6th Street Stomp - David Ratliff Growing up in the 1980s in a small rural town in the Appalachian Mountains of eastern Kentucky, I lived on 6th Street. I have so many wonderful memories of that street, like riding my bicycle until the streetlights came on (the universal signal it was time to head back home for the day) or that first time setting off on an adventure behind the wheel of my parents' car. This piece is a tribute to that time in my life and that little town. - David Ratliff
Danse Macabre - Camille Saint-Saens French composer Camille Saint-Saëns wrote Danse Macabre in 1874 based on a haunting poem by Jean Lahor. The poem describes how on every Halloween at midnight the dead rise from their graves and perform their dance of death until the rooster crows at dawn—signaling a return to their graves until the next Halloween. This arrangement ends at the climax of the dance.
The xylophone part from the original orchestral version is one of the most recognizable xylophone excerpts ever written. Saint-Saëns would later use the xylophone to similar effect in the Fossils movement from his famous The Carnival of the Animals.
Scuttlebutt - Jim Casella Scuttlebutt is my third in a series of groove-based pieces for intermediate and developing percussion ensembles. It follows Technology and Stormbreak, both of which rely on similar basic limited instrumentations, 8 players, and syncopated, repetitive patterns to which younger ensembles effectively relate.
The primary feel of Scuttlebutt has the drive of electronic dance music with half-tempo backbeat. Frequently bursts of four offbeat sixteenth notes are interjected to answer the primary melody. Through repetition, these bursts are designed to train young players to become familiar with the feel of rhythms common in funk music. Also, at various times triplet figures are overlaid in contrast to the more duple-based groove. While these may not be immediately intuitive for younger players, figures like these aren’t uncommon in percussion ensemble and other forms of chamber music. They’re introduced here in a way that’s relatable to the groove with the goal of making them feel comfortable despite their momentary rhythmic dissonance. A series of solos feature the concert tom, snare drum, and timpani players, with smaller solo interjections from the rest of the ensemble as well. Near the end of the piece the half-time groove becomes a driving disco beat that can involve the audience clapping along before ultimately ending in a high-energy recap of the main theme. – Jim Casella, November 2014
The Lost Temple - Jared Barnes The Lost Temple captures the intrigue of ancient legends, lost treasures, and adventures into the unknown. A quiet, mysterious theme opens the piece, evoking images of a time and civilization gone by, eventually giving way to a driving adventure theme. Soon, a sense of calm and wonder emerges, conjuring up images of the past. However, hidden dangers reveal themselves, and a pursuit begins. In heroic fashion, the adventure theme rises once again, leading to a triumphant finish at the end of the musical journey.
Tripwire - JaRod Hall A tripwire is a low-bearing laser or string that sets off an explosion, trap, or alarm when touched. This piece follows a team of bandits who must escape a secret hideout without being detected or tripping the wire.
Set Me As A Seal - Rene Clausen, arranged by Robert Cameron Set Me As a Seal is the seventh movement of his cantata, entitled "A New Creation," and is also published separately as an anthem. The circumstances surrounding the inspiration for Set Me As a Seal are worthy of mention because of the extraordinary events which lead up to its "creation." Following three successive miscarriages, Dr. Clausen's wife was again pregnant and in her fourth month. Because she was 39 years old, an amniocentesis was recommended. Tragically however, the procedure was performed incorrectly immediately killing the baby. Compounding this, his wife was far enough along that she had to endure the birthing process through the night. In the words of the composer, "Within hours I sat down at the piano and wrote - Set me as a seal upon your heart, for love is strong as death. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it. I literally sat down and played it and it was complete within an hour.'
Wellspring - Jack Wilds This piece traces the emotional journey that occurs when one who has reached the end of their ability to endure encounters a wellspring (a source of inspiration or joy) that carries them through the ordeal. The four note motive in the first several measures is the sound of the wellspring calling to a person who is completely exhausted. The flute melody is meant to portray this person. As it draws closer to the wellspring, the melody transforms, first taking on a determined character, then a joyful one. The four note motive is also present throughout the piece, constantly encouraging the melody, and pushing it forward. The piece ends with an unabashedly exuberant proclamation of the four note motive, leaving the listener with an impression of renewal.
Fanfare for Justice - Richard Saucedo I will always be indebted to Jason Hess, Director of Bands at Owen J. Roberts Middle School (PA) for this commission opportunity. The title of the piece "Fanfare for Justice" honors the school's namesake, Supreme Court Justice Owen J. Roberts. Justice Roberts served on the United States Supreme Court from 1930-1945. 1 am honored that the piece was premiered by Jason and his outstanding group at the Pennsylvania Music Education Association State Convention in April of 2018.
Bravura March - C. E. Duble, arranged by John Edmondson BRAVURA is one of the best known circus marches of all time. The composer, Charles Edward Duble, wrote about 45 marches during his career as a trombone player with various circus bands.
Bravura is interesting in two respects. First, the low brass, and especially the trombones, have challenging parts, probably because of the composer's facility on the instrument, and second, the form is not traditional. The 16-measure introduction (which Duble preferred to repeat) and the first strain are in G Minor. The second strain is in the relative major of Bh, and there is a repeat to the introduction indicated before proceeding to the Trio, which is in Eb Major. Traditionally there is an interlude before the Trio is repeated, but Duble has chosen to omit one here.
The march was published in 1918 by the John Church Company, which published many of Sousa's marches. The original instrumentation was for a typical circus band, which was much smaller in the number of players and the number of different parts than today's concert band. This arranger has adapted the original for the modern concert band, by adding the necessary parts to complete the concert band instrumentation, plus eliminating a few parts that are no longer appropriate, and re-scoring a few spots to correct the voicing of chords because of the differences in instrumentation between the old and the new. Many inconsistencies in articulations, dynamics and some incorrect notes have also been corrected.
Rhosymedre - Ralph Vaughan Williams, arranged for band by Walter Beeler In 1920 Ralph Vaughan Williams composed three preludes for organ based on Welsh hymn tunes, a set that quickly established itself in the organ repertoire. Of the three, Rhosymedre, sometimes known as "Lovely," has become the most popular. The hymn tune used in this prelude was written by a 19th century Welsh composer, J.D. Edwards, and is a very simple melody made up almost entirely of scale tones and upbeat skips of a fourth. Yet, around this modest tune Vaughan Williams has constructed a piece of grand proportions, with a broad arc that soars with the gradual rise of the tune itself.
The hymn tune in long values is surrounded by a moving bass line and a treble obbligato in faster notes often characterized by descending sixths. Vaughan Williams has joined together hymn tune, bass, and obbligato in such a way as to create an exceedingly fresh and ingratiating tonal language, which seems all the more remarkable when one discovers from the score that there is scarcely an accidental in the entire piece.
Red Rock Mountain - Rossano Gallante This composition is an episodic work that paints a musical portrait of Red Rock Mountain, a beautiful mountain landscape in Pennsylvania. Brass fanfares and soaring wind lines begin the piece. It transitions into an emotional section which depicts the mountains at dusk. As the sun rises and sheds light on its peaks, the music becomes lyrical and rhythmically incisive. The piece culminates in a heroic brass finale depicting the grandeur of these stunning East Coast mountains.
Benediction - John Stevens Benediction was originally a work for tuba/euphonium quartet. It was composed for the Sotto Voce Quartet in 2002 to be the final work on a recording of all of the composer’s tuba quartets (Summit Records). This internationally acclaimed quartet is made up entirely of former students of John Stevens at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Benediction was intended to be a sonorous “amen” of vocal character on this recording primarily comprised of more lively works. The composer’s creation of this version for wind band was encouraged by and is dedicated to Scott Teeple, Director of Bands at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.