Pageantry Overture, John Edmondson

Katelyn Proffitt

Tonality: Major (Eb, F)

a. Melody
i. Letter B melody (in high woodwinds and high brass)
1. Repetition in the eighth note to the quarter-note rhythm
2. Some melodic augmentation
ii. Letter F-G melody (in clarinets and oboes)
1. Rhythmic augmentation
iii. Letter H melody (in high woodwinds and high brass)
1. Above bass ostinato
2. Very similar to letters F-G, different instrumentation
iv. Letter I countermelody, first four measures of the section (in flutes, tenor sax,
horns, baritone)
1. The rhythmic repetition that appears throughout the piece as well
v. Letter M melody: in MOST voices
1. Going back and forth between voices
2. Rhythmic augmentation
3. Some repetition in pitch but some transposition, sequence
b. Harmony
i. Letter B bass line, measure 1 of B to C (Trombones, baritone, basses)
ii. Letter F bass line, measure 1 of G through H (saxes, horns, bass clar)
iii. Letter M to the end bass line (trombones, baritone, basses)
Meter
a. Common time, ¾ (duple, changes to triple, moves back to duple)
iv. Rhythmic themes
1. Two eighths, quarter, two eighths, quarter
2. Eighth rest, quarter note, eighth note, quarter note
3. Quarter note, dotted half
4. 5 quarter notes, dotted half
v. Augmentation at letter B to letter C in all voices
1. Ostinato as well in high voices
vi. Letter F-G ostinato and diminution
vii. Letter J eighth note rhythmic ideas passed around move the music forward into a
section where voices are playing all together at a full dynamic
viii. Tempo
1. Allegro, quarter note equals 120, at the beginning
2. Meno Moso at letter C, slightly “less quick”
3. D returns to tempo 1
4. Ritard mm. 11 of D
5. Moderato, quarter note equals 88, at E
6. Ritard two measures before J before returning to tempo 1 at J
 7. Maestoso, quarter note equals 72, at K
8. Piu Mosso at L (slightly more quickly)
9. Letter M: A Tempo with Maestoso energy
10. Ritard last two measures of the piece
ix. Relationships among tempi: contrasting, jumping between allegro, to a slower
tempo, back to allegro, and then again to a slower tempo as the meter changes
and creates a contrasting feel and movement throughout the piece.
x. The moderato section comes with longer rhythmic ideas, creating a more broad
feeling in the piece, whereas allegro sections include syncopated ideas and
shorter rhythmic ideas to create energy
Expression
a. The composer does not use a whole lot of stylistic words
b. Stylistic words include:
i. Marcato at letter A
ii. Marcato at letter D
iii. Expressivo 4 after G
iv. Marcato at J
c. Stylistic symbols are more prevalent in this piece
i. Accented ideas in allegro sections, shorted with emphasis
ii. Slurred ideas at moderato/Maestoso/Mosso sections
iii. Four before J include accented ideas leading into a ritard into tempo 1
d. Orchestration
i. Trills in upper woodwinds in the intro, into the first section
ii. Trills in woodwinds into letter D, emphasizes the change in section into return
into tempo 1
iii. No extreme register scoring
iv. Saxophone tone mixture with horns, usual of this grade literature
v. Cornet and higher woodwinds tone color mixture
vi. Percussion used for coloristic effects, especially 3 after J
vii. Timpani solo at very end of the piece
e. Form
i. Overture, (sonata form?)
ii. Introduction: beginning to one before B
iii. First section: One before B to C
iv. Second section: C - D
v. Third: D - E, E transitions to F
vi. Fourth/main section: F - J
vii. Restatement of introduction: J - K
viii. Transition, K- L
ix. Restatement of the main theme with alterations to melody/style: L - end
f. Dynamics
i. Perimeters
1. Softest: mezzo-piano (two before E) (F) (H) (Two before K)
 2. Loudest: Fortissimo (J) (end)
Executive skills
a. Ranges (low - high)
i. C Piccolo: G4 - F#6
ii. C Flute: F4 - F#6
iii. Eb Clarinet: G3 - D6
iv. Oboes: C4 - G5
v. Clarinet 1: A3 - C#6
vi. Clarinet 2: A3 - A5
vii. Clarinet 3: A3 - A5
viii. Alto Clarinet: D4 - B5
ix. Bass Clarinet: E3 - F#4
x. Alto Sax 1: D4 - D6
xi. Alto Sax 2: E4 - B5
xii. Tenor Sax: D4 - G5
xiii. Bari Sax: C4 - D5
xiv. Bassoons: B1 - C3
xv. Cornet 1: B3 - G5
xvi. Cornet 2: C3 - E5
xvii. Cornet 3: B3 - D5
xviii. Horn 1/3: B3 - G5
xix. Horn 2/4: B3 - E5
xx. Trombone 1: E3 - F4
xxi. Trombone 2: E3 - Eb4
xxii. Trombone 3: Ab2 - Eb4
xxiii. Baritone: Bb1 - F4
xxiv. Basses: Ab1 - Bb2
Background/historical summary:
- Composer John Edmondson was born in 1933 and passed away in 2016. He was an
American composer and educator who received his Bachelor of Arts in music theory with
minors in English and sociology from the University of Florida. After a military career as a
trumpet player in Army bands, he received his Master of Music in composition from the
University of Kentucky. He taught in public schools for 10 years where he wrote
extensively for his own students, local university and high school marching bands, and
freelance composing and performing. He is known for his more than 700 publications in
the field of band and educational music. He also wrote several hundred arrangements
and compositions for various professional, military, college, and high school groups in
the areas of marching band and concert band, among others.