Band

A significant musical innovation that we did not speak about over the semester is the role of Band music in the USA. Coming from a tradition of orchestra and a country that appreciates rugby, cricket, and soccer over football, I had little to no experience with band or marching band music. From a European standpoint, I do believe there is a notable ignorance of the significant contributions band music has had on ensemble music.

Firstly, in terms of education, band music has excelled as a tool for exposing young learners to music. Secondly, instrumentally I believe that this is a medium that is on the forefront of innovation. Long gone are the days where band music lives under the auspices of orchestral transcription. One only needs to listen to the music of David Maslanka ‘Childs Garden of Dreams’, Alfred Reed ‘La Fiesta Mexicana’, or John Corigliano ‘Circus Maximus’ to realize that. Every musical tradition and innovation imaginable can be found in the band repertoire today.

My thought process with this blog was inspired by Gann’s blog today (Saturday 2 May) where he talks briefly about Mariachi music and an encounter that he had years back that reminded him of Nancarrow. The same thought dawned on me while studying for my Band Literature class and listening to the dozens of recordings I’m expected to identify at the drop of a hat (a daunting task if you’re as foreign to the music as I am). But none the les, it makes the learning process somewhat easier if I can somehow relate them to composers I am a little more familiar with, thanks to MUS 690.