Mackenzie Webster

Wind Band Literature Review

Burn (2014)

By: Roland Barrett (b.1955)

Belwin-Mills Publishing Corp., a division of Alfred Music, $82

Opener, 1:52

Summary:

This piece was dedicated to the Dallas Wind Symphony and Jerry Junkin, Artistic

Director. It is a quick, eye-opening, and attention-grabbing opener. It would challenge the band’s

dynamic capabilities due to the drastic dynamic changes and specifications the composer put in

the notes. Trumpets would need to be able to/learn to double-tongue. It would also challenge’s

the band’s note accuracy due to the multiple runs in multiple sections throughout the piece.

March of the Belgian Paratroopers (1946) (arr. 2007)

By: Pierre Leemans (1897-1980) arr. James Swearingen (b. 1947)

Hal Leonard Publishing Co., $64.99

March, 2:42

Summary:

This piece was arranged for a younger band to help ensure success. This piece will help

bands start forming independent playing. It will challenge stylistic and rhythmic playing due to

the separated staccato eighth and sixteenth triplet grace notes throughout the piece.

Amazing Grace (1994)

By: Frank Ticheli (b. 1958)

Manhattan Beach Music, $135

Ballad, 5:15
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Summary:

This piece was commissioned by John Whitwell and dedicated to his parents for

recognition of their deep religious faith and their lives of selfless service to others. This piece is

not rhythmically challenging, but poses some challenges for tuning, intonation, and expression.

This piece is very expressive and requires confident players for the parts that have only one

person playing.

Culloden, Mvt. I & II, (2000)

By: Julie Giroux (b. 1961)

Musica Propria, $95

Multi Movement/Big Band, 7:30

Mvt. I – Heilan Lochs, Bairns & Heather

Mvt. II – I Hae Grat for Tho’ I Kend (I have wept for those I knew)

Summary:

This piece was commissioned by Lieutenant Colonel Alan Bonner (Ret.) and dedicated to

the men and women in Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma who have served university bands

because of their love of bands and music. This piece will challenge bands stylistically and

articulately. Throughout the piece there are several style shifts that make articulation fall with it.

There are moments in the piece that instruments are written certain ways so that they can imitate

other instruments, like bagpipes.

Serenade for a Picket Fence (1956)

By: Norman Leyden

Hal Leonard Corp., $75

Novelty, 3:00
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Summary:

This piece is a great way to feature mallet percussionists. Overall, the wind parts are very

playable. For clarinet specifically, it would help them expand their upper register. It would also

help the band with syncopation, tempo changes, and learning to play under soloists.

Reckoning (2017)

By: Michael Markowski (b. 1986)

Markowski Creative, $175

Closer, 6:15

Summary:

This piece was commissioned by the Florida Bandmasters Association for the 2017 All-

State Concert Band. Overall, this piece would pose a challenge in multiple areas. There are many

places were player independence is important because of layer of multiple lines. It would also be

good for range on clarinet and flute. This piece gives the low brass a chance to shine by giving

them a fun melody line. The piece tells a story and is engaging.

The Witch and The Saint (2004)

By: Steve Reineke

C. L. Barnhouse Company, $90

Closer, 10:22

Summary:

This piece is a one movement piece that consists of five parts that tells a story of twin

sisters born in Germany in 1588. This piece will be challenging rhythmically and expressively.

There are multiple moments on syncopation and a polyrhythmic feel between the woodwinds

and brass. Along with that, the piece switches between common and compound time. There are
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multiple solos in the piece, require confident players to play them with emotion. With the

polyrhythmic feel players need to be confident in their individual parts. Every section gets a line

in the music that is able to pull them in and enjoy the piece. Along with that, instruments that do

not often get solos, like bass clarinet, get their time to shine.

An American Elegy (2000)

By: Frank Ticheli (b. 1958)

Manhattan Beach Music, $195

Ballad, 11:00

Summary:

This piece was commissioned by the Alpha Iota Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi at the

University of Colorado on behalf of the Columbine High School Band and dedicated to the

victims of the Columbine school shooting and honoring the survivors. This piece would be good

to work on intonation and blend within the ensemble, as well as working on polyrhythmic feel

and emotional expressivity. Along with that, it could be used to talk about history and the

meaning behind the piece’s creation to allow the students to be more connected and be more able

to use the expression needed for the piece.

Selections from Moana (2017)

Arr. By: Jay Bocook (b. 1953)

Hal Leonard Music Company, $70

Closer, 4:43

Summary:

This piece would pose some rhythmic challenges. Most songs throughout Moana have

syncopations. Other than that, this piece would be good since students would most likely know
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the songs and enjoy the music. Also, low brass gets to have the melody, making them more

inclined to enjoy playing the piece.

On This Bright Morning (2013)

By: David Maslanka (1943-2017)

Maslanka Press, $199

Opener, 9:00

Summary:

This piece was written for a consortium of Montana high school bands. It is supposed to

depict the struggle and pain that comes with major transitions in life and later acceptance. With

that, the piece calls for the conductor and players to commit to a very powerful direct and

powerful person feeling, which means that players need to be able to express feeling through

playing. This piece will also work on different styles of articulation, confidence through playing

independent parts, range, blend, and dynamic difference.