3 MUSIC FOR WINDS IN THE 19TH CENTURY

The three movements are:

1. 1. Marche funèbre (Funeral march)
   2. Oraison funèbre (Funeral prayer)
   3. Apothéose (Apotheosis)

1844 – Trauermusik – Richard Wagner

Richard Wagner (1813-1883) was a German composer remembered most for his operas. Wagner’s Trauermusik was written in 1844 to be performed for Carl Maria von Weber’s (1786-1826) burial procession. Weber was known as one of the first to compose German opera, and was buried in London in 1826, and his remains were later sent to their final resting place in Friedrichstadt, Germany.^[6]

Richard Wagner adapted themes from Weber’s opera Euryanthe for the torchlight procession. In the opera, Euryanthe is banished to the wilderness by Count Adolar after his sister Emma commits suicide. As the story develops, Emma’s soul is trapped inside a ring and requires “a tear of innocent love” to be released.^[7] In the first section of

Trauermusik is also known as Trauersinfonie because, in 1860, C.F. Meser published a piano arrangement without permission. Eric Leidzen edited the piece in 1948 for Edwin Franko Goldman’s band, and Michael Votta recreated a performance edition in 1992.^[9] The original score calls for five flutes, seven oboes, twenty clarinets, ten bassoons, eight F horns, six Bb horns, six trumpets in F, three alto trombones, three tenor trombones, three bass trombones, four tubas, and six side drums.^[10]

1864 – Huldigungsmarsch – Richard Wagner

Huldigungsmarsch was written to show respect for King Ludwig II, who succeeded the Bavarian throne in 1864. Also known as the Homage March, this composition was written when Wagner arrived in Munich.^[11] Later the March was transcribed for orchestra by Joachim Raff. Two other pieces that Wagner wrote for winds include Kaisermarsch (1871) and

1869– Orient et Occident – Camille Saint-Saëns

French composer, Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921), was devoted to the progression of French music. Orient et Occident was composed for a gala in 1869 and incorporated musical stereotypes of the East and West that were known at the time. Saint-Saëns dedicated the piece to his friend, Theodore Biais. The work was eventually transcribed for orchestra by the composer. David Whitwell created a modern edition in 2014.^[13]

1878– Serenade in D Minor, Opus 44. – Antonín Dvorák

Antonin Dvorák (1841-1904) is regarded as one of the great Czech composers of the 19^th century. He spent 1892-1895 as the director of the National Conservatory of New York and would travel to Iowa during the summers. However, he was unhappy in the United States and went back to Bohemia (now the Czech Republic) to join the faculty of the Prague Conservatory. During his time in the United States, he composed Symphony No. 9 in E minor, more commonly known as the New World Symphony.^[14]

Serenade in D minor, also known as Serenade for Winds in D minor, was written in 1878. Instrumentation for the piece includes two oboes, two Bb clarinets that double on A clarinet, two bassoons, an optional contrabassoon, two horns in F that double on Horn in E, one horn in Bb that double on horn in D, cello, and bass. The movements include:

1. 1. Moderato, quasi Marcia
   2. Minuetto
   3. Andante con moto
   4. Allegro molto

The Serenade in D minor was written in two weeks and premiered in Prague with Dvorák conducting.^[15]

1881– Serenade, Opus 7– Richard Strauss

German composer and conductor Richard Strauss (1864-1949) is often remembered for his tone poems. Some examples include Don Juan (1888),

1884 – Suite in Bb, Opus 4 – Richard Strauss

Although it has an earlier opus number than his Serenade, Richard Strauss wrote Suite in Bb in 1884. Hans von Bülow asked Strauss to write another wind piece, resulting in the four-movement Suite in Bb. Opus 4 uses the same instrumentation as Op. 7^[17], and the movements include:

1. 1. Praeludium
   2. Romanze
   3. Gavotte
   4. Introduction and Fugue

1885 – Petite Symphonie – Charles Gounod

As a child, French composer, Charles Gounod (1818-1893) would describe a dog barking in “sol” or a lady crying in “do,” and his neighbors would often call him “Le petit musician.”^[18] In 1836, he began studying composition at the Paris Conservatory and won the Grand Prix de Rome in 1839.^[19]

In 1885, the founder of the French Flute School, Paul Taffanel, commissioned Gounod to write the Petite Symphony for the Societe de Musique de Chamber pour Instruments a Vent. Taffanel’s ensemble was a standard Harmoniemusik octet with the addition of a flute and was committed to commissioning new works for winds.^[20] The Petite Symphonie contains four movements:

1. 1. Adagio et Allegretto
   2. Andante Cantabile
   3. Scherzo
   4. Finale-Allegretto

The piece was modeled after a classical symphony, and the first movement is in sonata form, beginning with a slow adagio introduction. The second movement is lyrical with an aria-like flute solo. The third movement is a lively Scherzoand contains the most technically challenging lines in the piece. Finally, the fourth movement ends the piece in a modified sonata form.