The hearts indicate a "Director Favorite!"
You MUST listen to this:
PROGRAM NOTES
An American Elegy is, above all, an expression of hope. It was composed in memory of those who lost their lives at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999, and to honor the survivors. It is offered as a tribute to their great strength and courage in the face of a terrible tragedy. I hope the work can also serve as one reminder of how fragile and precious life is and how intimately connected we all are as human beings.
I was moved and honored by this commission invitation, and deeply inspired by the circumstances surrounding it. Rarely has a work revealed itself to me with such powerful speed and clarity. The first eight bars of the main melody came to me fully formed in a dream. Virtually every element of the work was discovered within the span of about two weeks. The remainder of my time was spent refining, developing, and orchestrating.
The work begins at the bottom of the ensemble's register, and ascends gradually to a heartfelt cry of hope. The main theme that follows, stated by the horns, reveals a more lyrical, serene side of the piece. A second theme, based on a simple repeated harmonic pattern, suggests yet another, more poignant mood. These three moods - hope, serenity, and sadness - become intertwined throughout the work, defining its complex expressive character. A four-part canon builds to a climactic quotation of the Columbine Alma Mater. The music recedes, and an offstage trumpeter is heard, suggesting a celestial voice - a heavenly message. The full ensemble returns with a final, exalted statement of the main theme.
--Frank Ticheli
This is the University of Texas, with soprano and ORGAN!
Also, this is a true WIND ENSEMBLE...one person per part. Notice how small the sections are, and, yet, they still have an amazingly powerful sound!
A newer "classic," this has a GREAT flute solo! Fun tune!
Ever wonder what the conductor is looking at?
This is a GREAT video, from the conductor's point of view.
OH! 5:45 = AWESOME chords!
Perhaps not the BEST recording in the world (hand-held camera in a large room), but it is the arrangement that we have at Meyzeek.
CONCERT MARCHES:
I've assembled some of the most famous and my favorite marches. These are CRITICAL to the development of concert band as we know it, today. These works are our ancestors. We must know and appreciate their role in the development of the American sound tapestry.
(It loads to a weird web page...scroll DOWN to see the next page...)
Ever wonder what the conductor is looking at?
This is a GREAT video, from the conductor's point of view.
The poetry was written by the composer's father. Narrated, here, by the actor Edward James Olmos.
Great video. Another "standard" in the band world. (It's pronounced "ray-ALL.")
An easier arrangement of the original...
HUGE FL, OB, CL, & other solos! One of the most famous pieces for band, this is a "transcription" from an opera composed by Richard Wagner.
One of the CLASSICS! I DARE you to be in a bad mood after listening to this!
Really cool CL & OB solos
CLASSIC!!! HUGE French Horn solis, AWESOME piccolo and bassoon soli, bass clarinet solo, euphonium solo, tuba solo, timpani solo, etc., etc., etc.!
One of my all-time favorites!!! (I also made this into a ring tone!)
Another CLASSIC! The "President's Own" United States Marine Band performs this very important work.
One of the CLASSICS! This is performed by the LEGENDARY Eastman Wind Ensemble.
OK...long story. Dr. Joseph Scagnoli is a wonderful man, and one of the most influential band directors in the Midwest. I had the pleasure of studying with him while at Ball State University in the early 90's. "Doc" frequently brought the composer Stephen Melillo to BSU, where he rehearsed and conducted several of his pieces, all of which were wondrous and intense, much like Mr. Melillo, hisself! During the Indiana Music Educators' Association convention in Indianapolis one year (1995?), Stephen asked Doc to pick three notes out on a piano in a hotel lobby. One year later, this piece was premiered at the next IMEA convention. Dr. Scagnoli had no clue that he had picked the 3-note motif that is featured so prominently in "Giving!" a full year earlier! The title is appropriate, for Dr. Scagnoli, just now retired, will always be known by his students as a giving person.
This took the band world by storm...there were even 3 or 4 MARCHING bands using this melody (heard at 1:21 in the original) in Kentucky, alone, during the 2014 season!
What is the difference between these two?
A beautifully composed tribute to the indigenous peoples of Pacific Northwest.
Have fun, clarinets! Bass CL and Bari Sax, too!
(Feat. AS, FH, PC, etc.) Dedicated to Rosa Parks, the theme is "We Shall Overcome." An AMAZING piece!
What do you think that the ending means?
Opens with a LUSH melody.
Oboe and EUPHONIUM solos!!!
Another newer classic. The ensemble performing on this recording is one of the best....North Texas.
This was performed by our 8th grade band during my first year at Meyzeek. I have included a link to one of the pages of our program with commentary. Hazo has given us a very thoughtful composition, and it's one of my favorites! Grab a tissue!
I DARE you to be in a bad mood after listening to this!!! CL solo, COOL perc. parts!
One of the most famous band pieces. HUGE English Horn solo! Everyone who plays this remembers it for years...it's that kind of experience to push towards the end
Same composer as "First Suite in E-flat" and "The Planets." HUGE euphonium solos!
I cry every time I hear this...Kristen D., you know why...
Lots of Ticheli pieces on this list, aren't there? This arrangement of the classic American folk song is my favorite for band.
This might not belong on some people's lists of concert band music, but is one that I hope ALL of our students get to play!
She is one of the HOTTEST composers, right now!! This piece depicts the history of manned flight, with all of it's, well...missteps along the way, which you will hear!
Another of the "classic" band pieces. A MUST-PLAY for all who can!
A classic piece. Please take time to read the history behind the piece here: