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Webster High School Marching Band
Dr. Ron Nelson Music
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Following are the Ron Nelson selections
performed by the Webster High School Marching Band for their 1999 field show.
Epiphanies (Fanfares and Chorales) was commissioned by the University of Illinois Band, James Keene, Director, for their performance at the Music Educators National Conference, April 8, 1994. Epiphanies "is a festive piece of extreme dynamic range. It is a series of fanfare-like proclamations announced by brass, woodwinds and percussion, which move from dissonance to consonance. It is intended to celebrate a secular, rather than religious, occasion. The main theme is derived from a telephone number (a device that got me into the piece), ten notes in length, cast in an octatonic scale. Motives from this theme tie proclamations and chorale statements together. The theme is transformed into diatonic form in the final chorale-like proclamation." Nelson spoke passionaltely about his affinity for the octatonic scale, to which he was first exposed in high school and has used ever since: "The harmonies generated by this scale are incredibly rich and complex. The scale, perfectly symmetrical, spelled C, D-flat, E-flat, E-natural, F-sharp, G, A, B-flat, C, is saturated with tritones. Every note has a tritone counterpart and, as a result, this scale contains in it a lot of richness and tension. Epiphanies is perhaps my most dissonant piece."
Lauds (Praise High Day) "is an exuberant, colorful work intended to express general feelings of praise and glorification. Lauds is one of the seven canonical hours." The work was premiered by the United States Air Force Band under the direction of LtCol Alan Bonner at the College Band Directors National Association/National Band Association Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina on January 24, 1992.
Rocky Point Holiday was Ron Nelson's first major work for wind band. "It was commissioned in 1969 by Frank Bencriscutto for the University of Minnesota Concert Band's Russian tour. Frank wanted an "Americana" piece to open the program. This was a pivotal moment in my notion of wind ensemble scoring, in which I focused on orchestrating in an extremely transparent way. Others have commented that they felt Rocky Point marked a change in the overall philosophy of scoring for wind band." Nelson wrote this while on vacation at Rocky Point - a favorite seaside resort in Rhode Island ("In such a small state, there aren't that many places to go!") which has now closed.
Ron Nelson music information by Frank Byrne. Used with permission from Reference Recordings.
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This page was last updated Friday, September 17, 1999.