A concert band, also called a wind band, wind ensemble, wind symphony, wind orchestra, symphonic band, the symphonic winds, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of members of the

woodwind Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and Ree ...

brass Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...

, and

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...

families of instruments, and occasionally including the

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

double bass The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...

, and

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orchestras or ...

. On rare occasions, additional, non-traditional instruments may be added to such ensembles such as

synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external electric Guitar amplifier, sound amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar. It uses one or more pickup (music technology), pickups ...

, and

bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

. Concert band music generally includes original

wind Wind is the natural movement of atmosphere of Earth, air or other gases relative to a planetary surface, planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heatin ...

compositions, concert marches, transcriptions of orchestral arrangements, light music, and

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...

. Though the concert band does have similar

instrumentation Instrumentation is a collective term for measuring instruments, used for indicating, measuring, and recording physical quantities. It is also a field of study about the art and science about making measurement instruments, involving the related ...

to the marching band, a marching band's main purpose is to perform while marching. In contrast, a concert band usually performs as a stationary ensemble, though European ensembles often do both.

Origins

The origins of concert band can be traced back to the French Revolution, in which large bands would often gather for patriotic festivals and celebrations. These bands would play popular music that would immediately captivate the public's attention. Throughout the French Revolution, however, serious composers were often not interested in composing music for bands; this was due in large part to the instrumentation. Concert bands were (and still are) not standardized in their required type and number of instruments, making it nearly impossible to write the correct number of parts for the correct types of instruments. The quality of instruments also impacted composers' unwillingness to compose music for concert band. Wind instruments at that time were often difficult to play in tune and had difficulty in switching pitch and rhythm fast enough. This in turn influenced bands to stick with pieces that were transposed from

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

l movements and arrangements, something that has carried into modern day. 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 An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

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. It wasn't until the early 20th century that composers began writing works for concert band. Concert band composers of this time were frustrated at the lack of quality music for bands, and as such, began writing and performing pieces to remedy this. One of the first and most important original works for concert band, First Suite for Band by Gustav Holst, was written in 1909. Other composers of this time period include Ralph Vaughan Williams,

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

, and Aaron Copland.

Instrumentation

Before the 1950s, wind ensembles included various combinations of instruments. 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

: a pool of players from which a composer can select in order to create different sonorities. According to Fennell, the wind ensemble was not revolutionary, but developed naturally out of the music.

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 military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a ...

. 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. Military bands were originally used to control troops on the battlefield, by using instruments such as

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

, bugles, and fifes among others. As communication systems during war became more advanced, the use of instruments on the battlefield as signaling devices fell out of use. From then on, military bands would fulfill a ceremonial role, entertaining troops and playing for the community. As its role shifted so too did its instrumentation. A wider range of instruments was employed to play transcriptions of orchestral works, the bulk of the early wind band repertoire. These military bands evolved into the modern

drum and bugle corps Drum and bugle corps is a name used to describe several related musical ensembles. * Drum and bugle corps (modern), a musical marching unit * Drum and bugle corps (classic), musical ensembles that descended from military bugle and drum units retur ...

and helped to spread the idea of a concert band. A modern military will often have multiple types of bands (e.g. the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

has both a

and wind ensemble).

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. 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 currently conducted by Takeshi Ooi * Osaka Shion Wind Orchestra * Royal Hawaiian Band, created by royal decree in 1836 by King Kamehameha III

Community bands

A community band is a concert band or brass band ensemble composed of volunteer (non-paid)

amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...

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. The rise of the community band can partially be attributed to industrialization. As the instruments became easier to manufacture, their availability greatly increased. This meant that many amateurs could now form a town band, their arrangements typically consisting of patriotic tunes, marches, and popular music. The

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

marked a turning point in the American community band where many military musicians, either stemming from amateur or professional backgrounds, sought to create their own community band after the war's conclusion. The large number of bands created during this era led to a "Golden Age of Bands", spearheaded by conductors such as John Philip Sousa and Patrick Gilmore. The new forms of twentieth-century entertainment, namely the

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

and

phonograph A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration Waveform, waveforms are recorded as correspond ...

, led to decline in community bands. This led to instrument manufacturers, who previously had marketed to the community bands, to focus on schools. The expansion of school music programs would eventually help restore interest in the community band as graduates sought to play in a band together again. Notable community bands include: U.S.A. * The American Band, Providence, Rhode Island, conducted by Brian Cardany * Allentown Band, the oldest American civilian band, Allentown, Pennsylvania, conducted by Ronald Demkee * 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 The Northshore Concert Band (NCB) is a 100-member concert band based in Evanston, Illinois which performs throughout the Chicago, Illinois, Chicago metropolitan area. History NCB was founded in 1956 and led for 40 years by the late John P. Pa ...

, 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 Norway * Dragefjellets Musikkorps (Bergen Symphonic Band) * Sandvikens Ungdomskorps, Bergen, conducted by Tormod Flaten and Bjørn Breistein Portugal * União Filarmónica do Troviscal, Troviscal—Aveiro, conducted by André Granjo Finland * Tikkurilan Soittokunta, Vantaa, conducted by Kimmo Nurmi

School bands

A school band is a group of

student A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution, or more generally, a person who takes a special interest in a subject. In the United Kingdom and most The Commonwealth, commonwealth countries, a "student" attends ...

musicians who rehearse and perform

instrumental An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through Semantic change, semantic widening, a broader sense of the word s ...

music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

together. A school band is usually under the direction of one or more conductors (band directors). A school band consists of

woodwind instrument Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and ...

s, brass instruments and

instruments, although upper level bands may also have string basses or

. In many traditional U.S. high schools, there are multiple band levels, distinguished by skill level or other factors. In such schools, an audition may be required to advance to further band levels, while the common level would be open to anyone. For example, in many U.S. high schools, "Concert Band" refers to the introductory level band, "Symphonic Band" is the title for the intermediate level band, and "Wind Ensemble" is the title for the advanced level band.

Instrumentation

Instrumentation for the wind band is not completely standardized; composers will frequently add or omit parts. Instruments and parts in parentheses in the list below 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 reed A double reed is a type of reed used to produce sound in various wind instruments. In contrast with a single reed instrument, where the instrument is played by channeling air against one piece of cane which vibrates against the mouthpiece and ...

s, 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,

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

s or

flutes The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

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. It is also common to see two tubas and two euphoniums or baritones playing the same part in a wind ensemble. While largely made up of wind and percussion instruments, string instruments such as the string bass and concert harp are often scored for. The use of a harp dates back to its inclusion in the professional and military bands of John Philip Sousa and Edwin Franko Goldman. Such bands would often contain the top harpists of the country, such as Winifred Bambrick, who was one of the first female instrumentalists to tour with the Sousa Band, and Victor Salvi, who played with the United States Navy Band. Notably, the United States Air Force Band scores for

cello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

s, a practice unique to the ensemble that dates back to the tenure of director George S. Howard. 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 their own section as in an orchestra, today in bands the timpani are considered ''a 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. Instrumentation has developed throughout time to become more efficient for the conditions that marching bands need to play in. For example,

s were found to be more suitable than the older

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double-reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common type of oboe, the soprano oboe pitched in C, ...

s and became more widely used in the 18th century. More heavy and bulky instruments were replaced by trombones and cornets. In the 19th century, band instruments became highly developed as they started to add keys and valves that made certain ranges and notes on instruments easier to navigate and perform, which became a huge game changer for all musicians. ; Woodwinds : Piccolos 1 ('', 2'') :

Flutes The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

1, 2 ('', 3'') : ''(

Alto flute The alto flute is an instrument in the Western concert flute family, pitched below the standard C flute and the uncommon flûte d'amour. It is the third most common member of its family after the standard C flute and the piccolo. It is chara ...

)''If called for, sometimes doubled by flute 2 or 3. : ''( Bass flute)''If called for, sometimes doubled by flute 2 or 3. :

Oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double-reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common type of oboe, the soprano oboe pitched in C, ...

s 1, 2 : ''( English horn)''If called for, sometimes doubled by oboe 2. :

Bassoon The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...

s 1, 2 : ''( Contrabassoon)''If called for, sometimes doubled by bassoon 2. : ('' Sopranino clarinet in E♭'') : Soprano clarinets in B♭ 1, 2, 3 ('', 4, 5'')Clarinets in A are sometimes used in professional concert bands, generally with a similar intent as symphonic orchestras for which B♭ or A clarinets are substituted to simplify a part's key signature. : ('' Alto clarinet'') :

Bass clarinet The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common Soprano clarinet, soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays no ...

s 1 ('', 2'') : ('' Contra-alto clarinet/ Contrabass clarinet'') (''often one of either, rarely both''The contrabass clarinet part is usually provided in both B♭ and E♭ (contra-alto).) : ('' Soprano saxophone'')In most cases, if a soprano saxophone is called for, it will replace the first alto saxophone part. :

Alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgians, Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in the key of E♭ ( ...

s 1, 2In very rare cases, only a single alto saxophone will be called for (e.g., Holst Band Suites). However, this practice has generally been discontinued with two alto saxophones almost always called for. :

Tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (whi ...

: Baritone saxophone : ('' Bass saxophone'') ; Brass: :

Trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

s or cornets in B♭ 1, 2, 3 ('', 4, 5, 6''Trumpet and cornet parts have often been considered interchangeable and are sometimes separated into 3 or 4 cornet parts and two trumpet parts; however, this practice is no longer used and is usually only seen in older (e.g. pre-1950) works and transcriptions. Trumpets are almost always in B♭ though models in E♭, D, and C were used commonly in the heyday of professional concert bands.) : ('' Piccolo trumpet''If called for, sometimes doubled by trumpet 1.) : ('' Flugelhorns in B♭ 1'' (, 2)) : ('' Alto/tenor horns in E♭ 1, 2 ''(, 3, 4)In older works, there was often a middle brass part that could be played on either alto/tenor horn in E♭, French horn, or mellophone in F or E♭. There were usually copies of the parts in both F and E♭, for players to read off of based on the key of their instrument. Some modern publishers still include E♭ horn parts, which are merely duplicates of the F horn parts ''transposed'' to E♭. Alto/tenor horns are especially common in Britain, where they are often referred to as ''tenor'' horns.) : Horns in F 1, 2, 3, 4 : Tenor trombones 1, 2 ('', 3'')Trombone parts will usually be divided into three parts with the first two parts (trombones 1, 2) played by tenor trombones and the third played by a bass trombone. However, in rare cases where a fourth part is required, either trombone 3 is a tenor and trombone 4 is a bass, or trombones 3 and 4 are both Bass. Scores will typically notate which one is preferred. : Bass trombone : ('' Contrabass trombone'') : ('' Alto trombone'')If called for, sometimes doubled by trombone 1. : EuphoniumsThe baritone/euphonium part is usually provided in both bass clef (concert pitch) and treble clef (in B, sounding a major 9th below written). or baritone hornsBaritones and euphoniums are often used interchangeably, though some works have distinct parts for the two instruments. Most of the time when a composer writes for "baritone", they are actually thinking of the larger-bore euphonium. 1 ('', 2'') : Tubas ; Keyboards : ''

Piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

'' : '' Celesta'' : '' Organ'' : ''

Synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

s'' ; PercussionPercussion ensembles in concert bands can range from 2 to over 14 players. The type of percussion instruments used varies with the piece of music being played. Many percussion instruments from different cultures are used in a lot of contemporary concert band literature, especially in high school and college bands. :* ''Examples of non-pitched choices'' :*: Snare drums :*:

Bass drum The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter usually greater than its depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. The head ...

s :*: Tenor drums :*: Cymbals :*: Tam-tams :*: Triangles :*: Tambourines :*: Güiros :*: Timbales :*: Slide whistles :*: Sleigh bells :*: Wood blocks ''or'' temple blocks :*: Tom-toms :*: Bongos :*: Congas :*: Claves :*: Vibraslaps :*: Wind chimes :*: Rain sticks :*: Whips :*: Maracas :*:

Finger cymbals Zills, zils, or sagat, also known as finger cymbals, are small metallic cymbals used in belly dance, belly dancing and similar performances. They are similar to Tibetan tingsha bells. In Western music, several pairs can be set in a frame to make ...

:*: Mark tree :*: Bell tree :*: Drum set :* ''Examples of pitched percussion instruments'' :*:

Timpani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion instrument, percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a Membranophone, membrane called a drumhead, ...

Timpani are always included in percussion parts; they have their own stave, notated in bass clef. :*:

Glockenspiel The glockenspiel ( ; or , : bells and : play) or bells is a percussion instrument consisting of pitched aluminum or steel bars arranged in a Musical keyboard, keyboard layout. This makes the glockenspiel a type of metallophone, similar to the v ...

s :*: Xylophones :*: Marimba :*: Crotales :*:

Vibraphone The vibraphone (also called the vibraharp) is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using Percussion mallet, mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone ...

:*: Chimes ; Strings : '' String bass''String bass parts are typically included in more advanced band pieces and larger ensemble instrumentation. The string bass part is sometimes replaced with an electric bass in certain contemporary band pieces. Some high schools and most college and professional bands will have a bassist in the ensemble. : ''

Harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orchestras or ...

'' (1, 2) : ''

Cello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

'' : ''

Electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external electric Guitar amplifier, sound amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar. It uses one or more pickup (music technology), pickups ...

'' : ''

Bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

Repertoire

Development of a repertoire

Until early in the 20th century, there was little music written specifically for the wind band, which led to an extensive repertoire of pieces transcribed from orchestral works, or arranged from other sources. However, as the wind band moved out of the sole domain of the military marching ensemble and into the concert hall, it has gained favor with composers, and now many works are being written specifically for the concert band and the wind ensemble. While today there are composers who write exclusively for band, many composers famous for their work in other genres have given their talents to composition for wind bands as well. This is especially true in Japan, where an enormous market can be found for wind band compositions, which is largely due to commissions by the All-Japan Band Association and leading professional ensembles such as the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra and Osaka Municipal Symphonic Band, as well as the Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma Commissioning Program, the longest-running commissioning series for wind band in the United States.

Prominent composers for concert band

Early to middle 20th century

Some of the most important people in establishing literature written specifically for concert band in the early and middle 20th century were: * Robert Russell Bennett * Aaron Copland * Norman Dello Joio * Vittorio Giannini * Percy Grainger * Morton Gould * Howard Hanson *

Paul Hindemith Paul Hindemith ( ; ; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German and American composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advo ...

* Gustav Holst * Gordon Jacob * Darius Milhaud * Martin Mailman * Vaclav Nelhybel * Vincent Persichetti * Alfred Reed * H. Owen Reed *

Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian and American composer, music theorist, teacher and writer. He was among the first Modernism (music), modernists who transformed the practice of harmony in 20th-centu ...

* Claude T. Smith * John Philip Sousa *

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century c ...

* Fisher Tull * Ralph Vaughan Williams * Clifton Williams

Late 20th century to the present

Over the last fifty years, many composers have written major works for wind ensemble. Some rose to prominence for helping to develop the concert band. * Samuel Adler * Brian Balmages * James Barnes * Leslie Bassett * Warren Benson * Derek Bourgeois * Jerry Brubaker * Mark Camphouse * John Barnes Chance * Steven Bryant * Nigel Clarke * Michael Colgrass * John Corigliano * James Curnow * Greg Danner * Michael Daugherty * Ingolf Dahl * Elliot del Borgo * David Del Tredici * David Gillingham * Rossano Galante * Julie Giroux * Peter Graham * Donald Grantham * Edward Gregson * Jacob de Haan * Samuel R. Hazo * Frigyes Hidas * Jennifer Higdon * David Holsinger * Alan Hovhaness * Karel Husa * Yasuhide Ito * Robert Jager * John Mackey * Timothy Mahr * David Maslanka * W. Francis McBeth * Johan de Meij * Lior Navok * Ron Nelson * Carter Pann * Vincent Persichetti * Timothy Reynish * Jan Van der Roost * Richard St. Clair * Gunther Schuller * Joseph Schwantner * Alex Shapiro * Robert W. Smith * Philip Sparke * Jack Stamp * Karlheinz Stockhausen * James Swearingen * Frank Ticheli * Fisher Tull * Eric Whitacre * John Zdechlik

Important concert band literature

Wind-band research

Research on wind-band topics began in earnest in 1964 through the ''Journal of Band Research'', affiliated with the American Bandmasters Association. During the early 21st century, organizations that promote band research began publishing more research on wind band-related topics: Germany-based IGEB (founded 1974), the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE, founded 1983), and US-based organizations Historic Brass Society (founded 1988), National Band Association (NBA, founded 1960), and College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA, founded 1941).CBDNA Journal established in 2010
CBDNA Journal
/ref> Internationally notable wind-band researchers include Vincent Dubois on French bands, Paul Niemisto on Finnish bands, Frederick Harris on wind-band conductors, Jill M. Sullivan on US women's bands, Frank Battisti on US bands, David Hebert on Japanese and Polynesian bands, Patrick M. Jones on US military bands, and David Whitwell on European bands and repertoire.

Band associations

Some notable band associations include: * American Bandmasters Association * British Association of Symphonic Bands and Wind Ensembles * All Japan Band Association * Association of Concert Bands * Lesbian and Gay Band Association * National Band Council of Australia

References

External links

Community-Music—a resource for community band musicians and conductors

The Concert Band Portal

Directory of American Community Concert Bands and Wind Ensembles

Directory of Canadian Community Concert Bands and Wind Ensembles

Wind Bands and Cultural Identity in Japanese Schools
by David G. Hebert (Dordrecht and New York: Springer, 2012). {{Authority control Types of musical groups

Origins

Instrumentation

Bands today

Military bands

Professional bands

Community bands

School bands

Instrumentation

Repertoire

Development of a repertoire

Prominent composers for concert band

Early to middle 20th century

Late 20th century to the present

Important concert band literature

Wind-band research

Band associations

See also

References

External links