Brady Knight
28 November 2016
MUSC 102
Dr. RING
Wind Ensemble Writing Assignment
Being my first semester at Longwood University, I can say that I was personally excited for Wind Ensemble. I have been making music with my trombone ever since the fifth grade. Then being first chair in the local Sussex County Honors Band as a Sophomore. And continuing on to be my High School’s own Band President, and receiving the John Philips Sousa and Semper Fidelis awards upon graduation. I was always regarded as the music guy amongst my peers, even receiving Most Musical as a Senior Superlative. The chance to continue my musical passion in college is exciting to say the least.
For my own personal performance and preparation, I would say that I did well overall. Being the sixth trombone, or the second third trombone, the parts I played were a good transition from previous music in High School to more challenging pieces at a University Level. There was never a note I did not know, or a rhythm that I could not work out. It was never challenging, but I was also never bored playing each part.
More specifically, in “Hymn to a Blue Hour” by John Mackey, the rhythms and notes were simple, but learning and getting used to reading in five-four, then three-four, and then sixth-eighth was the challenge. At first it was difficult, and now at the end of the semester I can say that I am a better musician from it.
Moving away from my own preparation and performance, the Wind Ensemble as a whole was truly fantastic. In the beginning of the semester, going back to previously mentioned, “Hymn to a Blue Hour,” the ensemble as a whole faced challenges with this chart. But to no surprise it was probably the best piece we performed that night. Other songs such as “Il Bersagliere” and Sousa’s “Semper Fidelis” were high energy marches that require more articulate, and a more accented sound compared to the melodic Blue Hour.
From the slow pace of “Hymn to a Blue Hour” and to John Philip Sousa’s “Semper Fidelis”; it was an interesting mix. I really enjoyed the diversity of music the Wind Ensemble performed. Each tune was individualized and all featured something unique.
“Divertimento for Band” by Vincent Persichetti was interesting because it features six very different, independent pieces. In the first “Prologue,”it really set the stage for the following five pieces. “Song” and “Dance” were beautiful flowing songs that really made me want to do dance and sing. The fourth song, “Burlesque” was one of my favorites because of the heavy tone carried by the Tubas and the overall sound. “Soliloquy” was the five song in the piece, and it was a truly amazing piece at that, although the Trombones played five notes, the first trumpet was spectacular. The last song was “March,” which almost rivaled “Il Bersagliere” and even “Semper Fidelis” because each march was amazing to play, and sounded great.
Continuing with the theme of a single chart with several pieces, “There once was a composer of genius” by Daniel Kallmanoffered up four pieces of music all named after separate composer. Bernstein, Ives, Ellington, and Sousa are all famous musicians and writers. Although I am not familiar with Bernstein and Ives, Ellington is known for his Jazz compositions and the ensemble did perform Sousa’ “Semper Fidelis”. Each song named after composer in this piece all started with two different limericks each said by members of the ensemble. Each limerick offered insight into how each composer wrote or how the song written would reflect each composer’s unique style.
I would say that the five diverse songs performed worked well with the whole ensemble. More often than not, concerts usually consist of the same genre of music. Each piece is slow and melodic, or each piece is fast paced and up tempo. An ensemble that can perform all types of music, and play each piece just as great as the one before it, are an altogether, better ensemble. I believe that our Wind Ensemble here at Longwood University has a lot of skill, not just as a whole, but each individual musician cares and performs to his/her best.
Going into college, I was not sure what to expect. I was not sure as to how certain things would be done, not just in the broad sense, but also in the musical sense. What are the types of music played, are they challenging, and other little factors included in the music? All these questions were quickly answered throughout the semester. And if they were not answered by such, I knew that an upper classman who has been performing here at Longwood more than I have, would have the answer.
Overall, for it being my first semester here at Longwood University, but mostly my first experiences in a college wind ensemble; it was very exciting. I have personally learned more than I thought I would. I thought I knew a lot about performances, and music in general, but over the course of the semester, I have gained much needed knowledge. I feel that going forward, continuing my music career here at Longwood as a Mathematics Secondary Education Major will be exciting and very fulfilling. I cannot wait to continue music here at Longwood University, and am looking forward to what is to come.