sorely underplayed wind band works

[bloke]

I can think of some better ones, but I'll hold back on those, and let others list them below.

I'll start with a transcription:

The Universal Judgement by the Italian composer, Camillo De Nardis




Were I some college band director, NO ONE would ask me to conduct their honor bands, because I'd bring stuff like this - rather than "graded band pieces"...and (you know...) people would complain 'n' stuff...

[ParLawGod]

When I read the title of this thread, The Universal Judgment is the FIRST piece that popped into my head. I love it so much I bought the Cesarini edition of it for my personal library about 10 years ago. Nice opening bass line!

[LeMark]

[LeMark]

Most will never know the meaning of this, the symbolism.
I know, I was there, playing on its premiere.
I can't hear it without tearing up. One of the most powerful pieces of music I've ever heard or played

[bloke]

Have many of you played by Dionysiaques by Florent Schmitt?
I remember around 1979 when Bob Foster had a hankering to play it, and it hadn't particularly been discovered or rediscovered by that many band directors at that time. We didn't change anything, and there were four cornets, four trumpets, four flugelhorns, and all the original instrumentation.

[matt g]

Nowadays in high school bands:

Just about any Sousa march.

One of the good ones I had a chance to play in HS was “Fairest of the Fair”. Great march.

ETA:

[bloke]

Nowadays in high school bands:

Just about any Sousa march.

One of the good ones I had a chance to play in HS was “Fairest of the Fair”. Great march.

I'm not in control of this thread and I'm not trying to be but can we just say marches, whether Sousa, Fillmore, King, Alford, circus marches, British marches, German marches, French marches, Scandinavian marches, Italian marches, and all sorts of special concert marches...??

[matt g]

True, the entire genre has gone out of style, it seems.

[bort2.0]

How the heck am I supposed to know what's underplayed, let alone sorely underplayed? (I've played Fairest of the Fair a bazillion times, no music necessary...)

If Sousa... How about the Foshay Tower March (written 1929 and first performed 1976)

Here are things I've played in the past (maybe long in the past) and doubt I'll see called up again... It's all relative though, some of you may have heard or played these recently!

Mannin Veen

Giannini - Fantasia for Band

Grainger other than Lincolnshire Posy or Irish Tune/whatever is printed on the back of Irish Tune (a ton of great stuff!)

Norman Dello Joio - Scenes from the Louvre

Robert Russell Bennett - Symphonic Songs

Do transcriptions count? I'd like to hear Moncayo's Huapango more often

[Jperry1466]

I'm not in control of this thread and I'm not trying to be but can we just say marches, whether Sousa, Fillmore, King, Alford, circus marches, British marches, German marches, French marches, Scandinavian marches, Italian marches, and all sorts of special concert marches...??

Totally agree. I've always been a nut about all kinds of marches. I see lots of young band directors in Texas questioning why a "march of the director's choice" is still a requirement for UIL concert programming. They obviously have no clue or care about the very history of bands, and they sure don't know how to teach a band to play a march. As a judge at said contests, it irks me that there are some really good high school bands that will play a middle school or even beginner level march just to say they fulfilled the requirement. I'm not allowed to grade them down for it, but after reading the sheet, they know my opinion.

Two more pieces come to mind: the transcription of Ketelbey's "In A Persian Market" (anyone heard that in the last 50 years?) and, believe it or not, the Vaughn-Williams "English Folk Song Suite". I arranged a couple of movements of that for our tuba ensemble and was surprised to learn that only 2 of our 9 members had ever played or even heard of it.

[Finetales]

Universal Judgment is also what I immediately thought of when I read the title. My high school band director was cool, so she would give us stuff like this to play. There were separate baritone and euphonium parts too! Also, I thought this piece was an original work for band rather than an orchestral transcription. JW Pepper seems to think so.

Others I would add: Esprit de Corps (Robert Jager), James Barnes 3rd Symphony (however much it's played, it'll never be enough), and Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (my favorite Sousa march). There are tons of great orchestral transcriptions out there as well of course...one that stands out to me is William Walton's Spitfire Prelude and Fugue.

Have many of you played by Dionysiaques by Florent Schmitt?
I remember around 1979 when Bob Foster had a hankering to play it, and it hadn't particularly been discovered or rediscovered by that many band directors at that time. We didn't change anything, and there were four cornets, four trumpets, four flugelhorns, and all the original instrumentation.

I've played that. Cool piece!

[arpthark]

@bort2.0, we just played Scenes from the Louvre in our local band last fall. Cool piece!

[UncleBeer]

I always liked Holst's "Hammersmith" and thought it deserved more performances.

[Paulver]

Geeze! You guys are bringing up titles from my past. Not gonna repost all of the titles, but most of them I played while in high school, and some I conducted as a high school band director. Others, I played in college, and others were played by my students at local, regional, and all-state band festivals.

A whole bunch of memories and melodies just flowed through my mind.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Great way to start my day!!

[arpthark]

Holst's 1st Suite in E-fla—just kidding.

[bort2.0]

May I be so bold as to suggest... a person simply has to look at some old Revelli or Fennel recordings and you'll find a good deal of old stuff that nobody plays anymore.

[Paulver]

May I be so bold as to suggest... a person simply has to look at some old Revelli or Fennel recordings and you'll find a good deal of old stuff that nobody plays anymore.

I saw/heard Revelli conduct his Michigan band when I was in high school. One of the pieces they played was "Third Suite" by Robert Jager........ who was a grad student in that same band at the time. My band director bought that piece the same year, and we played it. If memory serves me correctly, he (Jager) also performed an alto sax solo with the band. (At least I think it was him...... too long ago.) I have no idea what the solo was though. Can't remember!

In fact, both Revelli and Fennel conducted a couple of our state festivals way back when. Revelli was "quite the fireball". I stood back stage at a state band concert and heard every word he said to the band........ mostly directed at the clarinets. WOW!!! Was he po'd at them!!!!! Those were the days!!

[bloke]

Universal Judgment is also what I immediately thought of when I read the title. My high school band director was cool, so she would give us stuff like this to play. There were separate baritone and euphonium parts too! Also, I thought this piece was an original work for band rather than an orchestral transcription. JW Pepper seems to think so.

I wasn't absolutely sure, so I checked really quickly.

I did a screenshot of the original orchestration, and even found a scan of the original manuscript. I don't have any apps on my phone so I will stick the screenshot up later. There are strings. That having been said, the way it is orchestrated, it looks like a really easy transcription.
I'm not insulting the piece at all, but orchestras have so many wonderful pieces from which to choose, I can understand why (even for the few who might be aware of it) orchestra music directors tend to leave this one in the cabinet.

[russiantuba]

I always liked Holst's "Hammersmith" and thought it deserved more performances.

It is a great work. I’ve read it a few times, and to quote one of my collegiate band directors, it is a surprisingly difficult piece not only to put together but to get it to sparkle.

A high school band I work with is doing a Jager work. It surprised me because I rarely see his works performed.

[Mary Ann]

I think the problem is that "band" has become associated with "half time show" and "parade." And they don't play this stuff for those.