Concert band

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A full concert band�Indiana Wind Symphony in concert, 2014

Part of a series on
Music education
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A concert band, also called wind ensemble, symphonic band, wind symphony, wind
orchestra, wind band, symphonic winds, symphony band, or symphonic wind ensemble,
is a performing ensemble consisting of members of the woodwind, brass, and
percussion families of instruments, and occasionally including the double bass or
bass guitar. On rare occasions, additional non-traditional instruments may be added
to such ensembles such as piano, harp, synthesizer, or electric guitar.

A concert band's repertoire includes original wind compositions,

transcriptions/arrangements of orchestral compositions, light music, and popular
tunes. Though the instrumentation is similar, a concert band is distinguished from
the marching band in that its primary function is as a concert ensemble. The
standard repertoire for the concert band does, however, contain concert marches.

Contents
1 Origins
2 Development of the wind ensemble
3 Bands today
3.1 Military bands
3.2 Professional bands
3.3 Community bands
3.4 School bands
4 Instrumentation
5 Repertoire
5.1 Development of a repertoire
5.2 Prominent composers for concert band
5.2.1 Early to middle 20th century
5.2.2 Late 20th century to the present
5.3 Important concert band literature
6 Competitions
7 Band associations
8 See also
9 References
10 External links
Origins
During the 19th century, large ensembles of wind and percussion instruments in the
British and American traditions existed mainly in the form of the military band for
ceremonial and festive occasions, and the works performed consisted mostly of
marches. The only time wind bands were used in a concert setting comparable to that
of a symphony orchestra was when transcriptions of orchestral or operatic pieces
were arranged and performed, as there were comparatively few original concert works
for a large wind ensemble.

Development of the wind ensemble

Prior to the 1950s, wind ensembles varied in the combinations of instruments
included. The modern "standard" instrumentation of the wind ensemble was more or
less established by Frederick Fennell at Eastman School of Music as the Eastman
Wind Ensemble in 1952 after the model of the orchestra: a pool of players from
which a composer can select in order to create different sonorities. [1] The wind
ensemble could be said to be modeled on the wind section of a "Wagner orchestra,"
an important difference being the addition of saxophones and baritone/euphonium.
(The American Wind Symphony Orchestra, which uses neither of these, adheres more
strictly to the "expanded orchestral wind section" model.) While many people
consider the wind ensemble to be one player on a part, this is only practical in
true chamber music. Full band pieces usually require doubling or tripling of the
clarinet parts, and six trumpeters is typical in a wind ensemble. According to
Fennell, the wind ensemble was not revolutionary, but developed naturally out of
the music that led him to the concept.[citation needed]

Bands today
Military bands
A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military
functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of
wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the title
of Bandmaster or Director of Music. Ottoman military bands are thought to be the
oldest variety of military marching band in the world, dating from the 13th
century.[2]

The military band should be capable of playing ceremonial and marching music,
including the national anthems and patriotic songs of not only their own nation but
others as well, both while stationary and as a marching band. Military bands also
play a part in military funeral ceremonies.

There are two types of historical traditions in military bands. The first is
military field music. This type of music includes bugles (or other natural
instruments such as natural trumpets or natural horns), bagpipes, or fifes and
almost always drums (see military drums). This type of music was used to control
troops on the battlefield as well as for entertainment. Following the development
of instruments such as the keyed trumpet or the saxhorn family of brass
instruments, a second tradition of the brass and woodwind military band was formed.

A military band�The United States Army Band, 2012

Professional bands
Professional concert bands not associated with the military appear across the
globe, particularly in developed countries. However, most do not offer full-time
positions. The competition to make it into one of these concert bands is incredibly
high and the ratio of performers to entrants is narrowly small.[citation needed]
Examples of professional non-military concert bands include:
Dallas Wind Symphony, led by Jerry Junkin
Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra, led for many years by Frederick Fennell, and as of 2006
conducted by Sir Douglas Bostock
Osaka Municipal Symphonic Band
Royal Hawaiian Band, created by royal decree in 1836 by King Kamehameha III
Community bands
Main article: Community band
A community band is a concert band or brass band ensemble composed of volunteer
(non-paid) amateur musicians in a particular geographic area. It may be sponsored
by the local (municipal) government or self-supporting. These groups rehearse
regularly and perform at least once a year. Some bands are also marching bands,
participating in parades and other outdoor events. Although they are volunteer
musical organizations, community bands may employ an Artistic Director (conductor)
or various operational staff.

Notable community bands include:

U.S.A.

The American Band, Providence, Rhode Island, conducted by Brian Cardany

Brooklyn Wind Symphony, Brooklyn, NY, conducted by Jeff W. Ball
Lesbian & Gay Big Apple Corps, New York, New York, conducted by Kelly Watkins
Northshore Concert Band, Evanston, Illinois, conducted by Mallory Thompson
Salt Lake Symphonic Winds, Salt Lake City, Utah, conducted by Thomas P. Rohrer
The TriBattery Pops, New York, NY, conducted by Tom Goodkind
East Winds Symphonic Band, Pittsburgh, PA, conducted by Susan Sands
United Kingdom

Birmingham Symphonic Winds, conducted by Keith Allen

Newark and Sherwood Concert Band, Newark, Nottinghamshire, conducted by Colum J
O'Shea
North Cheshire Wind Orchestra, Warrington, Cheshire, conducted by Catherine Tackley
Nottingham Concert Band, conducted by Robert Parker
National Youth Wind Orchestra of Great Britain, various conductors
Canada

Pacific Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Vancouver. David Branter, Resident Conductor and
Acting Music Director
Australia

North West Wind Ensemble, Sydney, James Brice, Musical Director

Sydney Wind Symphony, Mark Brown, Musical Director
Queensland Wind Orchestra, conducted by David Law
New Zealand

Gisborne Youth Concert Band, conducted by Alex Nyman

Norway

Dragefjellets Musikkorps (Bergen Symphonic Band)

Sandvikens Ungdomskorps, Bergen, conducted by Tormod Flaten and Bj�rn Breistein
Portugal

Uni�o Filarm�nica do Troviscal, Troviscal�Aveiro, conducted by Andr� Granjo

Finland

Tikkurilan Soittokunta, Vantaa, conducted by Kimmo Nurmi

School bands
Main article: School band
A school band is a group of student musicians who rehearse and perform instrumental
music together. A school band is usually under the direction of one or more
conductors (band directors). A school band consists of woodwind instruments, brass
instruments and percussion instruments, although upper level bands may also have
string basses or bass guitar.[citation needed]

Instrumentation
Instrumentation for the wind band is not completely standardized; composers will
frequently add or omit parts. Instruments and parts in parentheses are less common
but still often used; due to the fact that some bands are missing these
instruments, important lines for these instruments are often cued into other parts.

Instrumentation differs depending on the type of ensemble. Middle school and high
school bands frequently have more limited instrumentation and fewer parts (for
example, no double reeds, or only two horn parts instead of four). This is both to
limit the difficulty for inexperienced players and because schools frequently do
not have access to the less common instruments.

The standard concert band will have several players on each part depending on
available personnel and the preference of the conductor. A concert band can
theoretically have as many as 200 members from a set of only 35 parts. The wind
ensemble, on the other hand, will have very little doubling, if any; commonly,
clarinets or flutes may be doubled, especially to handle any divisi passages, and
others will have one player per part, as dictated by the requirements of a specific
composition. Also, it is common to see two tubas playing the same part in a wind
ensemble. Some people have observed that this distinction is antiquated and the
terms "concert band," "wind ensemble," "wind symphony" and the like are now more or
less interchangeable.

Complicated percussion parts are common in concert band pieces, often requiring
many percussionists. Many believe this is a major difference between the orchestra
(which usually lacks a large battery of percussion) and the concert band. While in
older transcriptions and concert works, the timpani were treated as its own section
as in the orchestra, today, in bands, the timpani are considered part of the
percussion section. Consequently, the timpani player often will double on other
percussion instruments.

Contemporary compositions often call on players to use unusual instruments or

effects. For example, several pieces call on the use of a siren while others will
ask players to play recorders, whirly tubes, or to sing, hum, snap, clap or even
crinkle sheets of paper. The wind band's diverse instrumentation and large number
of players makes it a very flexible ensemble, capable of producing a variety of
sonic effects.