Big Four on the River

James M. David

General Info

Year: 2014
Duration: c. 4:50
Difficulty: (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Murphy Music Press
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $125.00

Instrumentation

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

Bass Drums (concert and pedal)
Brake Drum
China Cymbal (large)
Crotales
Hi-Hat
Jam Block (high)
Marimba
Ribbon Crasher
Ride Cymbal
Sizzle Cymbal
Slapstick
Snare Drum
Tambourine
Triangle (small)
Vibraphone
Vibra-slap
Xylophone

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

Big Four on the River is a short work for wind ensemble inspired by the historic riverfront cities of my native Southeastern United States. Cities like Savannah, Charleston, and New Orleans share a rich cultural heritage that reflects the diversity and conflict found within the region. Of course, jazz played a strong role in these towns and is on full display in this piece.

The “big four” refers to the emphasis on the fourth beat of each bar in traditional jazz (particularly in second line drumming). The work moves through time beginning with a strong Dixieland flavor, moving to the swing era, followed by 70s fusion, and finally a touch of indie grunge.

This work is dedicated to my colleague and fellow southerner and trombonist, Dr. Rebecca Phillips.

- Program Note by composer

Media

Audio: Reference recording. Ensemble and conductor unknown

State Ratings

None discovered thus far.

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Oregon State University (Corvallis) Wind Symphony (Olin Hannum, conductor) - 20 November 2023
Valley Wind Ensemble (Harrisonburg, Va.) (Stephen P. Bolstad, conductor) - 15 May 2023
The Ohio State University (Columbus) Symphonic Band (Scott A. Jones, conductor) - 18 November 2022
2022 CBDNA North Central Intercollegiate Band (Madison, Wisc.) (Rebecca Phillips, conductor) – 8 April 2022 (CBDNA 2022 North Central Conference, Madison, Wisc.)
Texas A&M University – Commerce Symphonic Band (Allan Goodwin, conductor) - 18 November 2021
VanderCook College of Music (Chicago, Ill.) Symphonic Band (Alexander Kaminsky, conductor) - 20 December 2019 (2019 Midwest Clinic)
Central Michigan University (Mount Pleasant) Symphonic Wind Ensemble (Christopher C. Chapman, conductor) – 26 November 2019
West Virginia University (Morgantown) Wind Symphony (Scott C. Tobias, conductor) – 29 September 2019
Dr. Lawrence R. Sutherland Wind Festival Orchestra (Fresno, Calif.) (Rebecca Phillips, conductor) -18 March 2018 (2018 Sutherland Wind Festival (Fresno, Calif.)
University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa) Symphonic Band (Randall Coleman, conductor) – 4 February 2016

Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music

Lookfar (Adaptable Band) (2020)
March Tumbao (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
Menlo Park, 1879 (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
Zephyrus (Flex instrumentation) (2019)

All Wind Works

All Dark Is Now No More (2014)
Auto '66 (2011)
Big Four on the River (2014)
Bright Window (2005)
Codex Gigas. See: Symphony No. 1
Dymaxion (2021)
Flying Jewels (2021)
From the Shaken Tower: Symphony for Percussion and Winds (2014)
Ghosts of the Old Year (2016)
Heartland Verses (2019)
I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold (2017)
Lookfar (Adaptable Band) (2020)
March Tumbao (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
Menlo Park, 1879 (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
Message from Arecibo (2023)
Octarine Spark (2009)
Pavillons en L'Air (2009)
Sinfonietta No 1 (2004)
Sinfonietta No 3: "Strange and Mysterious Waters" (2010)
Swing Landscape (2018)
Symphony No. 1 (2020)
Tesseract (2023)
Three Summits (2023)
Troublesome Fire (2022)
Two-Lane Blacktop (2013)
Urban Light (2021)
With Soul Serene (2019)
Zephyrus (Flex instrumentation) (2019)

Resources

James M. David website Accessed 25 January 2016
Perusal score