Difficult Concert Music

[Bandmaster]

At Long Beach Gordon Norman was fond of transcriptions by Mark Hindsely. My first year we played "Les Preludes" and refering back to that concert at CPHS, I think we played "Toccata and Fugue in d minor". I have to agree "Benvenuto Cellini" was probably the most difficult piece we played. My fondest memoris are of playing "Feste Romane".

Those were the days.

The year I was in Gordy's band he was passing out a lot pieces by Bill Hill from Cal State L.A. If I remember right "Toccata anf Fugue in D Minor" was one of Hill's arrangements as was "Benvenuto Cellini". I just remember in "Toccata" how much fun the tuba section had playing all those pedal notes, 5 and 6 ledger lines below the staff. It's cool making the band sound like an organ. I love pedal notes!

The most fun I had listening to a performance was a couple years earlier when Symphonic I at Long Beach State played Bill Hill's "Dreams of a Pyschopath". What a wild ride that was! Director Larry Curtis had Marvin Branson play the jazz woodwind solo on oboe instead of alto sax, that was different.

[GL Falker]

Occident et Orient (Saint-Saens)
Toccata & Fugue in d Minor (Bach)
Jug Blues & Fat Pickin' (Freund)
Bacchanale op. 2 (Rudin)
Gumsuckers March (Grainger)
Marriage of Figaro (Mozart)
Symphony #5 (Tchaikovsky)
Wasps Overture (Williams)
Serenade for Strings (Suk)

All performed by Rancho Bernardo's Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra last season. Not your typical high school pieces.

[JCYS]

Dave:
I know PGOK will correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Bill Hill had anything to do with any of those pieces...

[PGOK]

Dave:
I know PGOK will correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Bill Hill had anything to do with any of those pieces...

You are correct sir!

The Bach was a Hindsley arrangement and the Berlioz was not Hindsley or Hill, but other than that I do not remember. If William Hill did any transcriptions, it was a small number, and nothing of that complexity. We did get a lot of Hill's original pieces in manuscript. Sioux Variants, Sonitus Revelationis, Danses Sacred and Profane, Norman Rockwell Suite were all played by one band or another at various times.

I also seem to remember a piece called "Cosmos" that the University Symphonic Band read. I have vague memories of it being "too difficult". Do either of you (Jeff/Dave) have any memory of it?

[Bandmaster]

Dave:
I know PGOK will correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Bill Hill had anything to do with any of those pieces...

Are you sure? My memory is certainly not perfect, I just remember seeing Bill Hill's name on a lot of the music that Gordy handed out that semester. I remember composer's names better than I remember arranger's names. That, and it was only 27 years ago... So I will defer to your memories on this one.

[armysax]

Without a doubt the most difficult concert piece I ever played was Theme and Variations by Arnold Shoenberg. For all you Euph enthusiasts out there the solo in the fifth variation is probably the most difficult in wind band literature. The rest of the piece is not only technically difficult, but ensemble wise there are some very challenging sections. Also yet to be mentioned is Bum's Rush by Donald Grantham. Killer alto sax solo!

[JCYS]

I don't recall "Cosmos"...was that when a certain silver haired conductor was on another of his "wierder the better" kicks?

When we were recording the Rarest of the Rare back in 78 we found a Hill march on the SCSBOA list called, "Men of Custer." Its a little modern, a little wierd, but its kind of cool. And he was nice enough to come out and conduct it for us (and a couple others) on the record.

Up here in Nor Cal "Bill Hill" is the former conductor of Sierra College in Rocklin and the director of the Sierra Nevada Winds and Donner Mine Music Camp, heck of a director and nice guy, and...William Hill is the composer from Cal State LA. Very confusing.

Speaking of PGOK waxing nostalgic (and I hear that is painful..) I really liked Feste Romane, though I wish some of the parts were not cut out it.

I LOVE Les Preludes, and Hindsley writes (arranges?) very nice and challenging Euph parts in his transcriptions...not in the current vein of many composers who consider Euph an added 2nd trombone part, or a french horn double, or a tuba double an octave up..YUCH..

jcys

[Bandmaster]

Up here in Nor Cal "Bill Hill" is the former conductor of Sierra College in Rocklin and the director of the Sierra Nevada Winds and Donner Mine Music Camp, heck of a director and nice guy, and...William Hill is the composer from Cal State LA. Very confusing.

Opps, sorry about that... All I know is that when William Hill was the guest conductor a couple of times for the Top Talented Students Honor Band, that Tom Mazur runs every January at Chaffey High School in Ontario (Calif.), everyone called him Bill.

[PGOK]

Dave:
I know PGOK will correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Bill Hill had anything to do with any of those pieces...

Are you sure? My memory is certainly not perfect, I just remember seeing Bill Hill's name on a lot of the music that Gordy handed out that semester. I remember composer's names better than I remember arranger's names. That, and it was only 27 years ago... So I will defer to your memories on this one.

I'd bet Jeff's life on it.

[lowbrass89]

yeah American Elegy is a really cool song its also sad we just played it for honor band. man you have to love that trupet solo the guy that played it did a really good job with it

[cosmicirony7]

yeah American Elegy is a really cool song its also sad we just played it for honor band. man you have to love that trupet solo the guy that played it did a really good job with it

I agree... I've played a few songs by Frank Ticheli. I think I love him.

[bgirl781]

yeah American Elegy is a really cool song its also sad we just played it for honor band. man you have to love that trupet solo the guy that played it did a really good job with it

I agree... I've played a few songs by Frank Ticheli. I think I love him.

yeah, his work is really varied and that makes for a great composer... We're playing Blue Shades right now, and that song is sooo different from Fortress, which we played in 7th grade! Blue Shades is cool...

[lowbrass89]

yeah American Elegy is a really cool song its also sad we just played it for honor band. man you have to love that trupet solo the guy that played it did a really good job with it

I agree... I've played a few songs by Frank Ticheli. I think I love him.

yeah the only 2 songs i ever played by him was Shennedoa and American Elegy both really sad and both really fun to play. My favorite part of Shennendoa was the flute trio just like the 4 part cannon in in American Elegy

[LovableSheep]

I've played some Ticheli pieces also...Amazing Grace, Cajun Folk Songs, Shenandoah, An American Elegy, Vesuvius, Blue Shades, and Postcard. The only ones that fall under the category of "difficult concert music" for me are Blue Shades, Postcard, and maybe Vesuvius. I liked the other pieces I played, but they weren't really as much as a challenge for me, personally.

[Hostrauser]

Here's a real band buster: Symphony #4 by David Maslanka. It's a fantastic piece, but it's one movement and over 26 minutes of non-stop music.