Wind Symphony Listening Assignment – 4/17/20

Megan Wendlick

Percy Grainger/Rodgers–Colonial Song

 The style was not what I was expecting from a Grainger piece performed by “The
President’s Own” Marine Band. I thought it would be much more upbeat, but it was very
lyrical.
 The saxophone solo was very lush, and I really liked the phrasing.
 I really liked the repeated notes in the low voices and how “bouncy” it sounded.
 This piece almost reminded me of a piece that would be in a ballet.
 I like how the slow build up paid off.
 This character of this piece is very unique, and I really liked it. It is slow and lyrical, yet
playful and charming at the same time.
 I was impressed with how softly the band played at the very end of the piece, and how
well they faded into nothing.

Gustav Holst–Hammersmith: Prelude and Scherzo

 The beginning sounded very mysterious and eerie because of the low register.
 The piccolo solo was unexpected, and I liked how the trumpets repeated it a little later
and matched the style.
 The clarinet and flute matched the style of each other extremely well in the solo section.
It was amazing how well they could match each other’s tone color, even though they are
two different instruments.
 I loved the power and strong energy throughout the entire piece.
 I like how many different instrument sections were featured.
 I liked how the ending faded to nothing. It really added to the mysterious and dark
mood of the piece.

Arnold Schoenberg–Theme and Variations, Op. 43

 This piece has many of the typical aspects of a Schoenberg piece, as it is atonal and
pretty strange.
 I liked the use of flutter tonguing in the flute. It is very appropriate for this style of
music.
 I liked the balance and how no section in particular stood out. They all blended with
each other nicely and created one, unified sound.
 I am not usually a fan of atonal music, but I enjoyed this piece. I liked how even though
it is atonal, you could clearly hear different characters. Some sections were dark and
mysterious, while others were light and delicate.