This edition of Brass, Reeds, and Percussion features original classical wind-band music by Ignace Joseph Pleyel. Pleyel was born in Lower Austria; but eventually made his home in Paris, where he was famous as a composer, music publisher, and piano builder. Pleyel lived from 1757 to 1831, clearly making him a composer of the classical period. But he is not as well known as other composers of this period like Haydn, who taught him and considered him a good student. After a visit to Italy, Pleyel moved to Strasbourg, France, to serve as an organist at the Strasbourg Cathedral. Eventually, Pleyel moved to Paris and became a music publisher and piano builder in addition to being a composer.
Marches by Julius Fucik, original classical wind-band music by Ignace Pleyel, and a Japanese arrangement of \“Bolero\” all of these will be heard on this edition of Brass, Reeds, and Percussion. But the primary focus will be the music of Ignace Joseph Pleyel. Born in Lower Austria, but eventually making his home in Paris, Pleyel was famous as a composer, music publisher, and piano builder. Pleyel lived from 1757 to 1831, clearly making him a composer of the classical period. But he is not as well known as other composers of this period like Haydn, who taught him and considered him a good student. After a visit to Italy, Pleyel moved to Stasbourg, France, to serve as an organist at the Strasbourg Cathedral. Eventually, Pleyel moved to Paris and became a music publisher and piano builder in addition to being a composer.
This edition of Brass, Reeds, and Percussion opens with a march that I recently heard played for the Arcadia, California, Band Review. Apparently, as part of the requirements for participating in this parade marching contest, traditional marches must be performed. So this edition opens with one of the great American marches: "Emblem of Unity" by John Joseph Richards, a Welsh born composer who grew up in Kansas. He started playing alto horn and cornet at age 10, but was the director of a circus band by age 19. In addition to conducting the Norton-Jones Circus Band, he also conducted the Barnum and Bailey Circus Band and the Ringling Brothers Circus Band before the two circuses merged.
Continuing the exploration of how popular music is often wind-band music, this edition of Brass, Reeds, and Percussion features music of a big band called \“a thundering herd\” instead of an orchestra. Before being a musician or bandleader, Woody Herman was a vaudeville performer billed as \“The Boy Wonder.\” He began playing his clarinet in a band at age 13 and doubled on saxophones. In 1934, he joined the Isham Jones Orchestra and added singing to his musical activities. In 1936, he formed his first band called the Band That Plays the Blues. Probably because of the rhythmic drive of the band’s playing, a music critic started to refer to the band as Woody Herman’s Herd. The band reached the height of its popularity during WW II, during which time the name of the band morphed into Woody Herman and His Thundering Herd. We open today’s edition of Brass, Reeds, and Percussion with one of his hits from that WWII period: \“Goosey Gander.\”
Brass, Reeds, and Percussion: October 21, 2023 wlrh.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wlrh.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.