University of Wisconsin Milwaukee UWM Digital Commons Theses and Dissertations May 2017 American Music in Wind Band Repertoire: the Importance and Need for Heritage Preservation Jessica Leah Kindschi Walter University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.uwm.edu/etd Part of the Music Pedagogy Commons Recommended Citation Kindschi Walter, Jessica Leah, "American Music in Wind Band Repertoire: the Importance and Need for Heritage Preservation" (2017). Theses and Dissertations. 1650. https://dc.uwm.edu/etd/1650 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by UWM Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UWM Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. AMERICAN MUSIC IN WIND BAND REPERTOIRE: THE IMPORTANCE AND NEED FOR HERITAGE PRESERVATION by Jessica Kindschi Walter A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Music at The University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee May 2017 ABSTRACT AMERICAN MUSIC IN WIND BAND REPERTOIRE: THE IMPORTANCE AND NEED FOR HERITAGE PRESERVATION by Jessica Kindschi Walter The University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, 2017 Under the Supervision of Associate Professor Sheila Feay-Shaw For an instrumental conductor in a music education program, repertoire selection is an important step while preparing for a concert program. Choosing quality music that represents varied genres, styles, and historical periods helps to create a stimulating concert for the listeners and a well-balanced musical preparation for the player. Performing music from other countries is essential and should be balanced with American music, specifically folk songs and marches. The purpose of this thesis is to show the placement and benefit, according to composers and arrangers, of utilizing American music within the music classroom, specifically in the choice of wind band repertoire. This qualitative study features five interviews with modern composers and arrangers, musical analysis of two scores, and the compilation of a repertoire database for American folk songs and marches. The three main research questions that guided this process were: 1) what is the accessibility of folk songs and marches in wind band repertoire, 2) why is the heritage of these categories important in the modern-day classroom, and 3) what musical elements contribute to traditional American music. Triangulation of the data helped demonstrate that distinguishing elements found in marches and folk songs are indicators of the musical ii heritage of the United States. The interviewees outlined musical components that are found in works defined as American music, how pieces belong to this category and notable past composers. The musical analyses outlined two chosen works, Shenandoah and The Stars and Stripes Forever , which includes detailed information about melody, accompaniment, form, articulation, and other performance practices employed in North American folk songs and marches. A reference database of folk songs and marches is included as a tool for educators to utilize when programming specifically for these categories of music. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE NUMBER LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER ONE .................................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 1 Purpose Statement ............................................................................................................................. 3 Literature Review ............................................................................................................................... 5 The Representation of Bands in U.S. History ............................................................. 5 Gilmore & Sousa...................................................................................................... 7 Beginnings of School Band ................................................................................. 8 Wind Band Literature ......................................................................................................... 9 New Works for Wind Band ................................................................................. 12 Repertoire Genres in the Classroom ............................................................................. 14 Compositions Based on Folk Songs ................................................................. 15 The Popularity of Marches ................................................................................. 16 A View of Folk tunes and Marches ................................................................... 16 Summary .................................................................................................................................. 19 CHAPTER TWO .................................................................................................................................................. 20 Methodology ......................................................................................................................................... 20 Interviews .............................................................................................................................................. 21 Participants ........................................................................................................................................... 21 Composers .............................................................................................................................. 21 Arrangers ................................................................................................................................ 22 Score Analysis ...................................................................................................................................... 24 Repertoire Database .......................................................................................................................... 24 Summary ................................................................................................................................................ 25 CHAPTER THREE .............................................................................................................................................. 26 Relationship of Composers and Arrangers to Wind Bands ................................................ 26 Composers ............................................................................................................................... 26 Frank Ticheli ............................................................................................................ 27 Roger Cichy ............................................................................................................... 28 Arrangers ................................................................................................................................. 31 Sean Nelson .............................................................................................................. 31 Tim Hill ....................................................................................................................... 32 James Kazik ............................................................................................................... 33 Common Themes .................................................................................................................. 34 Defining American Music .................................................................................... 35 Traditional American Musical Elements ....................................................... 36 Influences .................................................................................................................. 37 Representation of American Music Today ................................................... 38 The Place of Folk Songs and Marches in Wind Band Repertoire ......... 40 iv Summary ................................................................................................................................................ 42 CHAPTER FOUR ................................................................................................................................................. 44 Score Analysis ...................................................................................................................................... 44 Shenandoah ............................................................................................................................ 44 Historical Perspective .......................................................................................... 45 Lyrics ........................................................................................................................... 46 Melody ........................................................................................................................ 47 Musical Analysis ..................................................................................................... 50 The Stars and Stripes Forever ........................................................................................