|
|
|
|
Concert band
|
| |
|
| |
A concert band, also called wind band, symphonic band, symphonic winds, wind orchestra, wind symphony, or wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of several members of the woodwind instrument family, brass instrument family and percussion instrument family. Its various repertoire include original wind compositions, arranged classical items, light music, and popular tunes. Though the instrumentation is similar, it is distinguished from the marching band in that its primary function is as a concert ensemble.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Concert band' Start a new discussion about 'Concert band' Answer questions from other users |
Encyclopedia
A concert band, also called wind band, symphonic band, symphonic winds, wind orchestra, wind symphony, or wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of several members of the woodwind instrument family, brass instrument family and percussion instrument family. Its various repertoire include original wind compositions, arranged classical items, light music, and popular tunes. Though the instrumentation is similar, it is distinguished from the marching band in that its primary function is as a concert ensemble. The repertoire for a concert band may, however, contain marches.
History
In the 18th century, these military ensembles were doing double duty as entertainment at the royal courts, either alone or combined with orchestral strings. Composers such as Mozart were writing chamber music for these groups, called Harmonie bands, which evolved to a standard instrumentation of two oboes, two clarinets, two horns, and two bassoons. In addition to original compositions, these groups also played transcriptions of opera music.
Contact with the music of the Turkish Janissaries contributed to the expansion of the Western European wind band. The splendor and dramatic effect of their percussion prompted the adoption of bass drum, cymbals, and triangle, as well as piccolo to balance the increased weight of the percussion section; see Turkish music (style). More clarinets were gradually added and brass instruments were further developed. By 1810 the wind band had reached its current size, though the instrumentation differed in various countries.
During the 19th century large ensembles of wind and percussion instruments in the English and American traditions existed mainly in the form of the Military band for ceremonial and festive occasions, and the works performed consisted mostly of marches. The only time wind bands were used in a concert setting comparable to that of a symphony orchestra was when transcriptions of orchestral or operatic pieces were arranged and performed, as there were comparatively few original concert works for a large wind ensemble. The first notable and influential original symphonic work for band was Gustav Holst's First Suite in E-Flat, written in 1909. To this day the piece is considered the classic work of symphonic band, and beginning with Holst a variety of British, American, Canadian and Australian composers wrote for the medium, including notably Howard Cable, Percy Grainger and Ralph Vaughan-Williams.
The works of the British band masters, in conjunction with the aspirations of college band directors, lead to the belief that the wind band could complement the symphony orchestra as a vehicle of artistic expression at the highest level. This led to the formation of the College Band Directors' National Association, and spawned the commissioning of works from a wide variety of composers.
Development of the wind ensemble
The modern wind ensemble was established by Frederick Fennell at Eastman School of Music as the Eastman Wind Ensemble in 1952 after the model of the orchestra: a pool of players from which a composer can select in order to create different sonorities. The wind ensemble is generally modeled on the wind section of a "Wagner" orchestra. While many people consider the wind ensemble to be one player on a part, this is only practical in true chamber music. Full band pieces usually require doubling or tripling of the clarinet parts, and six trumpeters is typical in a wind ensemble. According to Fennell, the wind ensemble was not revolutionary, but developed naturally out of the music that led him to the concept. However, the concept was in stark contrast to the large collegiate symphony bands of the time, particularly the 100-member band of the University of Michigan, conducted by William D. Revelli.
H. Robert Reynolds and others of his school of thought extended the Eastman model for wind ensembles, declaring that the wind ensemble should play only original wind ensemble works — no transcriptions, and no band pieces such as the Sousa marches or concert music intended for larger symphonic winds. This music should be of a serious and worthwhile nature, or the highest quality. Time and practicality have moderated this position, and today even Reynolds has produced quality arrangements for the modern wind band.
Contemporary composers found that wind bands offered a welcome opportunity to perform new music, in contrast to the conservative stance maintained by many symphony orchestras.
Collegiate band directors
College band directors have been the driving force behind the expansion and improvement of repertoire of the concert band. Nearly every college or university with a music program has a performing wind band; most give concerts that are open to the general public as well as the university community, and often tour other locations as well as perform at conferences.
Some of the foremost collegiate band directors in the world today include:
Some famous recently retired band directors include:
Their collegiate ensembles often play at a professional or near-professional standard, and the availability of these highly skilled groups and their openness to new music is attractive to composers.
Military bands
The majority of full-time professional ensembles are military bands and, outside the United States, also police bands. One example is the Air Force Academy Band (inception in 1942 as the "Flying Yanks", reactivated for the United States Air Force Academy in 1955, Colorado Springs, CO).
Professional bands
Professional concert bands not associated with the military are few and far between, and most do not offer "full-time" positions. The few ensembles in this category that exist today include the following:
- Dallas Wind Symphony, led by Jerry Junkin
- San Diego Winds, led by Gregg I. Hanson
- Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra, led for many years by Frederick Fennell, and as of 2006 conducted by Sir Douglas Bostock
- Ensemble vent et percussion de Québec , led by René Joly since 1995.
- Knoxville Wind Symphony, conducted by Dr. Marshall Forrester
- Royal Hawaiian Band
- Concordia Santa Fe, a newly formed wind ensemble in Santa Fe, New Mexico
- Sarasota Concert Band, led by William J. Barbanera
- Orange County Wind Symphony, conducted by Anthony Parnther
Community bands
Most adult bands outside of colleges and military institutions are community bands. A community band is a community-based ensemble of wind and percussion players, generally sponsored by the town or city in which it is located and consisting of amateur performers. It will typically hold regular rehearsals and perform at least one to three times per year. Notable community bands today (2008) include:
Australia
- , Canberra, conducted by WGCDR David Worrall
- Manningham Concert Band, Melbourne, conducted by Andrew van Gemert
- Banksia Park Concert Bands Inc. (incl. Tea Tree Gully Redbacks, conducted by David Gardiner)
- , Altona Meadows, Melbourne. Conducted by Mathew Reynolds
New Zealand
Norway
United Kingdom
- AD Concert Band, Solihull, West Midlands, conducted by Dr Trevor Farren
- Birmingham Symphonic Winds, Birmingham, conducted by Keith Allen
- Kew Wind Orchestra, Richmond, Surrey, conducted by Spencer Down
- Hot Aire, Bradford, conducted by Steven Bradnum
U.S.A.
- Allentown Band, Allentown, PA, conducted by Ronald Demkee
- Grand Symphonic Winds (St. Paul, Minnesota), MN, conducted by Dr. Matthew George
- Guam Territorial Band, Guam, USA conducted by Max Ronquillo, Jr.
- Oklahoma City Symphonic Band, OK, conducted by Dr. Mark Belcik
- , Ridgewood, NJ, conducted by Dr. Christian Wilhjelm
- River City Concert Band, Memphis, TN, conducted by Dr. Sidney McKay
- , Rochester, MN, conducted by Mike Mangan
- Salt Lake Symphonic Winds, UT, conducted by Dr. Thomas P. Rohrer
- Savannah River Winds, SC, conducted by Richard Brasco and Lou Cefus
- State College Area Municipal Band, PA, conducted by Dr. Ned Diehl
- Staunton Municipal Band, IL, conducted by Ken Kay
- Missouri State University Community Band, MO, conducted by Ron Brammer
- , New York City, NY, conducted by Brian Worsdale
- , Medina, OH, conducted by Marcus Neiman
School bands
School bands vary in size and instrumentation, depending on the number of students that are in the band, and the versatility and virtuosity of the players. Some school bands follow a set educational program which dictates particular styles of pieces that are standard to the music curriculum. Such curricula usually include a concert overture, a march, and a miscellaneous band piece, often one in the pop music genre. The director may also slightly bypass the curriculum, choosing music of whatever style he or she pleases, especially if the band is small.
Most school bands start at the 5th or 6th grade, and they go up to upper high school. The high school band resembles a community band in ability and repertoire, with considerations for the increased rehearsal time available to high school students.
Almost every public and private school district has a band, and some schools have a school orchestra as well. Some private and public schools have both, especially if the district is very large.
Competitions
Throughout much of their history, wind bands have been promoted through regional and national music competitions and festivals. Currently, the largest among these is the annual All-Japan Band Association national contest, which in recent years has included around 14,000 bands. Other large competitions include the World Music Competition, held in the Netherlands; and the Southeast Asia Concert Band Festival, held in Hong Kong.
Instrumentation
Instrumentation for the wind band is not standardized; composers will frequently add or omit parts. Instruments and parts in parentheses are less common but still often used; due to the fact that some bands are missing these instruments, important lines for these instruments are often cued into other parts.
Woodwinds:
- Piccolos 1(, 2)
- Flutes 1 ,2 (3)
- Oboes 1 (2)
- Bassoons 1 (2)
- Clarinet in E-flat
- Clarinets in B-flat 1, 2, 3 (4)
- Bass Clarinet
- Alto Saxophones 1, 2
- Tenor Saxophones 1(, 2)
- Baritone Saxophone
Brass:
- Trumpets/Cornets in B-flat 1, 2, 3 (4, 5, 6)1
)
- Horns in F 1, 2 ,3 ,4 (5, 6)
- Trombones 1, 2 ,3
- Baritone in B-flat/Euphonium 1 (2)2
- Tubas3
Percussion4:
- Non-pitched percussion may include:
Snare Drum
Bass Drum
Cymbals
Tam-tam
Triangle
Tambourine
Wood Blocks/Temple Blocks
Tom-toms
Bongos
Congas
Claves
- Pitched percussion may include:
Timpani
Glockenspiel
Xylophone
Marimba
Crotales
Vibraphone
Chimes
Keyboards:
|Organ]])
Strings:
1Trumpet and cornet parts are often considered interchangeable and are sometimes separated into 3 or 4 cornet parts and two trumpet parts, however this practice is no longer used and is usually only seen in older (e.g. pre-1950) works and transcriptions. Trumpet are almost always in B though Trumpets in E and C were used commonly in the heyday of professional concert bands.
2The baritone/euphonium part is usually provided in both bass clef (concert pitch) and treble clef (in B, sounding a major 9th below written).
3Tuba parts tend to imply two different parts even though the part is usually labeled "Tubas". Most often, these different parts are octave divisi and are split between the tuba players like strings in an orchestra. If there are not enough tubas to cover the parts, then usually the lowest part is played first, contrary to conventional divisi distribution. In very rare instances, two completely different tuba parts will exist.
4Percussion ensembles in concert bands can range from 2 to over 14 players. Complicated percussion parts are common in concert band pieces, often requiring many percussionists; many believe this is a major difference between the orchestra, which usually lacks a large battery of percussion, and the concert band. While in older transcriptions and concert works, the Timpani were treated as its own section as in the orchestra, today, the timpani are considered part of the percussion section. Consequently, the timpani player often will double on other percussion instruments. Usually the timpani part will use only 3 drums.
It should be noted that instrumentation differs depending on the type of ensemble. Middle and high school bands frequently have more limited instrumentation and fewer parts (for example, no double reeds, or only two horn parts instead of four). This is both to limit the difficulty for inexperienced players and because schools frequently do not have access to the less common instruments.
The standard concert band will have several players on each part, depending on available personnel and the preference of the conductor. A concert band can theoretically have as many as 200 members from a set of only 35 parts. The wind ensemble, on the other hand, will have very little doubling, if any; commonly, clarinets or flutes may be doubled, especially to handle any divisi passages, and others will have one player per part, as dictated by the requirements of a specific composition. Also, it is common to see two tubas playing the same part in a wind ensemble.
Contemporary compositions often call on players to use unusual instruments or effects. For example, several pieces call on the use of a siren while others will ask players to play recorders, a glass harmonica, or to sing. The wind band's diverse instrumentation and large number of players makes it a very flexible ensemble, capable of producing a variety of sonic effects.
Repertoire
Development of a repertoire
Until early in the 20th century, there was little music written specifically for the wind band, which led to an extensive repertoire of pieces transcribed from orchestral works, or arranged from other sources. However, as the wind band moved out of the sole domain of the military marching ensemble and into the concert hall, it has gained favor with composers, and now many works are being written specifically for the concert band and the wind ensemble. While today there are composers who write exclusively for band, it is worth noting that many composers famous for their work in other genres have given their talents to composition for wind bands as well.
Prominent composers for concert band
Early/Middle twentieth century
Some of the most important names in establishing literature written specifically for concert band in the early and middle 20th century were:
Late twentieth century through the present
Over the last forty years, many composers have written major new works for wind ensemble. Some of these composers have risen to the forefront as being particularly important in the concert band's development. Among these:
Important concert band literature
See article at List of concert band literature.
Band associations
- American Bandmasters Association
- Association of Concert Bands
- British Association of Symphonic Bands and Wind Ensembles
- College Band Directors National Association
- National Band Association
- Symphonic Band Colmenar Viejo
- Norwegian Band Federation
- World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles
- National Band Council of Australia
- Band Directors' Association (Singapore)
- Wind Bands' Association of Singapore
- Irish Association of Brass and Concert Bands (IABCB, Ireland)
See also
- Category: Concert band pieces
- Category: Musical groups
External links
- - a Musical Association from Italy (Europe)that includes a Music School and a Wind Band
- - a comprehensive resource for community band musicians and conductors
- works for symphonic band by American composers
- - a concert band from Luxembourg (Europe), offers a selection of audio clips from many original works and transcriptions mentioned above.
-
|
| |
|
|
