--> Always "reload" the webpage to be sure you have the up-to-date info.<--

I hope that with the soundfiles, you will do more listening and following along in your music rather than playing. (The more you listen and learn what the piece sounds like, the better you will play it and the easier you'll be able to jump back in when you get lost! - Note, not "if" you get lost!) We want you to get in the habit of learning it by looking at the music, not learning by ear. Just listening is not always accurate and you can end up with some pretty obnoixous mistakes that are hard to unlearn. ALSO, too much playing along with the soundfiles can get you stuck so that you can only play the piece at the recorded tempo instead of whatever tempo the conductor gives you! AND, you will end up lagging behind the group because you are listening to hear the sound then you play! That kind of thing can slow down the whole group!

IF YOU NEED MUSIC, it is located in the Dropbox folder for your instrument; hopefully saved that link. PARTS ARE NOT ON THE WEBPAGE AND MUSIC WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE AT REHEARSAL email Diane if you need the link.

To download our Practice Soundfiles, get them from our Practice Soundfile Dropbox - posted sometime late winter.

LINKS TO INFORMATION

Updated January 20, 2025

WINTER/SPRING STRINGS and BAND TOGETHER

WINTER/SPRING STRINGS

WINTER/SPRING BAND

USING SOUNDFILES EFFECTIVELY

(let me know if soundfiles don't work OR of omissions in info OR errors)

Always "reload" the webpage to be sure you have the up-to-date info.

STRINGS & BAND TOGETHER--WINTER/SPRING

TBA - We haven't yet chosen a piece.

STRING ENSEMBLE - WINTER/SPRING

THE YOUNG PRINCE AND THE YOUNG PRINCESS
     From Scheherazade
By Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, arr. Robert A. Curry

Directed by Kett
Kett says:
This is an excerpt from the third movement of Rimsky-Korsakov’s iconic symphonic suite “Scheherazade” based on the Middle eastern folktales One Thousand and One Nights. It is a sweet and dreamy piece that paints the picture of two young royals enjoying a calm and magical moment.

The music is in 6/8 time, which is felt in two large beats, each divided into three eighth notes—think “oom-pah-pah, oom-pah-pah.” Listening regularly to an original recording and practice soundfile will help the sound and style settle in your ear, making practice and ensemble playing much easier.

You can watch the score and listen to our arrangements here (if following the score, you will need to click the arrow ( > ) on the right side to turn the pages):
https://www.jwpepper.com/young-prince-and-the-young-princess-10097484-197317/p?preview=true

Valery Gergiev conducting Rimsky-Korsakov's “Young Prince and Young Princess” from Scheherazade,  Wiener Philharmoniker Orchester

https://youtu.be/G6KUFbRfK30?si=NL5Up57fs6Hwqf3U

THE RITE OF SPRING
    “Introduction”
    “Dance of the Young Maidens”
    “Ritual of the Rival Tribes”
By Igor Stravinsky, arr. Carrie Lane Gruselle

Directed by Kett
Kett says: Originally a ballet and orchestra work, this piece is famous for its driving beats and unexpected musical twists. It captures the intensity of ancient rituals and the arrival of spring. Fun fact, the premiere of this piece in 1913 caused a riot! Read more about it if you are interested*.

There are a couple of new techniques for the cello section. In measures 12–13, you’ll see tr#, which means a trill on C?. Keep your first finger down on B and tap your third finger (C?) continuously while sustaining a steady half-note bow. It’s actually quite easy—I’ll demonstrate it in rehearsal. In measures 95–97, there is a tremolo. Use the upper half of the bow and play very fast; it’s more about the effect than precision, and it will sound great when everyone does it together. Accents (> heavy notes) are especially important in this piece, so please take a close look at them and be sure to incorporate them into your practice.

* Here is a short bit of information from NPR about this piece.
https://www.npr.org/2008/03/21/88490677/stravinskys-riotous-rite-of-spring

Here is Sir Simon Rattle conducting the London Symphony Orchestra in Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring
https://youtu.be/EkwqPJZe8ms?si=uVExzkN7A84JrGvg 

SONG WITHOUT WORDS
   “I’ll Love My Love”
By Gustav Holst, arr. Christina Hans

Directed by Oliver
Oliver says:
This gorgeous piece by Holst is a setting of the English folk song "I'll Love My Love." It's tender, beautiful, and a heartbreaking mix of despair and hope. Throughout the piece, the melody will be passed between the violins, violas, and cellos, meanwhile a lovely winding countermelody accompanies. The trickiest part will be learning to pass both melody and countermelody between sections, so while preparing, listen to the recording, and find out if your section is continuing something from before, and/or passing that idea on to another section. The key comes back to feeling long phrases, and sustaining through longer notes, and listening across the orchestra.

Here is the link to the demo version of this piece (if following the score, you will need to click the arrow ( > ) on the right side to turn the pages). 
https://www.jwpepper.com/songs-without-words-10280122/p?srsltid=AfmBOooeYGtR6syanYWqTXRHofX-xLh_GcFsYW4EOTR_gU1NfoKq9CS0&preview=true

Theme from JURASSIC PARK
By John Williams, arr. Robert Longfield

Directed by Oliver
Oliver says:
Hold on to your butts, this is our most serious piece of music yet! And I unapologetically love this piece. The music simply soars and warms the heart! We'll largely be working on tone and creating a long, connected phrases. Focus especially on sustaining through the dotted rhythms, imagine you're trying to sing full phrases with a single breath, creating no breaks in the line. In terms of tone, we'll need to balance between playing close enough to the bridge to give power and core with weight and the speed of the bow to give air and glow to the sound. Re-watching the 1993 classic is also highly recommended.
 
Here is the link to the demo version of this piece (if following the score, you will need to click the arrow ( > ) on the right side to turn the pages). 
https://www.jwpepper.com/theme-from-jurassic-park-11592963/p?preview=true

BAND - WINTER/SPRING

LISTEN A LOT to these soundfiles and any other recordings you can find.
The more you listen, the better you will understand the flow of the music and the faster you will learn to play the piece! That said, please do not try to learn the music by listening - it is never accurate enough.

APPALACHIAN MORNING
By Robert Sheldon

Directed by John

John says:
The air is crisp, the dew is glistening at this early hour, and the sun is just peaking over the horizon.  Opening with a stunning clarinet solo, we paint pictures with this beautiful soundscape from one of the masters of band music. As so many European settlers from Scotland and Ireland made their new homes in the areas surrounding the Cumberland Gap of western Virginia, Sheldon has created a piece that is reflective of Celtic melodies while not actually using one. It is filled with emotive passages designed to help the listener feel like she is crawling out of her tent to build a fire, heat some water for coffee, and just sit and ponder the wonders of nature. Appalachian Morning provides several climactic moments followed by the tenderness of the early morning as the ebb and flow of the natural world supplants the worries of day before.

Watch the score and listen to this piece here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mH5UhPCLd4s
 
Although this piece is in a very comfortable key one of our biggest problems will present itself in the opening measures. The proper intonation of an “open fifth” can be very hard to achieve*. The flutes are faced with this challenge in the opening nine measures but it’s the first three that are exposed and very difficult to master and this problem returns in a new key in measure 45, not to mention the fifths with the oboe and bells in measures 41 & 42.

There are a couple of solos and we should honor these to allow individuals to express a bit of rubato. For instance, the opening clarinet solo which returns in measure 42, and then there are short mimics in trumpet, alto, and clarinet in measures 39-40.

For the percussion section, we get to use those cool wind chimes and we get to roll on a bass drum using two mallets instead of the usual single beater. Especially exposed, however, is the bell player which we might double lightly in vibes or chimes (we’ll see).

But for all of us, the expression of dynamic variation will make or break a performance of this gem of a piece. Take special note of the forte piano of measure 33 and the diminuendo of 34 leading into that special key change to concert F major.

GOING DEEPER Download the orignal PDF from the dropbox.

CHILDREN’S MARCH
   “Over and Far Away”
By Percy Grainger, arr. Douglas E. Wagner

Directed by Linda

Linda says:
Children’s March (Over the hills and far away) is a wonderful, classic band piece by Percy Grainger, a masterful composer for band.  Grainger was an Australian concert pianist who moved to the U.S. in 1914 (and became an American citizen in 1918).  In 1917, he enlisted in the U.S. Army as a saxophonist in one of its military bands (he also mentions learning to play the oboe, and his hope to learn to play it well enough to play it in the band).  After leaving the army in January 1919, he returned to his primary career as a concert pianist, as well as continuing to compose music.  In the same year, he scored this piece for band.  When we play it, you will notice his involvement with saxophone and oboe, as the melody starts with saxophone and oboe, and then continues with bassoon and bass clarinet.  The piece is dedicated “For my playmate beyond the hills.” This person is believed to be a Scandinavian woman with whom he corresponded for 8 years, and the subtitle “Over the hills and far away” is also thought to be a reference to his longing for her.  

A program note written by Suzanne Sherrington and Brendan Champion for a performance by the New South Wales Public Schools Symphonic Wind Ensemble has this great description of the structure of the piece:

Beginning softly in the bassoon in F Major, Grainger’s folk tune makes its way through the circle of fourths, gaining in excitement through B flat Major, E flat Major and A flat Major before finally returning to B flat Major and gradually disappearing “over the hills and far away.” 

The version of this piece that we will be playing is arranged by Douglas Wagner and is quite true to the original, although it doesn’t include the piano and vocal parts.  (It does feature the bassoon & bass clarinet and make extensive use of the saxophones and oboes, though!!) You will see that it follows the progression of key changes described above (hint: please mark the key signature changes!), and when you listen to it you can hear the key changes and how it ultimately disappears “over the hills and far away” at the end.

The piece is in 6/8 time, and will be conducted in two, and the rhythm will be a bit challenging in many places.  When you first look at it, please do NOT practice it at all if you aren’t completely sure on the rhythms, AND also do NOT learn the rhythms by listening to the soundfiles.  Instead, I recommend that you do two things before trying to play it: (1) first, carefully figure out the counting — counting in 6, so you can hear exactly where each of the 8th notes should be placed — and try counting the rhythm slowly without playing it; and then (2) listen to the piece and try to hear the rhythms, to make sure that you are learning it correctly.
Below are two recordings — one is the demo recording for the arrangement we are playing, and the other is the original, played by the U.S. Marine Band.  Listen to both and enjoy!!! Again, if you aren’t completely sure on the rhythms, don’t practice it — just listen to the soundfiles below (especially the U.S. Marine Band) and enjoy getting to know the piece that way.

Demo recording with the score of our arrangement:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwVf_Ln9i8Q

The original, with the U.S. Marine Band:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVGNzmRWqM0

SALUTE TO LOUIS ARMSTRONG
Arranged by Eric Osterling

Directed by Diane
Diane says:
This is a medley of four songs performed and written by Louis (Louie) Armstrong.
Mark your music with reminders BEFORE you start practicing or come to a rehearsal so you eliminate some of the mistakes you might make if not marked! Here are some marking suggestions and you may find more things:

1. There are several key changes, so take your pencils and mark in the appropriate flat, sharp or natural on the first few notes of the new key signature.  For example: If it starts in the key of F, with a Bb, and then changes to the key of Bb (Bb, Eb), mark the first 2 or 3 Ebs.  If it goes from the key of Eb (Bb, Eb, Ab) back to Bb (Bb, Eb), mark the first few A naturals.  Don’t just circle the notes, but write in the appropriate symbol.
2. There are two places with lots of accidentals.  To avoid accidents, look for repeated accidentals (EX: if there is an F# early in the measure and another F shows up later in the same measure, that F is also F#, unless it is marked with a natural sign)
3. “When the Saints Go Marching In” and “St. Louis Blues” are both in swing.  The other two sections are straight eighth notes.
4. As always, be accurate about the articulations (accents, staccatos, legato…).  The music is in the details, not the notes!! 
5. Listen to the recordings!!!  The more you listen, the more you will understand the music and the easier it will be to play!

Did you know? 
Louis Armstrong was often called by his nickname, “Sachmo”.  WHO??  Short for “Sachel Mouth” referring to his big, wide grin!

Here is a link to demo recording of this piece (just sound; no score):
https://www.jwpepper.com/salute-to-louis-armstrong-2476687-981198/p?preview=true

GOING DEEPER:
Here is some info and recordings of each of the four tunes used in our arrangement (You may skip this and go down to the Bach Info):

“What a Wonderful World”
Bob Thiele, using the pseudonym George Douglas, co-wrote the song with George Weiss. Thiele's real name has been used for the composer credits from 1988 onward. Thiele said the following regarding his inspiration for the song: "[I]n the mid-1960s during the deepening national traumas of the Kennedy assassination, Vietnam, racial strife, and turmoil everywhere, my co-writer George David Weiss and I had an idea to write a 'different' song specifically for Louis Armstrong that would be called 'What a Wonderful World.'"[5] Thiele also produced the original recording of the song, using his real name for the production credit. In Graham Nash's book Off the Record: Songwriters on Songwriting, George Weiss says he wrote the song specifically for Louis Armstrong, as he was inspired by Armstrong's ability to bring together people of different races.[6] 
(Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_a_Wonderful_World )
The song became more well-known after it appeared in the movie, Good Morning, Vietnam.  It has been used in many other movies and TV shows since.

Here are two videos of Louis Armstrong singing the song:
With cuts from Good Morning Vietnam:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzFIDTs3WtI&list=RDFzFIDTs3WtI&start_radio=1
And a studio version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaCSuzR4DwM&list=RDCaCSuzR4DwM&start_radio=1

“When the Saints Go Marching In”
This is an old late 1800s African-American Christian spiritual, made famous by Mr. Armstrong in his 1938 recording. He received some push-back for taking a spiritual and putting jazz chords and rhythms to it! (see article below)
This link will take you to a terrific article from the Library of Congress that talks about Louis Armstrong from the time he was a young boy of 11 trying to teach himself cornet playing.  He fired a gun in the air during a New Year celebration, got arrested and sent to the Colored Waif’s Home for Boys where he spent a year and a half under the tutelage of Peter Davis, who taught him cornet and making music.  The rest is history, but interesting history!
Read more:
https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/When-the-Saint-Go-Marching-In_Riccardi.pdf

Here is the 1938 recording of “Saints” (It is hard to understand what he is saying, but it is quoted in the article above, page 4, second full paragraph.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DoPvujMaZE&list=RD3DoPvujMaZE&start_radio=1

“St. Louis Blues”
Written by W.C. Handy and published in 1914, this was one of the first blues tunes to succeed as a pop tune. The Wikipedia article (link below) is filled with information about the tune, the blues form, W.C. Handy and various people who have performed it and made it famous!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Louis_Blues_(song)

Here is one of the most famous recordings (1925) of St. Louis Blues, sung by Bessie Smith (nicknamed, “The Empress of the Blues”) with Louis Armstrong and his orchestra backing her up.  Listen for his muted trumpet answers to her vocal lines.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rd9IaA_uJI&list=RD3rd9IaA_uJI&start_radio=1

Then listen to this W.C. Handy version (he also played cornet) and notice it has a VERY different tempo and style!  One of the fun things about jazz tunes is that the performer puts his/her own spin on the piece, changes parts of it, improvising and taking the tempo that seems right for that person and the situation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RL9hqPiH6DM&list=RDRL9hqPiH6DM&start_radio=1

“Hello Dolly”

This song, by Jerry Herman” was from the musical “Hello Dolly” and made famous by Louis Armstrong’s 1964 recording, hitting the #1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 list (beating out the Beatles!!)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hello,_Dolly!_(song)

“Hello Dolly” was based on Thornton Wilder’s play, “The Matchmaker”.  Below is a link  to information about the 1969 movie (directed by Gene Kelly!).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hello,_Dolly!_(film)

Here is a great video of Louie playing “Hello Dolly” with his All Stars live in Berlin in 1964
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7N2wssse14&list=RDl7N2wssse14&start_radio=1

And the 1964 recording that made him famous!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XycITCIzKhM&list=RDXycITCIzKhM&start_radio=1
(ENJOY!!!)

FANTASIA IN G MAJOR (We will likely just call the piece,"THE BACH" . Using the composer's name when designating a piece in rehearsal is standard procedure for classical music.)
Johann Sebastian Bach, Arr. by Richard Franko Goldman & Robert L. Leist

Directed by Linda

Linda says:

So. . . the 4th piece that we will be working on this session is a wonderful (IMO) classic band piece that I fell in love with as a high school student in All-State Band, have never forgotten, and have always wanted to play again.  It’s a powerful, emotionally passionate piece of music, and I hope that you will enjoy playing it.  Below is a description of the piece, some things to note about the parts and playing the piece, and a link to a performance of it.

Description

The piece is Bach’s “Fantasia in G Major,” transcribed by Richard Franko Goldman and Robert L. Leist.  A note included in the Wind Repertory Project describes the piece as follows:
[Bach’s] great G Major Fantasia for organ was composed between 1703 and 1707 during Bach's residence in Arnstadt. It was here, at the beginning of his career, that his music was found to be too full of "wonderful variations and foreign tones"; and certainly the Fantasia is strikingly dissonant in its constant texture of suspensions. But the breadth of the five-part polyphonic writing and the richness of the harmonic sonority make the Fantasia one of the grandest of all Bach's compositions for organ. It is also one that lends itself most perfectly to the sound and sonorities of the modern wind band.
The transcription by Richard Franko Goldman and Robert L. Leist was undertaken as a memorial to Edwin Franko Goldman, who was the first bandmaster to include the works of Bach regularly in the band's concert repertoire, and who did so much to introduce the music of this great master to wide audiences. In this transcription an attempt is made to recapture the sound of the Baroque organ through the medium of the modern band. The first performance of this transcription was given by The Goldman Band, Richard Franko Goldman conducting, on July 1, 1957.

Notes About the Parts & Playing the Parts
First of all, please note that the piece is in the key of G major.  We don’t often play in that key — and everyone will have at least one sharp in the key signature and everyone will have B naturals throughout the piece!  The B naturals are particularly tricky as they don’t appear in the key signature — I would recommend marking them!!!
Second, you will note that the piece is written in cut time, but the “Suggestions to the Conductor” in the score suggest that one might “feel a more comfortable pulse in 4,” and we will be doing it in 4/4.
Third, most of the parts appear to be relatively uncomplicated — mostly quarter, half, and whole notes — but the piece will be complicated to put together — the musical challenge (and the fun!) will be in working together to find the expressive musical line in each part and, as we did in Shaker Variants and Canterbury Chorale last session, to succeed in playing the interweaving lines in a way that produces passionate musical expression.
Having said all that, if you are unable to find a part that doesn’t seem too difficult for you, let us know and we will help you modify it!

Notes About Particular Parts, Instruments, and Sections
Below are some notes about particular parts as far as I know them right now.  We only received the music a couple of days ago, and there is no full score, so I’m still working my way through the parts...

Piccolos & Flutes — in this piece, the piccolo is a separate part, not always with the flutes, so we do need piccolo!  The 1st flute part is very high and the 2nd flute part is high.

Oboes — there are two parts, the oboes frequently have the lead-in to a new section of the piece — probably two people on 2nd and one on 1st, but see what you think when you look at the parts.

Clarinets — there are four parts — Solo, 1st, 2nd, & 3rd — as far as I can tell so far, it doesn’t appear that the solo clarinet has a solo but the part is definitely different from the 1st clarinet part and it spends a lot of time up in the stratosphere.  The 3rd clarinet part is particularly important in this piece.  

Bass Clarinet & Bassoons — These parts are part of the powerful organ-like bass section in the piece, and whenever the piece has only the woodwind section playing, these parts are the entire bass line, and it’s really beautiful.  There are two bassoon parts.

Saxophones — Alto saxes have the important middle register expressive melody lines throughout the piece, in some ways similar to Shaker Variants and Canterbury Chorale.  Tenors join the altos on some of those, but also have the powerful melodic statements with the trombones in the fortissimo passages.  As always, watch out for the sharps!  Altos have 4 and tenors have 3.

Trumpets — there are five parts in this piece — Solo & 1st cornet, 2nd cornet, 3rd cornet, and trumpets 1 & 2.  There is a short solo in the solo & 1st cornet part, as well as a soli duet with 2nd cornet in another place.  We do need all the cornet parts, as well as trumpets 1 & 2.  I would suggest one person on trumpet 1 and one person on trumpet 2, and then split up the cornet parts among the rest of you.  Trumpets 1 & 2 have nice parts but more rests than the cornet parts.  Another thing worth noting is that the solo & 1st cornet part starts on a high A (which is easy to hear, because the low brass have just played it 3 & 4 octaves lower) and has a high B and a high C# as well (at the end, of course!).  Trumpet 1 has these at the end, too, but has more rest during the piece.  Note that the 2nd cornet part is missing letter C, which should be 11 measures after letter B.

Horns — there are four horn parts with some really beautiful section playing — note the places marked “soli”

Trombones — there are three trombone parts; at the beginning, the third trombone adds to the powerful fortissimo bass note that begins the piece while the 1sts and 2nds come in with the opening melody statement.  Note that the 1st trombone part is missing rehearsal letter I, which should be 15 measures after letter H.

Euphonium — at times, a melody part and, at others, part of the powerful bass line, think big organ pipes and expressiveness.

Tuba — the piece arrived with 6 copies of the tuba part, which tells you something about volume!!  When there is a choice, please play the lower notes.

Percussion — four parts — marimba, timpani 1 and timpani 2, and a part with bass drum and suspended cymbal. The timpani parts have been marked up to be played by two people, each playing two drums, in order to double the sound at the beginning and ending of the piece.  

Performance Link
For listening, this performance by Frederick Fennel with the Cleveland Winds is definitely worth listening to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hidvEt0ROCs

HINTS FOR EFFECTIVE USE OF SOUNDFILES IN YOUR PRACTICE

There are several really good reasons for listening to the soundfiles of music you are playing:

1. *To get a sense of how the music sounds, its style, its phrasing, its harmonies (Most important reason!)
2. Following your music while listening to the soundfile (not playing) helps you learn how your part fits with the whole and helps you learn to keep your place. If you can't keep your place while listening and following in the music, you will struggle to keep your place when you are playing!
3. Playing along with the music gives you more opportunities to "practice with the group" than you can get just in rehearsals. You will not be able to determine when to play the very first beat, so come in on the next measure.
4. If it goes by too quickly, see the next bullet
5. Purchase the software, Amazing Slow Downer (from http://ronimusic.com/) and you can practice with the soundfile slowed down to where you can play along. (Soundfiles must be on the same device where the Slow Downer resides; you can not use YouTube, AppleMusic or soundfiles that are streamed from the web). For those of you cautious about what you download, this software site is safe according to Norton)
6. You can also slow down YouTube by clicking the gear and adjusting the percentage. You don't have the minute control of the speed, but it is better than nothing!

If you are new to working with soundfiles, DO NOT try to play along right away. Your first task is to listen several times while just following along in your own music (not playing), perhaps even using your finger to keep your place in the music. See if you can stay with the music, whether or not you can hear your own part (sometimes it doesn't sound like your instrument because you are playing the same thing as some other instrument and your part adds to the overall, but isn't itself distinguishable). Watch for things like holds or sudden loud spots or a change from legato to staccato to see if you can hear those as you listen. Until you can reliably follow along & keep your place in your music while listening and looking at your part, you will never be able to successfully play along. Be sure to do the listening first or it is just frustrating! Once you get good at that, try listening and speaking your rhythms. Once you can do that, then try playing with it, although you may find that it is too fast for you to keep up. (See bullet #5 above)

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