one on a part, and the latter assumes massed instruments on each part. Another thing that seems to be left out of this is the role that transcriptions have played in the band repertory. My first exposure to Wagner was playing his overtures in concert band in high schools (Lohengrin, Meistersinger, etc.). A huge body of the orchestral repertory has long been used in transcription by concert bands, with very little "classical" music written for the concert band directly (though there are large bodies of military and educational music written for the concert band). > I don't have any well-thought ideas about the > continuity of repertoire in the present band world, but I'd bet that > it has a lot to do with (a) military and nationalistic origins, and > (b) fairly rigid ideas about the composition of the ensemble. Playing > the Mozart _Grand Partita_ or the Stravinsky _Symphonies_ , both > masterpieces, should be well within the capabilities of the best > bands, but playing them will mean that a number of players will have > to sit on the bench, which -- in the USA, at least -- goes against a > certain egalitarian aspect underlying the ensemble. Or, perhaps it's > practical: if they're not playing, how are you going to grade them or > pay them? Wind ensembles would play the Gran Partita, while symphonic bands would not. And keep in mind that it has a contrabass (it is, after all, a serenade for 13 winds and contrabass, and the title is not authentic, though very handy for referring to it), which many concert bands lack (though it's common enough that much concert band repertory is printed with parts for string bass). > (Now that I think about it, maybe here's a niche for some composers -- > to write pieces for wind bands that don't use the instruments required > for either the Mozart or the Stravinsky. That way, the rest of the > band has something to rehearse and play.) That's writing for "wind band" as a generic term, rather than for wind bands as the traditional ensemble is constituted. -- David W. Fenton http://dfenton.com David Fenton Associates http://dfenton.com/DFA/ _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [email protected] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
