Shenandoah: Concert Band: Score & Parts

Any list of Mozart's greatest works should include this overture. Loved by millions Mozart's Magic Flute is remarkable for so many reasons and worthy of study by every musician! Why should we deny young band students the joy of playing Mozart just because they don't happen to use a bow on their instruments? Mozart belongs to Everyone! Skillfully brought to the concert band stage by an arranger who works with young bands daily this somewhat shortened version of the enigmatic Overture is accessible to young bands but retains a great deal of authenticity. There is added versatility built into this arrangement. A nice performance is possible by using a completeWoodwind section and a Timpanist only. Inspiring!>/I>

A spectacular dive via an extended chromatic scale immediately submerges us in a charged and somewhat archaic-feeling atmosphere. Trumpets horns and trombones resound in rhythmic patterns buttressed by restless motifs in the percussion. A second theme in the woodwinds begins much calmer but is quickly pushed aside by that same brass offensive. This introduction is the musical expression of the sometimes tumultuous early history of the town of Peer in Belgium. It closes with a D scale played over two octaves and repeated three times symbolizing the church steeples that dominate the townscape. Peer has the credentials of a town and people should know about it.There followsa rhythmic turbulent passage: in the course of history Peer has not been spared the ravages of war arson occupation epidemic and other evils. In contrast a slow pastoral lyrical part expresses the periods of peace and prosperity the town has known as well as the serene geographic setting that still characterizes the place. Various instruments in groups are developed in solo style while the accompaniment displays vast painterly images of sound. Now and then an exotic intonation is heard: a variety of peoples and cultures have left their mark on the town.This episode of tranquility and peacefulness comes to a sudden end when via a surprising almost chaotic transitional passage we are in effect transported back to our own time. A hopeful festive march expresses the confidence in the future that the Royal Concert Band of Peer exudes. This confidence is wholly justified: under the direction of conductor Willy Fransen the 95 members of the concert band have experienced an extended period of good fortune and the 75 musicians of the youth band - and the 45 little musicians of the mini-band - are involved in thriving operations.

Bohemian Rhapsody was a massive worldwide hit for the pop groupQueen. It topped the charts in 1975 and again in 1991 and 1992. The song is somewhat unusual for a pop hit as it is in the style of a rock opera and pushed the boundaries of both pop music and promotional music video. This arrangement for concert band retains all the operatic gymnastics of the original and will be an extremely popular item at any concert!

This breathtaking arrangement of Shenandoah was created at the request of well-known 'Pops' conductor Michael Krajewski and was premiered in late summer 2004 by the Houston Symphony Orchestra. This new setting for band makes a stunning addition to any concert program. Numerous soloists are featured in this sweeping lyric setting of the famous folksong melody with a panoramic 'Americana' feel. This would make a worthy addition to any Pops program and can be played effectively in an outdoor setting.

I wrote The Nonantum Bulgar in response to a request for a klezmer-style piece for middle school band. Since my local middle school (F. A. Day) is located in close proximity to Nonantum the oldest area of Newton MA I decided to imagine the dedication of the Adams St. Shul our city's oldest synagogue which took place around a hundred years ago (December 15 1912). According to the Yiddish and English poster announcing the dedication the event featured the a prominent Boston cantor and choir and a klezmer orchestra leading a 'Grand March' down Adams St. The piece tries to re-create what the klezmer band might have played on that occasion. A Bulgar is a Romanian Jewish Dance thatwas very popular among Jewish immigrants at the beginning of the twentieth century. The trumpet solo that opens the piece is a typical rubato prelude with the trumpet playing 'cantorial-style' Jewish ornaments and phrasing in the manner of Eastern-European Jewish prayer leaders. Once the dance starts the piece is underscored with a Romanian Jewish 'Bulgaresca' rhythm heard in the trombone snare drum and tympani. The 'bulgar' section of the piece begins with a typical klezmer band orchestration of the time featuring solo clarinet (played with a somewhat nasal tone) trumpet (or even more ideally cornet) trombone saxophone tuba and percussion. The percussion section is prominently featured in the third strain. In the final round of the opening melody the band slows down in the manner of a Russian 'Grand March ' bringing the piece to a proud and majestic conclusion. --Hankus Netsky

Performer Level (correlates with Book 1 p. 24) Here is a sensitive yet very playable version of this beautiful folk melody. From a soft beginning with woodwinds followed by the low brass playing the melody this arrangement builds to a dramatic statement by the full band. Even at this easy level Mike uses a creative harmonic scheme and scoring effects to ensure an effective performance. Dur: 2:15

This piece is descriptive of day-to-day life and activities in Virginia’s splendidly beautiful Shenandoah Valley. An abundance of apple orchards and vineyards drapes the landscape in this heavenly habitat of rural America. The beautiful and popular folk song Oh Shenandoah is interwoven with original melodies in this warm and delightful homespun overture.

Here's a sparkling montage of America's best loved songs carefully crafted for the concert stage by veteran arranger John Moss. Yankee Doodle; Columbia The Gem of the Ocean; Shenandoah; and America The Beautiful are included in this practical multi-use edition.

Even though the themes used in this beautiful setting are original it is intended to be played in the style of a slow Southern folk hymn similar to Amazing Grace or Shenandoah. Filled with suspensions and resolutions as well as calm moments and powerfully emotional builds this is a marvelous work for expanding your ensemble’s stylistic and dynamic range.