America from "West Side Story"

From Wind Repertory Project
Leonard Bernstein

Leonard Bernstein (arr. Michael Brown)


General Info

Year: 1957 / 2005
Duration: c. 4:00
Difficulty: III (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Hal Leonard
Cost: Score and Parts - $50.00   |   Score Only - $7.50


Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute
Oboe
Bassoon
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
E-flat Alto Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III
Horn in F I-II
Trombone I-II
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Timpani
Percussion, including:

  • Bells
  • Castanets
  • Claves
  • Cowbell
  • Drum set
  • Guiro
  • Maracas
  • Tambourine
  • Temple blocks
  • Triangle
  • Vibraphone
  • Wood block
  • Xylophone


Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

West Side Story is an American musical with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and conception and choreography by Jerome Robbins. It was inspired by William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet. Of all Bernstein’s music, his most endearing is what he composed for a most unusual musical, first conceived in 1949. It must have seemed crazy to stage Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet as a Broadway musical, presenting the Montagues and Capulets four centuries later in the slums of New York as teen gangs of white American ne’er-do-wells and tough Puerto Rican immigrants.

Its opening in 1957 brought social issues to American musical theater with greater immediacy than Broadway audiences were prepared for, not to mention a show that seemed more like ballet or opera than a musical. First reviews were mixed. But over sixty years since its opening, West Side Story continues to captivate, intoxicate, jolt, and compel one to dance.

America is a high-energy challenge dance between Puerto Rican girls, set on a tenement rooftop.

- Program note by San Luis Obispo Wind Orchestra concert program, 12 May 2012


Media

Sample download; ensemble and conductor unknown


State Ratings

None discovered thus far.


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

  • Shenandoah Conservatory (Winchester, Va.) Concert Band (Shaun Evans, conductor) - 30 April 2023
  • Lowcountry Wind Symphony (Beaufort, S.C.) (Donald F. Jemella, conductor) - 1 May 2022
  • Humboldt State University (Arcata, Calif.) Wind Ensemble (Paul Cummings, conductor) – 8 November 2018
  • Austin (Tx.) Symphonic Band (Richard Floyd, conductor) – 18 November 2018
  • Western Reserve Community Band (Hudson, Ohio) (Ralph Meyer, conductor) - 19 August 2018
  • Windham (NH) Concert Band (Spencer Aston, conductor) – 7 April 2018
  • Oakland (Calif.) Municipal Band (Troy Davis, conductor) – 4 July 2016
  • San Luis Obispo Wind Orchestra (William V. Johnson, conductor) - 12 May 2012
  • Prairie Ridge Band (Illinois) - 22 May 2012

Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music

  • Cool (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Murtha) (1957/2018)
  • West Side Story (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Sweeney) (1957/2015)


All Wind Works


Resources

  • Bernstein, L.; Sondheim, S.; Brown, M. (2005). America : From West Side Story [score]. Hal Leonard: Milwaukee, Wisc.