A Conductor's Analytical Study of Vincent Persichetti's Symphony for Band (Symphony No.6) Op. 69

Chester, Michael W.

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/47114 Copy

Description

Title

A Conductor's Analytical Study of Vincent Persichetti's Symphony for Band (Symphony No.6) Op. 69

Author(s)

Chester, Michael W.

Issue Date

2013-05-15

Keyword(s)

• Persichetti, Vincent (1915-1987)
• Symphony for Band - Analysis
• Symphony No. 6, Op. 69 - Analysis
• Band Music Analysis
• Masterworks for Band
• American Composers
• Symphonies for Band
• 20th Century Band Composers
• 20th Century American Composers
• Symphony for Band (Symphony No. 6) Op. 69 - Discography
• Hymns and Responses for the Church Year, Op.68
• Round Me Falls the Night / Adagio Sostenuto
• Band Music Orchestration
• Percussion Scoring in Band Music
• Band Music Instrumentation
• Harris, Roy (1898-1979)
• Schuman, William (1910-1992)
• Mennin, Peter (1923-1983)
• Juilliard School
• Samaroff, Olga (1880-1948)
• American Concert Band Music
• Vincent Persichetti papers 1901-1996 [bulk 1930-1987]
• Persichetti, Dorothea Flanagan (1919-1987)
• Elkan-Vogel Company
• Wind Ensemble Music and Analysis
• Wind Band Masterworks and Analysis

Abstract

The lasting contributions of Vincent Persichetti (1915-1987) to the realm of American classical music are due for a critical reassessment. As a composer, Persichetti wrote several works for the wind band medium, chief among which is his Symphony for Band (Symphony No. 6) Op. 69. From the time of its premier in 1956 and subsequent performances, the Symphony for Band remains as a pinnacle achievement and a fundamental masterwork of the wind band repertoire. This study seeks to analyze the work in the current context from the conductor’s perspective, examining the composer and his compositional techniques. It involves a careful review of scholarship and extensive scrutiny of Persichetti’s manuscripts, including two extant copies of his published rehearsal scores of the Symphony for Band with notes, other marginalia, draft source material, and his personal correspondence. Because of Persichetti’s tonal syntax, scholars have relegated his compositional style to that of a twentieth-century traditionalist, sometimes considering his works neoclassical. During his lifetime, many critics marginalized his works as the wave of serial and avant-garde composers captured the attention of both academia and the mainstream public. The year 2015 marks the centenary of Persichetti’s birth and it is the hope that this study will encourage scholars of wind band music and American classical music to reassess his works and lead the charge in their resurgence.

Type of Resource

text

Language

en

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/47114

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