The Final Chapter: European and American Composers, Transcriptions, Orchestral Medium (Mid-20th Century)

Introduction

In the mid-twentieth century, after taking front stage at American colleges and universities, marching bands began receiving worldly recognition for their musicality. Significant efforts were made to increase their repertoire in substance and originality. During the World War II, the increased popularity of band ensembles began to spread across the world, evolving the art into the superpower it is today. International composers gained interest in band arrangements and soon realized the importance of creating transcriptions for their works. Decreasing the separation between original band literature and transcriptions led to a prominent difference in band and orchestral mediums.

Composers Gain Interest in Band Literature

Once the marching band presence was recognized in different countries, European and American Composers such as Robert Russell Bennett, Morton Gould and Vincent Persichetti gained interest in band arrangements and soon began to create their own variations of the music. 

Morton Gould

Morton Gould (1913-1996)

As one of the most influential composers in band arrangements, it is very possible that Morton Gould was the most significant American advocate for the wind band. He understood the performance possibilities of the band while few recognized the medium as a legitimate ensemble. The modern-day bands are indebted to Gould for his compositions, as well as other composers who were encouraged by Gould. In the late 1930's, the composer said in an interview, "Hearing Bill Revelli's University of Michigan Band...that really changed me. I realized what a great music-making machine we had...I wrote a great deal for band." After this realization, Gould went on to promote "serious" music for symphonic bands through his own compositions, upgrading school and college band repertoires tremendously.

Robert Russell Bennett (1894-1981)

Robert Russell Bennett 
By crossing into band literature with his 1950 piece, Suite of Old American Dances, Robert Russell Bennett used his orchestrating skills to please a different crowd with a new, innovative sound. The piece was played by the Goldman Band in Central Park, New York. The audience of over five thousand people responded positively, describing the piece as "infectious good humor, imaginative and masterful scoring, and creates a nostalgically pleasant mood." He often took inspiration from his personal experiences and matched them with the instrumentation of band ensembles. His arrangements were individualized to match each band to entertain his audience. Bennett's pieces continue to be a staple of band literature to this day. 

Vincent Persichetti 

Vincent Persichetti (1915-1987)

After acquiring a solid reputation as a serious composer of works for a wide variety of mediums, Vincent Persichetti premiered Divertimento for Band, earning a measure of new and unthinkable recognition. The success of his piece led to becoming a leader in adding quality to the repertoire of bands everywhere. During speeches, he expressed his views on bands and band literature. His views described the respect and recognition he received from band conductors when creating band pieces. In a letter, Persichetti said that for bands to be eager to play what he writes makes the effort "both spontaneous and worthwhile...it seems to approach the relation of composer and performer in other, happier centuries." To him, band was a valid medium and equal to a serious artistic musical expression. He cared deeply for band literature and his connection was conveyed through his compositions.

Musical Transcriptions of the 1970s

The balance between original band literature and transcriptions began to turn into a different direction by the mid-1970s. It was determined by James Westbrook at the College Band Directors National Association convention that only 27% of musical compositions were transcriptions, or actually documented. Due to the increasingly large amount of literature being composed during this time, composers began to create pieces that could stand the test of time. This challenged composers to include additions to the music that would normally be verbally taught. The use of written dynamics, musical tempos and keys increased drastically as transcripts began to have a bigger presence in the repertoires of bands everywhere.

An early musical transcription from the 1970s

Orchestra vs. Band Mediums 

With the rise of band literature, there was still a huge divide between the two musical mediums. Bands were often frustrated by literature which is shorter in length and lighter in content. Many of the established Americans who wrote original works for band since World War II have written increasingly more for orchestras. Despite the band literature having more quality, some composers did not approach the band compositions with the same energy and musical commitment. One popular example is Samuel Barber's band piece, Commando March. This amazing piece never sustained the notoriety of his Violin Concerto and has now been forgotten, while his orchestral piece continues to be used.

Commando March, Samuel Barber

Violin Concerto, Samuel Barber

Conclusion

In the last five decades, the quality and sophistication of band literature has continued to grow. The commitment from renown composers to write for band ensembles has been most commendable. Composers are increasingly aware that new compositions for band tend to entertain audiences more than those for orchestral and other mediums. The large amount of literature that continues to enter the band field has finally made it possible to create a standard repertoire of great music and bands. This century challenges band proponents to continue to support the musical goals of school and professional ensembles. The continued success encourages the creation of new literature from the most capable composers available.

Information Sources:
Hawkins, Roy B. The Life and Work of Robert Russell Bennett. UMI Dissertations Publishing, 1989. Print.
Hoffman, Christine E. "Marching Bands." Dictionary of American History. Ed. Stanley I. Kutler. 3rd ed. Vol. 5. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2003. 237-238. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 20 Sept. 2013. 

Morris, Donald A. The Life of Vincent Persichetti, With Emphasis On His Works for Band. UMI Dissertations Publishing, 1991. Print.

Rhodes, Stephen L. “Twentieth Century Repertoire.” (2007): n. pag. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. <http://www.lipscomb.edu/windbandhistory/RhodesWindBand_12_20thCenturyRepertoire.htm.>
Scott, Ronald D. Band Music of Morton Gould. UMI Dissertations Publishing, 1989. Print. 
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