Favorite Musical Moments — Band Edition

[the elephant]

Concert band or brass band — list your favorite butter-melting moments.

[the elephant]

In memoriam by Maslanka

I was in the band that premiered it, and seeing the director conducting a piece that told the story of his wife's terrible diagnosis and death.......... .

Im tearing up just typing this...

[arpthark]

- When the horns have the inversion of the main theme in the first movement of Holst's First Suite and the entire character of the movement changes. And then Holst brings us back home. What a guy!

- The entirety of William Bolcom's "First Symphony for Band." Just an amazing piece, with a walking-on-a-tightrope trumpet solo.

- The second reiteration of the euphonium "Greensleeves" solo in Holst's Second Suite never fails to give me chills.

- Irish Tune by Grainger is also one giant frisson-fest. Low, reedy saxes and winds with dominant seventh chords that almost-lazily resolve. I never get tired of it.

- Horns in the March from Symphonic Metamorphosis (Hindemith/von Weber).

A lot of my favorite musical moments are linked to a specific memory of a performance, or time in my life, so it's hard to pinpoint just one or describe them in a way that makes any sense to anyone else. Arnald Gabriel conducting Russian Christmas Music when I was in high school. The first time I heard "October" by Eric Whitacre when I was in high school. I didn't know band music could sound like that!

None of the above are really tuba-related.

[the elephant]

I love almost every moment in Alfred Reed's "Russian Christmas Music", which is a masterpiece of band writing, in my opinion. In fact, I love most of Reed's music.

Another Reed classic is "Armenian Dances", but most people are not aware that there are TWO of these suites, named (appropriately) Part I and Part II, and they are completely separate and excellent works. I love them both but greatly prefer to play Part II.

Robert Jager's "Variations on a Theme of Robert Schumann" is in every way an outstanding example of wind band writing, but in large settings and in small duos, trios, and quartets. the tuba part is fun to play from the first to the last note. My favorite moment is the low brass melody in one of the variations. I just love that piece.

I also love Claude T. Smith, with my favorite being his theme and variations on "God of Our Fathers". I was fortunate enough to have him conduct us in this piece in high school. He turned around during the woodwind chorale of the piece, which is basically the actual church hymn setting, and led the audience in singing the piece with us. What a nice man, great arranger, and fine composer he was. I was sad when he passed away in the late 1980s.

I also have a fondness for anything penned by W. Francis McBeth, who specialized in concert band lit for smaller Texas schools that, due to the strength of the marching band activity in those parts, tended to have weak woodwinds and hellacious percussion and brass. It all sounds a lot alike, but it is all fun to play.

I love to play Gordon Jacob's "Flag of Stars" too. What a great piece of music.

[York-aholic]

Yes Armenian Dance part 2. The first time in high school/college (?) I never really got the feel of the 3+2, 2+3 section. Played it a few months ago and it just clicked for me.

I guess old dogs can learn old tricks...

[the elephant]

Excellent!

[prairieboy1]

Nimrod
Irish Tune from County Derry
Hounds of Spring
Barnum and Bailey Circus March
First Suite in Eb
Second Suite in F
So many choices! These are top ones that came to mind IMMEDIATELY!
A great thread for sure!

[Tubajug]

I fell in love with "Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral" in high school. I can't get enough of the "slow burn" crescendo of the entire piece.

I love it so much, in fact, that one of our daughters is named after the piece (18 months before the Disney movie was released and everyone knew the name). I suggested it as a joke to my wife, but she liked it enough that we used it!

[arpthark]

I fell in love with "Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral" in high school. I can't get enough of the "slow burn" crescendo of the entire piece.

I love it so much, in fact, that one of our daughters is named after the piece (18 months before the Disney movie was released and everyone knew the name). I suggested it as a joke to my wife, but she liked it enough that we used it!

She might get teased a bit, but Procession is a fine name.

[the elephant]

Blake — BAHAHAHA!!!

Jordan — Here is the version we are playing on our upcoming run of recitals in the MSOBQ. The tuba line is solo, with just chords behind it. And the end is quite the blow for a quintet.

Tuba part to Jack Gale's great brass quintet arrangement of "Elsa's Procession"

Give it a toot and let me know what you think. It is definitely fun to play!

[arpthark]

Jack Gale's arrangements are great. Consistently good, in my experience.

[bloke]

I've (personally as a performer and - again - not as a patron) grown a bit weary of the the constant recycling of the West Side Story medley, and would like to expend more energy exposing folk to Gale's Porgy & Bess medley.

Wade, I'd look at the arrangement right now, if I didn't need to get off and to pull the bell, bow, and other parts off of one of those horrid YBB-641 things. (I'm taking a break from spraying weed poison and fire ant poison. Even when I'm only spraying "borders" weed poison, it requires walking - literally - miles, and I've presently some knees/feet issues...thus: this break. ...I'm pretty sure these are long-leftover weaponized virus symptoms.)

[the elephant]

We play sections of his Porgy and Bess medley all the time. It is easily as good as his West Side Story, which we also play to death. I just hate all the "fake swing" 12/8 writing, which makes my eyes water. Just write the correct rhythms. Even orchestral French hornists can play basic swing, and no one will EVERY read these in front of patrons. These are both rehearse-first suites, so the swing "leakers" can pick it up from the others, who likely *will* be able to read and interpret swing rhythms. An irritating quirk of some great arrangements.

[bloke]

I have no idea how I ended up posting "quintet" in the "band" thread...(??)

[the elephant]

I was talking about the fun tuba part to "Elsa's" in response to Jordan's comment about his love of the band version of the piece.

[Tubajug]

She might get teased a bit, but Procession is a fine name.

And yes, I literally "laughed out loud" upon reading your post. Thanks!

[bort2.0]

She might get teased a bit, but Procession is a fine name.

And yes, I literally "laughed out loud" upon reading your post. Thanks!

I thought her name was Cathedral. The kids can call her Cathy!

[Casca Grossa]

One of my favorite musical band moments was also one of my worst. When I was 14, I played in my very first honors band. The conductor was Alfred Reed. The entire program of music was Alfred Reed. I was the first chair tuba. It was the first audition I had ever taken. I had only been playing tuba for 2 years at this point so I was pretty pumped. I also had a great band director that fed me a steady diet of of incredible, brass quintet, band and orchestral recordings so I was super excited for this moment since I was very familiar with the music of Mr. Reed. We spent a week in rehearsal getting ready. Alfred Reed was an absolute taskmaster and hyper-critical all week. When the night of the performance came around, one of the percussionists blew an entrance and came in early. I don't which piece, but Mr. Reed stopped the concert, had some choice four letter words for the drummer from the podium to the absolute horror of the audience. He then restarted at the rehearsal number closest to the mistake and the show went on. I have to say, other than that moment, the concert was incredible. There were some fine, young musicians in that group. Several went on to military bands in Washington DC and one of the trumpet players toured with Maynard Ferguson.

[Kevbach33]

... The first time I heard "October" by Eric Whitacre when I was in high school. ...

There are very few pieces of music or songs in any genera that make me tear up. "October" is the most prominent, and the only time I played it was at an honor band festival as a HS junior. I actually broke down after a rehearsal so hard that i didn't eat lunch that day. Even thinking about the moment brings a tear to my eye. It made me realize, "As good a baseball player I may be, playing music will forever be my passion." I'd like to play "October" at least once more before I croak or can no longer play. Easily amongst the most beautiful pieces of band music I've ever played.

Another was "Inchon" by Robert W. Smith, and although I was not learning about the Korean and Vietnam wars at the time, I was reading Night in English class. And yeah, that piece (and the book) got to me too.

In the last couple years playing "Irish Tune From County Derry" on trombone is a completely different experience, one I'll never forget; the trombones are very exposed there at the top, and the group performed the piece extremely well. And agreed about "Russian Christmas Music." Phenomenal piece of music there.

[UncleBeer]

I like almost all of Julie Giroux's writing.