Concord Band commission
(1975)
Norman Dello Joio, composer
Our first major commission was a learning experience for the Band and me.
We wanted to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of 1775 with something of
substance.
A commissioned piece seemed perfect, and time has shown that it was
perfect.
We started with the concept of a composition contest but the task proved to
be daunting as well as financially impossible.
The contest was put aside in favor of a commission.
Oddly enough, we had one entry to our composition contest which was entered
anonymously, and we never did find out who submitted the piece!
The financing for the commissioned composition came from private donations
and the Eastern National Park and Monument Association in cooperation with
the National Park Service.
We decided on a composer, only hoping he would agree for the small fee
we had.
Norman Dello Joio, probably the most prestigious composer who has ever
written for us, agreed to do the commission but stipulated it would be a
piece he had used as background music for a comedy by Aristophanes.
Dello Joio’s Satiric Dances was published shortly after the premier
performance, and it has been one of the best selling and most performed
band pieces for the last twenty years.
Our first contact with the piece was from the publisher’s manuscript, which
had been incorrectly transposed.
The corrected parts arrived shortly in Dello Joio’s own hand!
At the time of commission Dello Joio was Dean of Boston University’s
School for the Arts.
He took a special interest in the commission and came to band rehearsals to
offer suggestions on the performance.
Dello Joio and his family brought a picnic supper to Minuteman National Park
the night of the scheduled premier, but it poured that night.
The next week we all showed up again, including Norman, his family and picnic,
and we enjoyed a festive concert.
In his note to me after the performance he said he "...was proud to be
a member of the Concord Band family."
Satiric Dances has become a staple of the concert band repertoire
and is frequently performed by high school, college, and community bands
throughout the world.
WMT
Satiric Dances, the Concord Band’s first major commission, was
written to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the events in Concord of 1775.
The financing for the commission came from private donations and the Eastern
National Park and Monument Association in cooperation with the National Park
Service.
Norman Dello Joio agreed to do the commission but stipulated it would be a
piece he had used as background music for a comedy by Aristophanes.
Dello Joio took a special interest in the commission and came to band
rehearsals to offer suggestions on the performance.
After the scheduled performance was rained out, Satiric Dances was
premiered on July 17, 1975 at Minuteman National Park with Norman Dello Joio
and his family in attendance.
Satiric Dances was published shortly after that, and it has been one
of the best selling and most performed pieces of the concert band
repertoire.
WMT
Satiric Dances for a Comedy by Aristophanes was the first work for
concert band commissioned by the Concord Band.
The Town of Concord wished to make a tangible recognition of the Bicentennial
of April 19, 1775.
The Town funded the commission with assistance by the Eastern National Park
and Monument Association, in cooperation with the National Park Service.
William Toland was the Music Director of the Concord Band when the work was
premiered.
Satiric Dances has gone on to become a classic in the standard concert
band repertoire and is performed widely throughout the world.
WGM
|