Concert Band

I seem to be one of the few composers on this website composing for "wind bands" or whatever you want to call them. I'm just wondering if you guys don't write for them because you dislike that certain ensemble or you just have no experiance writing for them?

Wind ensembles can be very beautiful, such as Mozart's Gran Partita, however overall the sound has never appealed to me, therefore I don't write for them. I find that without strings, the winds tend to sound weak, boring, and hallow. You need the lower strings in there

Being a string player and singer - and into 18th Century styles, for the most part - I have no experience with concert band, and no outlet. I've written a little music for smaller wind ensembles (5 to 8 players), an odd modern experimental piece for woodwind quintet, and a "Divertimento a 10" for winds and strings (2 cl, 2 bsn, 2 hn, 2 violas, cello, bass). Those are my reasons for not trying to write for a full concert band. I also probably won't try something really outside my experience if there is no hope of ever getting a performance...and concert bands aren't big in my part of the world.

I have written one piece for band. "Joe in B Flat." Except it wasn't in B flat. That was eighth grade.

Band to me is something I want to write more for. Unlike with orchestra, if you write a band piece, bands will play it. I guess because it's less of a fossil than orchestra is, that is, contemporary programming for bands is much more of a normal thing. Because of that and because there are quite many composition competitions for band, band composing seems like the most "normal" niche I imagine myself fitting into.

The lack of a definite instrumentation standard is bothersome for nitpickers like me - if there are four bass clarinet players, I want to have a cool bass clarinet quartet! Within band I am drawn more towards the smaller "wind ensemble" format. I prefer non-mandated doubling, doubling that the composer writes in, as opposed to 24 clarinets blaring away on one part. Last month (during which I was playing bassoon in a semi-professional concert band) I found myself designing a band as 9 or 10 groups of 7 players each, with each person doubling. So for example, the 7 clarinets could at any one time be 7 Bb clarinets, or 7 differently sized clarinets, or even a bass clarinet quartet. So with 70 or so musicians you could get tons more diversity.

I played in a Concert Band, so for a while I wrote mostly Concrt Band pieces. I've even posted one of them on this board 'Homage to Dohnanyi'.

I still try to arrange symphonic literature for the Concert Band. Recently I rewrote the first movement to Franck's Symphony for Concert Band.

I love the Concert Band because I played in one, and they have a pleasant sound. But I do like the strings and what they can do for a piece. So, overall, I prefer the Orchestra, but I'll always have a soft spot for the Concert Band. I expect I'll write some more for them too.

I've always wanted to compose something for my school band, but I always end up missing the strings so much that I ditch the entire piece or convert it to symphony orchestra.

It helps when you live in the US and band is offered as a school subject. Many kids who play an instrument now or compose started band in elementary school. Problem is is that some schools (even high schools) don't have a strings program, so many people never get the opportunity to play in an orchestra. That's a good reason why marching bands are so popular in the US.

Actually, I'm kinda glad that this thread is here. Back in my beginning days of composition, one of the first REAL ensemble pieces I wrote was a piece for a summer band camp I was in. That piece (after two years of refinement) eventually took first place in the Young Composer's Awards (co-sponsored by the National Guild and The Hartt School, yada yada yada).

All that to say: The experience for writing for a wind ensemble is great for two reasons ... Primarily, it forces you to learn how to make different 'colors' work to your advantage (esp. difficult because there are no strings to save you!). Secondly, there is a greater demand for concert band/wind ensemble pieces, so your chances of having the work performed are much better.

I could go on and on about things that I learned about (certain doublings, sounds, techniques, etc.), but the main thing is: if you haven't tried it, you should!

If anybody wants to branch off into an ideas section, let me know!

Be well,

filmcomposer86

Wow, I had to reread this whole thread since it started nearly two years ago.

Yeah, sorry 'bout that! I realized that myself AFTER I had posted. Oh well! Hope your band question has been answered before now (haha), but if not, then I hope my post will shed more light on the subject!

I write for band.

I'm in several, so it's easier for me to write for them, and I enjoy writing for band more than than I enjoy writing for orchestra.

This last year I've been writing less for band, mainly because my lessons teachers wanted me to do something else. I needed to write some music that I'd have an easier time getting performed so I'm writing for smaller instrumentation. Come to think of it I need to write a new concert band piece this summer.

Yeah, I've been writing less for band too, but I certainly haven't forgot about it.

I write for band.

... and I enjoy writing for band more than than I enjoy writing for orchestra.

Same here, even though I play violin too. I just like the different sounds and abilities (and constraints) of the different instruments, especially since a lot more mallet percussion is available in bands than in most orchestras.

Color in the strings tends to be so subtle, that if you really want to make a statement, use the brass and woodwinds.

I agree. I don't know why people think concert bands somehow have weaker sounds or less color than an orchestra. Winds are usually used as color for an orchestra so you'd think you'd be able to get a lot of color out of bands but people just don't see it that way. I think the problem is that the concert band as we now it is relatively young and there isn't a huge amount of good music for it. So people think it's an inferior ensemble because they haven't heard much good music from it or music at all aside from the stereotypical marching band music and marches.

Yes, many people think that orchestra is superior to bands.

However, the truth is that they are simply different, not better or worse.

That's like saying apples are better than oranges, a classic example.

Maybe one person likes oranges because he's had them all of his life. Maybe another one hates oranges because they are so foreign to her.

Really what you have to do is force yourself to listen critically and rid yourself of bias. I used to hate listening to classical music, and then my school orchestra needed some help in the brass section and I played with them. Upon listening, studying, and exploring, I now own a few albums full of classical music, and my favorite radio station is classical.

The same works in reverse. I think it would really help string players if they knew a bit more about those instruments backing them up all the time.

Just a thought.

To each his own. Strings have capabilities that winds could only dream of...

Yet winds do have strengths and charachteristics that strings can never have...

I'm just saying- don't limit yourself. If you want to be a prominent or great composer, you may have to get out of your own instrument for a while.

To each his own. Strings have capabilities that winds could only dream of...

Seriously, though... I write for band most of the time because, in my experience, that's where you get opportunities to actually have your music played and heard. I've never met a conductor who would willingly program a new or modern work for orchestra, but I know dozens of band conductors that would leap at the opportunity to perform something fresh off the presses. Additionally, an audience at a band concert may actually want to hear something new, as opposed to my experience with orchestral audiences, who generally cringe at the thought of new works.

I'll add that personally I feel that writing for orchestra can be dull, since the focus is on the string section, to the exclusion and detriment of the other instruments. When your wind, brass, and percussionists count more rests than actually playing... well, I won't finish that thought. ;)

When your wind, brass, and percussionists count more rests than actually playing... well, I won't finish that thought. ;)

Grrrrr.......

I hate seeing that. I hate it even more when I'm in the middle of a composition and I realise that I can't use a certain instrument for a long period of time because it just doesn't fit it. Please, composers out their, especially those of orchestral favour, don't ignore the winds, give us something to do! :o

Yes, many people think that orchestra is superior to bands.

However, the truth is that they are simply different, not better or worse.

That's like saying apples are better than oranges, a classic example.

Maybe one person likes oranges because he's had them all of his life. Maybe another one hates oranges because they are so foreign to her.

I love to write for orchestra b/c they are foriegn to me(I play sax (I've always been the rebelious type))... Although sometimes I write/arrange a piece for concert band b/c there is a 95% chance of my high school band performing it. But I think the downfall of writing for concert band you have to fill all the instruments for most of the measures... giving you less options

Someone could compose for concert band if they DONT want the strings, anti-romantics did not prefer to compose for strings because they associated them with romanticism.