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PSALM FOR BAND, OPUS 53
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THIS BEAUTIFUL COMPOSITION WAS WRITTEN BY VINCENT PERSICHETTI IN 1952 AND IS A STANDARD IN THE BAND REPERTOIRE. IT CONSISTS OF 3 SECTIONS 'CONSTRUCTED FROM A SINGLE GERMINATING HARMONIC IDEA'. PERFORMED BY THE 1968 UNIV. S. MISSISSIPPI SYMPHONIC BAND
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Contemporary band compositions, classical music arrangements, marches, jazz, symphonies, overtures. A collection from bands that I have played in throughout hi
Hello and welcome! "Symphonic Band Performances" is a compilation of recordings from several high school and college bands that I played in including the TMEA (Texas) All State Band, the TMEA Region X All Region Band, the Interlochen Arts Academy National Music Camp, the Cal Poly Tech Band, San Luis Obispo, the USAF Golden West Band, and recordings from my h.s. band, Beaumont H.S. and a few band recordings that were passed down to me. Also included are various All State groups and college and university bands. I participated and played in the large majority of these recordings. There are no professional recordings here and every recording is Public Domain. Most are available for free download. Each song has been converted from the original analog or digital source and edited with Audacity or Dak software. In the majority of these recordings, I play the tenor sax or alto sax, b flat or e flat clarinet, or directing. I was drum major for 2 years in high school, I have a BA from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, where I studied music ed, composition and theory. I had about 500 more recordings I was planning to digitize and upload, but this past Nov. 20th, my home was completely destroyed by fire, and all the contents, including all my music and instruments. So, this is it. Please feel free to post a comment here or on my member page. If you like, please become a fan by clicking "I'm a fan" below.
Song Info
Genre
Classical • Symphonic
Charts
Peak #112
Peak in subgenre #16
Author
Vincent Persichetti - 1952
Rights
public domain
Uploaded
November 13, 2009
Track Files
MP3
MP3 12.3 MB • 224 kbps • 7:40
Story behind the song
This is performed in 1968 by the University of Southern Mississippi Symphonic Band, directed by Alan H. Drake. Psalm for Band, by Vincent Persichetti, was commissioned by the Alpha Chapter of Pi Kappa Omicron National Band Fraternity at the University of Louisville. It was first performed in 1952 by the University of Louisville Concert Band with the composer conducting. Persichetti included the following note on the score: "Psalm for Band is a piece constructed from a single germinating harmonic idea. There are three distinct sections?a sustained chordal mood, a forward moving chorale, followed by a Paean culmination of the materials. Extensive use is made of the separate choirs of instruments supported by the thematic rhythms in the tenor and bass drums." Vincent Persichetti was born in Philadelphia and began piano lessons when he was five. At the age of nine he enrolled in college Music Theory courses and at 14 gave his first recital of his own compositions. He played tuba and double bass. He received his Master's degree from the Philadelphia Conservatory at age 25 and subsequently taught at.the Juilliard School of Music in New York City; among his students were Philip Glass and Peter Schickele (P.D.Q. Bach). Persichetti described his music as "having a combination of 'grit' and 'grazioso'." He wrote at least 175 compositions and many important works for Concert Band. The Psalm for Band dates from 1952 and was commissioned by Pi Kappa Omicron National Band Fraternity. It is divided into three parts. Part one consists of short phrases and focuses on the different colors of the ensemble. Part two is chorale-like in nature and is presented at a faster tempo. Part three consists of short rhythmic motives, imitative counterpoint, and thematic use of rhythms in the tenor and bass drums. Vincent Persichetti was a piano and organ prodigy who was supporting himself with his musical talents by age 11. A lifelong Philadelphia resident, he took full advantage of that city?s music institutions. At age 20, he was simultaneously the head of the music department at Combs College, a conducting major with Fritz Reiner at the Curtis Institute, and a piano and composition student at the Philadelphia Conservatory. His distinctly original compositions began to be recognized internationally before he was 30. His skyrocketing reputation led to his appointment at the Juilliard School, where he became the chair of the composition department at age 47. He died in 1987, leaving behind a unique body of work in almost every musical medium, including a number of masterpieces for the wind band. Several different program notes on Psalm construct a full picture of the piece and its place in the repertoire. The US Air Force Band gives us some basic facts about the piece: Psalm for Band was comissioned by the Alpha CHapter of Pi Kappa Omicron Nation Band Fraternity at the University of Louisville, and was premiered in 1952 by the University of Lousiville Concert Band with the composer conducting. In the title, Persichetti refers to a poem of worship that was, in ancient times, sung or accompanied by harp. Using a single musical idea as a foundation for the entire piece, Persicheti explores different facets of the psaml--worship, reflection and celebration. A CD review by Steve Schwartz on classical.net gives further description and context: Persichetti is a major player in contributing to the modern repertoire for wind band, as opposed to the occasional dabbler, with several large works, including at least one symphony, for this ensemble. The Psalm appeared a year after Mennin's Canzona. Why Persichetti called it a "psalm" I have no idea. It certainly doesn't use the conventional idioms of religious music, and it doesn't call to mind any particular psalm. The solemn opening Persichetti calls a "chorale," but it's definitely a chorale filtered through Stravinsky. Persichetti lays out the work in three large sections, each in a n
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