Color

Bob Margolis

General Info

Year: 1984 / 1999
Duration: c. 7:00
Difficulty: V (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Manhattan Beach Music
Cost: Score and Parts - $175.00 | Score Only - $25.00

Movements

1. Stanes Morris
2. Stingo
3. Daphne
4. Argeers
5. The Slip

Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
C Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
English Horn
Bassoon I-II
Contrabassoon
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
E-flat Alto Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Contra Alto Clarinet
B-flat Contrabass 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-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Timpani
Percussion, including:

Bass Drum
Crash Cymbals
Finger Cymbals
Glass Harmonica (Musical Glasses) in E-flat and B-flat
Marimba
Orchestra Bells
Sizzle Cymbal
Snare Drum
Suspended Cymbal (regular and large)
Tambourine
Tam-tam
Triangle
Tubular Bells (Chimes)
Vibraphone
Xylophone

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

Color is a five-movement work based on English country dance tunes. For his source material, Margolis used two collections of unaccompanied Renaissance melodies: John Playford’s English Dancing Master (published in 1651), and Jacob van Eyck’s Der Fluyten Lust-hof (published in 1646). As in their sources, the individual movements are also titled Stanes Morris, Stingo, Daphne, Argeers, and The Slip.

The title of the work as a whole stems from the composer’s emphasis on the instrumentation and accompaniment to the tunes. In his notes in the score, Margolis states that the “focus of the music is not the melody, but the setting ... the texture, the color and the harmony.” One of the most intriguing, refreshing aspects of Color lies in the numerous short passages scored for soli sections or solo instruments -- almost all sections are exposed at one time or another.

The work is dedicated to Donald George and the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Symphony Band, who performed the premiere on 8 April 8 1984.

- Program Note by Rishona Hatcher

Color is based upon five English folk dances: Stanes Morris, Stingo, Daphne, Argeers, and The Slip. The musical treatment is improvisatory, playful, mischievous, and generally compact in structure, with a strong emphasis on style and tone color.

Quite a few melodies were looked over before settling on the ones for this suite. The entire English Dancing Master (1651) of John Playford, and most of van Eyck’s Der Fluyten Lust-hof (1646) were consulted for the tunes, which are all English country dances -- that is, instrumental folk dances. Yet the fact is, the focus of this music is not the melody, but rather setting -- that is, the accompaniment, the texture, the color, and the harmony. It might be argued that to some extent not only the focus but the very reason-for-being of this piece is its setting; that the style has become the thing itself; and more specifically, the aspect most important thereof is the timbre, or instrumental color. This the title: Color.

- Program Note by composer

Media

Audio: University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Symphony Band (Donald S. George, conductor)

State Ratings

Alabama: Class A
Florida: V
Georgia: VI
Iowa: IV
Indiana: ISSMA SENIOR BAND GROUP I
Kansas: V
Louisiana: IV
Maryland: V
Michigan: Senior High AA
'Minnesota: II
New York: Concert Band V
Oklahoma: IV-A
South Carolina: VI
Tennessee: VI
Texas: III. (play three movements)
Texas: IV. Complete
Virginia: V

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Luther College (Decorah, Iowa) Symphonic Band (Cory Near, conductor) - 9 November 2022
Fort Hays State University (Big Creek, Kans.) Wind Ensemble (Jeff Jordan, conductor) – 6 December 2019
University Of North Carolina, Greensboro, Symphonic Band (Kevin Geraldi, Conductor) – 14 November 2018
University of Minnesota (Minneapolis) Gold Campus Band (Cory Near, conductor) – 26 February 2018
Penn State University (University Park) Symphonic Band (Dennis Glocke, conductor) – 5 December 2017
State University of New York, Potsdam, Crane Symphonic Band (Brian K. Doyle, conductor) and New Horizons Band of Northern New York (Ron Berry, conductor) – 5 October 2016
Georgia Southern University (Statesboro, Ga.) Wind Symphony (Rebekah Daniel, conductor) - 6 October 2015
Valley Wind Ensemble (Santa Inez, Calif.) (Sharon Jeskey, conductor) - 21 March 2015 (2015 Sutherland Wind Festival (Fresno, Calif.)
Wilson County High School Honor Band - 22 February 2014
California State University Long Beach Concert Band (Rishona Hatcher, conductor) - 5 December 2011

Works for Winds by This Composer

Alien Visitors
Allegro Brilliante
The Battle Pavane (as arranger) (1981)
Belle qui tiens ma vie (as arranger)
Canzona No. 1 (as arranger) (1597/1985)
Color (1999)
Fanfare Ode and Festival
Fantasia Nova
Jody
Prelude and March (1985)
The Renaissance Fair (as arranger) (1993)
Royal Coronation Dances (16th cent./1989)
Soldiers' Procession and Sword Dance (1999)
The Stars Asleep, the Break of Day (1995)
Streets and Inroads: Fantasy for Winds and Percussion
Terpsichore (1930)
The Two-Minute Symphony (1989)

Resources

Margolis, B. (1984). Color: For Symphonic Band [score]. Manhattan Beach Music: Brooklyn, N.Y.